WAGS 2025 02 26: Slow Progress At Bensafrim

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The Leader´s report moved to publication with remarkable speed this week, unlike the walk it described, so let´s get straight to it.

Myriam, John & Hazel, Maria, Antje plus Antje´s friend Christl, and Rod gathered at the Bensafrim market square cafe on a bright spring morning.

10.07 and Rod is already checking his watch impatiently

Following the usual prolonged chatter over coffee and the group photo shoot, off we set northwards through the edge of the village. This led us past the humble residence but immaculately maintained garden and veg patch of one of the village's senior velhotes,  by now a bosom pal of Myriam's.


If you want to know what Myriam has just photographed, you will have to read on to the very end.

A quarter of an hour later, we continued. From the village we ascended at a sedate pace up the longish hill to the mobile antenna mast.


A pause there for a breather

and that very rare thing, a photograph taken and submitted by Maria

p


Once eventually there, we headed east along the undulating ridge towards the old, and many times visited, windmill.


"Help. Rescue Me !"

A stop there to take in the wide ranging views and then we headed down the valley on the northern  (? sic ) side of the ridge. To begin with this is a steep path, much rutted by recent rains and little used, but fresh and green with early signs of spring all around.

A 7-pointer

The Rutted Path

Signs of Spring



Hazel directs the traffic

This path leads down to the north-south valley of the Ribeiro Bensafrim, now with a pleasing trickle of flowing water. 

By the Rivers of  Bensafrim we sat down - or stood

 After a short stretch south, we headed back westwards along the tarmac lane towards the village. Some ab origine inhabitants came out of their cottages to gaze after us as we passed by.



The Old Laundry still in use.

At this point the modest sized group began to disintegrate somewhat. Forgotten it seems was the maxim of keeping within a shout of each other...at least until it was substituted by a plaintive, where art thou?, phone call, and even it seems an abortive mobile search party, from the vanguard already ensconced in the restaurant.

It always helps to have a good navigator with one in such circumstances
No harm done of course, but maybe worth remembering the maxim if ever we are out in the countryside again. The lunch...pre ordered, up to a point anyway... at the agreeable Rota Vicentina Restaurant, was joined by Paul and Chris plus John and Vanessa Rattledge and Christl´s husband Hans, so I will as usual hand over to the food journalist.

Track

The tracking device was switched on late and the backmarkers´ walking pace was so glacial that I shall spare you the usual statistics. Sorry to disappoint you.


The Lunch

Myriam took a group photo

and here it is



The menu was pretty straight forward but, boy, did we do our combined best to make it difficult for the staff when placing our orders. Like 12 schoolchildren !

But they managed to get our orders right and I got my wine without delay, unlike last time.

Rod´s customary fish soup

This was the Cabadela de Batata


and the Caril de frango

Not sure if this was Frango Assado, Frango Grelhado or Frango na Forno

But whatever, it was done to perfection


Paul even approved of the house wine.

The puds weren´t bad, although the choice that late in the day was limited.




Not bad ?

And now, what was it that Myriam was photographing earlier? In her words 
"The Bensafrim old lady asked me to take a photo of her ring which she has been wearing for over 60 years and it is quite difficult to take off now. Note her nice finger nails !!
Do you remember her name? I don´t!"

Perhaps a slightly better picture next time?
Her name is Almerinda Bárbara, born 1933. Here are the pictures of her history posters from Bensafrim Market.





Closing Music.

Just think what Boney M might have done with The Rivers of Bensafrim.






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