Yes, it is done: The "eternal Madeira series" has been finished, as promised, with a last, very short part. It really was about time. From now on we can finally go on with something new, although it is not too new. But still it is something different.
The plot
This part starts with a last view from the window of our domicile. Afterwards, we switch directly to the airport, where I extensively film the runway, aircrafts and what else belongs to an airport. Also a last announcement from me is shown. In the face of the celebrations of the previous day, I am in a quite good shape there. And that's it! There is not more to be seen of this, in any respect exceptional Madeira series. There will be no aftermath this time, because I currently do not know what I should tell. And I really want to go on with something new now.
The soundtrack
... this time comes again from the recently released album "Madeira" by Cimelium. If you like the music, here, as always the links to iTunes, GooglePlay and Spotify. In the video you can hear:
00:00 Cais do Sardinha
04:54 Camara de Lobos
What's next?
In short: The series about my bike tour in 2015 to the North Sea. In addition, I have a little surprise, so you can see not only old, but also up-to-date material. Otherwise someone actually assumes, I would be dead, and someone would only use my old material for a little Youtube Cash ;) If you want to watch the whole Madeira 2014 series again completely: Here is the link to the Playlist!
I have kept this blog post quite short on purpose, because this short video doesn't deserve a full-length, extensive blog post ;). And now, have fun with the video:
The plot
In the penultimate video of this series we hike on well-known paths. We hike from where we left off in the last part: In Terreiro da Luta. From there we hike through the, this time blossoming, Parque Ecologico do Funchal to Poiso. After strengthening ourselves with Cortado and Poncha, we return by bus to Funchal, where after a rich meal, we conclude the day with party time. Some of you will like this party part and others will ask: "Is this really necessary?". Should I, one day, realize that a predominant part of my little audience does not like such party excesses, I will take this into account and will not include such stuff in my videos anymore. The customer is king ;)
Why did it take so long again?
I am sorry, of course, that you had to wait such a long time for a new video. Once again personal and private problems were responsible for this. You can believe me, if I say, that this is getting on my nerves too. So if you are annoyed by it, you are not alone. However, also I have to spend some time for creating music. Currently, the new alionsonny album "Phoenix" is in the works, and I have worked a lot of my working time during the past 2 months on it.
The soundtrack
Here is something special this time: This video is the first in which the final versions of songs of the recently released "Madeira" album by Cimelium can be heard. In previous videos you could hear some pre-release-versions already. But these are not comparable with the album versions. Here I would like to announce a small, but important, change: For various reasons I will not present unfinished, so-called pre-release, versions in videos in the future. From now on only finished versions will be included in the videos. So it may take some time until you will hear new music in the videos. However, my portfolio is now so extensive that it is unlikely, if at all, that boredom will arise. Here is the soundtrack of the current video in detail:
The album is, as always, available in all well-stocked online shops for music. Just for example I link here to the album on GooglePlay (CLICK!) and iTunes (CLICK!). Also, the album is available on all well-known streaming platforms, e.g. Spotify (CLICK!). What's next?
I hope that this time the next video will be uploaded not just a little faster. However, I will wait for a certain time until the current video has received a sufficient number of views. This is still going too slow ;). Next, we conclude the current 2014 Madeira series with a last and short part . Then I can finally start the series about the 2015 bike ride to the North Sea. I'm really looking forward to it. It may also happen that I will alternately upload parts of the the 2015 series about our trip to Madeira in 2015 already . But let's see ...
And now I wish you much fun with the current video. And thank you again for your patience. I even got some new subscribers, despite the lack of new video uploads,. Thank you also for this, because new subscribers offer, of course, a certain stimulation to continue, no matter how the personal condition is. And here, finally, is the video:
Oh, how am I supposed to start this post? There is a LITTLE something to explain. My friends on Facebook already know for the most part what happened. But there are not just a few who are not on Facebook and I owe them, I think so, a brief explanation. As many people have noticed, no new video has been uploaded for over 1 1/2 years. Many people feared that I would be sick, or that I would no longer dwell among the living. Well, I live and my health is currently also quite good.
What happened?
