Spring in Madeira (2014) - Hike from Aguas Mansas to the Levada dos Tornos!

Why do I almost always have to blink when somebody takes a photo of me?

Here is the latest video from the series "Spring in Madeira" from 2014. And yes, we are approaching the end of the series. Maybe we can scratch it off the list this year still ;). In the ending text of the video I unfortunately wrote accidentally, that I would have already mentioned the reason why the video footage of day 13 is divided into 3 short parts on this blog. In fact I explained it only on the AlionLive Facebook page. I beg your pardon for any confusion and will, before I tell the plot of the video as always, catch up on the explanation now. The whole unedited material of day 13 is about 1 hour 20 minutes long. Initially I wanted to divide it into two parts. However, I would have had to place a very unpleasant episode cut in the middle of a hike along the Levada dos Tornos if I did this. But I like my episode cuts neatly on thematic boundaries. And this is only possible if I divide the material into three parts, namely:

• Part 1 - From Aguas Mansas to Levada dos Tornos
• Part 2 - Along the Levada dos Tornos to Camacha
• Part 3 - From Camacha to Garajau

And before anyone assumes again, I would do this to drive my small Youtube advertising revenue to immeasurable heights: No, it would not be worth it. I just say this: My monthly advertising revenue on YouTube is not even enough to pay the beer I drink during an AlionLive episode. And dividing the video into three instead of two parts doesn't change this significantly ;).

Lunch!

The Plot
Late in the morning of the 13th and penultimate full day of our trip we took the bus in the direction of Santo da Serra and planned to hop off somewhere between Camacha and Santo da Serra and then hike down to the coast in a southwesterly direction. The hike to the Levada dos Tornos had not yet been planned at this point, but it was a quite welcome addition. We left the bus in a small village called Aguas Mansas. Next to the bus stop we found a cozy Poncha bar with a very friendly owner, who didn't speak a word of English, but basic communication was possible. So we had lunch in the form of two very strong Ponchas. Then we started our hike, on which we experienced a real Flower-O-Rama. Therefore, this video consists to a large extent from recordings of many colorful flowers. The view from the road towards the Levada dos Tornos was impressive. Despite the quite foggy weather one could see all the way to the Ponta de Sao Lourenco and have a great view on the airport and the ocean. Due to the "Poncha mood" we were also not just a bit up for a lot of nonsense and discussed interesting topics such as "Beak Sauce" and insidious frogs, which lure unsuspecting goats into the Levadas, by imitating their bleating. A vocally gifted sheep and another one, which mastered "the art of not to be seen" as described by Monty Python perfectly, made everything just perfect.

A great view on the Ponta de Sao Lourenco, the airport and the ocean.

The Soundtrack
Because one or the other viewer asked me to once again use my special flavor of Reggae as the soundtrack, I did exactly this. And because I am a bit grumpy about  the contempt for the Willma Poppen Project works, I used the most ancient and dusty chestnuts from the album "Dub Antiquities". That's what comes of it! If there's anyone who should like what he / she hears, I deliver the usual buying links on GooglePlay (CLICK HERE!) And iTunes (CLICK HERE!). The rest of the links can be found on the official website of the album. The soundtrack in detail:

• 00:00 - Individuality
• 06:09 - Terra
• 11:47 - Malina Dub
• 18:14 - mountain biking on Mars

What's next?
First with the penultimate episode of "Bike ride on the Schaalsee" series. I owe this to the lovers of the bike ride videos. After that comes the nice long walk along the Levada dos Tornos.

But now I wish you, as always exorbitantly good entertainment with the current video!

Totally relaxed, along the lake! - A new video of the Schaalsee series!

The great view on the Schaalsee from the beer garden of the "Gasthof am See" in Seedorf.

We go on, and, as the title says: Totally relaxed. The west side of the lake was considerably shorter than the east side, as is already was apparent on the maps. And so I was able to ride along the whole west side on the fourth day of my ride.

Me during a traditional session of talking nonsense at the Priestersee.

The Plot
The day began near Dargow, when  I was rudely awakened by the sounds of three chainsaws. Someone thought it would be a good idea to cut down a nearby forest area. Because a look at the ceiling of the tent showed, that this was very wet with dew, I tried my best to ignore the sound... but  without success. The loudness of the chain saws and a certain concern that the gentlemen could even come up with the idea to cut down "my" part of the forest, drove me out of the tent. But anyway, I couldn't immediately take down the still wet tent. I had slept well and so I got on my way. I did not get far, because a few kilometers further, in Seedorf, my eye caught sight of an inn with a lovely beer garden with a spectacular view on the Schaalsee. How could I resist, because an inn offered but among other things the possibility to clean my face, which was awfully crusted with road dust, with some water and soap. Said and done. I strongly recommend this inn here. As I said: A beautiful view of the lake, very friendly service and reasonable prices (in a tourist region). If you want to visit it, then click here to visit the website of the "Gasthof am See" in Seedorf. Since I did not want to burden my small travel fund with a meal at the inn, I ate a kilo tin of white beans near the Priestersee. So I rode, now strengthened, down the entire lakeshore to Zarrentin. Once there, I made up for what I had missed shamefully during my first encounter with this nice small town: I visited it a little more in detail. Pretty soon I found a place near the Zarrentin monastery, with a beautiful lake view. I did not have to think very long to come to the conclusion that I would, after procurement of drinks and food, visit it again and have an extensive rest there. Then I went, very relaxed, on the first stage of my way home. So far I had not the slightest idea what route I would choose for this. And so I rode first towards Klein Zecher, talked quite a lot of nonsense there near a replica of the historic healing spring and a protohistoric ritual sacrificicial stone. And thereafter I rode further to the northwest into the land of Horsts. Between Horst, Alt-Horst and Neu-Horst I found a quiet place for the night and spent a restful night, guarded by all the Horsts standing guard around.

Food for champions: Banned Ceans!

The Soundtrack
... is this time from the 2014 released album "Continuity" by alionsonny. I find that the bastardized Reggae sound of this album perfectly fits with the images of a beautiful sunny day at the lake. The album is, as always, available for purchase in all well sorted online stores for music and I'd be very happy if as many of you would do this. Exemplary I would like to once again to name Google Play (CLICK HERE!) and iTunes CLICK HERE!) as recommended sources.

Here's again the soundtrack in detail (if, for example, you just want to purchase one or two of the tracks):

• 00:00 - A Sunny Day
• 04:53 - Pirates of Madeira
• 09:47 - The Storm
• 14:31 - Green Hills
• 19:13 - Ganja In The Jar

Of cause there's also beautiful flowers in this video. But just a few.

What's next?
Next, of course, is  a part of the 2014 "Spring in Madeira" series. This series has to get finished urgently! After that, we continue with the Schaalsee series. The next part is already about the last day of the trip. However, I have to split the video footage again into two parts, because the sheer amount of material would cause the dreaded excess length, which in turn would lead to a unnecessary delay of the upload of the next Schaalsee video. During the next part we ride to Mölln, yes Mölln again, and linger around there a bit. On the outskirts of Mölln we will then probably end the part. But I leave the decision about the nasty cut to the Future Sonny.

And now I wish you, as always, splendid fun with the latest video!