Markets, Mountains and Mayhem!

Sundays remain one of my favourite days here in the Algarve.  No matter where you go you see families, clusters of people, groups of playing children and of course laughter and mayhem are never far behind, especially when one is visiting the gypsy market!!

This was our first Sunday market since arriving in November and happily it was right around the corner in Moncarapacho.  Sadly it was absolute chaos!!  Usually the rows of stalls are neatly organized in rows, you get to wander and without much effort, visit all the vendors over time and enjoy all the sights.  This one was spread out all over the place, rows never intersected where you expected and there were lots of, “hey, didn’t we already go down this row”?  Still, great fun.

James and Marc both made a few purchases. The place was packed with wiggle room only!!

Lots of entertainment available today. Great fun to see people tapping their toes, swinging their hips and loads of laughter.

This marvelous display of olives caught my eye.

We wandered and took it all in for about two hours then decided to head on to Barril Beach.  As you can see, the place was empty but that didn’t stop us from enjoying a stroll and sitting for awhile in the doons to simply listen to the pounding surf and feel the sun on our skin.

Marco enjoying the sun and sand.

Look at that lovely stretch of near naked beach front.

Contemplating life.

This one might have been born inland but he loves the sea.

I love all the variety of shells one finds in the sand.

This was almost translucent.

Funny how you never see both sides of the shell……..hmmmm????

As we walked the km or so from the beach back to the car we noticed a man using some sort of water bottle to create air bubbles and then suddenly he would reach down and grab something.  Turns out he was harvesting lingueirão…..razor clams.  If you look closely you can see he is holding a large handful.

 Between the walking in the sand, the sunshine and the hike back and forth to the car……not to mention the market exploration, we worked up quite an appetite.  We decided to eat in Santa Luzia however were dismayed to find long line-ups at our favourite restaurant and the other recommendation closed.  We finally ended up at Dinis’s, which was another scene of mayhem……..we did finally get fed but gosh, it took  forever and when it arrived, we inhaled without any opportunity to photograph!!

We then decided to drive to Estoi for bicas and hugs!!!!!  We hadn’t seen Ana and Simão in a few days and it was “kinda” on the way home.  It was well worth the detour for one of Ana’s hugs!!!

James had been enticed with the promise of hiking to the top of  São Miguel and Marc was looking forward to a day of solitude and art and following breakfast…..off the two of us headed.  What a perfect day for it.  A bit cooler as the clouds were blocking the sun which made the climbing feel a bit effortless as we weren’t sweating and huffing and puffing.

I would happily start every morning with a hike up this lovely mountain with the ever changing vista.

James was rearing to go and proud as a peacock that he was going to finally do this.

Many of the flora is staring to make it’s presence known in the form of clusters of leaves here and there and some of it has actually started to flower.

The jonquil flower is blooming in massive clusters all down the south facing side of the mountain. I love these with their sweet subtle scent.

Arisaema triphyllum or as we call it Jack-in-the-Pulpit.

Clusters of Jack-in-the-Pulpit is everywhere. In an few days you won’t be able to walk along the path without sidestepping them.

The view was gorgeous today as the air was clear.  The sun was dancing off the sea in the distance and you could easily see the shoreline from east of Fuzeta all the way down to Vila Moura.

I proposed a drive through the backroads to São Brás de Alportel, find a place for lunch then a bit of wandering in the old winding streets of the oldest part of the village.  It’s a lovely town which was once the summer residence of the Bishop of the Algarve.  Quite pretty with white washed homes, and very quiet.

Love this place and it’s for sale…….I wonder???

Christmas is still on display in some places.

I love the combination of door and tiles. Very inviting.

Chimneys frequently catch my attentions.

Just because!

The church in the old village.

Creativity abounds…….these are electrical boxes.

The view down the valley and out over the sea from the church courtyard.

This little miss was friendly and curious.

The light here captured my attention.

This is a jade plant covered in blossoms…….sitting outside in winter!!!!! Not in Canada!!!!

Laundry gets done when it needs to be done. Baby day!

Love this. the women are having a good gab and Mister is snoozing his day away despite the chatter.

Just for the colour!

By this point all of our wanderings caught up to us and suddenly we both realized it was time to head home and enjoy a lovely cup of tea.   Marc was happy to see us having had a productive morning but still, missing us.  And one last shot from our trip home………these sights make me happy but also a tiny bit sad.