Jo’s Monday walk : Blossom and chimney pots

Feeling a little fragile as I write this- too much dancing, wine and excitement!- so please excuse me if I just stroll gently with you in the Algarve sunshine.  São Bras de Alportel makes an excellent base for walking, surrounded as it is by softly rolling countryside.  Allow me to indulge my current obsession with chimney pots…. and blossom, of course.

Starting from the former pousada, with grand views to the hills, you can follow a couple of simple trails.  Notice boards will advise what you need to be watchful for, or you can simply enjoy being there, drenched in the soft colours of Spring.

At a crossroads the sign points towards the ‘miradouro das castanhas’, the viewing point of the chestnuts.  Curiosity would have me look, but the group I’m walking with turn in the other direction.  I make a mental note to return, and patiently follow.  Minutes later we pause at a fonte- one of many underground springs in the Algarve.  A poem enhances the old stone and one of our group attempts a translation.  A squeal of laughter interrupts.  Another of the ladies has twirled the handle of the ‘nora’ (well) with a little too much energy, and is treated to a swift gush of water.

There was very little water and a lot of dry riverbeds when I walked in this area, but since then a day or three of torrential rain has brought the countryside alive again.  Flipflops or sandals and a towel may be needed.  Better still a sense of balance or a walking stick.

Rounding a hill it’s often possible to come upon a herd of sheep, with their faint air of apprehension and surprise.  Washing flutters appealingly on a line, while lemons ripen and flowers I don’t recognise make patterns on a wall.

This is cork territory and some of the trails lead beneath these gnarled beauties.  Someone has a sense of humour, but I’m not sure that I approve.  The ‘knight’, on the other hand, can only be greeted with a smile.  But I did promise you chimney pots, I remember.

Every village has it’s own variations, some crumbly with age, some new.  The village of São Romão has a lovely church and a deep sense of serenity.

It also has a a restaurant that we favour very often.  I’ll leave you with a little something sour and a sweet treat, to enjoy with your cuppa.

Excuse me for rambling this week.  I’m so looking forward to the frigid air of the north east tomorrow evening.  Please read and share the following walks, and join me with one of your own, if you’d like.  Details are on my Jo’s Monday walk page.

Jude does take us to some beautiful places!  And did you spot a few circles in a square?

Garden Portrait: Stourhead

And quite often, Drake excels himself too :

Symph in green ‘n white

For those of you craving warmth, why not join Elaine in the desert?

In Search of an Oasis

Jackie always likes a large one of these!

Slice of Life

And just look what Irene’s found for us this week!

Sunny Lakefront

But this one from Ting simply has to be my walk of the week.  Don’t miss it!

Walking with Elephants

That’s it for now.  Not too many to read.  Hope you have a great week, wherever you are.

145 comments

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  5. It’s a real pleasure to see such gorgeous blossoms and blue skies. I can’t hope to equal those although the blue skies are all around me but the earth is proving stubborn when it comes to yielding up its riches and all I have to show are a few hardy daffs thrusting towards the sun. The hyacinths are still in bud and I hope the frost hasn’t destroyed them, and I may creep along to my old house which I sold 3 years ago to see how the plus, damson and apple blossom is doing. They won’t be out but I can check the buds. Meantime, I look forward to the cherry blossom on our streets here and the occasional crabapple. Thanks for posting such lovely photos – they are a real tonic on a cold day.

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    1. It’s such a lovely season and I’m feeling very lucky that I get to do it all over again in England, Mari. 🙂 🙂 And soon, I hope! Glad you enjoyed my Algarve Spring right along with me.

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    1. We’ve just booked the taxi home from Newcastle airport tomorrow night, Debs. Part of me had been wishing for a flight cancellation. Roll on my second Spring 🙂 🙂

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  13. I enjoyed your slow amble this week Jo and loved all your photos. Some of those chimneys looked like characters out of some book. Hope you’ve recovered from all that red wine and festive dancing! How wonderful. 💃🍷

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    1. Slowly coming back down to earth, Miriam. 😦 If the weather cooperates we should have one more walk in the morning then it’s time to come home. I’ll be sad to leave my little Algarve house. 🙂 🙂

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    1. Murk and dankness, Tish? I can’t wait! 🙂 🙂 At least it will be dark when we land tomorrow night so I won’t see the worst. I’ll focus on the bright lights (and then back in the routine wuth t’ai chi on Wednesday). And soon… second Spring! Can’t beat optimism, can you?

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  19. Beautiful. Made me feel nostalgic. Big Man just got back from a couple of weeks at our home in Spain. He said all the blossom was out and it looked gorgeous but this weekend they’ve had terrible floods and storm damage so I imagine a lot of the almond and cherry blossom will be lost this year. What a shame.

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    1. The blossom has been fabulous here this year, Tanya, but you’re right- most of it has blown away now. Lots of rain, which they badly needed, and a mini tornado in Faro, which they didn’t! 🙂 🙂

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