Today was unstructured, and we chose not to take the offered
boat tour, so we happily toddled around Tavira for 4 or so hours, letting our
poor bodies recover from the last three days of exertion.
There will be no rhyme or reason for the observations—they
are random notes on Portugal.
First, I must say that there are all kinds of interesting
modes of transportation here, running from donkey carts to small cars to motocycles to tuk
tuks, three wheeled trucks and even the occasional tractor. There are painted pedestrian crosswalks, and
the local drivers observe them carefully (thank God).
Homes here are terribly little, but beautifully kept, with a
variety of facades and decoration. One
intriguing detail is how the centuries-old structures are retrofit to include
modern utilities.
The Portuguese seem extremely clean, because it is common to
see fresh laundry out everywhere.
Streets and walkways are very narrow, and all cobbled.
I tried to get a picture of the sardines swimming in the
water (about 8” long—not a mere mouthful), gulls standing around and a stork on
its huge nest on top of a giant chimney stack.
They are somewhat like herons in that they are a bit ungainly looking,
but extremely graceful in flight.
Random art pops up at intersections, with an interesting
range of materials.
Fresh oranges are in season, and there are orange trees
everywhere, including city streets.
For amusement, I tried taking pictures of some of the
different kinds of tiles, and more than quickly reached 2 dozen in a few
minutes. I won’t bore you with them all,
but there certainly is a fantastic variety.
Finally, some marvelous Portuguese philosophy...........
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