The first time I really took photos was when I was 21 – I was traveling in Australia at the time, working and traveling, and I traveled for a while with a German who had an SLR camera with him. I’d never held one before, but I was allowed to take photos – and I really enjoyed it. I then quickly bought my own camera and I’ve been taking photos ever since. Not all the time and not super professionally, but it’s somehow part of me.

Madeira: Simply so beautiful that I take photos all the time

Since I’ve been in Madeira, my desire to take photos has become much greater again. I just love it here so much that I’m constantly taking photos – of the sea, the sunset, plants, doors, waves, whatever. I don’t always have my camera with me, but my cell phone is often enough to capture beautiful moments.

First idea: Maybe someone wants to buy my pictures?

Especially in the early days, I took a lot of pictures. And because I’m always looking to see what I can try out, at some point I had the idea of perhaps selling my photos – to Airbnbs, restaurants or just people who fancy a bit of Madeira on their wall.

Attempt in the restaurant: hung up – and nothing happened at first

Then there was this fish restaurant in my town – Sabor e Mar, really tasty grilled fish, nice atmosphere, but one of the stone walls was still a bit empty. I asked if I could hang up a few pictures there in the hope that someone might buy something. I chose a few photos, had them printed, framed and hung them up.

The pictures then hung up for quite a while. Nobody bought anything at first, but the staff told me that the guests thought the pictures were beautiful. At some point, I actually wanted to pick them up again – but then the owner said that he couldn’t imagine the wall without the pictures. And then he bought them from me. That was a really nice moment for me.

Recognition – and a wonderful feeling

And recently, a couple who did yoga with me and had also booked “Kitty goes hiking” told me that they had seen a great photo somewhere on the island. When they described what it looked like, I knew straight away that it was one of mine.

I’m not a professional photographer – I just like taking pictures. And it’s a nice feeling when my pictures hang somewhere and catch someone’s eye.

I now also sell a few of my photos as postcards here on the island. And I’ve had a little Instagram account for a while now where I show my pictures – now I mainly post photos of Madeira there. If you’re curious: just have a look.

And if you fall in love with one of my pictures, you can also buy them digitally – just write to me.

During my vacation in Madeira, I had already decided that I wanted to live here for a while and drove around the island in my rental car, knocking on hotel doors and introducing myself: “I am a yoga teacher and would like to offer courses in Madeira in the future.” I had made the decision to return to the island for a few months to live, work and find out whether I could really imagine living here.

The door to the Hotel Atrio

One day, it was January 2021 – in the middle of the Corona period – I drove to the Hotel Atrio near Calheta. The hotel is run by a French couple, very successful, very experienced. I was allowed to offer yoga there – and spontaneously got a second offer: a part-time job at reception.

As many of the guests are German-speaking, the hotel was looking for someone who spoke German – and I was a perfect fit for the team. So I accepted.

Suddenly a hotel employee

When I moved to Madeira, I started working in a hotel for 20 hours a week – for six months. I earned €390 net per month. Even though the current minimum wage in Madeira is around €915 gross for full-time work, this is very little overall – especially from a German perspective. The cost of living may be lower on the island, but for someone from Germany, this salary often doesn’t feel like a living wage.

The last time I had worked in a hotel was when I was 21 – during my Work & Travel year in Australia, where I did housekeeping for several weeks. Now, around 20 years later, I’ve returned to a hotel – but with a completely different professional background: a degree, training, over 20 years of experience working with people – and my job as a yoga teacher.

I not only learned a lot about the hotel industry, but also about myself. I helped with bookings, gave hiking and rental car tips and answered inquiries from tourists. And suddenly I was the person behind the counter – responsible for emails, phone calls and welcoming guests.

Spotty writing and first Portuguese

Part of my job was to check and send off the kitchen orders for fruit, vegetables, dairy products – a lot of it was handwritten. I still remember how difficult it was to decipher the spidery writing. I simply couldn’t decipher many terms, especially if you had never heard the words before or if abbreviations were used. – But I liked this way of learning. Jumping in at the deep end and just doing it.

Over time, I understood more, dared to speak and realized how much this everyday life helped me to connect with the language and the culture.

Lunch break with the gardeners

What I particularly liked was the contact with the other employees. Many of them came from Ecuador or Venezuela, spoke Spanish, I barely did – but somehow we understood each other. During our lunch breaks, we laughed a lot and talked with our hands and feet.

One of the gardeners now works in waste collection. When I meet him in Paul do Mar, we still greet each other warmly. Such connections mean a lot to me.

Insight into real life

I also helped with breakfast – at the time, nobody was allowed to help at the buffet because of corona. And I saw how hard many employees worked: five to six days a week, often for a salary that was far below what you would expect in Germany.

I wanted to experience this, not just from stories, but to feel for myself what it’s like to work for such a wage, to be part of a team – in a different language, in a different place.

Half a year that has achieved a lot

After six months, I knew that I wanted to focus more on my actual work again – on yoga, coaching and writing. Financially, the job wouldn’t have been worth it in the long run. But I learned an incredible amount: about myself, about Madeira, about other realities of life.

And above all, I made contacts that remain with me to this day – in supermarkets, on the street, in everyday encounters. For me, it was real integration: not just being in the yoga room, but in the middle of life on this island.

Without an alarm clock, but early

If I don’t have a children’s online yoga class – or a workshop like mandala painting or Kitty goes hiking – I take it easy during the day. I get up when I wake up – usually around seven anyway. Then I go for a short walk with Kitty, often down to the harbor. Then I take a quick dip in the sea. That’s the best way for me to start the day. Sometimes I do a few simple yoga exercises on the beach. Nothing major. Just a bit of exercise, just to wake up.

Breakfast with a view

After swimming, I make myself a delicious breakfast. My breakfasts are somehow always like Sunday breakfasts – no matter what day of the week it is. I prefer to enjoy them outside on the terrace, overlooking the quiet street. I often see people getting dressed up and slowly walking towards church.

A detour to Prazeres

Later, I drive to Prazeres to the farmers’ market. I like getting fresh fruit and vegetables there. You usually meet someone, stop for a moment, have a chat. It’s all relaxed and friendly. I plan to finish around ten – because that’s when the XS Café opens, right next to the church.

Coffee in the sun

If I find a place in the sun, the day is already pretty good for me. A cappuccino, a fresh juice, sometimes a piece of cake or a sandwich – depending on what I’m in the mood for. I like to sit a little longer, watch people, just let the day flow.

Back home

I take the old road back to Paul do Mar. I love the view, even though I’ve seen it a hundred times before. At home, I often do something small on the terrace – tidy up a bit, do a bit of gardening, just see what I feel like doing.

Afternoons on the beach

When it’s not quite so hot later on, I go to the beach. There’s a lot going on there on Sundays – lots of people, motorcycles, sometimes loud, but still a good atmosphere. It’s almost always full at the “Bade Petra”. You meet people, talk a bit, hang out.

Sunset is part of it

Sometimes I stay until the sun goes down. It’s really beautiful – regardless of whether you’re in the middle of the crowd or just a little further back. The good thing about Paul do Mar is that you can have both. Hustle and bustle or peace and quiet – depending on your mood.