Walking in Funchal -2

Walking away from the yellow fort towards the town centre, we come across various shops selling household goods for locals, and touristy stuff for tourists.  One thing I notice is that there is a surprising amount of goods on offer made of cork.

I remember that some time ago I went to see The Eden Project somewhere in the Southwest of England.  I wasn't particularly impressed, but I remembered a little screed about cork production.  It was about the time when plastic artificial corks were starting to be used, and the Australians were starting to ship wine in bottles with screw-off tops.  The point was made that the use of cork for ummm... corks meant that the trees were cared for, and the replacement by plastic corks could lead to their extinction.

Portugal produces about 50% of the world's cork, and if you can see a big fall coming in your most important market, then you have a big problem.  The response has been to process cork into a leather substitute.  It is then turned into purses, backpacks, handbags, hats; pretty much anything small that you might make out of leather.  It's vegan-compatible too, and very light.  You can dye it pastel shades.  I bought a hat, Anita bought a backpack.

A bit farther on is the cathedral.  I went inside to take some pics, but there was a service going on, so I just stood in the doorway and snapped.  And a jazz quartet setting up, featuring a creative percussion instrument (cheap to make, too)?

And finally on this stretch of the walk, some gardens, right in the centre of town.