Today we take the bus to Funchal. Our first stop is one of the highlights of Madeira, the Mercado dos Lavradores - the farmers' market of Funchal. Built in 1941, the market is a well-known landmark in Funchal where local farmers sell vegetables and fruit, and the fruit stalls in particular are a true explosion of colour. There are also plenty of unusual finds, such as the banana passionfruit, along with many different varieties of passion fruit.
But it's not just fruit on offer here. The so-called flower girls - though they are actually mature and older women in traditional dress - sell flowers and flower bulbs, including the symbol of Madeira, the strelitzia, also known as the bird of paradise flower.
At the fish market, located in the back section of the Mercado dos Lavradores, there is a bustling atmosphere as fishermen offer their catch. The black scabbardfish in particular is widely sold here. It's worth noting that the waiter at the last restaurant was right when he called the scabbardfish a very ugly fish, after we asked him what the local speciality on Madeira was.

After all the hustle and bustle at the market, we enjoy a coffee on the rooftop terrace of the Mercado dos Lavradores.
It starts to rain and we decide to go shopping. Besides several shops in town, near the Rotunda do Infante there is also the La Vie Shopping Centre with a number of stores and dining options.

In the afternoon we visit the Madeira Wine Company - here we do a guided wine tour with a tasting of the famous Madeira wine. We learn many interesting facts about the wine and the Blandy family in a historic building. The tour was great fun and is really recommended. There are several different tours available. We choose the Visita Premium Lodge Tour for €5.50 including 2 Madeira wines to taste.