Welcome to TravAgSta! – TravAgSta

Postcard motives on Santorini – and where to find them!

Our highlights on the Lofoten and the Vesterålen Islands – Arctic meets Tropics!

What you should know about the Lofoten and Vesterålen Islands!

Road trip through Brittany – Part 1: The North!

Bavaria, lakes and snow – we found Winter Wonderland in Berchtesgadener Land!

Caye Caulker – you better Belize it!

Guatemala – a lot of Tikal & a little bit of Flores!

The Exuma Cays, the Bahamas – Paradise on Earth!

Waterfalls and fjords - Roadtrip in Western Norway

Chasing Northern Lights!

Iceland – heading south on the Ring Road!

Snaefellsness, Iceland – Is this place real?

The temples of Angkor Wat!

Thailand's islands and beaches!

Stopover in Singapore – Perfect for the first impression!

Top Temples of Bali

Better than its reputation- Frankfurt on the Main!

How we got fooled on our way to Viñales – and why we loved it nevertheless!

Varadero – Tourist hell or heaven on earth?

Dubrovnik-City of dreams on the Dalmatian Coast!

Montenegro-our experiences in this beautiful country!

Must-sees in Rome!

The Isle of Capri – Island of love, arts and wealth!

„Regards from the Amalfi Coast!”

Where you’ll find ease in New York City!

1 week in Beijing

- Madeira’s inland!12. March 2019Madeira is not only all about green and the sea. The island’s sights are not limited to the coasts. The inland is equally beautiful offers scenic viewpoints and has a lot to offer especially for hiking fans. Madeira may be just a tiny island in the middle of the Atlantic. But its mountains reach far in the sky and this gives you the great and rare opportunity to see the clouds from above, (rare at least outside from a plane). Seriously, this is beautiful. Pico do Arieiro Pico do Arieiro is the third highest mountain of Madeira and the highest to be reached by car. Some meters below the summit there’s a parking lot and the start of a great hike to the two higher summits of Pico Ruivo and Pico das Torres. On clear days you can even see Ponta de São Lourenço from up there. But even if not, the view over the valleys and the clouds is worth the drive up here. For our small rental car, it was really a challenge, though. Tip: For your way up, we recommend you take the panoramic route. To get there, leave the VE6 in direction of Eira do Serrado and then turn right to take the steep road up. It’s less crowded and offers plenty of great viewpoints. Definitely worth the steep drive. Miradouros do Paredão One of those lesser known viewpoints on the panoramic route. Two views, to be precise. One covers the view over Funchal, the second is in direction of Curral das Freiras. Eira do Serrado As I just mentioned it: You’ll have the best view over Curral das Freiras from here. So, of course, plenty of buses take the narrow and steep road up here, too. Curral das Freiras The Valley of the Nuns is one of the most beautiful and impressive places on Madeira. Our opinion. The houses in this small town seem to be so small compared to the huge mountains surrounding it. We wondered whether the people were afraid of the mountains sometimes. We would be! Sitting in the Sabores do Curral restaurant in great afternoon light, enjoying great food and the splendid view – you can’t beat this. Ribeiro Frio Another great place in Madeira’s inland: Ribeiro Frio. It’s famous for its trouts and as a starting point of the Balcoes Hike, which takes just 30 minutes and is very easy. Actually, it’s not a hike but an easy walk. But the view is amazing and you wouldn’t expect it after walking through the woods. After your walk, go for lunch in the village and enjoy a trout. Of course, it’s quite touristic but delicious. Don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions. Or if you want us to add something to the list. More about Madeira here: Funchal and Southern Madeira! The North and East Coast of Madeira! Our Babymoon in Madeira! Booking.com...
- The North and East Coast of Madeira!10. March 2019The advantages of a rental car are obvious. How else could you easily reach other parts of Madeira, without following a strict time plan? There aren’t any earth-shattering distances on the island. It’s still not easy without a rental to reach east and the northwest coast of the island. Which would be sad because the island’s landscape is diverse and like in a picture book. Without any exaggeration, Madeira’s nature reminds of some kind of Rivendell (Lord of the Rings). It’s blooming everywhere. Waterfalls along the streets and the coast are the cherry on the top. It reminded us a little bit of Norway. Our big city lungs were a little bit overstrained with all the fresh air. I should stop now! Ponta de São Lourenço This nature gem called Ponta de São Lourenço is located at the most eastern part of Madeira and reminded us strongly of Ireland. Also, a little bit of Brittany, but most of Ireland. Somehow a lot of parts of the island reminded us of certain other areas in Europe. The Atlantic Ocean shows a lot of talent forming stones and offshore islands. The most famous viewpoint is the Miradouro do Ponta do Rosto. Miradouro do Ponta do Rosto Santana The small community of Santana is located at the north coast of Madeira and famous for its thatched houses, which everyone must have seen before. They’re as cute at the inside as they look from outside. Some of them got restored recently and prettied up. Not far from the houses, there’s the restaurant Serra e Mar. There’s no huge variety on the menu but what they offered was delicious. Hiking up the mountain after lunch being six months pregnant was an effort I didn’t include in my plans. (It was actually just a little steeper hill, but still.) Porto Moniz Porto Moniz is located on the north west of Madeira and famous for its lava pools filled with seawater. Porto Moniz is really focused on tourism which is why there are lots of hotels and restaurants. We ate at the Restaurant Olhos d’Agua, as it’s supposed to be with a view. Miradouro da Santa That’s the name of the viewpoint throning over Porto Moniz. Our little rental car wasn’t very delighted by the steep ride up, but we ignored it successfully and got rewarded. Ribeira da Janela & Ilheus da Rib Ribeira da Janela is also in the northwest of the island and belongs to the Porto Moniz district. Here’s one of the famous photo spots of the island, called Ilheus da Rib. It ‘s a rock formation reminding of needles looking out of the water. It looks really pretty. Miradouro do Véu da Noiva As if all this wasn’t picture perfect enough, there’s another pretty corner with a Miradouro. This time the Véu da Noiva and we actually had the feeling it was unreal. We’ve really seen worse on this planet. For all those who think this is all too boring, just looking at nice things: You are very welcome to pack your hiking shoes and hike your jittery butts up to the many viewpoints of the island. Madeira and especially the north are perfect for it. More about Madeira here: Madeira’s inland! Funchal and Southern Madeira! Our Babymoon in Madeira! Booking.com...

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