Volume VII: Europe & Africa Trips
Portugal
Summer 2018
Day 1. Tuesday 12th. June, 2018
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Woke a few minutes before the alarm and lay in bed until I had heard the 4:30 am news before getting up for a quick bath. Fed the cats, made up some Horlicks to use up the surplus milk and then coffees prior to departure. 5:45 am put out some garbage and was surprised to find the taxi already in situ half-an-hour before the appointed time!
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Felt strangely tired and so was quite glad to be driven to Stanstead. On arrival at the airport the driver asked us to fork out £3.50 for temporary parking…this struck us as very odd as one would have thought that the £99 fee would encompass all expenses! Anyway, what would have been the driver’s tip went on a temporary parking slot!
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Checked-in smoothly and then ran foul of baggage inspection (as usual!) this time my new set of kitchen spatulas showed up suspiciously (permitted to retain) but also, yesterday, I had bought a kitchen lighter which, still in its packaging, I had thoughtlessly placed in my bag (confiscated but at least it only cost £1); finally, knowing that the Vegans left behind at home would not dream of touching my packet of Camembert cream and would almost certainly allow it to sit and rot in the fridge, I put it in a sealed plastic bag and then into my luggage…confiscated! Apparently soft cheeses are prohibited in hand luggage! (Even if, it would appear, if they are half-eaten ones!)
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Had great difficulty staying awake in the Departures Lounge and it was a relief to be called to Gate 44 and thence on to the aircraft which departed at 10:00 am and not 9:15 am. as scheduled. Once off the ground almost immediately fell asleep and indeed, only awoke at mid-day as we were landing!
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Driven by airport bus the few metres to the Immigration Hall (as opposed to the usual long-distance trek around the airport) and by 1:00 pm we were outside waiting for the Gold Car van. Found ourselves waiting alongside a group of very large men with a veritable mountain of luggage which meant that, when the van did arrive there was not enough room for the pair of us and our bags!
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Left M with the baggage and took the vacant seat in the van to the depot. Having been in this particular office before I knew that they operated a ticketing system – something of which the rather loutish men were unaware – consequently, I was attended to first! Dealt with by a very pleasant woman who was most complimentary about my Portuguese! Drove away in a shiny new Opel Corsa, picked up M and bags outside Arrivals, and then set off up the A28 on a bright, if not particularly hot, afternoon. Made very good progress and so decided to break our journey in Ponte de Lima, buy a snack at LIDL and then have a beer at our usual bar in the main square (2:00 pm).
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Proceeded to Arcos stopping only to make an evening appointment at Rest. Violeta and then on to the flat to open-up. Temperature on arrival in Porto had been 18c but here, at least according to the bus station, it was 31c! Not sure quite how accurate the station’s reading was but, suffice it to say, the afternoon/evening was pleasantly warm.
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Excellent evening meal at Violeta but this time though, as a gesture to our slimming plans, we eschewed the rice! Even so, we struggled to get through all that was served up! The beef served was, apparently, from the local cachena breed. Enquired as to how I might obtain some bagaço and the lady of the house got on her phone and within a matter of minutes ordered us five litres to be picked up in Souto – said that we’d be back on Friday for directions.
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Home to watch the evening news and to drink some wine – finished off the evening with a bottle of sparkling wine and then went to bed feeling exhausted!
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Day 2. Wednesday 13th. June, 2018
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Had a sound sleep and got up to a beautiful morning. Oh yes, turns out that at least two items that apparently disappeared mysteriously from the flat were actually in Ilford! In many ways this was a great relief for if anyone had taken a book of Core Exercises then nothing in the flat would be safe!
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Went into town and called in vain at both Gestimov (to ask them to remember to fix the bell outside our door), and at Nuno’s office before going further into town and buying up necessary groceries. Back home for a simple lunch of chicken pies and tomatoes with coffee and jaffa cakes to follow but strictly no alcohol!
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A very warm afternoon saw us don our shorts and make for Ponte da Barca where we had the beach to ourselves. As the water was unusually cold and I had, in any case, forgotten the towels , we decided against anything more than the briefest of paddles. Lay beside the water reading JN, TLS and snoozing until close on 5:00 pm.
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Returned home to make a tongue soup (seemingly our staple dish when in Arcos) and to refresh ourselves with Ponte de Lima tinto served ice-cold.
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Meal over, we sat out on the balcony for a while before withdrawing to the lounge to see the 8:00 pm. news (of which football, notably the convulsions at Sporting Lisbon, took up at least 75% of the programme!) and also because it was so hot outside!
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Finished off the evening drinking wine and watching The Italian Job which tiredness caused us to abandon before the end. To bed to fall, once again, into a deep sleep almost immediately.
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Day 3. Thursday 14th.June, 2018
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Another sound sleep and, although awake quite early, lay in bed until 7:45 am before rising to another bright, summery morning. Put on my gear and hit the road at 8:10 am. Had a very leisurely run along the standard course – just how leisurely can be seen by the fact that I timed the excursion at 26m 28s! Surely I can never have been slower!
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Made a quick trip to LIDL and, somewhat to my surprise, spent e30 or more! At least this meant that we were well provisioned for the next few days. Came home, parked-up in front of the flats and then went on foot to the Paço de Giela to see their Exposição das Pinturas.
Paço de Giela
Exhibition turned out to be a series of religious paintings by a contemporary Spanish monk somewhat in the style of El Greco – given the publicity I felt that the display was somewhat underwhelming but at least the place is being noticed and is attracting visitors – when we first came in the 1980’s the whole edifice was disintegrating rapidly and was barely recognisable from the pristine building of today!
Back to the flat for another lunch of tomato and chicken tartlets before going off to spend a glorious afternoon at Gondoriz – water cold but I managed to force myself in on a couple of occasions!
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Vermouth and tonic on our return home before tongue soup, rice and broccoli and more P de Lima tinto. Once again retired from the balcony to the lounge for the main evening news- this time it was 100% football! Finished off The Italian Job while eating a four-fruit salad steeped in port and then started watching Series 6 of Benidorm but, just as we were getting into it, tiredness overcame us and we opted for an early night (9:50 pm.) Took a book to bed but, in the event, did not even manage to read a page!
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Day 4. Friday 15th. June, 2018
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Had an excellent sleep – the new mask is a vast improvement on its predecessor meaning that I can keep it on until I get up. As per yesterday, rose at around 7:40 am. and prepared to run on another fine morning. Went around the course in 25m 11s and vowed that by the end of the holiday I would be within 24m!
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Later on left M in the flat and went into town primarily to draw cash (withdrew e100) and then went in search of more tongues! Eventually managed to secure but one tongue so had to supplement this with other pieces of offal.
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Called on Rest. Violeta to confirm details of the bagaço seller- the “Soldier” (as we call him) drew me the most rudimentary map of Souto and provided a name ( practically unintelligible) and the instruction that the house in question was just off the main road directly opposite the house of O Dono! This inspired absolutely no confidence in me!
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Returned to Soubreiro to pick up M and the car and then head off to Souto, some 5k out of Arcos on the old P. de Lima road (202).Passing through Souto we noticed a cafe/general provisions store so decided to stop and see if the locals could help us at all – they recognised the name the Soldier had written immediately! “Oh yes, just down on your left directly opposite the big house!”
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Unfortunately the vendor was out with his tractor but I did speak to his very elderly parents who seemed somewhat bewildered by my appearance! Decided not to wait but to return upon a future occasion…
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Chicken tarts, chouriço rolls for lunch with a little P de Lima branco and then back into the car to drive to the beach at P. da Barca which, although hardly crowded, had a number of raucous sunbathers all occupying our favourite sites so we decided to cut our losses and make, once more, for the tranquillity of Gondoriz.
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Arriving at the water-side at 2:30 pm we spent the rest of the afternoon in the sun and quiet of one of our favourite places; ventured into the water a couple of times which, strangely, did not seem nearly as cold as yesterday! We were leaving the area when a helicopter hovered over us to scoop a large container of water with which to douse a near-by fire.
Testing the water.
7:00 pm and we embarked upon our meal just as Portugal vs Spain kicked off; moved into the living room as CR 7 opened the scoring with a penalty! Game ended 3 – 3 with a stunning last minute equaliser from CR 7 (in fact he scored all Portugal’s goals!) – very entertaining end-to-end stuff.
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Finished the evening with fruit salad, wines and, just for a change, Salted Caramel Bailey’s. Watched one episode of Benidorm before retiring for the night at 10:30 pm.
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Day 5. Saturday 16th. June, 2018
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Another very sound night. Forced myself out of bed at 7:45 am. and went out for my morning constitutional; conditions the same as on previous mornings – sunny and warm. Went around the course in 24m 17s which surprised me somewhat as it certainly did not seem any easier! Such a pleasant morning that a walk along the Ecovia to P. de Lima seemed an attractive proposition…
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Called in at LIDL for snacks and then on to P. da Barca to leave the car in the large parking area to the right of the bridge and adjacent to the Ecovia’s entrance. Started the walk at exactly 10:30 am.
Along the Ecovia
Rio Lima from the Ecovia
The entire walk, which took us very close to the centre of P. de Lima, (by Expolima, in fact), took us a total of four hours and ten minutes and this included two short snack breaks, the second one coming at Os Moinhos where we were disappointed to find the bar closed and no sign of life around…just as we were leaving the premises the owner turned up (he had been shopping) and opened up for us!
The bar at Os Moinhos.
When one reaches Os Moinhos the back of the walk is broken and it was not too long before, by 2:40, we were sitting in the main square supping more cold beer!
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Went to the Turismo to ascertain times of buses back to P. da Barca (transpired that on Saturday afternoons there is only one which leaves at 4:45 pm) and found that we had enough time to cross the river and visit the Garden Festival and buy a couple of season tickets before returning to the bar on the Square for more beer!
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As might have been expected there was a lengthy wait at the bus stop alleviated only by seeing a heron landing on one of the near-by trees! There was still no sign of the scheduled service when a little blue Barquense bus pulled up having come from Porto airport and we jumped aboard with alacrity!
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Back home we had tongue soup yet again and then sat about in the kitchen drinking wine and waiting for the Peru vs Denmark match to start.
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In fact we waited in vain for any football action and found ourselves watching the evening news programme instead; drank more wine and then went out for a walk (ostensibly to sober-up!) On our return, feeling very tired, we called a halt to proceedings.
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Day 6. Sunday, 17th. June, 2018
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Originally planned to run this morning but, in view of the excess of exercise yesterday and the persistent feeling of fatigue, I decided to take a break and remain in bed for a little longer than usual.
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Started the day with the almost-inevitable stop at LIDL to buy the day’s snacks and then headed off towards Viana. As forecast the day seemed particularly warm and cloud-free; we had intended to pass through the city and proceed to Afife but we had a last-minute change of mind and opted to revisit Darque and its associated resorts.
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We ended up in Amoroso which has extensive sandy beaches as well as large clusters of rocks but, somewhat to our dismay, we found that the wind was so strong that we would need more clothing than we had with us in order to remain comfortably warm! In the event we had a short stroll along the shoreline before retreating to the car to eat our modest lunch!
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Reasoned that conditions might be more favourable on the other side of Viana and so, after our snack, we drove over to Praia Norte, a beach and sea-front that we have patronised fairly often in the past…Found everything completely transformed! Sea-front massively concreted, cafes removed and, on the beach, an extensive programme of rock-removal in progress! There being now nothing to keep us and it being just as windy as Amoroso, we cut our losses and drove back to the inland warmth of P. de Lima (34c. !)
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Parked by the Garden Festival and went around the exhibits, a number of which were particularly arresting; this year’s theme is O Clima nos Jardins and there were a number of thought-provoking entries.
Estações que Prendem. [Argentina]
Circulo Verde. [Italy]
Atitudes (In)Conscientes. [Portugal]
O Museu do Passado. [Austria]
Returning to Arcos we detoured via Souto in the hope of acquiring some bagaço but the place was securely shut-up so we gave up for the day and went back to the flat where we heated up the final remains of the tongue soup and then sat outside for a while. Later, we retired to the living room with the large fan standing by ready for use; wine, fruit salad, ice-cream and nondescript television and then to bed at 10:00 pm.
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Day 7. Monday, 18th. June, 2018
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A rather restless night with several very odd dreams! Got up at 7:30 am and ran on yet another sunny and (very) warm morning – another struggle!
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Roasted a chicken before venturing into town bumping in to a very colourful Lisete (she was sporting a Ghanaian blouse that I had had made for her.) Shopped in Mini Preço and visited the Galp Gaz shop to replace our exhausted bottle (replacement cost e25, which, not long ago cost e13!) before making our way to the Library; alas, it was Sr. Francisco’s day off but we took the opportunity to use the computing facilities and check emails before going back home.
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Another pretty basic lunch of salad, vinho verde and chicken tarts and then straight out afterwards to return to the beach at Gondoriz and an afternoon of blistering heat!
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Evening meal of salad, rolls and roast chicken taken early enough for us to be in situ by the start of the England match – amazing that Portuguese TV deemed it a game worth covering!
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England 2 – Tunisia 1 – hardly edge-of-the-seat stuff! Afterwards we sat out on the balcony to enjoy the evening warmth and a glass of port before bed.
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Day 8. Tuesday 19th. June, 2018
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Took a “sleep-aide” and enjoyed a pretty restful night, taking off the mask at around 5:00 am and snoozing on until 7:00 am. Left the building just after 8:00 am.; morning sunny and bright with a pleasant breeze. Showered on my return but only managed to get dry with the greatest of difficulty despite finishing off with cold water!
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Embarked upon a substantial session with the washing machine and then left for town. Made Nuno’s office our first port-of-call; Nuno was away but we did speak to Teresa and had a phone conversation with Nuno – seems like he has got the balcony-embellishments well in hand… Bought fruit and veg at our traditional grocers and then visited the supermarket to stock up on vinho verde.
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Returned to Soubreiro via the river-side route from Valetta and was amazed to see, at the weir, trutas trying to leap up (unsuccessfully) to the calmer waters above! Home to a lunch of rolls, salad, cheese and presunto.
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Lunch over, we went out with P. da Barca in mind but, seeing the numbers sunning themselves on the Arcos beach we decided that we were probably best advised to seek somewhere little-frequented so, back once again to Gondoriz! Another lazy afternoon in blazing sunshine and in a location where we were left all to ourselves.
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Home to some very welcome cold beers and then to sit outside on what was an exceedingly warm evening. Dispensed with the idea of an evening meal and came inside just to watch Jornal da Noite and O Preço é Certo – otherwise spent the rest of the evening on the balcony drinking wine and enjoying cheese toasties. To bed around 10:00 pm.
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Day 9. Wednesday 20th. June, 2018
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Took a “sleep-aide” just before bed last night and, probably as a consequence, had a sound night but found it very difficult to pull myself together this morning. In spite of everything I succeeded in rising at 7:40 am. and was out on the road within twenty minutes.
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Decided to take it easy on the run today so left the stop-watch at home and ran the course in the reverse direction to usual. In front of Cafe Riva stopped for a quick chat with Lisete who was off on a pensioners’ excursion to some destination in Tras-os-Montes. Returning to the flat showered and then rested-up for an hour all the while cursing the dogs below for barking up a racket which made all efforts to snooze pointless!
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To town for groceries and then back home for a simple lunch. Portugal having a lunch-time kick-off with Morocco we reasoned that P. da Barca beach would be largely deserted…
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Alas afternoon got off to a bad start as, manouevring around the myriad obstacles in the garage, I scraped the car against a wall! Damage done was minimal but, clearly, it would prove costly (at least, to my insurers!)
No sooner had we laid out our belongings on the empty beach than the breeze got up which made for a pleasantly bright but cool interlude. By 3:30 pm. however, there was no longer a trace of sun and we decided to return home and read in comfort.
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Once at home cooked a variety of dishes and then, the weather once again brilliantly sunny, sat outside and went through my cuttings from the Portuguese press.
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Kicked off the evening with generous helpings of vinho verde before embarking upon a meal of spaghetti bolognese, broccoli and spinach. Sat inside with the fan blowing at full tilt while we watched O Preço é Certo and the news before closing the evening with another episode of Benidorm.
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Day 10. Tuesday 21st. June, 2018
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Usual routine – up around 7:40 and out on the course half an hour later; another sunny and warm morning.
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Day was bright but grew increasingly hazy; forecast for the immediate future was not that great leading us to think it best to stick around Arcos in the morning and then, if things don’t deteriorate, to go into the hinterland in the afternoon. Yesterday, apparently, there were hail showers in Tras-os-Montes which have endangered the cherry crop, and floods in Lamego.
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Went grocery shopping and then on to the Library to the traditional warm welcome from Sr. Francisco – promised to lend him “School of Rock” which could easily be about his doppelganger!
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Actually, main purpose of the Library visit was to investigate the car-hire insurance policy and procedures; had an on-line chat with a company advisor who was most helpful – seems that all we have to do do is to leave the matter in the hands of the insurers…
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Home for a simple lunch and then out in the car for an afternoon to be spent in Mezio/Peneda. Reached the basilica at 3:30 pm., visited the church and bought honey and pottery at the adjacent shops. What had been a sunny afternoon gradually turned sombre and, by the time we left, thunder was reverberating around the surrounding mountains.
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Left to return to Arcos through spasmodic showers and, once back, took to preparing the evening meal; by 6:50 pm. the weather was once again sunny and warm and very humid and we had to have recourse to the fan!
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Dined on fried fish, eggs, spinach and bulgur and thereafter sat outside drinking wine with our dessert of fruit salad and ice-cream. Dispensed with the TV and listened tio a variety of Eric Clapton CDs instead.
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Day 11. Friday, 22nd. June, 2018
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Slept very soundly but could not face running this morning so lingered on in bed until 8:30 am! Another bright morning but already a haze in the sky suggesting perhaps another unpredictable day like yesterday.
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Walked over to the bus station and acquired information about the airport bus as well as local services to Sistelo, P. da Barca, P. de Lima and then went on to the Library to hand over our DVD to a very appreciative Sr. Francisco.
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Had an early lunch and then took it easy on the balcony. Later in the afternoon we got ourselves together and went down to the Arcos beach where we had a most pleasant time and wondered why we don’t take more advantage of it.
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Home at 5:30 pm to refurbish our soup and to make another, more exotic, fruit salad. Finished off the evening by watching Switzerland vs Serbia and then some more Benidorm. The evening was excessively humid and we were glad to have the large fan to use in the living room and then, later, in the bedroom.
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Day 12. Saturday 23rd., June, 2018
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Fan ran all night; all was fine until 4:30 am when I woke up and was then kept awake by the noise of the fan and the humidity of the room. Got up at 7:30 and went through the motions of a run – hard going but at least I managed it!
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Spent the morning in and around the flat rather than, as originally planned, making an early start for the coast; finally left close to mid-day with our sights set on Caminha.
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Took the A3 from P. de Lima intending to take an exit at the first junction only to find that in fact the the road across country to Caminha does not intersect with the motorway! The first junction in fact offers routes to Paredes de Coura and V.N.Cerveira and so rather than going right up the motorway and then turning down along the coast, we chose V.N. Cerveira as our new destination and proceeded some 10Km. along a very picturesque road before following signs to Lovelhe which we reached at 1:00 pm and found, to our gratification, that it was practically deserted.
