In this second postcard from Madeira, I'm continuing the theme of colours, light, and shade — this time with something no photographer can resist, a bit of "door porn" and some decay :)

Madeira is the biggest island in a small archipelago out in the Atlantic, around 750km west of Morroco. Its economy relies heavily on tourism and had been badly hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. We had been there last only a few weeks before the world shut down with the first wave of the pandemic. It was a delight to find that little had changed with its reopening. I had imagined that there would have been a large number of closures of businesses and a more subdued atmosphere all around, but that was not the case at all. So, it was very enjoyable to wander slowly around the old town, enjoying the sights of people sitting out in the late winter warmth at open-air restaurants on the streets, and feeling an air of normality (even if people still wear masks in public to inhibit the spread of infection).

In the old town of Funchal (Zona Velha), Madeira, around the Rua de Santa Maria, there is a project to bring art out to the public by painting the doors that open onto the street. This is the Projecto Arte Portas Abertas (The Art of Open Doors). The painted doors, especially where they are complemented by other things such as displays of lush plants, are enormously attractive; you could easily spend all day pottering around and enjoying them. It was impossible for me to resist recording some of them, so I'm showing a few here.

But that is not all that drew my eye around the streets of the old town. There are endless textures, colours and shapes in the walls and doors. Some, like the opening picture at the top of this post, are not deliberate paintings, but the results of the interactions of time, weather, light and shade on the remnants of human endeavour.

A wonderful place to walk or simply hang out, and soak up the bright sunshine.