Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Left
Nativity
, detail
Middle
Swan Lake
Right
Japanese Garden
Monte Palace Tropical Garden
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Ancient Olives
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Belvedere
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Ancient trees can be dated
by their girth; the girth of
the three ancient olive
trees growing just inside
the entrance to the gar-
den is at least as great
as their height. Prob-
ably planted in 300
BC by the Romans,
they are part of a group
of 40 ancient olive trees rescued
from the Alentejo in Portugal
when the huge Alqueva Dam
(Europe's largest artificial lake)
was built.
@
Tile Pictures
The balcony at
the south-western
corner of the garden
overlooks the road down
to Funchal frequented by
Monte's traditional
toboggans. The road is
now covered in asphalt,
and the drivers have to
struggle to make the
toboggans travel at any speed.
There are plans to restore the
original cobbles so that the ride
can once again live up to its
description by the writer Ernest
Hemingway as “the most
exhilarating ride in the world .
$
Elephant's Foot Trees
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6
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Monte Palace
Tropical Garden
The 40 tile panels lining the
main avenue depict scenes from
Portuguese history, from the
reign of Afonso Henriques, who
took Lisbon from the Moors in
1147, to Madeiran autonomy
within Portugal in 1976.
North of the café at the bot-
tom of the garden, you will find
the aptly-named elephant's foot
trees from Mexico.
%
World's Tallest Jar
The
Guinness Book of
Records
has officially recognized
this 5.345-m- (17-ft-) tall jar deco-
rated with ancient Egyptian hier-
oglyphs as the world's tallest.
^
Swan Lake
The jar stands alongside a
small lake enlivened by ducks,
swans and docile carp, as well
as fountains and fern-filled grot-
toes. The walls are decorated
with Art Deco tiles rescued from
demolished buildings in Lisbon.
One advertises Japanese-style
parasols
(left)
, another wicker
furniture and oriental carpets.
Painted tiles near Swan Lake
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