Madeira and Guatemala - what else do they have in common?

There is something more

Definitely: there is something more that Madeira and Guatemala have in common. I cannot still understand how that is possible that there are so many similar things when these two places are so far from each other. However, all I write here is a true!

Soccer lovers

Maritimo and Nacional  are two main soccer teams from Madeira. People from Funchal go quite frequently to watch a match to the stadium of Maritimo. When the Madeiran team scored, all the fans got super excited. I used to go to watch some of the matches myself and it was a huge fun. I really liked the atmosphere! Especially when Maritimo was scoring. As Madeira is an island where the spring season seems to be all year round, its habitants do not do skiing or ice skating. However, they like running and they like playing soccer themselves.

This sport is very popular in Guatemala as well. Even though, the soccer fields are completely different. There is usually no grass and there is dust instead. I am referring to the fields where boys and men go to play soccer in their free time.

Picture: Soccer can be played anywhere in Guatemala.

Art in streets

In the article about What to do in Funchal for free I mentioned Zona Velha where a project called Doors open for Art is being run. There is the whole street which is beautifully colourful because many people draw and painted the doors of that street. Well, in fact not only in one street.

I found a street in “my” Guatemalan village which I used to walk when I was going to and from work. There was one part which was beautifully painted. There were pictures on the walls of houses. I mean, the whole Guatemala is full of colours but those paintings made me think of Madeira.

Picture: Street art, a painting that made me thinkk of Madeira!

Amusement parks

When there is a Christmas time in Madeira, there is a huge amusement park built in Funchal. People go there every night and enjoy some of those attractions. I had never seen a temporarily built amusement park to stay in one place for so long. It was almost a month, if I am right.

The same happened in Guatemala. The only difference was that their attractions were quite ancient.They lost their colours many years ago, there were spikes in them heading up, there were very simple attraction, often controlled manually and there was an attraction which used to be in McDonald in the USA (probably) and then it was left for these amusement parks. But I really liked spending time there, in Guatemala. It was so beautiful to observe how everyone was so happy there. They appreciated what they had, it was astonishing!

Picture: It does not matter how old these things are, it makes people happy even when there are spikes going outside.

Forte de Sao Tiago

There is this fort in Funchal which is one of the most famous buildings in Funchal. Its yellow colouris very specific as well as its shape. When I lived in Santiago Atitlán (in Guatemala), there was a building which was not a fort but as it had quite a similar shape and almost the same colour, it reminded me of Madeira a lot.

Picture: Does the yellow building not look at least a bit like Forte Sao Tiago?

Is that all?

Honestly, I am sure there are more things that these places – Madeira and Guatemala – have in common. However, these few things were kept in m head as the strongest memories. If you are from Madeira, you can go to “Guate” to check whether you agree with these things and the same for people from Guatemala or those who visited some of these places. I just keep thinking: is it not amazing that even in places which are so far from each other you can find something which reminds you of “home” or “your holiday”?

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