Life has happened. I do not want to publicly spread the details here for a variety of reasons and also to protect the privacy of a particular person. What happened to me is certainly not something that anyone, somewhere in the world would be proud to tell. It is also not that something like that just happens to me, but it happens to people around the world at any time. Only, the way HOW it happened to me was so hard for me to take, that it killed my complete creative energy. You could say, it killed my life power. From autumn 2015 to the end of 2016, I was in a state of unbelievable emptiness and futility. Nothing was important or interesting for me. My soul was dead. Reads bad? It was bad!
How are things now?
Much better. It was quite difficult, but I would say that I am at least 50% restored. And it goes on. At present, I think that the best I can do is simply continue to work on my dreams - harder than I have ever done - to achieve my goals. There is a lot of stuff that stacked up on my todo list. Much has been badly damaged eg. ceased to exist during the short period of my "absence". So there is a lot to do. And I notice with every step back to normality, I am getting better.
New video?
Well, you have not subscribed to the channel? Otherwise you must have already received a notification 2 days ago in the evening. The video was uploaded already 2 days ago. However, Youtube again changed something nice at the process of publishing videos and until yesterday evening, I was busy to grasp the whole thing and to put it to use. With the video below, we are continuing the ETERNAL "Madeira 2014" series. This time we are hiking again through the outskirts of Funchal, from Curral dos Romeiros to Terreiro da Luta. There is, of course, a lot of nature to see, a breathtaking panorama view of Funchal and a sacral monumental work, the "Nossa Senhora do Paz". Here is the video:
Soundtrack:
The soundtrack this time is again from a alionsonny classic album. It is the album "Reggae?" from 2009. If you like it, you can buy it on all online music sites like iTunes (CLICK!) or GooglePlay (CLICK!). Of cause it is also available on all streaming services, such as Spotify (CLICK!). Here's the track list:
00:00 - Life goes ON! 05:19 - Springtime 2009 11:06 - Aquatic Dub 16:45 - Summertime 2008 What's next?
We actually still have a full part of this eternal series. Then comes the traditional aftermath in the form of another part. Then this series is FINALLY finished. After that? Oh, don't ask. There is still so much to show. What did I say about "a lot to do"? ;) So: First after finishing the Madeira 2014 series comes the, long promised, bike trip to the North Sea. Then we were already back to Madeira in 2015 and then we recently visited Cyprus for 2 weeks. We have so much video material that it is enough for at least one year, even if I would solely produce videos ... but I can't do this.
Ok, I apologize again for the long time of nothingness. Was not my choice. I will do my best to keep you provided with new videos in the future.
No, this video is not really new, at least for my friends on Facebook and followers on Twitter. It has been uploaded already almost a week ago. However, a personal problem kept me from writing the usual blogs and promote the video properly. And then there was also Christmas, when I, like every year, tried unsuccessfully not to participate ;). Anyway: If you missed the video, this blog is certainly a welcome reminder.
Somewhere on the Levada
The Plot
This is the second part of three on the penultimate full day in 2014 on Madeira. After we hiked from Aguas Mansas south to the Levada dos Tornos in the last part, this time we hike for quite a time along it. As already in the last part I was extremly silly, which probably was due to two rather strong ponchas and also because of our generally great mood on that day. The silliness is already noticeable in the intro. I really thought for some time about whether I should leave the bad joke about the "Levada dos Pornos" in the video at all. Yes I am indeed a friend bad jokes. But contrary to an overwhelming number of other Youtubers I spare my audience usually with sexual jokes and innuendo. Just not my style ... usually. So don't panic: This will not become a habit ;). On the Levada we hiked through a countless number of smaller and larger tunnels. The highlight here is a small cave vault, whose former purpose will probably remain a secret forever. Also some "banned ceans" have been consumed again and, quite irresponsible, we also had a beer on the Levada. The shaky camera is also prominently present again. So, dear viewers with inclination to dizziness: Better not watch this, or just turn off / fast forward when the shaky cam parts start. At the end we end up in Camacha, where we didn't really wanted to go. There I placed the thematically appropriate end of this episode, because Camacha is where we left the Levada dos Tornos and started the descent to the coast.
