The Episode Where the Sandal Needs Repairing.

The post title is just for JS.

The view out of the window this morning is somewhat dreich.  The forecast suggests showers on and off all day so we opt for a bit more culture. On yesterday's jaunt we passed the Casa Museo Frederico de Freitas and looked it up. The house was another traditional Madeiran Manor House that was occupied by the eponymous lawyer from 1940 until he died in 1978.
To say that Fred was a bit of a collector is like saying Lenin was a bit of a leftie. This museum is rather like a Madeiran Burrell Collection in its breadth of subjects - paintings, furniture, religious sculptures, ceramics, silver, books and more. 

One shelf in the library caught D's attention. At what point was Wales not part of the British Empire?
Not to be outdone Madame Fred accrued a collection of over 2000 mugs, jugs and pitchers including examples badged for Chelsea FC and Tottenham Hotspur FC. Sadly these were behind glass in a gloomy cellar, making photography somewhat difficult.
There is a modern wing built on to the side of the Casa that has three floors of tile displays. 
As well as a great view of our hotel.
This is a great place and is mainly showerproof. All it lacks is a cafe. But we manage to find one just outside that doesn't seem to have too many pretensions. Splendid coffee and cake.
The drizzle is now set in and we head back to base to indulge in literary pursuits. A break in the rain provokes D into a supermarket run. As he dons his sandals ( it's warm rain) one of the rivets gives way. 

Readers of our previous blogs will be aware that at some point D requires a sandal or two to be sorted. Dhaka, Salt Lake and Kochi are just a few of the spots where past repairs have been carried out. Usually picturesque and value for money. Here in Madeira we have to consult Google and are directed to Mr Minit, adjacent to the downtown Pingo Doce supermarket. Here it is efficient but hardly photogenic.  The bill is not outrageous at Rs 250. No donations are sought.

Tonight we self cater. R produces a fabulous pasta in sauce. It is wonderful.


Comments

  1. Unknown5 February 2022 at 01:55

    Ok I know you are not looking for donations but those sandals are a much travelled Radinja Legend and on retirement [Eventually] should end up in a cabinet @ Chez Watson Towers. When you get back to blighty remind me to reimburse you the 250 !

    ReplyDelete
  2. Dave W5 February 2022 at 06:05

    These are actually different sandals. The previous offenders were abandoned in Delhi in March 2020.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Where Winston stood?

Image
Today threatens to be sunny without any danger of precipitation. Sorry to rub it in. We have a Saturday routine that dictates delivering our grungy laundry to the service wash facility, before attending the tent on the promenade for our weekly government funded Covid test. Once again we are greeted as family and the nurse wielding the nasal swab could well be the aunt who is normally hidden in the attic. Within an hour we receive texts and emails to confirm our negative tests. After a leisurely breakfast featuring freshly squeezed orange juice we catch a bus to the fishing port of Camara de Lobos. If you don't know what this means you have not been paying attention and need to go back to the start and read it all again. The bus drops us at a place that was allegedly Winston Churchill's favourite view of the town. We stroll down to the port through picturesque streets where the restaurants are starting to get ready for the day's business and groups of elderly jaikies are pla...
Read more

The Navy's Here!

Image
One of the things that we forgot to mention yesterday was the presence of Royal Navy uniforms around the town. As we strolled the promenade we spotted a slightly odd looking vessel flying the White Ensign. Later research identified H131 as HMS Scott, an oceanic survey ship. Has Boris declared war on Portugal to divert attention from something? Our plan today is to walk up to the fort that dominates the view from our balcony, Fortaleza do Pico. It is sunny and not very windy so the shorts are unfurled and the sun block applied. Just before setting out D checks the guidebook and spots the small print that states "Open Monday to Saturday".  Plan B is to visit Quinta das Cruzes Museum, described as a quintessential Old Madeira Manor House complete with gardens, open Tuesdays to Sundays. We find it without any difficulty and read the notice that tells us it is closed for maintenance until 8th February. Electing not to give up the height that we have gained we head east...
Read more