We"re taking in a view of the island of Madeira, by far the largest island in the Madeira archipelago, which sits 320 miles off the coast of Morocco in the North Atlantic. Known as the "Pearl of the Atlantic," Madeira is part of an autonomous region of Portugal. It boasts a diverse forest ecosystem, endemic flora and fauna, and the largest living stand of laurel trees in the world. It"s a great place to hike, too. Trails run alongside irrigation channels, called levadas, that move water all over the island. Walks range from easy strolls in the countryside to precarious hikes along mountain ridges or into remote parts of the forests. Afterward, the calorie-depleted can dig into a local delicacy like peixe espada com banana (fried local fish with banana) and sip on Madeira wine. Saúde!
Exploring the Pearl of the Atlantic
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
-
American Eagle Day
-
Flock together for Cousins Day
-
Desert rose of Qatar
-
Dancers perform ‘Revelations’
-
Burrowing owls
-
World Art Day
-
Aerial view of a heart-shaped field in Trittau, Germany
-
Palouse farmland, Washington state
-
Kochelsee in Bavaria
-
Rising up from the black sand like rock gods
-
Lupine fields, Snæfellsnes, Iceland
-
Le Beaujolais nouveau est arrivé!
-
International Archaeology Day
-
Sandstone formations in the badlands near Caineville, Utah
-
World Water Day
-
Dance of the egret
-
Great Backyard Bird Count
-
Vieste, Apulia, Italy
-
A ‘Superior’ paddle
-
Happy 300th, NOLA!
-
Racing toward history
-
World Sea Turtle Day
-
Victory Day in Valletta
-
Protecting endangered giants
-
In celebration of cats
-
Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri
-
World-class art comes to Arkansas
-
Coming home to roost
-
Northern hawk-owl
-
Old City of Dubrovnik in Dalmatia, Croatia