Madeira - Surely an Island of Beauty

One of the things I like to do most is to travel and for where I cannot travel, I like to collect beautiful pictures from my friends who are able to. Lucky enough I have friends who are great photographers and can certainly take beautiful pictures. They say a picture paints a thousand words and my friend collection of pictures certainly does.

Two of my friends had the pleasure in visiting Madeira recently, one in April at the time of the Island flower festival, another two weeks ago and they were able to provide me with some amazing pictures that I am sharing with you all here at Steemit. I think they gave me these pictures surely to make me jealous and although I do show it, surely and jealous and now know where my next trip will be.

Madeira, is a group of four island in the Atlantic belonging to Portugal lies northwest coast of Africa. It is of has subtropical climate with a temperature that is ideal escape from icy northern winters and the oppressive heat of tropics. Madeira Island is the emergent top of a massive shield volcano that rises about 6 km from the floor of the Atlantic Ocean and forms the largest island of the Madeira.

The Flower Festival is said to be a tribute to spring, and the celebration of metamorphosis and rebirth, fertility and the abundance of the flowers that colour, perfume and inebriate the surrounding environment.

Most of the island is an exuberant botanical garden of volcanic soil where just about anything grows, the difference being that the formal gardens have created a semblance of order in the horticultural chaos.