Walking in a Cloud

Regula and I am spending a few days on the Island of Madeira. Having arrived only yesterday, we plunged right in, and took a hike to the islands highest peak, the Pico Ruivo. It is almost 2000 Meters high and promises a breathtaking view of the island. Unfortunately it is not only attractive to humans, but also seems to be a prime hangout for the clouds of the region. So we spent the day walking inside a huge cloud that had positioned itself smack over all the high peaks of Madeira. Clouds are so boring when seen from the inside, it is not even funny. Our guide book warned us that the path was in very bad repair and that one should ask about the condition beforehand. Since we went on a guided tour, we assumed that this had been taken care of. And indeed, about 3 years ago, the EU has spent aboul half its budget for mountain-path-repairs here in Madeira. Almost the entire path (3 hrs walking) from
Pico do Arieiro to Pico Ruvio was covered with neat stone tiles and there was a metal railing on the side of the path.
As we arrived on the top of Pico Ruivio we could almost see the sun, there were only about 50 meter of fog left above us. I am sure the view would have been stunning. And I could have taken a pitcure like the one on the right which I found on WikiPedia. Grrrrr damm-you clouds.