At work in the mysterious cave vault
The Soundtrack
... comes as as in the last part from the alionsonny album "Dub Antiquities". I apologize specifically to everyone who generally does not like Reggae, or my special flavor of it. I do this, as already mentioned in the last blog, at the request of some viewers. And the desire of my audience is my command. And besides this, I at least try to present the works of my three music projects equally in the videos. But if you are one of those who like those dusty early works of yours truly, and if you do not already have "Dub Antiquities", I would be exorbitantly happy, if you would buy it on iTunes (CLICK HERE!) or Google Play (CLICK HERE!). Each and every cent will be invested in new equipment and / or tasty beer. Big promise! Oh yes, of course the album is not only available on the two platforms mentioned above, but also in any well-stocked shop for music. It is also available on streaming services. Since the revenue, for example, from Spotify, unfortunately is a bad joke, I would personally recommend to purchase a download. So, enough talk, here as always, the soundtrack in detail:
00:00 Mountain Biking on Mars
04:05 Fya Pon Everything
09:25 Revolution NOW!
14:16 Versionist Dub
18:25 Drunken Joe In Space
alionsonny - Dub Antiquities cover art
What's next?
Because of the forementioned personal problems, we will not be able to finish the series "Spring on Madeira" this year still. I'm sorry - I planned that differently. But before the third part of the day 13, it is again the Schaalsee bike ride's turn. And I shiver when I think about editing the next part of it, because this last part of the series is very text heavy. And this means, I have to write plenty of subtitles. In this final part we ride from Mölln via Trittau right back to Hamburg. Since the fore mentioned personal problem is anything but over, it may take a while before the next video is uploaded. I'll do my best! But for now have lots of fun with the current video.
Here is the penultimate part of the Schaalsee bike ride series. Actually, the video was already finished a few days ago, but since it took a bit longer this time for the last video to reach the 50 Views threshold, I made it public just now. On this occasion I want to explain briefly why I wait with publishing a new video until the last one got at least 50 views: First gives me the time to work comfortably and thoroughly. Secondly, videos are easily overlooked when I upload them very quickly. The best example of this is my very old videos. These have, even though they are up to five years online, partly not yet reached 100 Views. This is because in the early days of AlionLive, I uploaded videos very quickly one after the other. Apparently people always watch only the latest videos on a channel. And if the valued audience has to scroll to click on a video, that appears to be too much work. The result is that the video gets very little views, is therefore classified by Youtube as "less relevant", and is less frequently delivered to users as a search result. This means then that the video gets even fewer views compared to the most recent ones. I hope I could somehow describe that in an understandable fashion. No, the 50 views border is not a "punishment for the lazy audience" ;).
View from the camp of the previous night.
The Plot
... is quite easy to describe this time: After a restful night, protected by various Horsts, I was woken by the sound of a nearby tractor. A view outside showed me that a farmer was preparing to irrigate the nearby, newly planted, fields. Since my tent stood in the entrance to such a field, I was worried it would be run over by the tractor. And so I left in quite a hurry. By now I had decided to cross the dreaded Elbe-Lübeck Canal near Mölln. Because I feared, that I would otherwise not reach home this day, I actually planned to bypass Mölln this time. However, the weather was great, the view of the city from the lake from was so picturesque, that I decided to pay Mölln another, detailed, visit. So I filmed even more parts of the historic old town. Much should be familiar to viewers of part 3 of the video series on the bike ride to Mölln and Ratzeburg in 2013. After that, I also visited the St. Nicolai Church. This is what I missed in 2013 for some unknown reason. Then I filmed myself through the old town to the, to me previously unknown, park where I rested a while. Then, early in the afternoon, I went on my way to the bridge across Elbe-Lübeck canal, where this part ends.
What's next?
Next is again a part of the "Spring in Madeira" series. Also here we are slowly approaching the end. And after that, we are indeed already at the last part of the Schaalsee series. This part will, for unknown reasons, be very text heavy. This means: I talk a lot. And I could curse me, for what I have done to myself. I only say: writing subtitles *happy..... not *. Despite of all the talk, I still arrived at home late in the evening.
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!
Some random tourist in cammo outfit in the mountains.
Yes, it took a while again, but that's not so bad, since the number of viewers of the last video kept within narrow limits ;). Unexpected complications and events in the private sector caused that I could not be as productive as I wanted to for a while. Now everything has stabilized a bit, and we go on. Here is the second part of day 12 of the 2014 Madeira series!