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Selected a grassy knoll for our mats and then enjoyed a very basic lunch before spending the rest of an exceedingly warm afternoon reading and taking quick excursions into the water.
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Began our return at 4:30 pm. driving towards Valença and then entering on to the A3 and thence to P. de Lima for a beer in the square, to buy a garrafão of vinho verde and to make a quick sortie to LIDL.
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Back to Arcos by by 6:00 pm. and to heat up soup and rice for a meal which we ate as Germany and Sweden kicked off; followed the match with TeleJornal and then a couple of episodes of Benidorm.
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Today is the festa of S. João; around 11:00 pm fireworks started going off in town and then marching bands started parading in the centre; lots of people were drawn from the flats into town and we joined the merry throng. Watched a quaint march-past of tri-cornetted revellers outside the Bombeiros and then made our way up a crowded Valetta, the little street flowing with tables full of people drinking beer and eating sardines! At the top of Valetta we bumped into a somewhat inebriated Nuno (doubtless he thought the same of us!)
Found an empty seat outside the Sede da Junta and waited and waited for the Arcos Show Band to open up proceedings on the stage…by 1:50 am. the band seemed no closer to putting in an appearance so we gave up and headed home!
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Day 13. Sunday, 24th. June, 2018
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Had a surprisingly good night and, in spite of going to bed so late, felt pretty sprightly on waking! Got up quickly and was on the road by 8:00 am.- took no stop-watch and ran down the hill into town and then along, crossing back to the familiar course via the bridge opposite the bus station.
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Later wandered into town – few signs of “the night before” but not a lot of people around and quite a few shops closed that I would normally have expected to be doing business.
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An early lunch of soup and rice and then off, once again, to Gondoriz which we reckoned would probably be our best bet as it does not seem to attract large numbers of families unlike other river beaches around. On arrival we were surprised to see not only a number of cars but also a heavy-duty earth-moving machine which had already deposited some huge concrete blocks both in the river and on the banks and had also quite clearly flattened much of the rocky spit in the middle; one assumes that they are going to put a bridge of sorts across the river.
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For our part, we found an excellent location for our mats and chairs and spent a very pleasant afternoon sunbathing and going for short dips (thanks to the recent changes the water is now too shallow for actual swimming…)
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Home at 5:00 pm via the new road to P. da Barca and then a meal of Costa Rican fruit -based tofu stew, spinach and tortillas. Rounded off the evening in the Living Room with wine and a couple of episodes of Benidorm followed by the film Made in Dagenham.
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Day 14. Monday, 25th. June, 2018
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Woke up feeling far from refreshed so decided to lie in until 8:30 am. One major excuse for not running today was that we had a long day of exercise ahead of us – notably a walk along the Ecovia from Sistelo to Arcos! The weather appeared to be in our favour – cool and very overcast.
The bus running between Arcos and Sistelo takes 35 minutes, costs e3.30 each, and terminates by the start of the Ecovia. We arrived at 12:25 pm and set off at once; according to the Arcos Ecovia brochure the walk should take around 3 hours and 50 minutes…
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By 6:35 pm we were back in the flat celebrating our achievement/ordeal with a cold beer; Sistelo – Soubreiro took us 5 hours and 45 minutes and at times seemed never-ending! We took two short breaks for refreshments and, at one stage, deviated from the course and then had to retrace our steps.
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We did, of course, pass through some pretty impressive riparian scenery and saw a number of most attractive bathing spots. Towards Gondoriz we stopped off at a very welcome(ing)temporary cafe/bar (O Paraiso Avestruz: Bar Poco Negro) where we had a cold beer; the cafe was unique, not for its splendid isolation or for its beer but for the fact that it also housed a veritable menagerie of unusual creatures! We did not see any of their vaunted kangaroos but we did see peacocks and a flock of ostriches (avestruzes)! The only other wildlife we came to close quarters with on the walk had been a little earlier when M encountered a small brown snake, wriggling like crazy in the middle of the path.
Truth to tell, I was happy when we found ourselves back in Arcos! The journey was completed in almost exactly 35,000 steps! If I have learned one thing from today’s walk and last week’s one to P. de Lima it is that I am not a natural distance walker; clearly the Santiago experience is not for me!
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Ate our evening meal (roast chicken, tortillas and salad) in front of the TV watching Portugal play Iran (1-1). Not much to watch after the match, indeed, for the rest of the evening, the various channels appeared to offer nothing else apart from further analysis! Even the President of the Republic was roped-in for a few minutes to give us the benefits of his insights into the game!
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Not surprisingly, after the day’s epic walk we soon began to feel very tired and so, after taking a Sleep-aide just to be sure, we retired to bed at 10:00 pm.
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Day 15. Tuesday, 26th. June, 2018
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Had an excellent night, rising at 7:30 am and going out for the coolest run of the holiday – in spite of the lower temperature still sweated buckets as I warmed-down!
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Having showered went into town to a hardware store and obtained a roll of abrasive paper and a tin of dark green spray paint before moving on to see Sr. Francisco in the LIbrary who, surprise! surprise! just loved School of Rock, as did his ten year-old daughter!
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After another simple lunch which, for a change, we were able to eat without the incessant noise of “obras” from up the road! lunch was followed by a short rest and then I got to work preparing the balcony’s railings. By 2:30 pm. it was pretty clear that the afternoon would be much like yesterday – cool, breezy and overcast; there being no prospect of sun-bathing on a river bank we opted to return to P. de Lima and have an unhurried and comfortable look again at the Garden Festival.
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We enjoyed a leisurely wander through the gardens and were amazed to see how many plants had developed since we last saw them a week ago! Cast our votes for our favourite gardens and then crossed the river to purchase a garrafão of vinho verde; as luck would have it, on getting out of the car, I dropped the empty garrafão which promptly broke and so had to pay e8.50 for five litres as opposed to e6.65.
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On the way back to Arcos had a quick look around the Chinese Emporium by LIDL and then, as time was getting on, thought that it might be a good idea to see whether the bagaço producer in Souto was around…He was! A very cheerful individual who let me have five litres of his nectar for e20 (that is e5 less than I was paying in Monção years ago!). We had a very entertaining chat (he was most complimentary about my Portuguese!) after which we headed for home.
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Supper of fried fish, tortillas, spinach and fried onions and sweet peppers and then watched the second half of Nigeria vs Argentina (1-2). Game over and nothing remotely of interest on the television, we watched a couple of episodes of Colditz before going to bed at 11:15 pm.
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Day 16. Wednesday, 27th. June, 2018
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Enjoyed another good night and woke to a bright and warm morning. Set off on an extended run through town which I found a bit of a plod!
Spray-painted the railings and then went into town- ended up having a long chat in the butcher’s culminating in a mutual lament on the madness of Brexit! Returned to a lunch of tomato and chispalhada; downstairs the harridan seems to have spent the whole morning ranting and raving! Cannot be sure whether she is the world’s most cantankerous scold or just an insatiable and bad-tempered loud-mouth!
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Spent time after lunch waxing wooden surfaces throughout the flat before going out again to visit the Cobbler and then Lisete to swap stories of trips to Islas Cies (Lisete) and Sistelo (us) – she was amazed to hear of the Quinta das Avestruzes!
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Fairly standard evening: feveras, bulgur, fried eggs and spinach to eat and then to watch Brazil vs Serbia and some more episodes of Colditz before turning in for the night.
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Day 17. Thursday, 28th. June, 2018
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Another good night and had to force myself up at 7:35 am. Out on the road within twenty minutes on a bright, but happily not too warm morning, and ran the full reverse route, starting off by running down into town.
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On my return touched-up yesterday’s spray painting, finished off the waxing of the skirting boards and carried out repairs to our fraying beach mats. Lunched on chicken soup and left-over tofu stew while our laundry was in the washing-machine; cycle over, we hung the stuff out to dry and prepared to go out on one final trip.
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Enjoyed a pretty ride up to Ermelo; visited the church as per usual and then had a leisurely 1 km. walk along the riverside to the Roman bridge before wending our way back.
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From Ermelo we passed on to Lindoso and parked below the castle and meandered around the espiguieros before making our way back to P. da Barca and thence Arcos.
Kicked-off the evening with a vermouth and tonic and then followed that with a hearty meal of feveras before adjourning to watch England vs Belgium – something of a damp squib which England lost 1-0. Reached the end of Disc 2 of Colditz before finishing proceedings with fruit salad, ice cream and port.
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Day 18. Friday, 29th. June, 2018
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Another good night made even more pleasurable by the thought that I would not be running in the morning!
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Rose at 8:00 am., showered , packed my bag and then did odd chores like covering the outside drying appliance, cleaning the freezer and fridge etc. By 10:30 am all that remained was to wash the kitchen floor and cook-up the remaining scraps of food for an early lunch at 12:15 pm which proved to be both surprisingly filling and appetising.
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Lunch followed by a final washing-up and emptying of the water-heater before going downstairs to discard the last of the rubbish. 1:00 pm, turned off the amenities, closed-up flat, and hit the road…
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With so much time in hand we were able to stop off for a short while in P. de Lima and return to the Garden Festival to buy an elaborate booklet of last year’s festival for e5 (Gardens of Discovery) and then to proceed back to the centre for M to buy an attractive cup at the artisanal shop along the front. 2:45 pm set off along the A28 route via Viana for Porto.
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Reached Goldcar by 3:30 pm. and sorted out the car damage problem – they are deducting e565 from my deposit which I shall have to claim back from the Insurance Co. (thank God that they can be relied upon to meet their obligations!). If only Questor Insurance would have agreed I could have got the repairs done in Arcos for a fraction of the price! We drove a total of 879km. over the holiday.
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By 4:30 pm we found ourselves waiting in a hectic Sá Carneiro with our departure scheduled for 6:05 pm. In actual fact we left later than anticipated but, to the usual fanfare, we made up time en route and finally arrived on schedule at 8:30 pm. There was a lengthy delay to pick up our bags but, once out of the airport and on to the road, we were soon picked up by the taxi and were back home by 10:30 pm.
A Flanders Diary
September 2018
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Day 1. Sunday, 2/9/18, London – Ypres
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Woke at 5.00 am and lingered in bed to listen to the news at 5.30 am before going downstairs to make coffee and feed the cats. On going down the stairs I was struck by just how cold the ground floor seemed – transpired that we had left one of the extension windows wide open! In the circumstances it was a little surprising that we had a full complement of cats two of whom remained steadfastly asleep!
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Bathed, breakfasted on fruit salad and then made a final check of the car; a moment of panic when I realised that I had no recollection of what I had done with the pump for the inflatable mattress but, to my intense relief, found it securely placed in the roof box.
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Our intention was to leave home by 7.00 am and we were within five minutes of this objective. Fond farewell to Millie and then we hit the road on a most pleasant morning.
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There being little traffic around at this time of a Sunday morning we made good progress until, just past Stratford, a notice informed us that the Blackwall Tunnel was closed until 8.00 am! Quite why this piece of news could not have been relayed to the traffic screen at the Redbridge Roundabout heaven only knows! Fortunately, of course, time was still on our side and the A 13 proved to be hassle-free; we went the Dartford Bridge route and from thence enjoyed a smooth journey to Dover which we reached just after 9.00 am with the DFDS Dunkerque ferry departure scheduled for 10.00am.
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Voyage passed fairly quietly; the ferry itself seemed akin to some kind of floating eating Mall with a proliferation of snack-bars and restaurants and with lots of chairs and tables at which to eat; chronic lack of comfortable seating for anyone (like me) who simply wanted to relax.
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There was one moment of interest… we had hardly been sailing for twenty minutes when we were tailed by a marine rescue helicopter! Said helicopter hovered alongside for a while and, we assumed, landed very briefly on the top deck before returning to land.
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Moment of drama!
Tried desperately to snooze by contorting myself over a couple of dining chairs but was hardly successful – was hardly helped by a child in the Play Area that shouted and screamed for the duration of the whole crossing!
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Disembarcation at Dunkerque seemed to take a little longer than might have been expected but, once on dry land, we were en route to Lille/Ypres in absolutely no time at all. We debated whether to enter Belgium via Bailleul, a town we know quite well (certainly its supermarkets!) but eventually opted for the most direct route feeling sure that we would find suitable shopping opportunities along the way.
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By the time we arrived in Poperinghe we had come to the conclusion that we would be lucky to find any shop open – plenty of people walking and cycling in town but all shops, of any shape or size, firmly closed! Followed signs to a number of supermarkets but seemed always to be disappointed and resigned ourselves to the prospect of an evening devoid of wine or, indeed, of any sustenance whatsoever!
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We carried on to Ypres and, on the approach to the main square and Cloth Hall passed a SPAR which, miraculously, was open! Bought assorted snacks, broccoli, rolls, paté plus a 3l. box of red wine. Got directions from a most helpful patissiere (our directions were next to useless) and arrived at the Jeugstadion campsite around 3.20 pm on a very warm afternoon; sat at a table and ate our rolls while waiting for the Reception to open at 4.00 pm.
Lunch before pitching tent.
Were allocated a reasonable camping slot and set to work erecting the tent and shelter (soil soft and stone-free making peg insertion easy quite unlike the Bailleul site which is not that far away.)
Our pitch.
By 6:00 pm we were sitting outside our tent broaching the box of wine; evening was sunny and warm – 23C at 6.30 pm. Drank a little wine (carton of J.P. Chenet Cabernet/Shiraz e14.20 and surprisingly good) before preparing our evening meal of rice, Broccoli and M&S tinned Chicken Tikka Masala; took little or no time to put the repast together and it proved surprisingly appetising.
Evening meal at Jeugstadion camp-site.
Supper over, we sat outside drinking wine until darkness fell and it was time to get ready for bed. Extinguished the lights at 10.00 pm.
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Day 2. Monday, 3/9/18, Ypres
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Knew absolutely nothing until 6.30 this morning! Found the sleeping arrangements very comfortable and resisted getting up for another two hours until I forced myself out of the tent and went for a pleasingly hot shower.
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Day seemed warm enough although there was a fair bit of cloud in evidence. Undeterred we set off for Holland; the local road signs are not always particularly clear and it was not too long before we found ourselves back in the centre of Ypres. Had to ask for directions from Tourisme and were rerouted back almost to the campsite! Incidentally, at the roundabout at the end of the campsite’s road is an amazing piece of road sculpture – a huge tap gushing water seemingly with no visible means of support! Anyway, we were sent past the tap to the A 17 Kourtrai road and thence in the direction of Brugge, Zeebrugge and beyond.
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Our journey came to an end when, after a couple of hours, we arrived at the little Dutch coastal town of Breskens. Parked behind the sea wall and then crossed over to the fishing port; cannot say that first impressions were that favourable though we were surprised by the number of visitors in such a quiet backwater.
Breskens’ waterfront:
Took a stroll along the elevated walkway without noticing anything of particular interest and concluded by climbing some stone stairs above the walkway to get a good view of the harbour, the neighbouring dunes and the waterway.
Looking out to sea.
As we descended from the viewing platform we detected the distinct smell of frying chips and then noticed a small shack (in reality, a mobile cafeteria) doing a roaring lunch/snack trade.
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Curious, we investigated the shack further and found that it offered all sorts of (largely) fishy delights: fried fish pieces, rollmops, calamares, smoked salmon, pickled herrings etc (incidentally, customers can select the pieces of fish that they want fried and glasses of champagne are available if requested!). We thought that we really had to give the place a try so sat at a table and ordered maatjes herring and potato salad for M and deep fried scampi (in fact, jumbo prawns) for me; the final bill came to e8 for what was a very high quality little meal. Afterwards we had a short chat with Rinus and Gabriella, the proprietors of the Kibbeling and promised them a mention if the blog ever gets off the ground!
Waiting for Gabriella to serve-up!
Lunch at the Kibbeling.
Having eaten we wandered further and found a most attractive little town absolutely overladen with restaurants; also came across a pretty good supermarket where I was able to stock up on some Conimex products.
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We would probably have stayed longer in Breskens but for the weather which was very cool and distinctly overcast and which persuaded us that we would be best advised to return to Ypres. On the return leg we made a short detour to another small Dutch town – Oostburg, which proved something of a disappointment. Perhaps the only memorable aspect of our visit to Oostburg was the fact that we parked, went for a walk around through the town's anodyne streets and ended up not knowing exactly where we, or the car, were!
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From the border we took the fastest route down to Ypres (on the outward leg we had taken the more leisurely option via Passchendaele). Returned to the campsite and sat outside the tent with cups of fruit tea and coffee which was in contrast to yesterday – at least however, the rain held off.
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Took our evening meal (the same fare as yesterday) a little earlier when a marmalade cat entered the scene and licked our frying pan clean! A friendly creature, it hung around us for the next hour or so.
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Around 7.20 pm we set off for the Menen Gate, taking a short-cut through the campsite; it was a revelation to find just how close the Jeugstadion is to the very centre of town. We arrived in plenty of time to witness the Last Post ceremony; quite a crowd attended which made us resolve to get here earlier the next time so that we might find a place in the front row. A small pipe band of the Royal Victoria Regiment (Aus) put on a brief but very stirring performance directly after the main ceremony (they must have been parading through the town earlier as, while we were preparing our supper we kept thinking that we could hear bagpipes.)
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Back from the Menen Gate we continued outside the tent with our wine until 10.00 when we called proceedings to a halt for the night.
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Day 3. Tuesday, 4/9/18, Ypres
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Yet another good night and woke first at 7.00 am and showered and dressed an hour later. There was rain during the night but, fortunately, it was not particularly heavy; the morning began very overcast suggesting that there was more rain in the pipeline.
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During the night I felt/imagined that there was something present at the foot of the mattress and, periodically, moving across my feet! On waking fully I found Ginger Puss lying contentedly between us in the middle of the blankets. When I got up the cat moved into my sleeping bag and was soon fast asleep!
Ginger Puss enjoying a well-earned rest!
We left a drizzly Jeugstadion at 10.00 am with a trip to Bailleul in mind. Main purpose of venturing into France was to shop in one of the town’s numerous supermarkets where we could buy various key requisites at prices far more attractive than those prevailing in Belgium which, food-wise at least, seems very expensive. The other plan was to fill up with petrol on the assumption (mistaken) that, once again, French prices would be lower.
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Bailleul is, of course, no distance away – perhaps twenty kilometers. We approached the town via the Kemmel route which brought us into the very centre of town; we instantly remembered the way to Intermarché.
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Had a thorough perusal of all that the store had to offer and eventually ran up a bill close to e 95! (this did, however, include the cost of a dozen Muscadors). Having shopped we left and struggled to find a way on to the shop’s petrol station forecourt; when we were finally successful we discovered that, in fact, petrol in France is more expensive than in Belgium!
