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Published: January 28th 2024
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I forgot to post my blog yesterday, sorry so you get two today.
Dandelions and all sorts of weeds are in full bloom here. Almond trees abound everywhere - they grow in private yards but also are plentiful in the countryside growing wild. Can you image just walking out anywhere and picking your own almonds? There are plenty of other flowers showing off their blooms as well - bird of paradise, osteospermum, and so many that I can’t put a name on.
This morning we drove to Portamao and while Peter and Daphne went to their church meeting, Anne and I walked the city. We were dropped off at the river and so we trod the cobblestone rehabilitation along the banks of the Arade River. Evenly spaced along the walkway were sculptures from local artists carved in stone. While we were walking, Anne spotted a donkey cart going across the bridge in the distance (too far to get a picture). When we ran out of river bank walkway the next path led us up into the old part of the city where we wandered along until we were totally lost. We had to be back at the river to
be picked up by Peter and Daphne at noon. After guessing which way to go along the winding streets, we started asking people along the way how to get back to the river. If they spoke some English they tried to tell us which way to go but after a couple of turns we were stumped again. So ask someone else and head off again. We received the best instructions from other tourists. We arrived at a corner not knowing which way to turn when off to the left we spot the boat masts. At 11:30 we arrived back at our drop off spot just as Peter and Daphne pulled into the parking lot. Good timing!
A short walk to an outdoor cafe called Casa inglesa and we nabbed a pair of tables under an umbrella. We had plenty of time to enjoy a large Bock beer before our meals arrived. Anne and I had shrimp salad with plenty of large shrimp and an interesting mayonnaise dip based on top of a good salad, hard boiled eggs, tomatoes, carrots, etc.
Then off to Silves to tour the Moorish castle. The church in the pictures is 1,000 years old.
The castle (or fort) dates back to the tenth century and was built of red sandstone by the Islamic Moors. King Sancho, a Christian king, conquered the city in 1189 and took over the fort. On the drive back through the city, we noticed a colony of storks nesting above the river and were able to stop for pictures. There were about 10 or 11 pairs of storks. Their nests are huge and apparently they build more on top of the old one each year. We also saw storks nesting on top of the church in Portamao. They are called White Storks despite the fact that they have black on their wings. They return to the same nest every year and are mostly monogamous. They cannot sing but communicate by clacking their bills which we heard when taking their pictures. I think they were telling us to get lost. It makes quite a loud commotion when they all get clacking. They migrate to Africa in the winter and return to Portugal in the spring to mate.
There is so much to take in when driving through the country. Unfamiliar crops, orange groves, vineyards that haven’t started to green up
yet. An abundance of almond trees and another small tree that despite much research I was unable to identify. It is almost like a willow with fine flowing down branches but covered in tiny white flowers. Houses exhibit the Arabian/Moors architectural influence and are quite beautiful. Because of so many hills the houses are built in the lower areas and the hills remain green. An interesting sight is the old windmills that are exactly like the ones we saw in Greece.
A quiet evening is in store after a day of walking and sightseeing.
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