The Plot
After we hiked to the Eira do Serrado in the last part and spent quite some time there, this part is about the descent into the valley of Curral das Freiras. After what people told me about this route, I was surpised how relatively easy this hike was. There was not a single place where I had the feeling that my latent fear of heights would force me to turn back. Don't get me wrong: I would not recommend this route to everybody. It is not really a prime example of a well-maintained trail. You will experience one or the another unpleasant surprise if you think that this trail is your everyday hiking trail. At some places the path is very steep, there are reasonably narrow passages, rolling stones, crumbling edges etc. Madeira as we know it ;). Also one should not be fooled by the impression one has when looking down into the valley from the Eira do Serrado. It is easy to think "Oh, that's not far!". As almost always in Madeira one should be aware of the fact that there is never a straight route from one point to the other on this island. And that's a damn good thing, because you do not want a direct and straight path into the valley. You really do not want that... ;). No the trail goes nicely downwards in zigzags. Still I was positively surprised by how quickly we arrived in Curral das Freiras. I had planned about 2 hours more. Once we arrived in Curral das Freiras, we first did what we didn't in 2011: We visited the picturesque mountain village more in detail. While doing this we came across a very cozy restaurant with a extremely friendly service and the best Espetada that I had on the island so far. And we already had quite a lot. Really: Not one of them was as tasty as this one. After we had strengthened ourselves, we took the bus back to Funchal unusually early and there we just fell into the bed, tired but happy.
As always, there's lots of flowers in this video also.
The Soundtrack
Because it was absolutely impossible to showcase the whole new Willma Poppen album in the last video, we continue with the remaining tracks of the album in this video. And also this time all of the remaining tracks could not be showcased due to lack of time. So we have to continue some time soon. Sorry to those who can not stand the Willma Poppen Sound. Yes, I know you're out there ;). As always the obligatory links to where you can buy the album should not miss. Make me rich! You can buy the album on iTunes (CLICK HERE!), Google Play (CLICK HERE!) and all other well-stocked music sites. Here's the soundtrack in detail:
Album: Willma Poppen - Willma im Wunderland
00:00 - Madeira
05:12 - Karussell
10:04 - Liebe
14:54 - Blauer Montag
19:30 - Nachtwanderer
An interesting "transition moment" in the video. I find it quite funny.
What's next?
Next will be again a bike ride video, namely the fourth part / day of the bike ride to the Schaalsee. And after that comes the first of two parts about day 13 of "Spring in Madeira". On the 13th day we hiked from near Camacha along the Levada dos Tornos for a while and then all the way down to Garajau. I will still not reveal too much about the plot right now, because there will be a little surprise and I would also have nothing to write in the blogs about those videos. The cut will this time not be so well-placed, because there is simply no thematic "breakpoint" in the video material. And so the next Madeira video will abpruptly end in the middle of the Levada dos Tornos.
Well, but now, as always, have fun with the video!
It is done! In just two days, I soldered this video together. I owed you that, after the mishap with the last video. I decided to divide the approximately 50 minutes of day 12 in two parts. Yes, I know: Some want their video 'en bloc'. For others, 50 minutes is too long. This time the decision was quite easy, because the video should be available on Youtube as soon as possible. Editing twice the amount of video footage would have taken at least twice as long. And also the cut in the video is quite appropriate, because after about 25 minutes we started our descent to Curral das Freiras.
The Plot
After the heavy party day we were not absolutely fit, and because of that we did not easily get out of bed. Late in the morning we took the bus in the direction of Curral das Freiras. As luck would have it, no bus with a stop on the Eira do Serrado was going at this time. So we left the bus at the stop just before the tunnel before Curral das Freiras and went on foot on the easy ascent to the Eira do Serrado. What is the Eira do Serrado? It is a small plateau south of Curral das Freiras, from where you can enjoy breathtaking views of the little mountain village and the surrounding picturesque countryside. And so this video largely consists of exactly this: Views of fantastic nature. Of course there are also plenty of beautiful flowers again, a cat and during the ascent we also had a little lizzard feeding again with cheese. I'm not talking very much in this video, but you'll see me quite often on Malina's photos. Do not be surprised that I have used so many photos of me in this video. Malina simply shot so many good pictures of me on that day that, in my opinion, it would have been a shame not to show them.
