Arrived last tuesday to find the village a little quieter than last year but by weekend all that had changed, the place was packed.
A coulpe of new places have opened. The new restaurant on the promenade has opened and is a little upmarket, aiming for the tourist trade. It is called O Marinheiro and I have not eaten there yet but hope to give it a try before I return to England.
Just round the corner from Lorgo De Igreija (The church square) a little cafe bar called Arco Iris (Rainbow) has opened. Joan and I were among it,s very first customers and we had the honour of christening the ice creams.
The festival was free this year so I watched the Fado evening and very much enjoyed it. It was not quite what I expected as I thought Fado was slow and mournful but it was quite catchy really.
On Sunday an artist called Andre Sardet performed, it was very well attended as he is quite popular here in Portugal, he was very good ( A bit of a Portuguese Robbie Williams).
The festival ended with a spectacular and noisy firework display. I have to wonder what the reaction to a firework display at 2 in the morning would be in the UK.
As part of the festival on saturday afternoon there was supposed to be mud football on the river but it was delayed as the tide was still in. You would think in a village of fishermen someone would have checked the tide tables before printing the programme!! Still this is Portugal.
No one has setttled the dispute over the ferries yet so they are not running but the water taxis have stepped in to fill the gap in the market. It costs the same as the ferry did but runs far more frequently and is faster. Hope to go over to the Isle De Tavira later in the week as I have never been in all the years I have been visiting.
Tuesday, 14 August 2007
Enjoying the Festival
Monday, 6 August 2007
Preparing for our visit
Lots to do today.......late shopping, get rooms ready for guests make an emergency list for the relief and of course pack a little bag. We have most things we need over at the house so no need for hulking great suitcases, we could literally pick up passports and money and set of as we are.
A few essentials however will go in a bag, a catering pack of English bacon (well Danish really but you know what I mean), a copious supply of Tetley teabags, a tube of english mustard and the latest Harry Potter take up most of the space available.
Already pondering where to eat lunch tomorrow. Casa do Polvo and restaurant O Moroua are the 2 prime contenders. Casa do Polvo (House of octopus) is a small new place which has been open for less than 12 months but is already very well established, it is ideal for a light lunch serving mainly sea food with octopus making up much of the menu. The Gambas de casa (large prawns in sizzling garlic laced olive oil) are a particular favourite and along with a large tuna salad and a bottle of the crisp house white will set you back about 25 euro. situated on the promenade just across from the ferry landing it is a great place to sit and watch the world go by.
Moroua is a typical portuguese eating house where a freshly caught sea bass or bream will cost you no more than 10 euros ( and thats the dearest thing on the menu). Many locals use the place at lunch time as the Prato Do Dia provides a substantial meal at a price even the most poorly paid can afford. Just 7 euros sees your table festooned with appetiser, fresh portuguese bread and sardine paste and a bowl of tangy olives, a substantial helping of the dish of the day along with wine or beer, a home made dessert or piece of fresh fruit and to finish it all off a delicious pot of coffee. Order an extra beer or bottle of wine and thats included too........magic.
As I write this now I think Morauo just won my vote.
Sunday, 5 August 2007
Festival
Have been busy preparing for my trip, getting the pub stocked up for the relief etc.
A phone call from Portugal on Friday confirms that the village Festival starts on the 10th of August and will last for 4 days. A fairground is constructed at one end of the village with dodgems, stalls and rides for the kids and a temporary arena is constructed at the other end of the village where a series of musical performances ranging from Portuguese Fado to pop bands are staged. The entire promenade is lined with market stalls and temporary food stalls. I don't know what will happen this year as the stall holders normally drive iron stakes to hold the canvasses into the road surface but I can't see the local authorities being too happy about driving metal stakes into the brand new surface of the promenade. We shall see.
The highlight of the festival for me is at 6pm on Sunday when following a service in the church the icons of all the saints are carried through the village accompanied by a marching band. The icon of Santa Luzia is carried to the pier where a fishing boat is moored festooned in flowers and other decorations and a blessing is performed presumably to ensure the safety and success of the fishing fleet throughout the coming year.
During the festival the village is extremely busy and it is almost impossible to eat in any of the restaurants without either a reservation or a very long wait. Many visitors arrive from Lisbon and other parts of Portugal and it will be interesting to see how many foreigners are about this year.
Santa Luzia
Wednesday, 1 August 2007
Well I'm going! Booked a flight this morning so i'll be walking through the front door next week.
They were working on the new promenade last time i visited (see above)so can't wait to see what the finished job looks like. The photo shows where the work was being done at the Pedras del Rei end of the village. It should have been completed at the end of June and apparently the other half at the Tavira end is to be done this winter.
There are mixed feelings about what is going on, some see it as welcome progress others as the begining of the end of the unique nature of the place.
i suppose the truth lies somewhere in between, due to the decline in fishing the local economy is pretty depressed and many of the local people get by on next to nothing so tourists will bring much needed busines and work to the village.
A few years ago you rarely met anyone in the village who was not portuguese but that is changing already though it is (hopefully) never going to be an Albufeira.
One local shop has actually started selling Santa Luzia T shirts and I do believe you can now buy beach accessories in a couple of places.
A lot of run down properties are being done up and I expect the new promenade and the removal of the sewage works from the end of the village will spawn a whole lot of new cafes, bars and restaurants along the new promenade.
A new place was set to open next door to Casa Polvo the last time I visited so I expect that to be now up and running.
The local fiesta is held at the beginning of August and the place is packed with visitors from Lisbon so I think the proprietors would want to benefit from this busy time.
I hope to get some photos of the crowds whilst i am there.
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