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We returned to the town centre and, at 11.45 am, had the devil’s own job to find a parking space (by mid-day the car park was at least half empty!). Our original eating plan for the day was to eat tinned tongues in the evening but options for a noon snack were left open. When we arrived in town we noticed that the friterie was still in situ on the square and so, once parked up, we went to sample their offerings: bought two “small” portions of chips plus cartons of ketchup and poivre – I had to ask them to reduce my “small” portion still further!
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Sat in the car and enjoyed our snack immensely before setting off in a light drizzle for Poperinghe which we reached at 12.40 pm and again, parked in the main town square. I walked over to Talbot House and confirmed that it was open all day…in fact it was closed for an unspecified period of time for lunch!
Poperinghe looking up the road from Talbot House
We returned to the house at 1.30 to find it now operational and bought a couple of tickets (e26) which also gave access to the Passchendaele Museum which we would hope to visit tomorrow. Once again we spent an interesting couple of hours exploring the house and gardens.
Talbot House.
The altar
The Upper Room
The Upper Room
Looking through to the garden.
Returned to the car at 3.45 pm and took a local road [N308] to Brandhoek and then on to Ypres. Of course, at Brandhoek we stopped off to visit its New Cemetery and pay a visit to the grave of Dr N. Chavasse [VC and Bar]before crossing the road to the village church to look at a memorial to the good Doc. which has been erected since our last visit to the area.
Chavasse Memorial.
(Dr. Noel Chavasse) The greatest hero of them all.
Once back at the campsite we relaxed with tea and coffee and were simply grateful that even if the weather was otherwise thoroughly indifferent, it was at least dry! At 6.00 pm prepared a cold meal of bread, paté, cheeses, tomatoes, salad and, a French favourite, carotte rappée.
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Duly fortified we thought once more of attending the Last Post ceremony. We set off for town a little earlier than yesterday but it availed us little, if anything, as we still failed to secure a favourable viewing position. Earlier in the day we had come across a large party of Scottish schoolchildren and they were all present at the Gate but not as performers, solely as spectators.
Awaiting the evening ritual at the Menen Gate.
Because of the now persistent slight drizzle we took our evening wine in the tent’s “foyer” and, as usual, prepared for bed at 10.00 pm. Incidentally, there was no further sign of Ginger Puss since we evicted him from our tent just prior to us going out for the day; a shame really as, thinking that he would become a regular guest, I bought him a packet of “treats”!
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Day 4. Wednesday, 5/9/18, Ypres
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Heavy rain during the night. I slept pretty well in spite of the fact that I became so warm that I had to relinquish the sleeping bag! Was amazed to wake at what I thought was 7.30 am (in fact, for reasons unknown, the clock was one hour ahead!) and so, when getting up some fifty minutes later was delighted to find that it was earlier than I had thought! Another very gloomy, albeit warm, day ahead.
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Left the site a little earlier than usual with a visit to Lijsenthoek cemetery, the second largest British cemetery in the Ypres salient and one which we have never visited in the past; we arrived at 10.00am.
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Lijsenthoek was of particular interest to us for two reasons: firstly it houses the grave of Nurse Nellie Spindler, the only woman buried in a CWGC cemetery with full military honours; secondly it is also the final resting place of a certain W.T.Harris. a parishioner of Holy Trinity killed in October 1918.
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We first visited the Visitors Centre to look at an absorbing exhibition on the origins and functions of this hospital area and then used the on-line facilities to look up the locations of the two graves of interest to us. Armed with the necessary information we then went out into the cemetery to hunt down the graves which proved to be far more difficult than we had envisaged due to the fact that there appeared to be no discernible logic in the numbering/lettering of the rows! At one stage we asked one of the gardeners who referred us to the Cemetery Guide at the entrance as even he had no idea as to which row followed on from which!
Nurse Nellie Spindler’s grave.
Barkingside Parishioner W.T.Harris
By the time we were ready to leave it was already mid-day and we thought that we would visit the two cemeteries in nearby Vlamertinghe before returning for lunch at our tent (there seem to be no lay-bys or picnic areas on Belgian roads.) Lunch consumed ( a cold one of rolls, cheese and salad) we set off at 2.30 pm to spend the afternoon at Passchendaele.
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We passed a couple of hours in the truly excellent Passchendaele Museum; some first-rate exhibits amongst which the reconstructions of a “dug-out” and a trench network stood out. After visiting the Museum we walked out in the gardens and visited seven miniature gardens, all in the shape of a poppy, created by every nation that took part in Third Ypres – several, eg. New Zealand’s, were of interest but, overall, we came to the conclusion that England’s was best!
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Moved on from the Museum and its environs to Poelkapelle where we sought out another couple of graves – one, that of the youngest soldier to die on the salient, a fourteen year-old, John Condon, and another grave, belonging to 2nd. Lieut. H.G.Langton, renowned for the musical notation engraved on the headstone.
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By the time we had looked over Poelkapelle (the third largest British cemetery of the region) it was close to 5.30 pm but, as our return would take us by, or near to, Tyne Cot…
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Arrived back in Ypres at 6.45 pm, had a glass or two of wine and gave up on any idea of attending the evening Gate ceremony, settling instead for an evening meal of tinned tongues in Madeira sauce, bread, salad etc. after which we sat outside drinking wine until the light began to fade. Before retiring for the night we dismantled the shelter while it was still dry thus leaving us with one chore fewer for the morning.
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Day 5. Thursday, 6/9/18, Ypres
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Had to get up at 3.20 am and go to the washrooms but, other than that short interlude, had another good night. M got up first and I followed at 7.40 am.
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Consumed our morning tea/coffee and then struck camp which I reckoned would take us an hour or so. Departure by 11.00 am is a requisite of the camp site but we always felt sure that we could get away well before that time and then enjoy a leisurely trip up to the coast.
In the event, dismantling the tent and packing everything away went like clockwork and we were ready for the road by 10.00 am. Prior to our departure we had a lengthy chat with a Dutchman whom I met at the sinks the other night and who speaks absolutely immaculate English; he commiserated with us on Brexit! M agreed with me that one really could not tell that the man was not a native English speaker.
A roundabout close to the campsite.
A spectacular illusion!
Cashed-in our camp-access card [e 4] and then left for Bailleul via what proved to be a somewhat convoluted route! Truth to tell, we only had one purpose for going to Bailleul and that was to purchase a few odds and ends at Intermarché and once that objective had been achieved we took the A25 to Dunkerque though not before wrestling with the temptation to return to the Central Square and avail ourselves of the delights of the friterie!
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Dunkerque being only some 50 km distant we found ourselves at the port by 12.30 pm (but for the fact that access to the car-ferry involves navigating a a complex and lengthy road network, we would have arrived earlier still.) Once at the port itself we had to go through three document checks and these were followed by a physical examination of the car (including the roof box!)
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Whiled away the time reading the Telegraph on M’s Kindle before finally boarding at 1.50 pm. In spite of the company’s proud boast of all sailings running to schedule, we set off at least half an hour late, by which time we had consumed a satisfying lunch of bread, paté, carotte rappée, cheese and raspberry tarts.
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Finally left harbour at 2.30 pm and an uneventful Channel crossing ended exactly two hours later. Quickly made our way up the A2 to the M25 and thence to Dartford and the A13. Reached home a little after 6.00 pm and immediately set to work unloading the car and removing the roof-rack; within an hour the major chores had been completed and it was time for a Vermouth and tonic before an evening meal of Thai Green Chicken Curry.
A Portuguese Interlude
October 2018
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Day 1. Monday, 1/10/18
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As usual on a departure day got up at 4.45 am, made coffee, fed the cats and then returned to bed to listen to the news at the top of the hour before bathing and then going downstairs to attend to some last minute e-mails.
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Nothing much to do except get ourselves ready for the drive up to Stansted (no more dishonest taxis!) Leisurely drive to the airport and its Long-Stay car park; by 7.00 am we had checked-in our baggage and were proceeding to an exceedingly crowded Security Area where eventually, and for a change, my hand-luggage sailed through unchallenged! Seemingly hundreds, if not thousands, going through the bag-check but we have rarely seen so few people in the airport concourse or bag-drop.
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Flight scheduled for a 9.25 am departure meant that we were called to the Gate (36) an hour beforehand where we stood in the Priority line for an age before being ushered down the tunnel for another wait (though admittedly, a shorter one than usual!) We had selected aisle seats 20C and 20D – not too bad with, unusually, plenty of space in the overhead lockers. Curiously apart from our flight at 9.25 am, Ryanair had another flight leaving for Porto at 9.35 am! Needless to say, there was some confusion with passengers unwittingly queuing for the wrong flight!
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Plane eventually took off at 9.55 am which at least meant that we would likely be spared the triumphal fanfare on arrival announcing another landing either on, or ahead of, schedule! Managed an hour of sleep before waking to read the newspaper before our arrival at noon (don’t know whether the pilot was trying to make up for lost time but we came on to the runway at a greater speed than I can ever remember!)
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Baggage collection proved relatively quick and we soon found ourselves outside a bustling Sá Carneiro waiting for the GoldCar shuttle bus which soon came, filled up and left us to wait for its return!
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We have rented from GoldCar on a number of occasions and have always found their procedures to be quick and efficient…not today! had to wait for the best part of an hour before being attended to! There were some unfortunates around who had tickets up to ten numbers after ours – God only knows what time they must have been seen to!
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At long last we got our car, an attractive, white, nearly-new (May ’18) Ford Fiesta and, having only got out of the compound after asking for another vehicle to be moved to let us out, we were soon en route for the north via Viana de Castelo on a warm and brilliantly sunny afternoon.
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Stopped briefly at LIDL and then at the butcher’s before going home and opening-up. Once we had things ship-shape we ventured out in the car to run the rule over the courses of our projected runs for the week (ie up to, and including, Gondoriz, which would mean runs of between five and eight miles.)
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On the last occasion we visited Gondoriz workmen were placing huge blocks of stone across the river leading us to think that a new crossing was being constructed – today, no sign of this at all!
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After returning to the flat I paid a short courtesy call on Lisete and Carla before returning for a glass of vinho verde and to prepare a supper of tagliatelle and pesto followed by fêveras, fried eggs, mange tout and broccoli. Having eaten we sat and watched interminable news programmes (they used to run for an hour between 8.00 – 9.00 pm but now seem to last for a couple of hours at least!) and drinking wine; by 10.00pm we were in bed.
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Day 2. Tuesday, 2/10/18, Arcos de Valdevez
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Slept soundly and was amazed, on waking, to find that it was already 7.00 am.(I attribute this to the fact that, with the blinds fully down, the bedroom is in total darkness and thus more conducive to sleep.) Put on my running gear and ran through town and then up to Giela and home; I adopted a pretty gentle pace and, I suppose, as a consequence, found it a pleasant, none-too-taxing, saunter!
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M embarked upon a run to Couto (which, depending on her experiences, I might try tomorrow) while I made dhal for tonight’s meal. M returned at 11.00 am none the worse for wear so I shall definitely follow in her footsteps tomorrow morning.
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Left M to shower while I walked a familiar route into and around town. First port-of-call was the Gestimov office to report the faulty door bell but, as usual, there was no one on the premises. Thence to Nuno’s office and a pleasant catch-up; Nuna is studying medicine at Coimbra but her father (and her aunt and grandmother) is concerned that she is far from happy and would probably prefer to be studying a different subject (like mathematics!)
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Next to the Conselho to hand in my water meter reading and then on to Mini Preço to buy a few odds and ends which, ultimately, came to over e30!
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Returned home and boned the 1.5 kilos of tongues that we bought yesterday at the butcher’s and then finished off the dhal which we have decided to have for lunch. Had our meal at 1.00 pm and washed it down with half a bottle of vinho verde Branco followed by coffee, after which we left the flat for the afternoon. Apparently the area has been experiencing the warmest September on record and, although the month may have changed, the weather most certainly has not! The afternoon was sunny and hot (30C) and these conditions are forecast to endure at least the length of our short stay.
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Drove over to Ponte de Lima (increasingly my favourite destination) to pass away some time at the Garden Festival. Huge fires behind Ponte da Barca meant denses clouds of smoke extending virtually all the way to P de Lima (luckily, the centre seemed unaffected) Enjoyed a leisurely stroll around the Festival noting how the gardens had developed since we last visited them in June and then returned across the river to the town centre to drink refreshing cold beers at one of the large open-air cafes along the front. Back to Arcos at 5.00 pm.
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Back in the flat we sat outside in the sunshine while the dinner cooked and stayed outside drinking v.verde until the sun began to set around 6.30 pm. A substantial meal of tongue soup (Ghana- style) with mange-tout and Algerian semolina bread and then back on to the balcony to drink some more wine; had intended to watch the old favourite – O Preço é Certo but, in the end, decided upon staying outside on what was a beautiful evening.
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Day 3. Wednesday, 3/10/18, Arcos
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By-and-large slept well for most of the night but, from about 5.00 am, only fitfully. Could have got up earlier but lingered on in bed until 7.20 am ( or so I thought) only to find that I had mis-set the clock by an hour and that it was in fact an hour later than I had thought!
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Had originally planned to take the Couto route this morning but had also anticipated being well on the way by this time; toyed with the idea of the standard route but, in the end, resolved to persevere with the five-mile, up-hill and down-dale Couto course. Felt in remarkably good form as I set off in perfect, sunny conditions; reached the main road with ease (usually the worst part of the run) and ran comfortably thereafter. Crossed the river at Couto and returned to Arcos via the EcoVia – all most pleasant. Congratulated myself on having the energy to sprint the final 50 metres to the Quinta da Carreira! Run took me 57 minutes and 24 seconds and I enjoyed it so much that, in future, I shall make a point of taking this route at least once per week.
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Home to shower and then look through my drawers for any little-used clothes that I can donate to the charity boxes around town. Have given up on ever finding anyone in the Gestimov office so wrote them a short note instead. At this point M arrived back, she had actually extended the run to Gondoriz and thus covered eight miles!
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12.15 pm and we were ready to drive north to Monçao and thence, perhaps, to Salvaterra del Miño; took the road to Extremo and then on to Monçao which we reached in just under an hour. Noticed a couple of huge fires blazing in the environs of the border-town producing great swathes of black smoke.
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Parked close to the old railway station and then walked a few metres towards the centre of town and one of my favourite restaurants, Terra Nova, where the menu never seems to change and the top quality meals are always affordable. We enjoyed a delicious lunch of lombo do porco, arroz e batatas de forno, a jug of excellent vinho verde tinto, a couple of bottles of agua mineral com gaz (M. even had a lemon torte) – all for e16! Astonishing value!”.
Drove across the border and visited DIA to buy an industrial amount of pimentón (both dulce and picante) but otherwise our trip was disappointing as just about everywhere else was firmly shut up until 4.00 pm including, annoyingly, the estanco upon which I was relying to get my annual Guia de la Liga.
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Took a more rural route back to Arcos via Longos Valles and Merufe; passed close by to the fires which were being attended by large numbers of bombeiros and watched a couple of fire-fighting planes overhead dropping some sort of powder onto the conflagration. Passing through Gondoriz we took a detour down to the Bar do Rio, a place that we have often passed but never patronised; proved to be a very well-appointed bar-cum-restaurant where we had a cold beer and even had a short paddle along their little beach.
Cold bottle of v.verde on our return and then an evening meal of dhal, broccoli and Algerian semolina bread before moving outside to enjoy the remains of the sunshine and to await the 8.00 pm news. Well, we watched about twenty tedious minutes of news solely relating to Portugal and then moved back outside to enjoy the rest of a very pleasant and warm evening.
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Day 4. Thursday, 4/10/18, Arcos
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Another reasonable night. The clock kept the correct time but the alarm (set for 7.00 am) barely went off! Got up reluctantly at 7.20 am.
Dressed for the run and set off for a repeat run to Couto on yet another perfect bright and breezy morning. Did not feel that I was in quite such promising form as yesterday but, all-in-all, did not do too badly as I came back along the EcoVia and then through town to the old 1880 bridge which must have added a few metres to the run; sprinted the final uphill section and was quite content with a time of 57m 57s.
Showered and then put together a bundle of clothes for the charity bin down the road before going into town. Of course, Gestimov was deserted so I squeezed my letter under their door before going on to the Correo and then Mini Preço; walked back home via the Valetta bridge and was soaked in sweat by the time I had made the flat!
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Lunch of chicken empadas from the supermarket (veritable miniature works of the culinary arts!) and one very abstemious glass of v.verde followed by a sadly uninspiring fresh fruit salad.
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Lunch over, we made for P da Barca where, probably for the first time ever, we secured the headland beach to ourselves – well, for all of about ten minutes! Two young girls came and parked themselves a couple of metres away from us – everywhere else, of course, practically deserted!
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Stayed on the beach until 5.00 pm – a perfect afternoon which felt as though it was the height of summer; I actually ventured into the water and swam twice.
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Back to S. Paio to visit the Bar Riva to slake our thirsts and to avail ourselves of their connectivity before going back to the flat to do some washing and to enjoy some cold v.verde before dinner.
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An Italian style evening meal; tagliatelle and pesto followed by fried pork, egg and broccoli. Decided once again to forego the excitement of Preço Certo and spent the rest of a pleasant evening on the balcony.
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Day 5. Friday, 5/10/18, Arcos
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No sooner had we retired for the night than the dog below began barking; eventually M. felt compelled to abandon the bedroom for a mattress on the living-room floor! Personally, I was little affected (I was wearing the mask in any case) and soon dropped off.
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Up at 7.20 am and ready for the road by 7.50 am on yet another fine morning. Set off for Gondoriz (perhaps the longest run of my life) and reached the Couto turn-off after 26m 52s and the Gondoriz turn-off after 44m and 22s; the long and winding descent down to the Bar do Rio and the adjacent EcoVia took another ten minutes.
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Have to confess that the route seemed interminable but I forced myself to keep going and congratulated myself when I managed the final sprint up to Quinta da Carreira! Timed the run, of almost exactly eight miles, at 1h 36m.
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Showered and then went to town to get a copy of JN (there was a supplement on Portuguese castles) and to pay a final visit to Mini Preço to ensure that, when we return, we will find adequate supplies of wine!
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Washed my running clothes and then set about making lunch – chicken empanadas and dhal. Just as I was about to serve the dhal the container slipped from my grasp and fell to the floor (face down, of course!) and thus what had seemed likely to prove a rather heavy lunch, in the end, proved to be a very light one!
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Turns out that today is a public holiday (Republic Day or some such thing); M reported that the EcoVia was choc-a-bloc with walkers (clearly I must have been too early as I encountered hardly a soul) and some of the shops, though by no means all, are closed.
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Prepared to share the beach with holiday crowds we went back to P da Barca but, contrary to expectation, found it all pretty much deserted. Later we took the country road to the ever-popular P de Lima; strangely, from the moment that we left Barca the car began to play up, giving us a worryingly jerky 15 km. ride, all the while the dashboard displaying a picture of a spanner and the advice to Ver o manual! Were at a complete loss to explain the motor’s performance – it was as if I had put diesel in the tank (which I most definitely did not do!)
