The next several days in Madeira were spent wandering the streets of Funchal and heading into the Curral das Freiras, or the Valley of the Nuns, which is located in the center of the island. Climbing up mountain cliffs and taking hairpin turns on a public bus was a little nerve-wracking, but after arriving at an alpine lodge in the Madeiran mountains, we hopped off the bus and began our descent into the valley. It took a few hours, but we ended in a charming town where we enjoyed the Portuguese delicacy of pastel de nata, a custard-based dessert, and ice cold tea.

Our last adventure in Madeira came in the form of a surprise — rather, a cancellation. While we had originally planned to hike the famed Pico do Arieiro at sunrise, inclement weather meant we had to search for a different activity to fill the rest of our day in Curral das Freiras. Scrolling through AllTrails and Google Maps in the warm café, we found a hike called Pico Grande that set off just a few short kilometers from where we were. Because it was a cloudy (potentially rainy) day, we proceeded with caution but ended up walking several miles through charming Portuguese villages until we reached the trailhead. At times, it felt like we were walking through random backyards, and the trailhead was by no means easily seen. Trusting our weak GPS signal, we began the three mile ascent into the Madeiran clouds. The views, however, were stunning and from the odd cliffhead sticking out of the trail one could see much of the island in a single glance.

The hike was, to put it mildly, challenging. With little visibility and an increasingly dark sky, it was hard to know where the trail went — much less ended. As time progressed, the vibrant green landscape began to look like another planet: gravel rocks and strange plants dotted the ground, while cloud cover enshrouded much of the trail in fog. Each turn initially signaled a potential summit of Pico Grande, but after about fifteen false positives we decided to stop anticipating the end and to instead enjoy the journey upward. Eventually, after plenty of water breaks, we reached the top of the mountain, and saw the first other hikers of the day. While the vistas from Pico Grande are normally awe-inspiring, we saw nothing but fog. After practically running down the mountain to catch the last bus of the day to Funchal, we had but one conclusion: the journey was certainly worth the effort and adventure.

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