Many people who set out to catch the sunrise at Pico do Arieiro often face a challenge. On Madeira, the weather is unpredictable, and you might find yourself wrapped in thick fog, or simply miss the moment altogether. But we got lucky. We managed to wake up at the crack of dawn and make our way up the mountain.

As we reached the summit, we found ourselves standing above the clouds, looking down on the entire island—or so we thought. In truth, we were in a world of our own, floating above the sea of clouds, with no clue what was happening below. The view was surreal, like we had stepped into a dream where the mountain peaks touched the sky, and the rest of the world had vanished into the mist. It was a sunrise like no other, and it felt like we were on top of the world.