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P de Lima lived up to expectations where the crowds were concerned and we were unable to find a spare table at our usual haunt in the square which was being serenaded by the Banda da Ponte de Lima. Had a beer at a nearby hostelry and then decided to return home; got in the car and it drove like a dream!…
Dined on tongue stew after which, all chores completed, we sat outside with our evening wine. As usual TV fare was pretty uninspiring so, conscious of an early departure ahead, we did not linger before retiring for the night.
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Day 6. Saturday, 6/10/18
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Woke at 4.00 am and then rested for the following hour before getting up and dressing. Nothing remained for us to do but put down the blinds and turn off the water and gas.
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Quiet, uneventful ride down to Porto with the car continuing to behave perfectly; by 7.00 am we were in GoldCar’s compound where, unlike our arrival earlier in the week, we were processed rapidly and transported to the airport.
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Soon through all the formalities at Sá Carneiro and then the usual Ryanair farce of queuing at the Gate and then in the corridor beyond! Departure was due at 9.20 am but in fact left well after this time.
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Spent much of the flight trying, with varying degrees of success, to get some sleep. Arrived at a cold and wet Stansted around noon and passed through the various hurdles without undue delay before taking the bus to the Long Stay Car Park…
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Unfortunately, although we had made a mental note of the fact that we were parked in Row 8, in fact we had no idea as to which Parking Area housed this particular Row 8!…Traipsed through the rain in car parks J and K without success leaving us with little option but to return to the terminal and seek help!
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Back at square one we asked a very helpful driver for his advice; he got on the phone to a colleague with the details of our arrival time last Monday and was informed that, at that time, only Car Park G was open…Back on the bus to the Long Stay and, eventually, area G where we were relieved to see the car! By now it was well gone 2.30 pm.
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Stopped off at the Service Station to visit Waitrose for a sandwich and then down the M11 in driving rain to arrive home, considerably later than we had envisaged, at 4.00 pm!
A Mauritian winter break
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February 2019
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Day 1. Sunday 10th. Feb. 2019 London
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An afternoon flight made for a fairly relaxed morning – made no effort to get up early and, when I did rise, at 7:00 am, found that it was raining so had to take the car to the newsagent’s shop. Did the essential chores and then, everything being packed-up and ready, we were able to leave in time to catch the 9:40 am 123 to Blackhorse Road.
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Little traffic on the road and, with a minimal wait for a Victoria line train, we were at Victoria buying Gatwick returns (£21 off-peak for the pair of us) by 10:30 am; departed for the airport at 11:16 am and arrived just before mid-day.
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We were disconcerted to find that there was nothing for us to do but to go straight through to Departures as our baggage was going into the cabin with us (and thus we avoided the Baggage-Drop) and we had already received our boarding passes…were struck by the fact that our bags seemed bigger than those of anyone else! Just to reassure ourselves we put our bags into the BA luggage checker and, with the very greatest of effort, just about got them to to fit into the requisite space! (They were, however, well below the maximum weight allowed being some 13-15 kilos each as opposed to 23k).
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Wheeled bags on a trolley over to one of the escalators and then ascended to Departures. Stopped at one of the counters to check our cosmetics and to pick up a couple of plastic bags and, this done, we were about to move on towards the automated barriers for which we needed our boarding passes…Total Panic! The large wallet containing passes, passports, tickets and cash was missing! M remembered seeing it on the bottom of the tray in the luggage trolley downstairs!…
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Desperate dash downstairs to rummage through collections of luggage trolleys but all to no avail. Finally, decided to make my way back to the BA luggage checkers and then to retrace my steps to whichever escalator we had used; found a collection of trolleys that I had not passed before and, sure enough, on one of the trays on a trolley in the queue (but not the last one!) there was our black wallet, mercifully untouched!
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The rest of our Gatwick sojourn was positively relaxed after the alarums of the wallet though M did come across an obstreperous inspectress who made as if to confiscate some of her cosmetics because, supplemented by some of mine, they were too numerous for one little plastic bag! Happily the harpie must have relented though M was unaware of this until she came to pick up her baggage at the end of the conveyor belt.
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We continued to worry about the size of our bags but, in the event, we carried them unhindered into the BA Departure Gate (13) and then waltzed on to the plane with them without anything being said.
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We found ourselves in seats 35 A & B on what proved to be an almost completely full 777-200. BA cabin service was good as were the meals (chicken and vegetable stew and an excellent chocolate mousse for dinner and the “full English” for breakfast). I eschewed the back-of-seat screen entertainment opting instead for the TLS and bouts of snoozing; tedious though these flights are I managed to survive without too much discomfort and frustration. A strange group of largely elderly people all around us and who all seemed to know one another – could not think what kind of club/organization they must belong to! Left Gatwick at 3:50 pm and arrived in Mauritius nearly eleven and one half hours later at 6:35 local time.
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Day 2. Monday 11th. February 2019
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Passed through a storm as we approached the island and landed in rainy gloom. Amongst the very last to disembark we then found ourselves in an almighty queue for Immigration which we did not get through until 7:40 am!
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Once out on the concourse it was a relief to find the Nice Place’s proprietress waiting for us with a sign in her hand! Across the road and then picked up by taxi and whisked off to Mahebourg. Given a temporary room up on the top floor in which to recuperate before moving later to our appointed accommodation. Lay down on the bed and, before I knew it, the time was 11:15 am!
The Nice Place
Got up and went across to the Lo Yeung supermarket and then down into town to visit Pyramid Snack…on entering the premises I encountered Samseer for a warm welcome and an animated discussion about the Premier League! M’s khebab roll came free and I also received a discounted “special” biryani!
The legendary Pyramid Snack.
Took the meals back to Nice Place and ate them on the terrace outside our room – clearly the “special” dish must have been prepared for Samseer himself as it was absolutely packed with chicken! Both meals were clearly sufficient for the rest of the day.
Lunch – Upper floor, Nice Place
Were shown to our booked room on the floor below which boasted its own kitchen facilities and prolonged debate ensued as to whether we should take it or opt to stay put in the room above. Top floor room was nice and bright and airy but the ceiling leaked in a couple of places and eventually, having originally said that we would remain, we asked to be put up in the room below!
Our middle-floor room.
Moved our belongings down a floor and then changed into some lighter gear before heading off for Blue Bay; day was pleasant but for some reason we decided that we would, at most, paddle and so did not take our swimming attire – a mistake as the afternoon turned very sunny and warm. Passed by the market on our way to the bus station and purchased a couple of beach mats [Rs.115 each] and some oranges and passion fruit and then took Sam’s Travels to the Bay, arriving at 2:15 pm.
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Laid our mats on an attractive spot (or so we thought) part sun/part shade and relaxed for a while before paddling, all the while wishing that we had brought our costumes! Returned to lie on the mats but became increasingly aware of an unpleasant smell…not too far away we discovered a rat’s decaying corpse! Moved further away and sun-bathed for a little longer before returning with Sam.
Blue Bay
Disembarked at the London Way supermarket and bought some essentials (notably rum and coke!) but forgot other necessities like cooking oil! As it was I came up just a few rupees short of the amount on the bill and so had to relinquish a bottle of washing-up liquid!
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Back to Nice Place to imbibe first beer, then rum and coke, and finally, red wine. Took, probably unnecessarily, sleep-aid tablets and retired when tiredness hit us once again.
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First impressions of Nice Place [NP] were favourable – room comfortable, if a little dark, with its own fridge and cooking facilities which seemingly gives it the edge over the Orient (and besides, it is a little cheaper too). Proprietor and her elderly mother are friendly and willing to be of assistance – just one gripe so far… we only received one towel and getting a second seems to be a major task!
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Day 3. Tuesday 12th. February 2019
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Must have fallen asleep just as soon as my head hit the pillow! Remained comatose for a long while but then awoke and, although comfortable, found it very difficult to return to sleep. Finally fell asleep again, waking to my horror at gone 8:00 am and then having a pleasantly warm shower.
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Left NP for the bus station where we learned that there were no express buses at this time travelling to Port Louis but we were just in time to catch a bone-shaker leaving at 10:00 am [Rs. 37 each].
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A warm, ninety-minute journey in a frequently crowded bus passing via Bel Rose, Bagatelle and the U. of Mauritius terminating in the capital at 11:40 am after which it took us a little while to re-orient ourselves. Once we had got our bearings we made Chinatown our first objective, in particular hoping to find the little restaurant that we visited last year. Took a left turn just past the Chinese arch which marks the entrance to the enclave and, lo and behold, at the bottom of the road (Emmanuel Anquetil Street) we reached our objective – the Hong Fa Resto! Lunch service had already begun and for Rs. 529 we had a perfectly good meal of wanton soup/bouchons, char siu rice/noodles. Sprite and water.
In Chinatown
A very cloudy afternoon with spots of rain on the breeze. Left Hong Fa in the direction of the waterfront and very shortly found ourselves in front of the Aapravasi Ghat. We had visited the Ghat a couple of years ago (last year we were in town on a Sunday and everything was closed) but quite clearly there has been considerable development during the intervening years and we were able to pay a visit to the well-appointed (if underlit) Visitors’ Centre as well as to thoroughly cover the site itself.
Aapravasi Ghat
Moved on from the Ghat to the Caudan waterfront which has also undergone a comprehensive make-over in the past year; sat for a while watching ships (mainly Chinese) manoeuvering in the bay before progressing to the shopping mall and the Marina. Like last year, the Marina was devoid of any particularly spectacular yachts – is it that they only visit during the European summer months?
Caudan Mall.
The rain became increasingly persistent so we decided to cut our losses and make for home – yet again we were in luck as we reached the stop just as the 198 to Mahebourg was about to depart! Another lengthy ride in a bus packed to the hilt; sporadic heavy rain along the way (though quite clearly Mahebourg remained rain-free) and severe traffic delays in places.
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Back in Mahebourg we went on a search for dholl puris and found an excellent source in the corner of the block that houses Pyramid Snack where, for a total of Rs.185, we bought a variety of puris (fish, shrimp and lamb) plus a pot of lemon pickle. Took the goodies home and ate them on our balcony, washing them down with a bottle of cold Phoenix. Snacks demolished, we then went to London Way to purchase yesterday’s omissions as well as to do a general re-stocking of goods.
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Back to the NP to sit with a sundowner before preparing the evening meal – prawn curry, rice and green beans of which we ate half and refrigerated the remainder. Proprietor came with our bill which was very reasonable [Rs.5600 for eight nights] which we paid happily enough even though, according to her confirmatory email the price of the room was to be Rs 600; I did not bother to raise the discrepancy as we still appeared to be getting a bargain and, not only were we picked up at the airport for free but we are also to be allowed to stay on in our room until our departure time next Tuesday evening.
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Sat outside the room chatting and drinking wine before going to bed probably a little later that usual. Put on my mask, turned off the light and was immediately dead to the world!
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Day 4. Wednesday 13th. February 2019
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Could not believe my eyes, on waking, to find that it was already 8:45 am! Forced myself up and into the shower feeling as if I had had no more than an hour’s sleep! Sat outside the room from 10:20 am waiting for the delivery of the hire car which eventually arrived some forty minutes later.
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I thought that we had been promised a Hyundai i10 but, in the event, we took possession of a Datsun (?) ‘Go’ – a rather rackety vehicle with three rows of seating! We wasted no time in gathering our things and hitting the road and, in view of the time, decided that the beaches on the south coast represented the best bet. Stopped off on the main road out of Mahebourg at our customary dholl puri stall for some of its wares and then struck out for Souillac and beyond. Seemed that wherever we we went the environment had been improved – new road surfaces, new traffic lights, speed cameras, road markings etc.
Temple on main road out of Mahebourg.
On arriving at Riambel we turned off the road and passed through the woods to reach a virtually deserted sandy beach where we soon made ourselves at home. Quick dip and then back to shore to devour our puris and then to read and snooze for a while (I seem to be constantly tired – is this the result of the marathon flight or the alcohol subsequently imbibed?)
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Water was exceedingly warm and clear and we went in several times. Bizarre incident!… M used her mask to explore the lively fish life around one of the large blocks of coral in the sea (after a rigorous examination of my collection of goggles in London, inexplicably, I failed to travel with any!) – anyway, M was excited to find a large Angel fish (there were plenty of smaller specimens swimming around) and had just called my attention to the creature when it turned around and bit her ankle, drawing blood in the process!
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We stayed on the beach until 5:00 pm. before leaving for home via Pleine Magnien. Called in at London Way and was just about to buy another box of the nice red wine that we had supped on the previous two evenings when my eye was caught by a notice at the bottom of the box listing “ingredients”! God only knows what we have been drinking the last few nights but it certainly wasn’t wine as we know it! (so much for our sophisticated palates as we enjoyed the stuff quite well!)
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Went across the road to Lo Yeung to buy a couple of bottles of cold beer (seems that they charge extra for chilled bottles so in future will be taking them off the ordinary shelves and not from the cold cabinet!). One happy outcome – for Rs.190 I was able to buy some goggles! not great but good enough for a few days and reasonably priced.
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Sat outside our room and drank our beer before setting about the evening meal which was, to all intents and purpose, a repeat of last night. Afterwards we sat drinking a genuine South African wine from a 1.5 litre bottle with the intention of saving half for tomorrow….Tried all wavelengths on my radio in the hope of picking up a local station but to no avail – if Mauritius has radio I cannot imagine what frequency they must broadcast on!
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To bed a little after 10:00 pm tired but relatively sober – alas our good intentions fell by the wayside!
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Day 5. Thursday, 14th. February 2019
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Intended to read on going to bed but it proved impossible to stay awake and I soon fell into a sound sleep. Woke at 4:00 am and then snoozed for a further ninety minutes when I got up with neither knee nor stomach feeling at their best! Decided that I would have to postpone the planned run to Pte. D’Esny but, when I got back into bed, had second thoughts and so…
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Undoubtedly made heavy weather of the run but conditions were just fine and I came through unscathed – funnily enough, it didn’t seem quite as long as I remembered it though it did take me 26m 25s to reach the top of the beach where, once again, my stop-watch expired! Could not find my way off the beach and had to be shown the exit by an obliging French tourist!
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Later in the morning visited Pyramid Snack for khebab rolls and then went a bit further into town to buy a towel; the shop that I patronised the other day was closed but I found another and, after determined bargaining, paid the same price [Rs.300].
Temple in Flacq
Shopping over, we set off for Belle Mare, our very favourite beach destination; made pretty good time and were ensconced on the beach by mid-day.
Belle Mare
Forecast was for a cloudy afternoon but, in fact, the weather was perfect throughout and we spent the entire afternoon going in and out of the sea. Still believe this to the best of all the beaches though it does lack the coral and the marine life of, for example, Riambel.
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Left for home after 4:00 pm and made purchases at London Way before arriving at NP and a very welcome cold beer. Put together the ingredients for a prawn and vegetable (peas and beans) fried rice which, contrary to my fears, turned out surprisingly well and which we washed down with Phoenix Super Brew!
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Spent the rest of the evening relaxing with some excellent bruschetta snacks (made in Bulgaria!) and rum and coke. Sometime after 10:30 pm we turned in for the night and read for a while before extinguishing the light and going straight to sleep…
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Around 11:30 pm I became aware of the sound of gushing water but, wearing my mask and feeling sleepy, had no idea of the source of this noise and it was at this point that M woke me fully to to tell me that a disaster was unfolding in the bathroom!…Incredibly, the shower mixer and taps had fallen from the wall and water, both hot and cold, was spurting from the two holes in the wall! The hot water was indeed very hot and the room soon acquired an atmosphere akin to the Amazon!
Shower disaster!
I tried in vain to reattach the taps but was eventually forced to give up – the only consolation being that, by now, there was only a vigorous fountain of cold water! As it was now well past midnight it was quite obvious that there could be no remedy to hand and that we should just have to let the water pour out until every last drop was drained from the roof tank! Returned to bed for a far from satisfying sleep!
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Day 6. Friday 15th. February, 2019
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Well, we knew that the Old lady gets up at around 4:00 am. to get the water systems up and running so it came as no surprise when water began, once again to gush through the holes in the wall. This time there was nothing to do but to go downstairs and report the situation; proprietress turned off the water supply and said that she would send for a plumber at a later hour – we were staggered when, at 6:00 am. a plumber actually turned up!
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Plumber spent a good few hours at work while we sat outside the room – imagined that repairs would be a massive undertaking requiring the removal of the wall tiles and more but this did not seem to be on the agenda. By 10:30 am. the plumber had finished his work for the day and had, amazingly, at least managed to restore the cold water supply (promising a return of hot water for the morrow!) The maid also put in an appearance at this time but quite what she did during the five minutes that she was in our room we were unclear (she certainly did not trouble herself to touch the beds or empty any of the rubbish bins!)
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Bought our snacks for the day from a seller outside Lo Yeung and had a long chat with him about roti (which he was selling) and Trinidad before we left Mahebourg for the interior. Made for the motorway and then followed signs to Kanak Crater (which still appears to be totally inaccessable) and beyond.
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Stopped just before Grand Bassin to eat our snacks and then entered the sacred area, parking just in front of the massive statue of Durga. A troop of monkeys entertained us before we made our way down to the lakeside and the various bizarre attractions on this lower level.
Statue of Durga
Ganesh
Having seen the major sights we returned to the car reacquainting ourselves with the monkeys along the way. Followed signs to Souillac and soon found ourselves at the coast and then it was just a case of driving along to Riambel.
The beach at Riambel
Took the car to the edge of the beach and found a fine niche for ourselves – both smooth and sheltered; just one drawback, all around this spot the sea was very shallow, too shallow, in fact, to be able to swim. Contented ourselves with paddling in the crystalline waters and examining the plethora of coral and sea urchins.
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After a restful afternoon we returned to Mahebourg stopping at London Way only to recycle accumulated plastic bottles.Thereafter we spent the evening downing beers outside our room and then eating an extensive Haleem featuring ¨Seafood Tofu¨(which, apart from being a contradiction in terms, is really, I assume, some sort of surimi!) anyway, it made for a filling and tasty, if somewhat different, supper. Rum and coke rounded off the evening…
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Day 7. Saturday 16th. February, 2019
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Slept well but was woken by heavy rain long before the alarm went off at 6:00 am. Quite clearly a morning run was out of the question as, even when the deluge ceased, the roads were totally swamped. Got up a little after 8:00 am to a cool and overcast morning and with the roads still awash. At least this morning we were able to have a shower though did have the devil’s own job to turn it off!
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Ventured out at 10:45 am for Pyramid Snack where I bought the standard khebab roll and a couple of truly delicious fried chicken rolls and then, further along the main road bought some dholl puris from a vendor before heading north. Weather throughout the journey very dull and overcast but at least the rain kept off.
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Arrived in Pamplemousse just before noon and ate our snacks before paying the entrance fee of RS. 200 each. Dispensed with the need for a guide (cannot remember how often we have now visited the gardens!) and for a couple of hours or more wandered around as the fancy took us. February is actually probably not the best time to visit the gardens – only two Victoria Lillies in bloom and not that many more lotus flowers; nonetheless it was all very pleasant and we stayed until 3:30 pm.
