It’s the end of our first week in Madeira. We arrived here late morning last Friday. Since then we have hiked levada paths, toured northern villages, sampled local food and drink, and best of all, made new friends. 

This trip is a different kind of adventure, staying put rather than moving around, micro not macro. I’ll admit, it’s an adjustment for me. But it’s a delightful adjustment.

As we walk the paths, we pass so close to homes that we can practically smell the coffee being brewed. And we can certainly glimpse the lush gardens being tended and hear the roosters crowing.

What would it be like to live on a levada? To have a house so much a part of its surroundings? I would have to be a different kind of person to find out.