Walk to the Market

We started out a little late. Fish markets open early here and by the time that we sauntered into the market, most of the stalls were covered up and closed. But we had a lovely walk in the sun and were able to buy two avocados there.

As you probably have noticed, the river goes through the centre of town and people gather on both banks, sit in tiny outdoor cafes and drink coffee while eating their breakfast pastries in the early sun. We joined them and had Galaos ( 1/2 coffee and 1/2 milk) while people watching. We really like the quietness and calmness here. It’s like drinking chamomile tea. Quiet and calming. We noticed that Portuguese drivers don’t honk their horns impatiently or drive fast and always stop for pedestrians who are crossing the road.

Today the teachers go back to school (not the kids) and we saw several teachers heading to work carrying their books and dressed for work.

We have been on the lookout for nesting storks. We haven’t seen any yet but we are checking the tops of buildings.

We did see a large dredging boat working today, pulling up silt from the river. It is a clean river that goes up and down with the tides as it flows to the ocean.

Most of the houses here are white, or tiled in white and blue, and they stand out against the brilliant blue skies. It seems like there is a lot of renovation going on in the town. Our apartment was in a very old building that had been renovated and divided into four apartments.

We are starting to see stores that are selling articles made from cork. The shoes and purses look amazing. When we head into the cork forests, I am sure that I will be motivated to write a blog about cork harvesting. Haha.

Right now, we are going to sit in the sun for a bit and make plans for the afternoon.Read more