Colonial Mansion at Pamplemousse
Striated Grey Heron on a lotus plant
Deer keeping cool
Strangely, the drive back to Mahebourg proved much quicker than the outward journey; usual visit, en route, to London Way and then back to NP to park-up, have bowls of bouchons and then visit Lo Yeung very quickly before returning to the guest house for a couple of bottles of Phoenix Special Brew!
Bouchon time!
Had a very substantial meal but, even so, a lot was left over; with the remains of the prawns that I shall curry tomorrow, we shall have enough food to see out our visit. Meal over, we took to Spiced Gold and coke and, during the remainder of the evening consumed a full bottle of the former! Felt none the worse for wear however when we decided to go to bed and read for a little while.
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Further thoughts on Nice Place:
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+ Perfectly good room, if a little dark, with its own bathroom, fridge/freezer, gas cooking rings, plates, utensils and cutlery.
+ Conveniently located on corner opposite Lo Yeung supermarket and the bouchon seller; close to all amenities.
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However:
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Seemingly no room service at all – ie no waste removal, no room-tidying/cleaning or bed-making.
No provision of toilet rolls.
Strange reluctance to supply more than one towel per room.
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Day 8. Sunday, 17th. February, 2019
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Had a good night and got up with the alarm at 6:00 am. and dressed for the run. There had been heavy rain at times during the night and the roads looked very wet but decided to persevere. I was just tying up my second shoe-lace when the heavens opened making any thought of running redundant! Reluctantly went back to bed but any hope of returning to sleep was stymied by the fact that outside there was a very persistent “buzz” which I assumed to be some kind of alarm which had been set off by an earlier power failure.
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By mid-morning I was sitting outside the room reading and watching the rain bucketing down – according to the official weather forecast we should be experiencing, at most, “light showers”!
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Happily, around mid-day there was a break in the rainfall for about an hour which was sufficient for a spectacular celebration of the Chinese New Year (which, in fact, was a fortnight ago!) to take place in, and outside Lo Yeung. There were exhibitions of drumming and cymbal-clashing, fire-crackers and large red and yellow dragons cavorting in the road outside the supermarket; the whole spectacle was very well arranged and it drew a large crowd. No sooner had the entertainment come to an end than the rain, accompanied by thunder, returned with a vengeance!
Outside Lo Yeung
Dragons in action!
An exhausted dragon!
We had a simple lunch in our room of cheese slices(from Saudi Arabia!) ham and still-warm baguettes. Not feeling at my best, I rested after eating, but there was no chance of going out anyway given the weather – frustrating to think that this was a day’s wasted car hire.
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Eventually, around 4:00 pm the rain actually stopped, encouraging us to make a foray out. Took the car along the coast to Grand Old Port and stopped for a while at the long jetty that projects out into the sea – the sun even came out and it was all most pleasant. Pushed a little further along the coast to the cannon emplacements where we spent a short while before returning towards Mahebourg. We tried to navigate an elusive route from Ferny but, as usual, were frustrated and, having gone along the route to Rose Belle, turned around at a sugar factory/empire at Riches en Eau and made our way back to town along a more familiar route.
On the jetty
View from the jetty
Back to NP to prepare a prawn curry and to drink a very cold Super Brew. The rest of the evening followed the usual routine – beer, meal and then Spiced Gold and coke; to bed after taking sleep-aides after what had been a rather sedentary day.
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Day 9, Monday 18th February, 2019
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Clearly my worries about not being able to sleep were ill-founded but I did awake at 2:00 am or thereabouts and then was kept awake by the accursed buzzing outside; finally got back to sleep as the rain began to fall once more. alarm went off at 6:00 am but by now it was pouring once more so there was no chance of being able to go out. Stayed in bed until 8:30 am – an hour later it was still drizzling outside.
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The incessant buzzing became increasingly intolerable – seemingly caused by a fault in the alarm system which is situated at the end of our floor; spoke to the proprietor about it and was not impressed to hear that someone will be coming to fix it tomorrow!
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The Hire company came and collected the car at 11:00 am and all went without a hitch – we did 400 miles on this rental. While I was sorting out the car formalities, the proprietor of NP approached M and suggested we moved to a room upstairs which would be relatively insulated from the noise of the alarm.
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Went with M down to Pyramid Snack for chicken and khebab rolls and then took them down to the waterfront and ate them there. Made a sortie into the market and bought some oranges and longans before returning to NP to move all our goods and chattels up a floor….found we had been allocated a pleasantly large room, much lighter than our previous one so we felt that we had little to complain about – furthermore, from the top floor the alarm was almost inaudible!
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A rainy and overcast morning improved as the day progressed and sitting by the waterfront was quite pleasant – by 2:00 pm however, it was positively sweltering! Felt that we had little option but to gather our belongings and hot-foot it down to Blue Bay courtesy of The Mighty Spiderman!
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This might well have been the warmest afternoon of the holiday and we spent much of the time keeping cool in the water; stayed on the beach until 5:30 pm. Two notable observations/incidents: by the shore where there were shoals of little fish swimming around, there seemed to be a plethora of minute springs forcing out colder water; secondly, we saw, at close hand, two little water snakes!
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Back home via London Way and then upstairs for some cold beer. Set about preparing to heat up the remains of the haleem for our evening meal but did not get far…the gas canister was empty! I eventually managed to get the Old Lady (proprietor’s mother) to let me have a fresh 25 kg. gas bottle which, of course, I had to carry up umpteen stairs and then, when I had put on the attachment, still couldn’t get a supply of gas so the the poor elderly woman had to come up all the way and show me the knack!
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Eventually our meal was ready and we took it on the table outside the room; we were just relaxing with another bottle of beer when the couple from the very top floor invited us to visit them for a beer and a chat.
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We spent an enjoyable couple of hours upstairs with Sven (Swedish) and Dortea (Danish), an interesting and congenial pair – we brought our bottle of rum to the party and a good time was had by all! Dortea is very much a world-traveller and has spent a lot of time in Brazil, having studied Portuguese at university; she has even published seven books (all, unfortunately, in Danish).
Sven and Dortea
We said our farewells at around 11:00 pm and returned downstairs to go straight to bed. We found that we now had a large airy room but one devoid of any electric sockets although over-endowed with mosquitos!
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Day 10. Tuesday, 19th. February 2019
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Slept reasonably well, woke before 6:00 am and thought about running before having second thoughts about the feasibility of washing shirt, shorts etc. Got up at 8:00 am and went for a shower or rather, I would have had a shower had it been operative! As it was, I had to make do with a tap and a bucket!
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Checked my Yahoo but still no word from the booking agents concerning our boarding passes so lost patience, accessed the BA website and checked-in myself – we are to be situated in seats 35F and 35H, both aisle seats!
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A pleasantly warm morning: we walked down to Pyramid Snack for the usual and then across to the market to buy passion fruit, an avocado and four sticks of high quality vanilla [Rs.300]. Posted our few cards at the GPO and then walked along the main road out of town before turning down to the Mahebourg Court House (a charming old building which, on a future occasion, we shall have to visit more thoroughly.)
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Arranged for the proprietress to call us a taxi for 6:15 pm and then went upstairs and shot the breeze with the Scandinavian couple. Lunch followed at midday with the rolls and the fruit and then the afternoon was spent relaxing on the verandah before a bag-packing session.
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4:15 pm and an early evening meal of curry, rice and spinach followed by a surfeit of longans. After a very basic wash we completed our packing and then sat out time waiting for the taxi; felt very odd to be dressed as for the UK!
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A personable taxi driver turned up on the dot of 6:15 pm and once at the airport there were the usual long queues for exit stamps and baggage security before entry into Departures. Bought a couple of bottles of New Grove rum [Rs.26 in total] while M bought some small jars of vanilla paste and gift packets of curry powder.
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Boarding took place without undue delay and a packed plane was ready for lift-off a few minutes before the scheduled departure time. On my inside was a chap from the Havant area – he proved to be a decent sort although initially he was a bit sniffy about the amount/size of my luggage! (and to be frank, I don’t blame him: BA’s luggage regulations are beyond me!)
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Chicken and mash for dinner which we accompanied with several miniature wine bottles. Read for a while but not wishing my light to disturb others, opted to watch “Bohemian Rhapsody” on the back-of-seat screen. Found sitting still for hours quite intolerable so eventually, in the early hours, moved to the back of the aircraft and stood!
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A tasty breakfast of omelette, bacon and potato wedges was served at 3:45 am followed at 5:00 am by a landing at Gatwick some twenty-five minutes earlier than scheduled. No hindrances (except for decidedly suspect digestive systems) and we were able to progress smoothly to Victoria and thence to Mile End and on to Gants Hill where, just as we emerged from the station, along came a 179! Back in Brantwood Gardens by 8:50 am.
A quick trip before Brexit
(Portugal, once again…)
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March 2019
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Day 1. Thursday, 21st. March, 2019
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Idea of this trip is primarily to get in a visit to Arcos before the inconveniences of Brexit come into play (long queues at passport control, no EHIC, no European Driver’s Licence etc.)
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Followed the usual daily procedure- up at 5:40 am., fed the cats and ran down to Redbridge Roundabout. Back home to bathe and breakfast on roll and marmalade and a huge helping of fruit salad. We are only taking hand luggage so there is very little for us to do this morning but to get ourselves ready and then leave at 7:55 am.
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A lot of traffic along Eastern Avenue down to Redbridge which, of course, was no surprise but, thereafter, indeed all the way to Gatwick, we were struck by the comparative paucity of vehicles on the road! Consequently we made almost unprecedented progress!
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No trip of ours is devoid of at least one hiccough!…When we reached the South Terminal Short Stay Car Park the system refused to recognise our car! Perplexed, we eventually examined our Valet Parking Pass and discovered that, quite bizarrely, it was made out not to our present car (EX17SZT) but to one we had owned some three years ago! (EA 64SMT). We called for assistance and were issued with a new permit and allowed to continue up to Floor 2 and the Valet parking where we handed over our keys and then made the short walk into the Terminal itself; by 9:30 am we were sitting in Departures!
Mr Mobile Phone waiting in Departures.
Flight was called at 11:40 and by the time we reached Gate 20 boarding had already begun and we were able to go straight on to the aircraft (Airbus A319). Had seats 25 D & E – the very last row on the right, and consoled ourselves with the thought that at least the flight would be a short one! In actual fact, we found ourselves in probably the most comfortable seats in Economy which reclined almost to bed-level!
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Flight took off a little earlier than anticipated and we arrived in a sunny Sá Carneiro 15 minutes ahead of time. Out of the airport and across the road to Rua Barreiro where we found the SurPrice office and, after a considerable wait (the Germans ahead of us had a series of problems – but seemingly, not of SurPrice’s making!) we were attended to by an eager-to-please employee who soon got us on the road; we were given a SEAT Ibiza.
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Home to Arcos via Ponte da Barca and LIDL; opened up the flat. unpacked and then it was time to go down to Restaurante Violeta for dinner at 7:00 pm. Needless to say, the meal represented superb value – e21.40 for the usual!…
Adding the finishing touch!
Dinner for two at Restaurante Violeta
Crossing the bridge to go to Rest. Violeta.
Back up to Soubreiro to drink wine and to watch a lengthy news/current affairs programme which was almost wholly devoted to …Brexit! Ideal bed-time programming!
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Day 2. Friday 22nd March, 2019
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Am unsure of the exact time of our departure to bed last night but suffice it to say that I slept soundly, waking first at 6:00 am. without the faintest idea as to my whereabouts! Just could not work out why I was lying on my left side without Cindy (the cat) for company!
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Got up with reluctance at 8:15 am. and went for a run (more accurately. a plod) through town and then up to Giela and home – doubt if I have ever run more slowly! Beautiful morning – perfect running conditions.
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10:40 am. left to go shopping in town – all the usual places. Ended up at the butcher’s beyond the central market where we managed to secure some tongues and where they were dying to lament the idiocy of Brexit (so we all got on like “a house on fire”!). Walked home over the old Valeta bridge and then enjoyed a lunch of chicken pies and an icy bottle of vinho verde branco.
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The afternoon being sunny and warm, we decided to make for the river at Gondoriz; took my trunks just in case…
Idyllic Gondoriz.
Spent a perfect relaxing afternoon by the water – I did dip my toes in but it really was much too cold to contemplate being any more adventurous! Sat, read and snoozed until 4:30 pm. when we moved back to town to visit both LIDL and Pingo Doce before returning to the flat. Set about making a bolognese sauce before paying a short visit to see Lisete and her family – swapped news: Nuna is apparently enduring a living hell in Coimbra while Diogo has moved out to live in P do Lima with his “stick-insect” enamorada; took the opportunity to clear up a few grammatical questions that have been bugging me!
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Our evening meal turned out nicely and we washed it down with v.v tinto followed by strawberries and ice-cream. Not a lot on TV – one channel devoted to a tedious match between Portugal and Ukraine forcing us to spend another evening watching a lengthy current affairs programme; happily/tragically, it left Brexit alone and concentrated upon the floods in Moçambique.
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Had meant to get in touch with Millie during the day to enquire about her hospital appointment but, in the event, we failed to do this; heard later on that there was no good news concerning her wrist but rather that she had been admitted for surgery!
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After a pleasant evening we retired to bed relatively early at around 10:00 pm and managed to read for but a few minutes before being overwhelmed by fatigue!
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Day 3. Saturday, 23rd. March, 2019
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Another good night. I now have a reliable new clock with luminous hands by the bed – trouble is, when I wake up my vision tends to be blurred so that I often cannot reads the dial accurately! Must have woken for the first time before 5:00 am. but read the clock as 6:00 am! Sometime later, awaking again, I was surprised to find that the time was still 6:00 am!
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Got up at 7:30 am. on another bright but chilly day and repeated yesterday’s run – of course, I went at no great speed but at least felt more comfortable than yesterday.
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Went out shopping, falling down the stairs on my way out of the block – had a lucky escape as I was saved by the wall and got away with just deep scrapes to my knuckles. Visited Pastelaria Dida to buy broa amarela and then finished off the purchases at Mini Preço.
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Returned home with a couple of bags of goods (mainly wine!) and then set out again, this time with M, for Cafe Riva and a cafe com leite and an agua mineral com gaz. Used Riva’s wifi to contact Millie – she is in the hospital awaiting the availability of an operating slot! Right now it looks as if she may have to wait until 8:00 pm – always assuming that more urgent cases don’t come in before then…
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Lunched on meat and chicken pies plus a tomato and a moderate intake of v.v. branco. By 12:30 we were ready to set off for the afternoon’s excursion.
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Perfect afternoon for a trip to Peneda which we reached at around 2:00 pm. Visited the Church and looked in various gift shops buying a number of items from a very pleasant and obliging woman and vowing always to patronise her shop in the future!
En route to Peneda.
Cachena grazing near Peneda.
A cachena close-up.
A distant prospect of Peneda.
O Santuario da Peneda.
Thought of returning via Ermelo and P. da Barca but in the end opted to return the way we came, arriving back in S.Paio at 4:50 pm. Put the chicken in the oven, prepared a grape salad and sat drinking v.v.
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Evening meal of roast chicken, broa and spinach after which the evening followed the standard pattern – wine in front of the TV watching current affairs round-up (primarily Moçambique.) To bed at around 10:00 pm. Whilst there has been nothing riveting to watch on TV at least we have been spared the dire game shows and soap operas!
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Day 4. Sunday, 24th. March
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Good night’s sleep though woke at 3:15 am and then again at 6:00 am. Roused myself from bed at 7:40 am to yet another bright and cool morning. Put on my gear and hit the road for the holiday’s acid test, a run to Couto and back.
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Reached Couto and then turned down to the Ecovia and back into Arcos – took just over 61 minutes; found the exercise very gruelling but just plodded on and found, rather to my surprise, that I could still sprint the last uphill hundred metres! Home to a cup of Lady Grey and a soothing warm shower before devoting my efforts to ploughing through yesterday’s newspaper.
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This weekend restaurants in town are taking part in Arcos à Mesa, on this occasion a celebration of cabrito assado…
At 11:45 am. we walked across to Violeta – not overly busy (but they did have the upstairs diner in operation as well and they had a number of takeaway requests too) with all the tables immaculately laid. We started off at mid-day with a small plate of what is probably best described as a bacalhau omelette with black olives which was then followed by salad and, the pièce de resistance, cabrito assado, rice and sautéed potatoes with v.v tinto as the accompaniment. The bill, when it came was e 31.90, the most we have ever paid at Violeta but, as usual, worth every cent.
Cabrito!
Returned home to change into shorts and then into the car and off to P de Lima. Parked-up on arrival and made for one of the bars in the main square for a cold beer and then to wander along the front up to the church (closed, as usual) and then over the river to walk back down on the garden side.
Needless to say, on a beautiful Sunday afternoon P de Lima was packed – M took a particular note of the fashions on display; conclusion was that this year the “in” colour is scarlet and, for women at least, the most popular piece of attire – shimmer tights which everyone wearing a skirt seems to be sporting.
Back to Arcos via Pingo Doce and to sit on the balcony and read for a while. Evening meal of broa and the remains of the other night’s spaghetti before retiring to the living room to drink wine and indulge in ice-cream and fruit salad. To bed, once again, around 10:00 pm.
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Day 5. Monday, 25th. March 2019
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Reasonable night and up at 7:30 to prepare to run on yet another very promising day. Ran the reverse route through town; returned for a hot shower and to read The D. Telegraph on Kindle and to prepare the vegetables for tonight’s soup.
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Left the flat at 10:30 am. bound for Guimarães via the motorway from P. de Lima and then turning off just past Braga. A hot and sunny morning with little traffic, we made excellent progress before stopping at the Barcelos Service Station to sit in the sun in the picnic area and have a lunch/snack of brie and tostadas. Finally reached our objective at 11:30 am.
Barcelos Service Station snacktime.
Had not visited the city for a number of years and so it took a while to get our bearings. Found a suitable parking space (aided by a down-and-out to whom I gave c40) and paid a euro for the maximum parking time permitted (two hours). Although we were in a central location, the part of the city of particular interest to us was a little distance away. Visited a well-appointed bookshop and had a fruitless search for any titles by Agualusa although I did see a number of tomes by Lisete’s current favourite author, Mia Couto but they all looked a bit too heavy-going for me! Found a Turismo and obtained a map and then made our way confidently up the hill to the main monuments.
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We started off by paying a euro each to visit the Castelo – walked around the walls and visited its well-curated museum (where I tried on a medieval metal headguard!); popped our heads into the nearby medieval church (Igreja San José) and Carmelite convent before returning to the centre.
O Castelo de Guimaraes.
Ramparts of Castelo.
Igreja S. Jose
Took directions from a policeman and made our way back to the car, stopping off for a beer on the way. Truth to tell, we did have one other objective in visiting Guimarães and that was to locate a particular ice-cream shop which specialises in creating any flavour of ice-cream while one waits! (Novita, Rua Alameda de S. Dâmaso): we did actually find the place only to discover that it does not open on Mondays!
Bar in Rua Alameda…
Looking down from the Old City.
