Mountain Air

Monday morning was hot and the day threatening to become even hotter but I was somewhat determined that I wanted to hike to the top of this cerro that I had “stumbled on” a few days ago.  Marc opted to stay at home and enjoy a walk in and around the village so, off I went.  A great find and I will look forward to exploring not only this mountain trail again, but also the many others that I found stemming from it.

Leaving in the morning we dropped up to the recycle and found the entire flock of sheep huddled together under one large tree. A sign of the morning heat!

A view from part way up the mountain.

Another view.

The trail was quite steep and very rocky. The surface of the stones have been rubbed so smooth over the years that it always has an element of slipperiness.

The views from the top were spectacular…..off in the distance here you can see the entire town of Faro

This is a great view of the entire village of Estoi.

A view of Sao Miquel, our usual hiking mountain.

This is a tower at the top of the cerro.

My selfie celebrating the fact that I arrived safely at the top without having a heart attack!! It wasn’t just the incline, it was the heat!

This is the trail from a distance.

Saw this old tower off in the distance and did try to find the road that would allow me to get into it but, no luck. Another time.

I love exploring the countryside and finding new opportunities, especially ones close to home.  I explored around the top and found about six other trails that are fairly obvious but all go down various sides of the mountain.  I will explore each of them next trip here as right now it is simply far too hot to hike for lengthy periods.

Once home I proposed lunch out and Marc and I decided to head to Moncarapacho to enjoy a few hours on the local square.  Cold beer had a really good ring to it with the heat.\

Look at that smile…..and this is before the beer arrived on the table!!

I too was a very happy camper.

The dish of the day was bacalhau à brás which delighted both of us.

Our dinner companions…….happy to simply be near people.

This fellow curled up by my feet and hardly moved. I’m not sure he even looked up once.

We sat and chatted about heading home, what our summer might look like, our upcoming trip to China, and also, returning to Portugal in the fall.  We quite love the life we live here and are grateful daily for this opportunity.    Once home, plopped in the pool and cooled down till it was time to head to our tranquil patio and ease our way into the evening.  Tough huh?

Today, Tuesday, was another mountain day.  With our friends Marion and David in tow, we headed off to Restaurante O Cantinho da Serra, in the tiny village of Bemparece.  This is high in the mountains above the village of  Santa Catarina da Fonte do Bispo.  It was the last thing on the list that Marc and I had prepared of things to do before we headed home.  What a wonderful excursion and how wonderful to share it with Marion and David.

We met in the square this morning for a bica before heading out. Saw the day care centre folks taking the kids for a walk. Cute.

This gorgeous rose bush, which was heavily scented was literally on the side of the road.

Marion and Marc, they are well matched in humour and one feeds the other!

This brilliant splash of colour greeted us as we turned a corner in the winding mountain road.

Such richness of colour.

I think we woke her from a cat nap!!!

Marc, Marion and David enjoying the patio at the restaurant.

It’s too bad you can’t really see and appreciate the amazing views from the patio. You can see for miles and miles, or is that kilometers and kilometers?? All down the mountain and out over the Ile da Tavira over the sea.

Succulent lamb roasted in the oven with potatoes and garlic.

Porc with garlic.

This variety of lavender is quite lovely and odorous.

The mountains are alive with colour and wildflowers

More of the wildflowers.

Once home we simply dropped the car and headed over to the patio at Ana and Simão’s. Fortunately, they weren’t too busy at this time and able to join us for a drink and a visit.

Ana myself and Marion

The incorrigible Elsa. she makes us laugh all the time. You can see mischief in her eyes.

Elsa and Simão….quite the team they are.

A fellow near the restaurant found a baby bird that had fallen from a nest.

And now, well, Marc and I are just heading back to enjoy a drink with Marion, David, Ana and Simão on the roof-top patio of David and Marion.  We supplied the lemons, the rest will come from them!!!