Old Blandy’s Wine Lodge
Avenida Arriaga 32 Funchal
9000-064 Madeira
Portugal

Date of Last Visit: 11 October 2008

The Victims: Mom, Mrs. C, Leanne

The Background: I am a good daughter. I’ve arranged for a private guided tour of Madeira, a cable car ride, a lovely lunch. And now a tour of Old Blandy’s Wine Lodge.

And you know what the ladies say to me? What my own mother says not even half-way through what I think is a very informative tour?

WHERE IS THE BAR? CAN WE GO THERE NOW?

Yes, they sneak us out of the tour and down a flight of stairs that’s cordoned off with a red velvet rope. They want to go to the gift shop. And the bar. The tasting room is very atmospheric. We sit on old barrels.

And then we get some madeira to try. We get two glasses each to start, but we can go up and get more. This is a lot of madeira for four women. (That’s my Klaus Haapaniemi notebook in the background.)

We try it all. Dry (Sercial). Semi-dry (Verdelho–my favorite). Semi-sweet (Bual). Sweet (Malvasia).

And high on sunshine and Madeira (both the island and the wine), we trip our way out of there.

P.S. Don’t forget…blog about Your Perfect Day in London by October 24th. I’ll summarize all the blog posts for all to publish on their blogs as a traffic-building exercise…

The post Old Blandy’s Wine Lodge, Funchal, Madeira first appeared on Passport Delicious | Solo Travel Blog | Solo Female Travel.

Date of Last Visit: 10 October 2008

The Victims: Mom, Mrs. C, Leanne

The Damage: Unknown! Mom paid.

The Background: My mother and two of her friends are on a whirlwind tour of Europe. I haven’t seen my mom since December! So I meet them in Madeira.

We spend the day sightseeing. We ooh and aah at the appropriate moments while our guide takes us up to this viewpoint and that viewpoint. But then at every curve, he drops us off at the worst tourist-trap gift shop you could ever imagine. Really, how many embroidered tablecloths does one really need? He is sweet, though. I’ll give him that.

I have asked ahead regarding lunch and Riso has come highly recommended. After spending too much time convincing a lazy taxi driver (not our tour guide) to drive us up the hill and around the bend, we go. (Really, I’m with three women who are all over the age of 65. We’re not walking.) We arrive and our arrogant driver insists that the restaurant is closed. I don’t believe him. I am sure its open.

And I am right. And I am so mad at Mrs. C for actually tipping the jerk.

But, as Mr. Costanza says, Serenity Now.

The Entrance: They are happy to see us, but sit us at a very, very large table. They bring us lovely olives and pate and toasted salty rice which we gleefully accept, only to find out when we get our bill that it’s cost us 2 euros per person.

The Food: Riso specializes in risotto and so we all order some. Asparagus and scallops for Mrs. C and Leanne. Prawns and mussels for me. Goats cheese and tomato for mom. With the exception of my mother, we all seem to be pleased with our food. My prawns arrive with their heads on, but only in a decorative sense. For that, I am grateful.

The Conversation: I tell Mrs. C about how M. has become a stripper. We wonder aloud how Sister V. could have lost both her legs.

The Wine: Absolutely endearingly lovely and 18 euros for the bottle. God bless Portugal! Now if I can only remember what it was! See, even with a the totally fantastic Nokia N82, I’m still worthless.

The Verdict: Well you know, when your mom–who you haven’t seen in about ten months–buys you drinks and pays for lunch, you really can’t complain. More photos to come when I’ve got all my blogging equpment back together.

P.S. Don’t forget…blog about Your Perfect Day in London by the end of October. I’ll summarize all the blog posts for all to publish on their blogs as a traffic-building exercise…

The post Riso, Funchal Madeira Portugal first appeared on Passport Delicious | Solo Travel Blog | Solo Female Travel.