1-2nd of August

Good bye July, welcome August! The first 2 days of the month was spent traveling, not very exciting. Had the chance the spend an unusually long time at the Funchal airport. Our BA flight was delayed by 3 hours. They had an oil problem with the Airbus 320, that was flying in from London. Switched it to a 319, but it took time of course. With a 15 € voucher each, spent the next few hours on the top floor, eating, drinking, whiling away time. Mish’s heaven on Earth, unlimited supply of feta cheese pizza slices with fizzy lemonade -Sprite -, iPad allowed, and a Dad to play UNO with. Mum( me) did some shopping, mostly alcohol. Had to buy some poncha, their local drink. It is a drink made out of alcohol, honey,sugar, lemon rind, and different fruit juices. Sold everywhere, tried it last October with Mum on our first trip. Went on an all day excursion, this is where we had it. Not the type, who drinks during the day, unless it is a dry white wine coming from a small bottle on a plane, preferably at the business class, or piña colada on a hot day by the pool,surrounded by palm trees swaying in the gentle breeze, or from 4-6 pm , at happy hours time at Lake Velence in the hotel. By the way, happy hours from 4 to 6 pm on summer days, way too early if you ask me, who wants to drink at the bar wearing white fluffy bathrobes, uncomfortably wet bikini underneath? Back to poncha. Figured I should try it, might not have the chance ever again. Little did I know that Madeira will become almost like a second home to me in less then a year. It was nice and yellow, we had the orange one I think. If I had to compare it to something, then it tasted like a shot of vodka with very sweet orange juice concentrate. Mum was brave, she drank it. I just had a sip and left it at that. Later on our long daily walks at night kept bumping into people drinking it, I think it is not only their traditional drink, that everyone whoever visits this beautiful place must have, but also very trendy. I see lots of young ones drinking it, standing outside bars, small places , chatting, laughing…almost envy the freedom they still have, the endless possibilities that lie ahead of them, the choices they haven’t made. That what poncha symbolizes to me. So decided to capture and relive youth, happiness at the comfort of my home, when Mish is fast asleep and all I have left from the day is to curl up on the sofa by the fire before going to bed. That is how I ended up buying a selection of ponchas, passionfruit, honey and rum and tangerine, we shall see how it goes. Will I become a fan of it, or go back to my usual Cabernet Saugvinon or Sancerre, don’t know. But at least I gave it a second chance! Pleasant, thankfully uneventful flight to London, driver waiting, quick check in to the Sofitel. Convenient for A, his flight leaves from terminal 5. If you have to wait for your next flight, then this is the best place to be. Literally meters away from the planes, didn’t hear a thing, and the comfiest mattress I’ve ever slept on. A hotel is a hotel, even if it’s a 5 star one. Must admit, I do love hotels. The impeccably made beds, the minimal, simple furniture , clean lines, simple granite bathrooms make me relax, it’s like you can leave your cluttered, messy life behind and think clear. Another memory popped into my mind. Sofitel hotel back in Budapest. The year before our son was born, we spent few days there in Budapest. Back then we didn’t even have an apartment in Hungary, so the hotel was the best choice. Beautiful view of The Castle , Chain Bridge, especially at night. The bottom line is that cannot say a single bad thing about them. They cater to those tired passengers – who missed their flights or wait for their connections- perfectly, thumbs up. Their green salad with fried goat cheese balls, beetroot and toasted walnuts was pure heaven, their steak well done, in both senses, since it was for Mishal. Breakfast was equally delicious, though the Saudi Arabian airline hostess scooped up most of the blueberries before me. Kept observing people at the tables, two young far eastern girls excited about traveling around Europe, a vegetarian couple, who were so pleased with their soy milk cappuccinos, a retired one who was telling their waiter what a great place California is, and last but not least the couple in their 30’s, who must have eaten for breakfast the daily calorie requirement of a whole football team. We are all the same, just in transit, moving from one place to another, for business or for pleasure – as they always ask at the immigration desks -till we reach home, our final destination. That is where I am going to.