View on Curral das Freiras from the Eira do Serrado
The Soundtrack
Actually, the new Willma Poppen album was supposed to be presented in the lost episode. The music style would have also fit much better. But what happened, happened. So the album will be presented most probably entirely in this and the next episode. There will, as always, be people who do not think that the music fits with the video. To those I recommend to turn off the video sound and listen to classical music ;). If you like the album, you can buy it in all major online stores. Just for example I link here to iTunes (CLICK HERE) and Google Play (CLICK HERE). And now, as always, the soundtrack in detail:
00:00 - Willma im Wunderland
05:03 - Apokalypso
09:57 - RaumReise
13:30 - Himmelswiese
18:28 - RaumZeit
23:25 - Madeira
Without any doubt: A valley! ;)
What's next?
In the next part we accomplish the medium hard descent to Curral das Freiras, where we have a delicious Espetada in the evening and then catch our bus to Funchal quite early. I have to ask the friends of the bike rides for a bit of patience, because "Spring in Madeira" currently has priority. Of course the Schaalsee series will be continued soon. But for now, as always, have fun with the video:
I am sorry to say that the camera, during this third of four parts, unfortunately is even shakier and inaccurate, than you already know it, because of increasing fatigue. However, there are beautiful views of nature around the Caldeirão do Inferno.
The Plot
After we had passed the long and dark Pico Ruivo tunnel, we made a (for myself) surprising decision. Time was running out. If we went straight back through the tunnel, we would have reached the bus back to Funchal probably. But Malina was simply not up for hiking again through the tunnel and suddenly wanted to see the Caldeirão do Inferno. The Lady's wish is my command, and so I agreed, with not just a bit of a doubt. The past, quite strenuous, hike was reflected by increased fatigue. And so we crossed a fairly large number of additional tunnels to be rewarded with a magnificent spectacle of nature: the Caldeirão do Inferno. This is a deep valley surrounded by impressive cliffs, from which water is flowing everywhere. Here we had the first real rest of the day and drank at last the only beer we had brought. Then we went, surprisingly well rested, on the rest of the hike, towards the Caldeirão Verde and Queimadas. And with us leaving the Caldeirão do Inferno this part ends.
I think there is no place with more spectacular and vertigo-causing views anywhere in Madeira than near the Caldeirão do Inferno
Soundtrack
Just as the previous two parts, also this is one accompanied by Cimeliums album "Mesopotamia". And also this time I find the music choice more than suitable. Here is the track list:
What's next?
Well rested, we go on our very long hike to Queimadas. We visit, very briefly, the Caldeirão Verde. Time was not only running out, but we were long overdue.
The first hiking video of this year is very short but crisp. What? This guy constantly uploads Madeira videos! Yes, that's true, but the material is from spring 2014, and so it is almost one year old. This video, however, is brand new. Why does Sonny write a whole blog post for a 7 minute video? Because I can and because there is actually something to say about it.
The occasion of this little 35 km hike was the first day of this year with really nice spring weather. In addition, I decided to acquire a head lamp for some travel (mystical undertone), to avoid having to stumble with the fat Maglite flashlight through slippery tunnels again. That flashlight has indeed let me down during the last time in Madeira. The relevant video of the 2014 Series is not yet available, but will be the second to next one. And since Malina's head lamp, a Petzl Tikka, performed very well, I wanted one of those too. The only shop nearby that sells something nice like that is the Globetrotter in Barmbek. So it made sense to do the first hike of the year to there, of course only through green areas and this is more than just possible in our nice green Hamburg.
Another reason why it was a good idea to do a hike again was that I feared that my old bones were so rusty after the long winter, that I would badly fail during a upcoming travel (mystical undertone). This fear, however, has proven to be 100% unfounded. Legs and feet were quite tired after the hike, but the next day everything was alright again. Works!
Another reason for the hike was provided by the fortunate circumstance that I call my own a beautiful new camera and wanted to test it in detail. First reactions on the video embedded below say, that the purchase was definitely worth it. I agree. The video looks much sharper and generally better. The capacity of the built-in battery seems to be as specified by the manufacturer and is therefore suitable for very long hikes. I didn't like cameras with built-in batteries, because these batteries usually had a rather laughable capacity. I will do a detailed review of the camera soon, because I have some surprises in store for you, I don't want to spoil (again mystical undertone).
The soundtrack consists of two pre-release versions (unfinnished) from the soon released album "Madeira" of my music project "Cimelium":
00:00 - Poiso
04:41 - Santo da Serra
Finally, I can only say that this little hike in all aspects fulfilled its purpose and has provided the desired results, including the tiny little video that I hereby present to you. Have fun!
