June 12. Pacific North West

We've been home for 1 1/2 weeks and settled back into our PNW summer lives.  It's a glorious time.  The gardens are thriving and we welcome our family and friends back into our lives.

Now is the time I always make the deals with myself to maintain the camino state of mind.  Craig and I decided that we would take one day a week to be 'on the camino' and so last Friday we put on our hiking boots and left the house with plans to walk to our local pub, have lunch and walk home.  We did.  And arrived home 15 miles later with some creaks and groans and feeling thankful that our rain gear protected us once again.

The strange thing is that as busted up as I felt - back aches, feet aches, leg aches, but next morning I felt better than ever....again.

It's beautiful here and while thoughts of "where to go next" do enter our hearts and minds, we are most happy to be home finding the everyday rhythm of life here and looking forward to a summer of cycling, kayaking, gardening, walking and mingling with the ones we love.

Day 31 May 31 Lisbon

Train to Faro and then Lisbon and here we are in an upgraded hotel room with two king beds, chairs, bathtub, and CC is watching Serena at the French Open!  

It’s a gentle transition.  We’re ready.  No need to go into Lisbon, figure out anymore directions or communications, stay in anymore hotels or eat in restaurants.  Our last 5 days in Tavira were a lovely culmination.  Now to keep the peaceful.

Breakfast on the Main Street

The hotel we stayed at.  

Note: Pouza restaurant on this street was great as was the organic restaurant and the wine and tapas place, as well as the Italian restaurant next door.

Day 30 May 30 Tavira

Last full day here before we begin the trip home.  13 surprising miles

My roots are showing!!  Time to come home! 

We had no plans for the day except to wander around town. Perhaps spending some money on nice things.  Then we went to have some food and ended up in a cafe that served omelette!  A real breakfast treat.     Note: everything becomes a treat when one hasn’t had it for a while!  We chatted with some women who had been to the waterfall around here.  So that got our attention as somewhere out of town to go. 

So we next found the tourist office which we had wanted to go to to inquire about a ‘camino’ that we heard about: the Via Algarviana.  That is for another time.  Anyway, the woman at the tourist office said that the way to the waterfall was Impassable so she suggested we walk to St. Luzia and then onto Barilla where we could cross a bridge and get to the beach.  Okay!  A walk!  

It wasn’t The Camino but it brought the Camino State of Mind for which I am most grateful.  We walked and then once we were at the ocean, the beach, we decided to make this a loop walk and continued back to Tavira along the Atlantic.  Only issue: high tide so there was minimal beach and lots of sand and soft ground which made walking a challenge.  I took off my boots and had the divine pleasure of walking barefoot along the shore and in the water which was chilly but only refreshingly so, not skin numbing.  

So we arrived once again at the ferry landing to return to Tavira.  

And now I’ve got that post camino feeling of being tired, the good kind where some food, a shower and then sleep is all I need.  How grateful we are that we can walk 12-14 miles, difficult miles and feel good.  It didn’t phase us to venture forth.

At the one stop in St. Lucia we met a Dutch couple who had rented bikes and cruised all around, even to the waterfall which they loved. Do ‘t k ow why the tourist office nixed it.  

The waterfall is called Pega Da Inferno- for future reference. 

Coming back into town, we stopped at our favorite wine and tapas place (across the street from our place) and had

Sautéed mushrooms

Tagine with couscous and meatballs

So that’s all for the specs of the day.  

We have had many discussions with the people we have met about Trump and how horrible it is and how shocked everyone was when he won the election.  

Europe has its own issues and they revolve around he refugee crisis and the economy. No surprise there. 

Portugal is experiencing a boom time. Tavira will shortly  have more expats and tourists than residents.  This is such a double edged sword. While some prosper from this, others are not able to afford the basics.  We have had some discussions with the couple who own the place we are staying.  They are industrious, educated and creating more and more tourist accommodations.  They own the entire building we are staying in and tonight we saw one of the spaces they are remodeling.  They will have tiny rooms with even tinier private ensuite bathrooms because that’s what works.  

Portugal is safe because it is a small country, says Rui and it can manage to keep it that way by... keeping the Bulgarians and Rumanians (aka gypsies) our so that they don’t pickpocket the tourists.  People come here because it is inexpensive and safe.  And the climate is good.  How to manage development?

And so it goes. One culture built on the backs of another.  They tolerate the French because they bring $$ but don’t like them!  

Even the liberal Dutch talk about the refugee issues.  England pulls out because they feel like they are carrying more than their share of the burden.  Germany is the only country really succeeding economically .  

The seeds of discord are ready to come to the surface. 

No answers.  We are part of the problem.  And the solution too.  

Eyes wide open.  Love being outside. And it’s time to come home.

The church across the street

Just to remember 

Such great salads.  Have had one just about every day.

Day 29 May 29 Tavira 12+ miles

Took the small ferry past the salt flats out to the island.  This is the way we walked 35 years ago though Craig was holding our beach umbrella then.  We will have to find our old slides and compare.  

A lazy day.  Just walked the beach, ate some bad food on the island and headed back for a nap.  John and Debbi left this morning.  

Behold!  A yellow arrow!! Uh oh.  What could this mean?

Getting off the same ferry - 35 years later

A weathered shell and a weathered woman

Fruit of the Algarve

Feels a little like home today.  Wrong ocean.... but always good to be by the sea.

So tonight we wandered out about 7:30 and stopped T a wine and tapas place and had some buttered bread and carrots and then we discovered an organic restaurant!  What a find! 

We had a small bruschetta with avocado and mushrooms and then shared shiitake risotto that was so very good. 

MY summer cooking goals are to improve. risotto and gazpacho.  

Day 28 May 28 Tavira

A day of strolling and shopping and talking and drinking and eating.  

Our space below

And on our street: an Italian restaurant next door, a little market that has everything, a cash machine!  

Day 27 Tavira

The ferry boat to the island!

But first a Fabulous breakfast a la John and Debbi’s

Long beach walk.  

 Dinner with and from John and Debbi on our rooftop patio.

Nighttime in Tavira

Day 26 Tavira!

For 5 days!!  With a rooftop balcony and even a dresser drawer.