It took exactly one hour to get back to Arcos. Fine-tuned the soup and then visited Lisete and Carla for a while. Once back in the flat we had an early dinner – rice, spinach and a tongue-packed soup; afterwards sat around in the kitchen drinking wine before moving briefly into the living room. By 9:30 pm we were both ready for bed!
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Day 6. Tuesday, 26th. March, 2019
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In spite of retiring earlier than usual the night still seemed none too long! Up at 8:30 am and out on the road within half an hour; again, conditions bright and sunny. Turned left at the top eventually going over Ponte do Toural and through town – once again, found it all very hard-going!
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Last night’s soup was packed with tongue and carrot but did not have a lot of liquid and, as a consequence, we have a lot of meat left but hardly any “soup” as such to accompany it which means that we shall have to make some more soup to add to the remains!
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10:00 am walked across the river and poked my head into the butcher’s shop by Pastelaria Dida and was delighted to see a tray full of tongues and bought 880g. for e2.40 before moving on to Mini Preço for tins of tomatoes, mushrooms, lunch-time snacks and a few bottles of wine (alas, the outstanding bargains previously on offer, e5.99 wines reduced to e2.49 have all sold out!) Back to the flat to pressure cook the tongues and take it easy for a short while.
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12:15 pm and an early lunch of tostadas and camembert plus Mini Preco’s meat pies with just a little v.v branco to lubricate proceedings. After the meal put clothes in the machine on a “quick wash” programme before setting out to the beach at Ponte da Barca for the afternoon where we had the whole place to ourselves! Settled in our usual spot and enjoyed several hours of sunshine every bit as hot as summer!
The “usual” spot!
Returned to Arcos at 4:30 pm and went straight to Cafe Riva to use their connectivity to check-in with BA and to order our boarding passes. Quick visit to Lisete on the way back to our flat – very much to my surprise, she and Carla enjoyed my soup and so I shall be taking them some more tomorrow (which is fortunate as there is clearly two much for the two of us to consume!)
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Once at home I made the new consignment of tongues into another soup using up the remaining vegetables in the process. Served the soup with broccoli and rice and very good it was too – plenty left for lunch tomorrow and for Lisete.
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As usual spent the remainder of the evening in front of the TV drinking wine and eating ice-cream and fruit salad. Yet again we left for bed early but, this time, to ensure that M had a better night, I chose to sleep in one of the little beds in the middle room and found it, contrary to legend, exceedingly comfortable! Tried to read for a little but soon succumbed to fatigue!
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Day 7. Wednesday, 27th. March, 2019
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Had an unexpectedly good night, waking at 6:00 am but lying-in until 8:00 am as today is a run-free one!
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Got up and showered and then set about the various chores making a thorough cleaning of all the windows my priority before tidying-up in the kitchen.By 11:55 am. everything was, more or less, completed and all that was left for us to do was to have lunch and to put away the washing.
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1:20 pm. and lunch over and washing-up completed; just remained to carry over some soup for Lisete before setting off for Porto.
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A relaxed drive down to the airport and a swift handover of the car (total mileage this trip of 541 Km.) 4:35 pm found us sitting in Departures having just bought a couple of bottles of brandy (one for Tom for stepping into the breach re cats) and having had a free sample of Beirao Vintage which was quite superb!
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As usual these days, airport was “ram-packed” but we managed to find a couple of seats on which to wait before the flight was called. Incidentally, in spite of our efforts at Cafe Riva yesterday we still had to get BA to print out our boarding passes.
Uneventful and crowded flight aboard an Airbus A 320 in seats 18 E & F. Progressed rapidly through the hoops at Gatwick and soon found ourselves in the Car Valet office collecting our keys.Back home in time for a bottle of wine before resuming Lent!…
Portugal with Baby Maya
June 2019
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Day 1. Thursday, 13th. June 2019
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Got up as usual at 5:40 am and prepared to run only for the heavens to open as I was putting on my trainers! Returned to bed with a sense of relief which turned to guilt when, after a quarter of an hour or so, it became clear that the rain had stopped; hastily re-dressed and ran down to Redbridge!
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On my return showered and read the newspaper before doing a little gardening in between showers. Left home at 10:20 and took the 123 to Blackhorse Road and then the tube to Victoria where I caught the 11:40 to Gatwick which I reached within a further half an hour. Made my way to the rendezvous point, M&S, and found Eleanor and Maya waiting for me. Passed through the required procedures without any untoward incident and at the other end there was even a little time for Maya to test out the Children’s Playspace in Departures!
Plane, an Airbus A300 was scheduled to leave at 2:10 but for some reason not entirely clear, remained on the tarmac for a further forty minutes; time passed pleasantly enough in seats 16 A-C, baby had a snooze (she wasn’t the only one!) and we finally left a drizzly Gatwick to arrive at 5:00 pm in a sunny Porto.
The seasoned traveller.
On arrival walked across the road to the car-hire complex (we are with Drive and Go) and picked up a smart-looking Fiat Punto not, however, before Maya had thrown up over her mother and a waste-bin in Arrivals!
On the Arrivals bus.
Pleasant evening drive up to Arcos after first visiting IKEA where, as luck would have it, they were offering 35% discounts on Billy shelving! After that delay we made for Arcos and Rest. Violeta where we introduced Maya to the Soldier and his family and arranged to return shortly for dinner.
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Reached the flat and realised that, to our great joy, the harridan below had left! Hurriedly unpacked, fixed the amenities and then hurried down to Violeta for yet another excellent meal (e 21) – nothing, certainly not the quality, ever changes!
Back home to drink sparkling wine and look at TV which, como costumbre, had little to offer! Ended up listening to CDs (Miscellaneous #4), the evening proved highly enjoyable and, before we knew it, it was 2:00am and very much time for bed!
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Day 2. Friday, 14th. June, 2019
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Enjoyed what I believe was my best ever sleep in the flat (or, perhaps, anywhere else!) Slept in the middle room in the bed next to the window and fell asleep almost as soon as my head hit the pillow; knew nothing until I opened my eyes to find, to my astonishment, that it was 8:00 am! Rolled over, closed my eyes for a moment and it had become 9:00 am!
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Once up and about on bright but cool morning we paid a quick visit to the Moreira’s who made a great fuss of our newcomer and then we went our separate ways – me to town to buy groceries and E and M to the Parque Infantil adjacent to the Cafe Riva.
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Bought cakes in Pastelaria Dida where I met the “ice-cream lady” who was eager for me to join her in a coffee (she clearly has more faith in my language skills than I have!) but, due to time constraints, I had to decline – she has, alas, recently lost her husband and is, I assume, rather lonely. Went to the neighbouring butcher’s for meat and then up to the usual shop for vegetables – was on my way to Mini-Preço when I realised that I was no longer wearing my sunglasses…had to retrace my steps until I found them again – left on the counter at Dida.
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Spent e28 in Mini-Preço and then made for home on an increasingly warm, if dull, day. No sign of E and M at the playground – transpired that they left the playground in favour of a walk (or rather, carry) along the side of the river where, eventually, M paddled.
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Lunched on Mini-Preço chicken pies and a giant tomato with a little vinho verde to wash it all down. Followed our meal with a short rest (though M had other ideas) before leaving for the afternoon at 3:30 pm.
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Drove through Ponte da Barca on to the Lindoso road and thence to Barral and its Parque da Paz. Wandered around the precinct examining the statues and the small, picturesque chapel, before going down into the Crypt to look at the huge quartz crystal under the altar and to read the news reports of the Virgin’s appearance to a ten-year-old shepherd boy in May 1917…Thereafter paid a hasty visit to the Quartz Museum before moving on.
Capela Barral.
Crypt altar
Carried further along the road before taking a turn on the left down to Ermelo which, like Barral, E had never previously visited. Paid a visit to the church of S. Bento and explored the village a little – we sought out an establishment, Cores e Licores de Ermelo, notice of which I had never seen before but was advertising itself quite prominently in the village centre (?) as well as boasting of a web presence…Unfortunately it all proved to be something of a wild goose chase – the actual premises of the enterprise, if indeed, we did actually locate them, were decidedly unprepossessing!
Igreja de S. Bento
Looking from top of Ermelo down to river Lima.
Home via LIDL and a closed Pingo Doce (obras) to refresh ourselves with vinho verde and then to make a very appetising spaghetti bolognese. The plan had been to eat before watching Telejornal at 8:00 pm but, in the event, we fell behind schedule and the news, or what passes for it, went by the board!
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Dinner over we retired to the lounge for sparkling wine and a dessert of strawberries and ice-cream. At 10:00 pm I left for bed leaving E & M to watch I know not what!
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Day 3. Saturday, 15th. June, 2019
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Yet another amazingly good night! Got up reluctantly at 8:00 am to another reasonably bright and cool morning, put on my gear and hit the road – took it all very gently and, as a consequence, got around quite comfortably.
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Later went into a near-deserted town for a few odds and ends expecting to do all that was necessary very quickly – in fact it took far longer than anticipated because it seemed that the few house-wives around were hell-bent on buying up everything within reach!
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On my return roasted a chicken in anticipation of tonight’s meal and then served up for lunch a repeat of yesterday’s midday menu.
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Spent the afternoon in a sunny Ponte de Lima, mainly at the Garden Festival – this year the theme is Jardins do fim do Mundo which, in fact, in my opinion at least, isn’t radically different from the themes of the last few years!
Festival entrance.
I am always impressed by the exhibits at the Festival but this year I felt that, if anything, the standard even higher than before – particularly in the section devoted to the efforts of local schools. As per custom, last year’s winner was on display, Jardim dos microclimas, which I cannot remember whether I voted for or not! This year I went along with the Brazilian effort, Astrolabium.
Jardim dos Microclimas [2018 Winner]
Astrolabium – 2019 Brazilian entry.
Children’s Gardens:
Spent a fair while at the gardens before, racked by thirst, we sought out the town centre.We parked on the sand and then, as we were approaching the Torre de Cadeia Velha, observed that its art gallery was exhibiting 46 Anos Sonhando – Puskas which we just had to visit as I had no idea that Puskas ever had any links with Portugal or the Minho! A track-suited team of athletes entered the building as we were approaching and were on their way out again within barely a couple of minutes! We soon followed suit when we realised that the Puskas in question is not the Real Madrid legend but an artist from Monção!
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Enjoyed a pleasant interlude at the cafe by the bandstand in the main square which was enlivened by a zumba class taking place close by; I had a cerveja preta and Maya a huge cheesecake-flavoured cornet before we returned to Arcos for an evening meal of lemon chicken and rice followed by ice-cream and cherries. Idyllically sunny evening enhanced by being able to listen to Astral Weeks without having to worry whether the music would upset the cantankerous witch below!
Zumba class in progress.
Dined well and then watched Telejornal which seemed drawn-out and tedious; eventually called it a day at 10:30 pm and left E & M to watch Daffy Duck!
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Day 4. Sunday, 16th. June, 2019
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Another great night, well at least until 4:30 am when I woke briefly and thereafter had a succession of disquieting dreams. Got up at 7:45 am and was soon out on the road. Took the reverse route through town, again went at a leisurely pace and quite enjoyed it. A beautifully bright and warm morning heralding what is forecast be the only really fine day of the week ahead.
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Went into town by way of the riverside route. A very warm morning and the frogs in the river were particularly vocal – I even managed to see a group jumping around a clump of floating weed!
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We sat down together for lunch at 1:00 pm (the usual, tomato and chicken pies) and then left for Ponte da Barca just as the obras were reaching a deafening crescendo downstairs…
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We were able to pick our spot at Barca and spent an enjoyable afternoon in hot sunshine; the water levels were very low making actual swimming almost impossible but, of course, providing ideal paddling conditions for a toddler.
After spending a thoroughly lazy afternoon we set off for home at 5:45 pm and arrived back to find that the obras on the ground floor still going on at full-tilt! The noise was quite incredible/intolerable (they were drilling through a wall) and I was left with little option but to go and remonstrate! I was met by the couple below with complete indifference, the argument being that it was the only time at their disposal to work on the flat and that, in any case, they would be through by 8:30 pm!…Happily, at this point Lisete exited her block and she was able to persuade the couple that perhaps their stance was a little unreasonable! Anyway, miraculously, obras stopped for the day! (Later Learned that Lisete subsequently contacted the GNR and they told her that building work on a Sunday was forbidden after 2:00 pm!
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Peace restored, E and I assembled the Billy that we bought at IKEA the other day and then while the main ingredients of the evening meal were warming up made a readjustment of the lounge furniture.
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Dinner of chicken livers stewed in port, accompanied by rice and broccoli as well as the ubiquitous vinho verde and then followed by a Portuguese Licor de Hiervas. Evening concluded with a sparkler and ice-cream and grapes.
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Day 5. Monday, 17th. June, 2019
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Yet again slept like a log and although I had intended to get up and run, in the end took the easy way out!
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Forecast for the day was somewhat mixed and although the morning started off quite well it soon became apparent that the day would be cooler and cloudier than yesterday.
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Walked to town for groceries while E & M patronised the Parque Infantil. The standard lunch at 12:15 pm and then a short rest.
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Just before mid-day a workman turned up down below and, inevitably, the drilling, hammering and grinding started up; loud though it all was it did not seem quite as noisy as yesterday afternoon! (Even so, much more of this would be unbearable…) 2:00 pm and we prepared to leave the mayhem behind.
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What was now clearly going to be a pretty nondescript afternoon we decided that we would be best advised to return to P. de Lima and re-visit the Garden Festival.
Had a leisurely review of the gardens once more; the place seemed to be populated with English visitors (generally, the loudest, fattest and most ill-dressed!)
Beer and ices in the main square followed before returning to Arcos and calling upon Lisete and Carla and carrying away a huge bag of clothes for Maya.
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7:00 pm and what in fact was the best, sunniest part of the day. While E & M re-visited the playground I got the evening meal together – feveras, rice, eggs and spinach. All continued pleasantly until 7:30 pm when the hellish drilling resumed! Felt compelled to go downstairs and lodge my objections and a rather unpleasant interview ensued… Portuguese law apparently allows domestic obras until 8:00 pm on a weekday (funny how they knew the rules for workdays but not weekends!) and they made it perfectly plain that they had every intention of carrying on! The only agreement reached was that they would desist at 8:00 pm; however, no sooner had I got upstairs then work was suspended for the day!
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Relished our evening meal and then retired to the lounge for dessert and wine. Watched another interminable current (Portuguese) affairs programme and then, surprisingly, a quite entertaining quiz – Joker. To bed at 10:30 pm.
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Day 6. Tuesday, 18th. June, 2019
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Another pretty reasonable night. Forced myself up at out of bed at 7:30 am only to find that it was raining and that I could legitimately go back to bed for another couple of hours!
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By 10:30 am the rain had stopped but conditions were very misty and there were a lot of dark clouds floating around. Took the opportunity to do some domestic chores like washing the balcony floor while a chicken was roasting in the oven in preparation for a repeat lemon chicken this evening. By 12:15 pm I had washed the balcony and little bathroom, polished the wood surfaces in the bedrooms and done the first wash.
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1:00 pm and a substantial lunch of chicken livers over, we had a short rest before chancing our luck against the elements and going out in the car; just as we left at 2:15 pm the rain began to teem down!
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Thought that we would pay Lindoso a visit (funnily enough I always seem to end up there on dismal days!) It drizzled throughout the journey until we reached the Lindoso castle when it positively chucked it down. Paid e 1.50 each to go around the castle and to brave the elements upon the ramparts – it was a shame that the weather was so foul but we made the best of it and, to my surprise, we weren’t the only visitors.
Back to Arcos for a very substantial lemon chicken dish which we struggled to polish off. Played CDs in the lounge after the meal, once we had given up once again on Jornal da Noite, and went bed a little after 10:00 pm.
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Day 7. Wednesday 19th. June, 2019
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Another sound night and rose at 7:30 am to shower and then to put the bed clothes in the washing machine. Another distinctly cool and overcast day.
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Used the Rapido programme but, when it had ended, or so I thought, could not open the door! Fiddled with various knobs and, lo and behold, it started the programme all over again!
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Polished wooden surfaces in rooms and washed kitchen and main bathroom floors and then left flat at 10:40 am to go to the library and check-in our flights. Needless to say I received a warm welcome from Sr. Francisco!
In the Library with Senhor Francisco.
Returned to flat to vacuum the carpeted areas and then, while E ironed the washing, took the car to town to visit the Churrasqueira and, for e7.50, acquire a piri-piri chicken and a massive portion of chips which, together with left-over salad and fruit, constituted our main meal of the day.
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Dropped a few things off on Lisete and then, at 2:20 set off in leisurely fashion for Porto, reaching Drive and Go at 4:10 pm. Handing the car back we were quite incredulous when the operatives of the company found a small indentation below one of the headlights and also a very small chip on the windscreen (on the driver’s side which I certainly never noticed).To cut a long story short we had e587 deducted for damages which we considered truly outrageous to say nothing of being positively dishonest! Our hands, were of course, tied so had no option but to acquiesce and be grateful that we were insured!
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Having a child in the party meant that we enjoyed priority wherever we went – at check-in, security procedures and boarding! Maya whiled away some of the time by playing a gigantic noughts and crosses in the children’s play area in Departures.
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Boarded at 5:40 pm and left promptly at 6:10 pm for a fairly routine flight. On arrival at Gatwick at 8:10 pm a number of passengers remarked upon Maya’s exemplary behaviour during the flight.
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No baggage to collect and so no hold-ups at Arrivals allowed me to catch a train to Victoria at 9:03 pm. I was just entering Victoria tube station when the whole place was put under lock-down due to an “incident”…I ended up taking a 390 bus to Hyde Park Corner and then the Central line to Gants hill – reached home at 10:45 pm.
A Brief Tuscan Visit
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June/July 2019
Day 1. Sunday, 30th. June, 2019
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Planned to leave the house at around 9:30 am and so was able to have a leisurely morning. Lay in until 6:15 and then got up and walked down to Redbridge station for the Sunday edition of El País. Showered on my return and then set about watering assorted plants in both front and back gardens.
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Left home on schedule and took the 123 to Blackhorse Road – an amazingly popular route on Sunday mornings it would appear! Changed to Piccadilly line at Finsbury Park and then on to a crowded train towards Heathrow which we reached just after 11:30 am.
The Happy Traveller!
Had been unable to check-in on-line at home so had to seek the assistance of a BA official – she too had the devil’s own job to check us in! Some issue of passport anomalies apparently which made absolutely no sense as our details are stored in the BA records and, of course, I flew with them without any problems just ten days ago!…
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While our check-in problem was being investigated we noticed a plethora of signs advising travellers that they should leave at least thirty-five minutes for presenting boarding passes and moving into the Departures lounges…when we got upstairs we realised quite why! Joined an absolutely enormous queue and stood in it for forty minutes before we got through the security checks!
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By the time we had passed through all the necessary procedures our flight was already being called and so we were able to go straight to the Departure Gate (#9) and join yet another lengthy and slow-moving line! Eventually we boarded the A320, took aisle seats 16C & D, and departed as per schedule at 1:35 pm.
