From Monte, By Toboggan

One of Funchal's major tourist attractions is riding the cable car (a gondola-style lift known locally as the teleferico) up to Monte, elevation 3,300 feet, where there is a church, a palace garden and a rip-roaring way to come back down — by toboggan. 

Two strong, straw-hatted men (called carreiros) give each toboggan a running start, then jump on and use their thick-soled boots to brake the contraption as it descends the steep street. Sometimes they slide the toboggan sideways so it doesn't gain too much speed. 

The tradition began in the 19th century, when the toboggans — which are woven of wicker in the nearby town of Camacha — were a major means of transporting people and goods down the steep mountainside. 

Now tourists pay 30 euros for a 10-minute ride, and the carreiros are bused back up to the starting point every few minutes. But the tradition, as they say, lives on. 

(Photos: Carreiros mid-ride and walking back from the bus to the starting point.)