Sunday, May 27, 2018

the first few days


From our location at the villa, we were only about 30 – 45 minutes away from just about anywhere and so the next day we drove to Barcelos for their weekly Thursday market which had stalls selling everything from produce and flowers to meats, cheese, and live chickens to leather goods and clothing and ceramic goods and just about anything you could want. 





We were surprised to see a carnival and stages and the streets decorated with colorful arches that lit up and the church had lights strung on it as well. Turned out to be a celebration for one of their many saint days that weekend. The main square was planted in pansies and the fragrance just about knocked you down. 



We strolled through the market buying some cheese and fruit and a few other items, had one of our many great lunches, returned to the villa and then set out to find the supermarket Pedro had told us about which turned out to be a comedy of errors as we couldn't get the GPS unit to work that the car rental company provided us and all the locals we stopped and asked directions of kept sending us to the same little mini-market. Eventually we gave up and returned to the Villa for a light dinner of cheeses and bread and olives and prosciutto and fruit.

The next day Pedro had Denise and I download a free GPS app for Portugal on our mobile devices, programmed in a couple of addresses for us including the Villa and we never got lost again and so finally found the big supermarket and had dinner at the Villa that night. 


Before heading to the supermarket we had gone back to look at and walk around the cemetery and grounds of a church and monastery and hostel that we had passed several times when being directed to the mini-market the day before.


Every single grave had at least one arrangement of fresh flowers and several family members in each with plaques with their names and pictures placed on top. I wondered if they just pushed the old bones aside and put the next body in or just cremated ashes.


Saturday Catharine, Vicki, Jane, and I took the metro into Porto, or more properly Oporto, the second largest city in Portugal which is on the Rio Douro where it meets the Atlantic Ocean in the northern part of the country. We walked down the main plaza and then shifted over to smaller pedestrian avenues that were lined with small restaurants and pastelarias (pastry shops) and shops and street performers and then finally down to the riverfront which was also lined with restaurants, bars, shops, and vendors. 


lots of ornate architecture



Vicki was interested in some wine and port tasting which was on the other side so we crossed over on one of the bridges and got waylaid into taking an hour long boat tour up and down the river 




after which we had lunch 


and then got a cab back to the Villa and a light dinner.

next: the next few days


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11 comments:

  1. Oh, Ellen! These pictures are tremendous! You have such an artist's eye. Of course. I have to ask- in the picture with the man and the boy, was that a pet chicken? And were the chickens in the laundry baskets for sale for meat or for raising? I'm always curious about chickens. They show up in every culture. It looks to me as if you absolutely chose the right time of year to visit. Just beautiful.

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    1. I think the chickens in the market were being sold for meat. I assume that the chicken with the man and boy is a pet and perhaps part of his 'show' which we didn't see. he wasn't performing when we walked by but I would have loved to see it. did you notice the puppet/marionette leaning against the stool? at least I think that's what she is.

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  2. What a delightful trip, so many interesting sights to see. The flowers in the courtyard were amazing as well as the market, the cemetery and the architecture. Looks like you're eating healthy, too. I do not have a budget for travel and I have a husband that just never has been interested, so I do most of my traveling through lovely blogging sisters like yourself. Thank you for the tour. Now, go have some more fun and remember your camera . . . I love and appreciate seeing your photos.
    Be safe.
    Connie :)

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    1. more posts to come as I was gone for 3 weeks. my husband doesn't like to travel either and so I go with girlfriends. and never had the budget to travel either until this point in my life and I should probably not spend the money but what will be will be and so I am going whenever I can.

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  3. How colorful! If I wove tapestry style, that hillside would be a picture.

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  4. astonishing photos, LOVE every one of them- such a beautiful place! I must go there before we all fall apart! Thank you for this excellent post. Made my day

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  5. Sounds terrific. You may not come home!

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    1. too late, I'm already home but I could live there. I could easily live there.

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  6. Twenty years ago we had some young friends park their "school bus home" on the side of our home. They were modern day hippies, she is American, he is British, met on a hike through the Carribean, moved to Alaska and mined semi precious gems, down to the lower 48 lived with us for 9 months, then to the mountains for a year. After that, they moved to Portugal where they lived for 15 years where they bought and herb farm (very rustic). Ever since then, I've wanted to travel to Portugal, Spain and the English countryside. These photos are fascinating.

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  7. The food looks amazing. So much color and the light is wonderful! It also looks so clean - something you sure don't see here.

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I opened my big mouth, now it's your turn.