A pleasant-enough flight of an hour and fifty minutes brought us into a very sunny and warm Pisa. Two oddities of note concerning the flight….I sat next to a young American mother and her son who ordered coffee and mineral water but, when they came, were unable to pay for the goods as cash is not accepted and her credit card was new and, as yet, unauthenticated! As far as I could see the staff let the woman keep the coffee but they took the bottled water away and returned with a glass of tap-water! However, perhaps the most bizarre moment of my flying career…an hour into the flight a passenger walked up the aisle, seemingly sober and compos mentis, and told the steward (who was right by us at this moment) that he would like to get off! She replied that we were still air-borne and were likely to remain so for perhaps another hour and that he would just have to sit down and be patient!
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On landing we passed slowly through a cramped Immigration hall and then into a bustling Arrivals; bought a small snack at a kiosk [Famoso Caffe] and then made our way through the bustling airport to the adjacent railway station where, for e2.70 each, we bought tickets for the shuttle to Pisa Centrale.
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Once in town helpful bus officials assisted us to find our way; took bus #13 [e1.30] from the station to Via del Borghetto where we then proceeded down to # 11 and the office of our accommodation owners/agents. Met Carmen who proved to be a friendly and informative type who handed us the keys and gave us the necessary directions for finding Casa Dora (ie. walk along the river until you find Via Santa Maria on the right.) Stopped off for a very refreshing glass of draught Becks and then pressed on to our destination stopping only to visit Carrefour, just a few metres down from our destination.
Casa Dora 121, Via Santa Maria – second floor with a large bedroom with en-suite facilities and a well-appointed living-room further down the corridor (there is another bedroom but, quite clearly, we were the only occupants at this time.)
Via Santa Maria
Deposited our belongings and then walked up the street, perhaps one hundred and fifty metres, to the Piazza dei Miracoli and beheld its Cathedral and, of course, the celebrated tower!
Took in the atmosphere, snapped the Tower and then returned down the restaurant-thronged Santa Maria to find a suitable eating-place. Eventually, after much deliberation, we settled upon Trattoria Toscana where for e50 we had good meal – litre of cold wine, spaghetti bolognese, steak and chips concluded by a beautiful creamy lemon sorbet sucked through a straw!
Thoroughly satisfied and more than a little tired, we walked the few steps back to C.Dora, put on the not wildly effective air-conditioning and sat on the bed and drank a bottle of very reasonable white wine which we had purchased earlier at Carrefour. Tried in vain to set up the TV/Netflix which relies upon sending an access code to one’s e-mail but, not being able to access the establishment’s wi-fi, we were stymied! Maybe this was as well as we were more than a little fatigued and were happy to end the day at 10:30 pm.
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Day 2. Monday, 1st. July, 2019. Pisa
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Had an excellent sleep in spite of the night’s warmth (air-con was on all night but to little appreciable effect). Up at 8:30 am for a welcome cold shower and then to take an Earl Grey in the lounge.
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Had a tour arranged for 11:15 am so went to the Square of Miracles ( so named by D’Annunzio) and visited the Tourist Office for city maps before progressing a little further beyond the city walls and stopping at Po’ Sto’ for a couple of delicious pizza slices and then adjourning to their gelato section for a couple of exquisite ices.
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Waited around at the appointed meeting spot and eventually met up with our guide, a rather eccentric but very personable and informative young Spanish woman. Our tour lasted a couple of hours and took in the vast Cathedral and, of course, terminated with a trip up the tower.
Il Duomo (11th. century)
Elliptical dome, 1380; first of its kind in Europe
Pulpit ( Giovanni Pisano 1302-10):
In between we passed through the square and then down into the old town taking in university buildings, including the elite institution founded by Napoleon, Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa, which actually ranks above the ancient University of Pisa and is renowned for its stringent academic standards.
The tower itself has 251 steps to its summit but these, to my surprise, we climbed with ease! Needless to say there were great views all around from the belfry.
Cathedral and Baptistry seen from the Belfry of the Tower
Having descended the tower we again ventured beyond the walls as far as Pizza and Food in Via Niccolini where again we had a couple of very toothsome pizza slices washed down with a very refreshing Birra Moretti – a brand that I have never tried before although I have seen it often enough in England.
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Revived, we headed back to the Square and bought tickets for the Baptistry and Campo santo which we then proceeded to visit. The Baptistry proved to be a beautiful building both within and without – once again we climbed to the top which proved, if anything, to be a slightly more arduous climb than the legendary tower.
The Baptistery (11th. – 14th. Centuries.)
The Camposanto
Moved over to the Camposanto (burial ground building) which boasted a number of fine statues and some very interesting frescos on the walls – one in particular, a heinous devil devouring and then excreting sinners!
The Camposanto cloisters
The Camposanto murals
(Buonamico Buffalmacco ca.1340)
Bar the couple of pizza and ice-cream breaks we had been moving around continuously on what was a very hot day (39C) and while wandering the Campo Santo began to feel increasingly fatigued and so decided to return to C.Dora at 3:30 pm for a short rest…
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Two and a half hours later….We finally managed to get ourselves together and set off to cross the river and then visit the Giordano Scotto which the guide had recommended to us.
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On the way through the centre of the old town we were intrigued to pass a kiosk confiscated from the Mafia…
Walking down to the bridge opposite Piazza Garibaldi we were drawn by the sounds of people enjoying themselves and found ourselves in Piazza Vettovaglie, a large enclosed square with bars ringing its periphery. Found a table at Deviribe’ di Nardi Gilles where we indulged ourselves in a couple of Aperol spritzers accompanied by little plates of assorted (free) snacks from the bar.
Snacks on offer at Deviribe’
No sooner had we got away from the bar than we found ourselves in Piazza Garibaldi and were promptly seduced by an incredibly popular ice-cream shop, La Bottega del Gelato – I had an arancia granite and M had a sour cherry ice cream cone.
By now time was of the essence and it was 8:00 pm before we reached the garden, leaving us, or so we believed, with an hour before closure…in the event, we were ushered out at 8:30 pm (although signs clearly state that the gardens are open until 9:00 pm.)
Made our way along the side of the Arno before crossing on Ponte di Mezzo and arriving back in P. Garibaldi where once again we yielded to the charms of La Bottega!
Finally we made our way back to C. Dora and a very warm apartment where we struggled in vain to get the air-conditioning going. Close to despair I had a final fiddle with the a/c remote and, wonderful to relate, the system sprang into action and began cooling down the place like never before!
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Sat in an increasingly cool room and got through a bottle of both red and white wine before bed at 11:45 pm.
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Day 3. Tuesday, 2nd. July, 2019. Pisa/Florence
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Another very good (and relatively cool) night. Got up at 7:00 am to shower. Clearly going to be another very sunny and hot day – how I regret not bringing some shorts!
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Walked straight through town to the railway station where we bought return tickets to Florence [e34.80] and were able to leave for that city at 9:43 am. A pleasant journey of an hour brought us into a very hot and crowded Florence.
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The first indication that it might not prove to be the most successful of days came when we left the station and ventured into a near-by church – we had hardly crossed the threshold when we were turned away due to M being inappropriately dressed (ie. in shorts.)
Approaching the Cathedral
Undaunted we carried on towards the Il Duomo only to find the mother of all queues snaking around the walls of the Cathedral! I reckon that had we joined that line we would have been in the broiling sun for at least a couple of hours if not more!
Baptistery of San Giovanni
Well, at least we still had the Uffizi to look forward to for which we had pre-booked tickets so walked beside the Arno towards the gallery which overlooks it, stopping only for a substantial, and expensive (e22.80), snack en route at Caffe San Firenze.
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Entered the Uffizi at the appointed time (1:30 pm) and wandered through nearly ninety-six rooms of Renaissance paintings…highlights included areas devoted to Raphael, Giotto and Boticelli – we saw a little Caravaggio too. Like the city the gallery was crowded beyond comfort with droves of people passing through seemingly with little or no interest in the exhibits! Having visited the paintings galleries we ended our visit by visiting an exhibition on the colours and textiles of Hebraic Italy which proved to be of considerable interest.
There seemed little point in prolonging our Florentine visit so we made for the famous bridge over the Arno (Ponte Vecchio) before heading back to the railway station.
Ponte Vecchio taken from outside Uffizi
On a busy Ponte Vecchio
Enjoyed another delicious (but expensive) ice-cream (passion fruit/mandarin) at a gelateria in the station while we waited for the 4:25 pm local train to Pisa.
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Arriving back in Pisa at 5:30 pm we walked home via Carrefour where, amongst other things, we bought a couple of bottles of what proved to be excellent un-filtered beer. Refreshed ourselves at C.Dora and then went out once more.
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Went in the direction of P. Garibaldi and, like yesterday, ended up in P. Vettovaglie but not before enjoying a pizza at A Tutta Pizza in the close-by Via delle Colonne. Same table as last night with a couple of Aperol spritzers and plentiful free snacks. Left feeling pretty full but with just enough room for an ice at Bottega del Gelato before returning to the Square of Miracles for a final visit.
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Back in the by-now very cool apartment bedroom we chatted and got through a couple of bottles of wine before retiring, yet again, at 10:45 pm.
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Day 4. Wednesday, 3rd. July, 2019. Pisa/Lucca/London
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Had yet another good night although at times was only just warm enough! Got up at 7:15 am for a cold shower.
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Went out at 9:00 am intending to go to the shop in the Tourist Information for some mementos but, in fact, had only just ventured onto Via Santa Maria when I came across a newsagent’s stall that sold all manner of souvenirs so my shopping trip lasted only a matter of moments!
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A leisurely saunter through town brought us to the station in good time to deposit our luggage in the baggage holding facility [e5 per bag per day or part thereof] and then to catch the 10:18 local train to Lucca [e 7.20 each return]. Decent enough little train and an agreeable ride of some thirty minutes through the Tuscan countryside.
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Arrived in Lucca at 10:50 am. and went straight to a very friendly and eager Tourist Office to get a city map before setting off on a walk along the walls of the city. Adjacent to the Tourist Office was, what I should imagine to be, the world’s most sophisticated water-dispenser: it offered, for free, unchilled water, cold water and sparkling water! People were filling up bottles by the score; we took away 50cl. of fizzy.
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We started off along the wall and then descended into town to visit the impressive church in the Piazza San Michele and then afterwards to proceed to lunch.
On the city wall
Church of San Michele in Foro
Notables of Lucca
We had a good quality and expensive, if hardly gargantuan, meal which with a miniscule glass of wine each cost e 22.
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Lunch over we carried on to the Via Duomo and bought tickets [e 9 each] enabling us to visit both the Baptistry and the Cathedral of San Martino. The Baptistry, a huge edifice, is undergoing extensive archaeological excavation below ground level and it was interesting to see what has been uncovered so far – some areas date back to the first century!
We were also able to climb the Baptistry Tower which gave us a great panorama of the city.
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Moved on to the vast Cathedral and explored its interior – we were particularly taken by the beautiful tomb of Ilaria del Carretto, a young noblewoman who died in childbirth in 1405 (according to Wikipedia the sarcophagus was never used and her remains were actually buried in another church!)
Needless to add, it seems, this Cathedral also has a tower, a pretty steep one of 251 steps which, of course, we climbed and, at the summit, had, if anything, an even better panorama of the city and its surrounds than we had from the Baptistry.
After visiting the Cathedral it seemed prudent to return to Pisa and to be sure of reaching the airport in leisurely fashion; accordingly we took the 3:11 pm train back to Pisa.
Pisa Central
Having a little time on our hands we were able to return to the environs of P. Garibaldi; paid a visit to A Tutta Pizza where we sat out at a little table in the narrow alley opposite and ate pizza and drank a very welcome bottle of icy Ichnusa unfiltered beer (the same brand that we had consumed yesterday.) Snack over, there was still time for a fleeting visit to Bottega del Gelato for a final granite!
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Thereafter it was simply a matter of getting back to Pisa Centrale, collecting our luggage and getting on to the airport shuttle (e 2.70 each).
Huge school party in front of us at the BA check-in lane but an operative at the Executive Bag Drop took pity on us and checked us in. Thence rapidly through Security and passport control after which we found ourselves sitting at Gate 25 in a very bright and reasonably comfortable waiting area with none of the hustle and bustle of the rest of the airport – just one drawback…behind us were two American ladies who reminisced ad infinitum and very loudly about their travels around the world!
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Departure was scheduled for 7:45 pm but there were totally unexplained delays which meant that we did not finally leave until 8:30 pm (local time – 7:30 UK time). We were very pleased with our seat allocation: 6 E & F.
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Arrived in a strangely quiet Terminal 3 and were soon out and on our way by means of the Piccadilly line – our good progress came to halt when I got out of a packed train, mistaking Covent Garden for Holborn! Changed to a busy Central Line and were lucky to find a couple of free seats – M found herself sitting next to her NRWO colleague, Isabel!
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Home to a late evening meal comprising a tin of M & S chicken tikka curry and some wine – to bed at around 2:00 am.
Waiting for the Shuttle
Rome Journal
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January 2020
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Sunday, 19th. January, 2020. London-Rome
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Got up a little earlier than I had envisaged at 4.45 am. Made coffee and then returned to bed to listen to the news at 5.00 am before going to shower.
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Re-filled the cats’ water tower and did a couple of last minute chores. By 5.45 am we were walking down to Gants Hill station.
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Train came along just as we reached the platform and we were at Holborn by 6.30 am. Just prior to getting off I was struck by a middle-aged woman standing by one of the doors and wearing jeans that were so ripped that they exposed more leg than they covered! Thought it looked quite ridiculous! Was subsequently taken aback when the woman began to smile at us – turned out that she was a friend of Margaret’s from the Gym on her way to a fashion show in Paris.
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Transferred to the Piccadilly line and a lengthy wait on a crowded platform; when the train finally arrived we were very lucky to get seats. Holborn to Heathrow Terminal 5 took very nearly one hour allowing us to go through all the formalities of departure with plenty of time to spare. As usual my bag was diverted for extra attention where it transpired that I had a small bottle of hand sanitiser in the rucksack which should have been taken out and placed in a plastic bag in the tray!…
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A tasty snack at Itsu helped us to pass the time and before too long we found ourselves waiting at the Departure Gate with a handful of others. Boarding proved painless; we were allocated seats 14E and 14F in an Airbus A320 which must have been at most half full and which thus made for an unusually comfortable flight. Arrived in Rome at 1.20 pm (local time.)
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A couple of odd things…We had great difficulty finding our way to the electronic passport control machines in spite of a plethora of signs! Once out into Arrivals we went to the Info Centre to enquire about the public transport system where, bizarrely, I left my passport and hotel bus voucher on the Counter- didn’t realise until we got to the shuttle-bus office and then very nearly had a heart attack! Happily the episode ended well, nothing had been touched in the Info Centre and before too long we were sitting on the front seat of the shuttle hurtling towards the city.
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Dropped off at our hotel, Cilicia, where we were made welcome and allocated a very pleasant room on the Third Floor [Room 316). Dumped our gear and then headed straight out along the main road leading towards town. We made buying a couple of bottles of wine in a small supermarket our first port-of-call and then progressed further towards the city.
Our first significant visit of the holiday was to Rome’s Cathedral, the highly impressive basilica of S. John Lateran, which was off a short turning on the left of the main road. After a leisurely walk around the Church we carried on our walk keeping our eyes open for any suitable restaurants as well as any shop that might sell cork-screws (thus saving us the embarrassment of having to ask in the hotel!)- eventually our prayers were answered by a Chinese shop.
St. John Lateran
By now dark, we returned to the Cilicia stopping once more at the supermarket [Tigre] to buy provisions for the evening – bread, cheese, ham and tomatoes; by 7.20 pm we were comfortably ensconced in our room enjoying our humble evening meal.
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Having eaten, we spent the rest of the evening drinking some excellent and very cheap wine [e2.90 per bottle] and watching an entertaining, if barely comprehensible, game show. To bed at 10.15 pm.
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Monday, 20th. Jan. 2020, Rome
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Wonderfully comfortable king-sized bed – simply cannot remember when I had such a good night! Was exceedingly reluctant to get up at 8.00 am even for a luxurious warm shower. Hotel is exceptionally quiet – it would be easy to believe that we were the only guests (we’re not).
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Excellent breakfast much akin to a Brazilian offering but without the toasting facilities. Came away feeling very full and well set-up for the day.
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Walked 1km up the road to the Metro of S. Giovanni [Linea A] where we bought two forty-eight hour transport passes for a total of e25 and then hopped on a train bound for Spagna.
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On arrival at Spagna we found ourselves almost immediately at the Spanish Steps with the Keats/Shelley house on the corner to our right. The first impression made upon us was the very noticeable presence of the forces of law and order (both military and police). Made our way up the steps to the summit and the Church of the Trinity of the Mounts (the French Church – consecrated 1594) before descending and paying a visit to the famous house which, alas, is all but closed for refurbishment and will remain so until the middle of next month. In short, we got as far as the souvenir shop and the adjoining room where we watched a short and informative film concerning Keats, Shelley and Byron.
Keats Shelley House and Spanish Steps
Leaving the house, we wended our way along to the Trevi Fountain – of course one hears a lot about this landmark but, I must confess, I was not prepared for the immensity of the reality – unforgettable!
Between the Spanish Steps and Trevi are a number of spectacular churches of which we visited three. At our first ecclesiastical port-of-call, the Santuario of S. Andrea delle Fratte, packed with worshippers, we actually attended a short Mass in honour of the Virgin’s appearance at the Church to a certain Alfonso Ratisbonne on 20th. January 1842; we even received a little medal along with our order of service!
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Leaving S. Andrea we moved on to visit S. Maria di Trevio which houses the tomb of S. Gaspar del Bufalo which was visited by John xxiii in 1963.
Tomb of S. Gaspar del Bufalo
We lunched (in the form of assorted pizzas and a spinach/mozzarella concoction –e12.50) at Planet Pizza 1 [Via del Crociferi,16, Font di Trevi] which proved both tasty and substantial.
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After our meal, on the way back to the Metro we called in briefly at another vast and elaborate edifice, the Basilica di San Carlo which was particularly noteworthy for the extensive use of a wide variety of marble.
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Back to the Metro and to change from Line A to Line B at Termini and thence to Pyramide where we eventually worked our way around to the entrance of the Non-Catholic/Protestant Cemetery. Soon found the graves of Keats and Severn but Shelley’s was a little more elusive; seems that the big draws in this day and age are the tombs of Andrea Camilleri, the creator of Insp. Montalbano and of Gramsci.
Graves of Keats, Severn and Shelley
John Keats memorial plaque
Interestingly the cemetery is home to a large number of cats of assorted shapes and sizes and groups of women come every afternoon to feed them! Slipped and fell down by the side of Belinda Lee’s grave…
Angel of Grief: 1894 sculpture by William Wetmore Story for the grave of his wife Emelyn
Thought that we would return to Cilicia to rest awhile before venturing out for a formal meal in the evening; stopped on the way at a large supermarket to stock up on refreshments for the night ahead.
