As the title says, a wonderful day in Spain! Aymonte to be precise.
As Patricia had never taken the ferry from Vila Real de Santo Antonio across the Guadiana to spend some time in Spain, we decided that today would be a perfect day to do just that. The sun was shining, another gorgeous Portuguese day, Marc had several things he wanted to take care of at home, including preparing a wonderful evening meal of curried meatballs, which meant that Pat and I headed off on our own.
Lots of fun. Not overly congested with tourists and a tiny breeze off the sea and the Guadiana, keep us pleasantly cool. Ayamonte is a modern city, with a working marina, where we caught the ferry to cross the Guadiana River from Vila Real in Portugal.
There is a charming old quarter of Ayamonte, with its labyrinth of narrow streets, dotted with attractive plazas, where we wandered for a few hours before finally finding what turned out to be a lovely spot for a tapas lunch before then tackling some of the hills in and around the non touristy part of Ayamonte.
On the ferry leaving from Portugal. Look at that grin!!!
The architecture is quite different from that of Portugal and doorways and windows framed in a completely different way. Neither country, happily, is afraid of colour.
On our arrival this square is the first thing to greet us. It’s quite beautiful and today was packed full of gregarious children playing some kind of tag.
I walked into the local government building which was quite beautiful
A meeting of some sort was being set up but I received a friendly nod allowing me to walk in and have a look around.
Resting her weary bum and she hasn’t even started to walk!!
The Spanish windows are quite lovely and often times closed with lacy curtains.
We wandered into an open church and it was stunning. Quiet and almost empty we enjoyed checking out some of the nooks and crannies. Many statues still on display from the Easter celebrations.
Patricia totally enjoyed the wandering and window shopping……ok, maybe she actually darted into a few of the stores but overall, not bad, I think I only lost her once!!
I had to talk her out of this dress!!!!
And then, lo and behold, how could she NOT go into this shop. Look at the name!!!
I kept telling her her granddaughter would not wear this more than once.
The underside of the balconies are tiled!!!
As I said earlier, colour abounds.
Normally all of these squares are full of folks but today was quiet from a people perspective. Which we loved
Loved the sign for the barber shop.
Of course this made me think of, and miss, Marc. It was embedded in the wall of a tiny house in the old section of town.
Many balconies were laden with plants and only one batch of them appeared to be plastic.
All throughout the town are breathtakingly beautiful religious shrines.
Many of the outer doors were wide open to let us know that people were home and welcoming visitors. I love that cultural custom.
The graffiti was fun.
More graffiti.
I found the old market and returned home with two fairly large bags filled with two different kinds of olives. We just enjoyed a bowl of them with Marc’s amazing curried meatballs.
An intricate and religious doorknocker.
I know someone who would love this colour on their house!!! FB
The walking and wandering, not to mention the scents coming from many of the restaurants, help us build up an appetite. We found a small outdoor patio that had an interesting chalkboard menu listing many interesting things and we agreed that sharing a few plates and a lovely sangria might be just the thing….and it was.
This old door was next to the restaurant and it seemed to be watching us
Sauteed Prawns, Galician Style Octopus and Fresh Anchovies in Garlic. This with our white sangria turned out to be a perfect hot day menu.
This was over Pat’s head near the other doorway.
Patricia’s café con leche!
Walking after a meal like this is a necessity as far as I am concerned. Patricia wanted to experience part of the old Ayamonte, outside the tourist area, and off we headed.
Detail…..always beautiful detail.
Windows and doorways are framed off and smaller tiles frequently outline the other tiles. This place is getting a bit of a welcomed face lift.
Two enormous identical door knockers adorning these tall wooden doors.
Another wall shrine.
The outer door was open and when I looked in I immediately felt the pull of an invitation to enter.
I love the emotion in this particular wall tile.
And who did we see inviting us into this place? None other than Don Quixote.
I do love this relative to the bird of paradise that grows high in the banana tree. This was close to where we caught the ferry to head home.
We had arrived at 9h45 and now it was 14h00. Other than during lunch, we had simply walked and walked and we both decided to call it a day. As it turned out, when we looked at the time we were literally two minutes from the ferry terminal and the ferry was scheduled to leave in five minutes. Propitious???
Thanks Bonbon. We are continuing to live a grand life here. Today is Worker’s Day….or as we call it home, Labour Day….we are just heading out to have a look around town at some of the decorations and celebrations. tomorrow is Viva la Pena……and we are quite looking forward to that tomorrow evening. Hope all is well with you and Ken.
What a fabulous day you two spent wandering, love all the colour and bright sunshine. Bet that big smile hasn’t left Pat’s face since she arrived in Portugal …. I think you should have let her buy the dress!
What a wonderful day you and Pat had!! I absolutely LOVED the picture about 4 from the last pic with the pink entrance and black wrought iron stairs. I also love how the underneath portion of the balconies are tiled.
And the fun continues as today is Worker’s Day so many decorations of people and workers all around the Algarve. We are just setting out on foot to enjoy Estoi. Tomorrow….Viva La Pena!!!!
Another beauty of a day. Beautiful photography and the narrative is exceptional.
Thank you for sharing your diary.
I agree – Pat you should have bought the dress… short or long, it’s a winner!
Marc and Randys Travel Adventures 
What a lovely day trip! Thank you for sharing your travels.
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Thanks Bonbon. We are continuing to live a grand life here. Today is Worker’s Day….or as we call it home, Labour Day….we are just heading out to have a look around town at some of the decorations and celebrations. tomorrow is Viva la Pena……and we are quite looking forward to that tomorrow evening. Hope all is well with you and Ken.
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What a fabulous day you two spent wandering, love all the colour and bright sunshine. Bet that big smile hasn’t left Pat’s face since she arrived in Portugal …. I think you should have let her buy the dress!
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LOL…..you know she didn’t really want that dress right? I’m in hot water!!!
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What a wonderful day you and Pat had!! I absolutely LOVED the picture about 4 from the last pic with the pink entrance and black wrought iron stairs. I also love how the underneath portion of the balconies are tiled.
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You should think about coming next year and I can show you some of these places yourself!!!
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What a marvellous day you guys have had! The smiles say it all. Collecting memories and enriching the soul.
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And the fun continues as today is Worker’s Day so many decorations of people and workers all around the Algarve. We are just setting out on foot to enjoy Estoi. Tomorrow….Viva La Pena!!!!
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Another beauty of a day. Beautiful photography and the narrative is exceptional.
Thank you for sharing your diary.
I agree – Pat you should have bought the dress… short or long, it’s a winner!
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That dress comment is getting me in lots of hot water! LOL. Patricia is living her dream right now.
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