29th of July

Indulgence. As a matter of fact overindulgence. Should be the motto of the last few days. Overindulging my senses with the sights, smells, tastes of Madeira. When I’m with the boys, I go along with ex’s wishes sometimes. Instead of forests, he prefers walking on the streets of Madeira. It’s only natural, when you grow up in a desert country, where the summers are so unbearable, that people actually exercise in shopping malls, keep jogging around, finishing it with some cold drinks in the numerous coffee shops. For him being able to stroll through the streets without having to wipe his forehead every five seconds, it’s a wonder in itself. Lately to the horror of our son we started to walk from the Ritz all the way to the Forum Madeira, me taking even more photos along the way, ex just monotonously taking one step after another with his head down, Mish alternating between whining and doing his best donkey imitation from Shrek “Are we there yet?”. We stop at the Cliff Bay for some refreshments. Gorgeous view, pretty good cappuccino, and half an hour rest for our little monkey. Oleanders seem to be flowering everywhere, mostly gorgeous pink with a strong scent. In front of the hotel there is a huge Tibouchina and a tree with yellow trumpet shaped flowers. Yet to find out the name. More stops at the Ritz, or at the Santa Catarina park, this is what retired people do. Or families with kids. What saddens me, that nothing excites Mish, he just wants to go home. Gave him a lecture about how fortunate he is masaallah ( word in Arabic, means something like Thank God…), traveling, seeing different places. Lots of kids would like to trade places with him, like his cousin for example. His reply:” Take her with you, and let me stay with Niki at home!” Where did we go wrong? You try to give your children the things you didn’t have, and I don’t mean material things. I would like him to have experiences, memories he can hold onto, treasure, special time with us. Is he too young for this? Is this a problem of his generation? Everything seems too slow compared to computer games they play. They get instant gratification, it’s all action. How can you compare a two hour climb up a mountain, with “only” the view at the end?
I don’t give up! I am not going to let him grow up in a virtual world, even if it’s the Minecraft, which I must admit it’s a great, creative game. But there are limits. Despite of almost total iPad ban, he still wants to go home. He can have the squirrels and little fox as his playmates instead of the guy he is obsessed with in the Minecraft world.
Now Back to more pleasurable things. We found another nice restaurant by coincidence. We’re looking for a Greek restaurant, no luck finding it, since it closed years ago. O Doragoeir, the name. It was enchanting. The tables were under Plumeria trees, the air was heavy with its scent, petals falling on the table.
Smoked salmon tapas, mussels, another great bottle of wine, Quinta dos Quatro Ventos, endless UNO games by candlelight. No, we are not weird, a family next to us was also playing cards. Hope Mish will remember these evenings, when we were a family.
Another decision was made on the way home, we are getting a Plumeira tree of our own. Do I always get what I wish for? I wish….