Walking in Funchal -3

We came across the central market in Funchal.  It's mostly for produce and fish to supply the local restaurants and households, but tourists are also catered for.  You can buy T-shirts, bottles of Madeira, coffee, the local punch called puncha (by the glass or bottle).

The ugly, long black fish you can see laid out on the slabs is identified as Scabbard fish, sometimes mistranslated as swordfish.  It tastes better than it looks, with a fine delicate flavour that goes well with a light wine sauce, or with the local sweet bananas.

Also to be found in Funchal is the Madeira wine factory.  A guided visit, followed by a tasting, is a must of course, and we went in the afternoon.  The wine is fermented not in the cellar, but on the upper floor, to benefit from the heat in Summer that speeds fermentation.  The ceiling that you see when on the ground floor is supported by huge oak beams that are themselves supported on thick oak (or stone) columns.  They support a lot of weight.  Beware of termites!

I always like to see the old tools and machinery that are often found in museums to this or that traditional process.  They were built to do a specific job well, and to last for ever.   Not a philosophy to be found much these days, it seems to me.