The landscape of travel

In the spring of 2008, I had the opportunity to take a vacation – a family vacation, if you will – to Portugal and to Madeira, a Portuguese archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean. While these spots may seem intriguing choices, once you know that Portugal is the point of origin for my mother's family, the journey back to discover the spirit and passion of our heritage makes excellent sense.

As well as a stay in Lisbon, our travels took us to Funchal, Madeira, which was the home of my great grandmother, before she and her family emigrated to the Hawaiian Islands. Of course, I had studied and investigated Madeira before leaving, but I was still not prepared for just how beautifully lush and luxuriant it is. (I suppose I should have guessed as much, as many guidebooks proclaim Madeira as the Pearl of the Atlantic, the floating garden.)

The capital Funchal, with a population of about 100,000, is the largest city in the islands. The city rises from the harbor, forming a natural amphitheatre as it climbs almost 4,000 feet on the gentle sloops. With the island’s location just off the coast of Africa, the climate is temperate and mild.

Spring water is abundant, and throughout the years, the Madeiran people have made use of it with ingenious levadas (canals), making every corner fertile and suitable for a very diverse range of flowers and vegetables. The flowers are delightful, with Agapanthus and African lilies growing everywhere, even out of the rocks on the sides of mountains.

Of course, even though thoughts of business were purposely left on my desk, I was nonetheless gathering ideas and considering applications for gardens still to come. The metal work, water features, paving patterns, even plant origins were very inspiring and I came back to Houston with a fresh eye.

Travel is indeed inspirational. This trip, with its ties to family, demonstrated to me the importance of looking back, discovering cultural backgrounds and the preservation of tradition – an idea I believe is even more important as we rush so quickly to the future with all our conveyances of instant communication.

So, stop just for a minute and take a trip with me to Portugal and Madeira. I think you’ll enjoy the experience.

See you in the garden,
Mark McKinnon

Lisbon: The Pestana Place, our Portguese home, was a private resident in the early 20th century. The extensive formal gardens are a welcome oasis from the busy streets of the capital city. The summer house, which you see at the end of the gravel path, is on an axis with the main salon of the residence.