After a lengthy journey that took us from the Washington metro through the Dublin airport, we arrived at last to the sunny island of Madeira. Officially a Portuguese territory located off the coast of Morocco, the island’s first impressions are found in its vibrant landscape — stunning cliffs and lush jungles dot the coast, while red-tiled roofs and colonial architecture line the city streets of the capital, Funchal.

Quaint and swanky, Funchal is a harbor town with a maritime culture that manifests in rich, Atlantic-inspired colors and an abundance of seafood. Our (surprisingly large) apartment was set just off the main road, and we were able to enjoy both ocean views and city life. I particularly enjoyed my daily interactions with a fat orange cat who lived on the roof opposite ours. His life seems nice. The town itself is extremely walkable, and if you head in any direction you’re sure to find lively squares, family-owned restaurants, and expansive views of the ocean.

Our apartment was located just off the Rua de Santa Maria (Santa Maria Street), the main stretch of restaurants and shops in Funchal. The city’s cuisine is hard to match, with off-season prices putting a nice meal and a glass of wine at just around twenty euros. Some of the favorite dishes we tried included variations on fish, pasta, and soup — each of which was freshly-prepared using local ingredients, something restaurants in Madeira pride themselves on (and for good reason). It’s also quite hard to miss the many poncha shops that dot the streets of Funchal, which sell a Madeiran specialty made from fruit juice, honey, and sugarcane. The citrus flavor is perfect after a meal as a digestif or just the opposite before heading out for the night — it’s strong.

The open-air style fruit market, located just off the main road in Funchal, is an ideal place to stop to acquire some local fruits — or, as my friend Sebastian learned the hard way, an overpriced foreign delicacy like dragonfruit.

It would normally be at this point where I describe our voyage to Porto Santo, an island in the Madeira archipelago that once acted as an isolated home for Christopher Columbus himself. But, as it goes, we ended up missing our morning ferry by just a couple of minutes and opted for last-minute plane tickets to London instead. The financial optics of this decision have since been heavily scrutinized, but it was well worth it nonetheless.