Pieces from an Altar

Museum of Religious Art

It was a quiet day in Madeira with no special activities planned. We took a walk into town and visited the museum of religious art where we saw an interesting collection of art from the last several centuries. They have on display an extensive collection of silver used in churches and for religious services….things like chalices, crosses, sepulchers, communion trays and vessels, candlesticks and more. The collection also contains many wood carved figures and altar pieces. Of most importance is the extensive collection of Flemish paintings from the 15th and 16th centuries. They also have some interesting pieces of jewelry and vestments.

After our visit to the museum we did a little window shopping in town and had a bite of lunch with Sue and Cindy at a small sidewalk snack bar. We had ham and cheese sandwiches for two-euros each. After a bite to eat we returned to the hotel for a rest. At 6:00pm we met up with our entire group at the language school for the second installment of a lecture on the local history and culture by a lady named Emke.

After the lecture about nine folks from our group ended up at a local restaurant called Theo’s for dinner. This is one of Kent and Christine’s favorite restaurants in town and it did not disappoint. Kent had a cheese plate while Mark had the roast duck breast served with sweet potatoes and a medley of vegetables. Our table mate, Karen, from Hawaii had the octopus which did not look especially appetizing but was extremely tender and tasty. She eats octopus regularly and said that it was the best that she has ever had. The restaurant had a local pianist who played the entire time that we dined.