WAGS 08 05 2024: The Annual Diaspora or Three At A Snail´s Pace

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The Diaspora, or it~s that time of year when nearly everybody seems to disappear to remote places around the world and nobody knows who, if anybody, is actually going to be there to keep the WAGS flag flying. It´s the opposite of hibernation; it´s an aestivation of a sort.

The Frews were on tour in Scotland, doing the proper thing and tasting the Islay malt at its cutting best.-

I do like to be beside the seaside

Myriam and Paul were understood to be driving through Spain and France, maybe. The rest? Who knows?

Anyway, into the breach stepped Hazel who volunteered to lead a walk from Casa Esperança. The rest of this blog is not yet by AI, because your regular blogger was there  for some of the time, but maybe next week´s will be. Meanwhile, here is Hazel´s report.

Maria and Lesley showed up at Casa Esperança at around 9.00 am for a start at 9.30 am.  A starter photo was taken and we set off around 9.45am. 

 Just as we were passing Vila Boa Vista, Tanya came out and surprised us with some healthy sweets!   It was lovely to see her after weeks of her not walking with Wags due to visitors and she said she will try to be on the next walk!  



Next surprise was Maria spotted lots of edible snails along the path and so we started to gather them for her. It was really a snail walk after that as she kept finding more and more snails all along the way.  John and Lesley patiently waited for her as she excitedly collected more and more.  Fortunately I had a plastic bag in my rucksack for her to keep them in.  We walked to the end of the avocado plantations to cross over the main road where John decided he had had enough and turned back.

Bye, John

Our walk then continued uphill to what I called Malcom's corner in Tufos and turned left on the road to House of Dreams and along the way we saw a huge JCB and a road digger breaking up the road as the Silves Camara are laying fresh water mains to the houses nearby. 



 Passed the House of Dreams and what remained of an orange plantation and beyond that we could see over a large expanse of newly cleared land which is to become an  Alfaroba or Carob plantation, a welcome change I must say from non-stop Avocado to more traditional Algarve crops - less water consuming. 


From there on, the walk was down memory lane for Maria and me, but all new to Lesley. 

I was lucky enough to spot a butterfly just emerging from its chrysalis and spreading out its wings:



And still, snails everywhere one looked.


 As the weather was heating up, we had to speed up in order to be back at Casa Esperança by noon as Hilke was joining us for lunch at Casinhas. 

"Look what I caught ! "

The Track and the Statistics




2.4 km/h ! Portuguese snails are known to go faster than that.

The Lunch

Casinhas restaurant is now re-opened under new management, so we were there to try the food out.  It was typical Portuguese food, prato de dia. set menu and price, plus some extra chef´s suggestions from which I had the quail, well worth the extra price, and some excellent home-made crisps. 

Frango piri
Feijão com massa, not to mention the porco
Carapau

The Highlight: Cordoniz

Ladies Who Lunch

 The place has new decor and friendly, quick and efficient staff.  We were all well satisfied with the food, the drinks and the service.

Thank you Hazel.

Closing Music

A slight change from the walking music theme, in honour of the Hazel´s butterfly.








Comments

  1. Anonymous14 May 2024 at 13:09

    It sounded a pleasant, leisurely walk. Wish I was there! We are crossing the English channel at this very moment. Will arrive Plymouth in about 4 hours. Brittany Ferries offer 30 minutes of free Wi-Fi for every device. Here l am using up this offer.

    ReplyDelete

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