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M found a likely-looking restaurant not too far away from our hotel which we decided to try [Core de Roma 1927, Via Vetulonia, 27.] – apparently an establishment dedicated to the glory of Roma FC. We relaxed in our room until 6.55 pm and then set off up the road to the restaurant which, we discovered, opens its doors at 7.00 pm but does not actually begin serving until 7.30 pm. The staff proved very hospitable even if their linguistic skills were somewhat limited…suffice it to say, the meal was excellent (I had carbonara followed by tripe) and included a flask of house wine plus a bottle of acqua frizzante – God alone knows what such a meal would have cost us in Pisa or Lucca but here it was an eminently reasonable e46 and we resolved to return tomorrow!
Returned to the room for a few glasses of excellent wine before retiring.
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Tuesday, 21st. Jan. 2020, Rome
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Another very sound night and, as before, got up only with the greatest reluctance at 7.55 am.
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After last night’s extensive meal the thought of breakfast had only limited appeal but I finally managed a toastie plus a couple of glasses of fruit juice and two double lungo expressos. We could not help but notice that at both the breakfasts that we have attended there have been couples where the male partner appears to be years older than the female – cannot really believe that they are loving fathers giving their daughters a treat!
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Set off at 9.30 am for S. Giovanni where we took Line A to Ottaviano which is just a couple of stops beyond Spagna. On arrival a short walk of some five minutes brought us to the Vatican City and St. Peter’s Square.
Approach to the Vatican City
Happily the weather was perfect, bright and reasonably warm; we walked around the Square and then joined the queue to visit the Basilica – in spite of there being a fair number of people (although nothing like the numbers we encountered in Florence last year) we soon passed through the electronic surveillance system and into the Church precinct.
St. Peter’s Basilica and Square
Of course, St. Peter’s is vast and ornate to the “nth” degree; we started off to our right at La Pieta and made our way around the floor. Visited the Crypt and passed the tombs of innumerable Popes (including that of St. Peter himself); photography in this section is prohibited but, nonetheless, I did manage to take a few surreptitious snaps on the mobile. Somehow we missed the tomb of Pope John Paul II which is almost adjacent to La Pieta and so had to make another round.
La Pieta
Tomb of Pope Paul VI
Having covered the main features of the Ground Floor we then paid e8 each to go up 551 steps to the Dome from whence we got a bird’s eye view of the Vatican City, the Tier and the city of Rome itself.
Monument to the Refugees of the World, St.Peter’s Square
Left the Vatican at 2.30 pm having purchased some cards and stamps (mainly to avail ourselves of the Vatican Postal Services) and returned to the Metro for a short ride to Flaminio with the intention of visiting Sta. Maria del Popolo (where Luther took Mass when he visited Rome).
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The Piazza del Popolo proved to be a most picturesque square but, unfortunately, Sta. Maria was closed until 4.00 pm and we decided against waiting around for it to re-open. Instead, we walked down a pedestrianised thoroughfare to The Spanish Steps where we sought out a pizzeria [La Focaccina di Serafina, Vic. S. Andrea delle Pratte,28/29] but not without surprising difficulty.
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Needless to say, Rome is absolutely packed with spectacular churches and in the short walk between Popolo and Spagna we called in briefly on three of them: Chiesa Gesú e Maria, Chiesa di S. Giacomo in Augusta and SSma. Trinità – all highly ornate and well-preserved.
Having enjoyed our snack we decided to call a halt to our wanderings and return to the Celicia which, by the time we arrived back, meant that we had been out and about for some eight hours. As per yesterday we called in at the Elite Supermarket for some wine and savouries and then returned to our room to relax for a short while.
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Returned to the Core de Roma for another satisfying evening meal (once again I started with carbonara and chose chicken breast in lemon sauce for my second course; M had Milanesa) which, with 500cl of white wine, set us back e36. To bed at 10.40 after a short interlude of wine and TV in the room.
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Wednesday, 22nd. Jan. 2020, Rome – London
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Yet another good night albeit a rather warm one – ended up sleeping on top of the bedclothes. Got up at 7.45 am not feeling much like the usual heavy breakfast routine of cheese/ham sandwiches and contented myself with two glasses of juice and a double espresso lungo. Once again we found ourselves in the company of a couple who must have been separated in age by at least thirty years!
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Had to have the room cleared by 10.00 am so went upstairs, packed and then left our belongings with the staff at Reception. Left the hotel at 9.15 am and walked up to the Metro on another bright and reasonably warm morning. Happily our 48 hour travel passes were not due to expire for another half an hour and so we were able to use them for one last journey! Took the train to Termini where we changed lines for a two-stop trip to Colosseo.
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Immediately on reaching the entrance/exit to the station we were confronted with the huge edifice that is the Colosseum and, I have to confess, I was absolutely awe-struck! OK I had been once before (in the mid sixties) but I do not remember it making such an impression upon me even though, on that occasion, I actually went inside the building whereas today we were limited to just walking around the outside.
Constantine’s Arch
Pleasant stroll around the monument and then a walk to the Metro at Cavour hoping, alas in vain, that we would be able to call in at S. Pietro in Vinculi on the way. By now, 11.00 am our passes had expired so had to buy a couple of single tickets [e1.50 each]. Familiar trudge back from S. Giovanni calling in at Elite to buy cartons of their excellent wine [e1.49 per 500 cl.) to put in our hold-baggage.
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Arrived back at Celicia to be greeted with the news that the shuttle company had called to say that, instead of picking us up at mid-day they would be calling in at 11.30 am! Waited outside in the porch in expectation of an immediate departure….eventually van arrived at 12.10 pm.
The “75 minute” journey to Fiumicino took exactly 20 minutes! Checked our bag in at BA and then proceeded to Security – yet again I was called over to one side for absolutely no reason that I could ascertain! Eventually we were freed into Departures where I invested in a bottle of limoncello [e10.80] and a miniature Sambuca as a “thank-you” for cat-sitter George.
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Flight to London City was delayed by thirty minutes meaning a scheduled departure at 3.45 pm. Moved to Departure Gate at 2.40 and waited in a sparsely populated seated area adjacent to another Duty Free; thought that maybe George deserved more than the little drink I had already purchased so took a look around at the variety of pasta and fancy biscuits on offer. A most helpful assistant drew my attention to some “traditional” savoury snacks [Tarallini] and so I bought a packet for George and a variety for ourselves.
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Left Rome airport at 3.50 pm and had a very comfortable journey on a flight [Embraer 190SR] at most 30% full; we were even served refreshments (tomato juice and a packet of shortbread) before landing at London City at 5.10 (UK time).
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Waited a couple of minutes at most for our bag to come through and then went straight on to the DLR to Stratford and thence the Central to Gants Hill. What a pleasant contrast to returning home from any of the other London airports!….
Baby Maya’s return to Portugal
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February 2020
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Thursday, 13th. Feb., 2020. London – Arcos de Valdevez
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Woke at 5.00 am. and got up to check whether I would be able to run but it was already beginning to rain so returned to bed as the rainfall grew increasingly heavy. Finally rose an hour later and made coffee; drove down to Redbridge News for the i and then returned to bathe.
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M left for the gym at 7.00am; in the meantime I attended to the cats and reorganized my luggage. Left the house at 7.40 am. and shortly took a 179 to S. Woodford – I was surprised to be able to have my pick of seats!
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Central Line to Mile End and then on to the District; had to wait at Victoria until 9.30 am in order to get the cheaper travel rate. Train to Gatwick at 9.36 am arriving at the airport at 10.10am; in effect it took 2 hours and 20 minutes from Brantwood Gdns. to the Gatwick South Terminal. Waited a few minutes outside M & S before meeting up with Eleanor and Maya; everyone feeling peckish we bought some snacks before moving over to the BA desks to check-in our bags.
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Flight left promptly at 12.10 pm; we ate our sandwiches and then fell asleep and so passed most of the journey! Arrived in a cloudy Porto at 2.10 pm (some twenty minutes ahead of schedule) gathered our bags and then went outside to find an Avis/Budget vehicle waiting for us.
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Budget proved welcoming and efficient and far more reassuring than some of the fly-by-night operators that we seem to have dealt with of late! Took possession of a 2019 Renault Clio which seemed rather more expensive that I had anticipated but, if that means avoiding the unpleasantness of our last hire in Porto, then it will have been money well spent!
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Leisurely trip up the A28 to Viana and then across to Arcos via P de Lima. Stopped at LIDL to stock-up on snacks and then a quick stop at Violeta to order the evening’s meal.
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To Soubreiro to open up a pretty cold flat and rejoiced in the fact that nowadays we have the means to rapidly warm-up the apartment; in a short while the hot water system was operative and kitchen and living room were comfortable.
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7.00 pm walked across to the Vila to dine at Violeta – the usual menu plus extras for a total of e24.20 – absolutely superb! Back to the flat which, by now was, in the kitchen and living room at least, almost tropical!
Dessert at Violeta!
Opened up some wine, maduro for me, verde for Eleanor and sat in the kitchen while the others watched a DVD. Just have to make an observation…meals at Violeta have always been excellent but, over the years, there have been a number of refinements, particularly where their salads are concerned…first lemon slices and then orange were introduced as garnishes and now, tonight, peach slices!
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As luck would have it this weekend is another Arcos gastronomy event – Cozida à Moda dos Arcos de Valdevez so, after dinner, we arranged to return on Sunday for Cabrito no forno (there are a number of alternative dishes including a rather tempting sounding Vitela de cachena as well as Cozida Portuguesa – a dish which I can certainly do without!)
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10.00 pm. and the flat is pleasantly warm; I decided to join the others in the living room for a short spell of Finding Dory…
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Friday, 14th. Feb., 2020. Arcos de Valdevez
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Well, we ended up chatting, playing CDs and drinking wine – didn’t get to bed until 2.30 am!
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Had the most amazing night as the little bed in the middle room is supremely comfortable! Woke for a few seconds at 8.00 am and then snoozed on luxuriously for another hour and twenty minutes.
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10.25 am and I set off for town while the others prepared for a session at the nearby parque infantile; morning cool and overcast. To the grocer’s shop for fruit and veg and then on to Mini Preço for everything else. Back home by 11.30 meeting E and M on the way.
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Prepared a simple lunch of tomato salad accompanied by meat pies from the supermarket and a single glass of vinho verde to wash it all down. Coffee after lunch and then a siesta at 1.00 pm.
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In fact everyone fell asleep and I was first up, albeit reluctantly, at 2.30 pm. An overcast afternoon but at least dry and perfectly good for getting about.
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Passed through Ponte da Barca to Barral and N. Sra. Da Paz where, yet again, we visited the capela and the crypt before patronising the gift shop. Drove on to the actual igreja but found it locked up.
Back to the car and on to Ermelo where we enjoyed a pleasant walk through the semi-abandoned village before returning to Arcos and Pingo Doce.
Ermelo: overlooking the Lima river
Basic supper of tofu, sofrito, broa and broccoli which all went off quite successfully – Maya did at least eat all her broccoli if nothing else! Dulce de leche ice-cream for dessert. Sat in the kitchen drinking port while mother and child watched another DVD in the living room; think Eleanor would be up for another late night but it is not to be! Took the earliest opportunity to retire to bed to read even if only for a short while…
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Saturday, 15th. Feb., 2020. Arcos de Valdevez
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Just managed to struggle through one year of Parson Woodforde’s Diary before turning out the light – it really cannot have been much after 10.00 pm. if that!
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Once again slept the sleep of the just- an amazing night! Woke briefly at 5.00 am and then returned to sleep but not before vowing to rise at 8.00 am, or thereabouts, for a run…
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Got up with extreme difficulty at 9.00 am! After a revivifying hot shower I hastened into town for the usual grocery requirements but also to get some spare keys cut for the front door of the building which, wonderful to relate, seems to be kept permanently locked these days! Returned home and set about making a Bolognese sauce while the others were out at the playground. Cooking completed, set about re-arranging the DVD collection – quite clearly we need yet another set of Ikea shelves!
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2.15 pm and having lunched and then rested we were ready for the afternoon’s activities…Another very dull day but at least dry and reasonably warm. Quite what our agenda should be seemed to change by the minute but we eventually decided to commence proceedings at the Paço de Giela where we paid an entrance fee of e2 per adult and then wandered freely over the castle marvelling, as usual, at just how much has been achieved in recent years. Very sophisticated inter-active and informative displays – it was good to see quite a few other people visiting too.
From Giela we drove to Mezio, paid another e2 each and entered the main grounds – did not have a lot of time as by now it was gone 4.00 pm and the facility closes at 5.00 pm. Explored as best we were able given the time constraints and the increasingly dubious weather which by now was turning into a persistent drizzle. E was so impressed with all that is on offer that we decided that we should return for longer on Monday afternoon. Paid a rapid visit to the hotel/”white elephant” on the other side of the road but it is now completely fenced-off – all rather sad.
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To P. de Barca and thence to LIDL for more snacks before returning to the apartment at 6.00 pm for aperitifs before our evening meal of spaghetti.
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Though I say it myself, the pasta dish was excellent and was followed by strawberries and cream after which we sat in the lounge and watched Telejornal for an hour (hardly riveting but felt obliged to make the effort); we ended the evening with an hour of CDs before retiring after a relatively abstemious evening.
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Sunday, 16th. Feb., 2020. Arcos de Valdevez
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Tried to read for a while but was soon overcome with fatigue and called it a day. The night itself proved to be somewhat akin to the proverbial “Curate’s egg” – very sound sleep until 4.20 am when I had to get up to quench my thirst and then, thereafter, sleep proved difficult although I was comfortable enough.
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At 8.15 am., miraculously, I managed to drag myself out of bed and put on my running gear and was just about to leave when I noticed that it had begun to rain! Hung around for a while and contemplated conceding defeat but eventually reasoned that, if I did get wet, all my things could always be tumble-dried; as it was, rain turned to a very fine mist/drizzle which was easily navigated.
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Took things very steadily, went up to Giela and then turned right at the stadia and into town along, for a very short while, the Ecovia, before coming up the hill from Hotel Ribeira; to my surprise I found that I had husbanded my energy so effectively that I was still capable of a finishing sprint! Back to a hot shower after which I felt years younger and promised myself that I would repeat the exercise tomorrow…When the others returned from the daily trip to the swings I spent a while reading Chip and Biff books to Maya.
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Once again a day of uninspiring weather making it difficult to think quite what to do in the afternoon – had quite wanted to visit Peneda but that is so high up that we feared that we should just get mired in mist; meantime however, we had Cabrito no forno to look forward to at Violeta!…
Arrived at restaurant at 12.20 pm. and were greeted with a platter of bacalhau fritters (for want of a better word) and very appetising they were too. Salad, cabrito, rice and roast potatoes followed accompanied by 500cl. of vinho verde and some agua com gas. E and I concluded the meal with a café while Maya indulged in a deluxe ice-cream – bill came to e32.30 and, once again, was worth every centime!
Returned to flat for a short rest and then into the car for a trip in light drizzle to P. de Lima which, as is often the case, was packed. Apart from walking by the assorted stalls and buying some wooden kitchen utensils, we also visited the tower which was hosting an exhibition of encaustic painting by an American artist now resident in the neighbourhood [Kathy Fenton]. Found that I rather liked the unusual art show– encaustic entails layering bees wax and other malleable materials on to canvas and seemingly can make for some attractive and distinctly different pictures.
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Back to Arcos and a detour through Ázere to Couto before arriving back home at 6.00 pm. Lit all three gas stoves with the intention of warming up the whole flat. In spite of that very substantial lunch it became pretty clear that Eleanor, at least, was hungry; for her supper E got through a couple of tins of squid and Maya actually consumed a whole tin of tuna! I contented myself with tomato and tostadas; strawberries and cream for dessert. Repaired to the living room for Telejornal and then forsook Preço Certo for an hour of CDs. To bed at 11.00 pm to read for a while.
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Monday, 17th. Feb., 2020. Arcos de Valdevez
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A good night (as usual) and, encouraged by yesterday’s experience, found it relatively easy to rise by 8.15 am. Ran the same course as yesterday but in reverse. Once again took the run gently but again found that I felt perfectly comfortable regardless of the gradient!
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Later in the morning called at TopiArcos and had a quick chat with Teresa – begin to feel that Nuno and I are destined never to meet again!
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Across to the Library and the customary warm welcome from Sr. Francisco! Checked out my Yahoo account, ascertained the details of our return, and resolved to return tomorrow to print the boarding-passes. Amongst the mail at home was a letter from EDP requesting a meter-reading; fortunately there is an EDP office directly opposite to the Library so was able to go in and give my reading – a real time-saver as going online to their website usually takes me ages.
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Returned home via the old stone bridge meeting Moreira on the way who was full of the news of their forthcoming trip to Mozambique on the 23rd. of this month.
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Back in the flat I prepared lunch – tomato salad and the remains of previous evening meals and put tonight’s chicken in the oven. Short rest after the meal before going out for the afternoon. To the large Chinese shop by LIDL to buy wool and needles to enable E to mend one of our large crochet blankets before returning to Mezio.
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Weather forecast for the day was poor but in fact the worst did not materialise and at times the afternoon seemed almost warm! Explored the Mezio site more thoroughly than on our previous visit and took in all the attractions – the slide in the parquet infantile proved particularly popular!
Back home for E to mend the blanket while I visited Lisete to hear all about the Maputo trip. Finished off the evening meal on my return and, at 6.40 pm. we sat down to lemon chicken, rice and tomato salad plus a generous allowance of verde!
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Caught the last half an hour of O Preço Certo but I still cannot make out the purpose of the “game! Certainly none of the contestants won a thing! To bed at the relatively early time of 10.30 pm.
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Tuesday, 18th. Feb., 2020. Arcos de Valdevez
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Slept well until 4.30 am. but was very restless thereafter. Rose at 7.45 am. on a very bright and very cold morning and ran along the standard course – there was frost in places! (particularly on the boardwalk by the river.) Returned home to shower and then go out into town in the hope of catching up with Nuno and of printing the boarding passes.
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As luck would have it, Nuno was again absent from the office so had a quick chat with Teresa about property prices in the Arcos region before hurrying off to the Library.
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Lunched at 1.00 pm on spinach, tomato salad and yesterday’s left-overs and then took Maya to pay a short call on the Moreiras; happy to relate that baby was at her most charming throughout!
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E and M enjoyed a last farewell at the playground on what was a beautiful Spring day. BA’s boarding was scheduled for 6.40 pm. meaning that we had all the time in the world to travel down to Porto.
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Enjoyed a leisurely drive down the A3 to Porto in brilliant sunshine. Dropped the car off at Budget/Avis with the minimum of fuss (we covered 404 km. during our mini-break) and were taken up to the airport in time for the opening of the BA desk at 5.00 pm.
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Bought a bottle of brandy in the “Duty Free” and then, after negotiating passport control, M expended her energies on the parque infantile in Departures.
Airbus A319 full but not uncomfortably so; left on time and reached Gatwick at 9.10 pm. some ten minutes ahead of schedule. Once again M behaved impeccably throughout the flight!
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No waiting around for a train on Gatwick station and we made rapid progress to Victoria and thence Blackhorse Road where we were glad to be met. Home to an extensive Chinese meal; finally to bed at around 1.30 am.