Jo’s Monday walk : Remember Culatra?

Some weeks I have no idea where to take you.  After all, there are only so many hills I can drag you up and down in search of cake, aren’t there?  So, I thought we’d take it fairly easy this week and hop on a boat.  Always my default setting.  You might recognise the marina at  Olhão, above.

With 20 minutes of smooth calm sailing, you just about have time to say goodbye to the mainland before you’re approaching Culatra, one of the Algarve’s barrier islands.  You can leap off at the first stop, or continue along the shoreline towards the lean white lighthouse at Farol.  There’s a small village at either end of the island and, after a meander through the cluster of villas and shacks, you can slip off your shoes for a paddle.

It looks like somebody’s been shipwrecked here!  Still, with a ferry every couple of hours, rescue is pretty certain.  It’s a long swim to Fuzeta!

Paddling done it’s time to cross over the boardwalk and pootle about with boats.  I’ll not spend time lingering among the narrow alleyways, charming though they are.  If you remember, we had a good look around last time I brought you here.  A lot of work is going on, laying new paths on the island, so maybe change is afoot.  Hopefully nothing too drastic!

It doesn’t always pay to nose around.  I almost fell foul of this little creature.  He was sitting innocently beside a boat, when I unwittingly invaded his territory.  Leaping and snarling, he made quite sure that I wasn’t up to no good.  I beat a hasty retreat, making what I hoped were soothing noises.

The seagulls were completely indifferent but a couple of small boys playing football were highly amused.  I raised a cheer when I lobbed their ball back to them, over a fence.  Kids here lead a simple life.  In warmer weather they become water babies, diving off the pier again and again, to the cheers of their mates, and swimming like gleeful fish.

On board again, we chug back across the water.  Entertainment is provided by some fellow passengers feeding the gulls, which swoop and perform aerobatics to snatch the bread.  In no time we’re ashore and strolling along the quayside, seeking refreshment.

We find it down an inviting passageway.  Such a nice reward for a minimum of effort.  Healthy, too?  I hope you enjoyed sharing.

More great walks this week.  Do find time to read them, please.  You might make some new friends.  And if you can, join me next week on Jo’s Monday walk?  You know I like a bit of company.

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Cathy honoured me with a link to her Camino walk last week, but I missed it.  Please don’t!

(Camino: day 4) Zubiri to Pamplona

And sometimes she takes me places I’ve never even heard of!  Who says blogging isn’t educational?

Great Sand Dunes National Park

I’m always in awe of her photography, and jealous of the places she’s been.  Thanks so much, Debs!

Victoria Harbour walk

You can share anything on my walks… and Drake often does!  🙂

Equipment

Denzil is right on my wavelength.  A peaceful riverside walk with a castle or two  :

Walking around Westerlo: river, castles and an abbey!

When she’s not eating, she’s shopping!  Always good fun with Jackie :

Market Fresh

All the way to Guatemala next, with Natalie :

Postcard from Antigua, Guatemala

Lisa’s taking us on one of her favourite walks, by the Hudson river :

Jo’s Monday Walk

A short walk with a stroller sometimes suits Alice :

The Welcome Station City

While Irene cheers us with ice blue (and a warm coat and scarf!) :

Sunshine and Blue Skies

Snow can look so pretty, but I’m keeping a safe distance!  🙂  Thanks, Eunice :

A snowy walk to Smithills Hall

Ending with Susan, and some fascinating memories of her time in the Peace Corps, and a very different world  :

Walking Bogota, Colombia

Have a great week, everybody!  Me?  I have another week of walking, t’ai chi, stuttering along in Portuguese and hopefully more lovely sunrises.

168 comments

  3. Oh Jo, what a glorious way to spend a day – sunshine, blue water and little boats. I’m not keen on dogs so your protective pup wouldn’t have excited me, but your little friand decorated with fresh orange at the end of the day looks very inviting.

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  6. Thanks for the mention Jo. I’m fast coming to the conclusion that grey skies don’t exist in Portugal! Will looking at these photos increase my vitamin D levels?

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  10. It’s the blue that does it. Makes everything look sooo inviting! Blue sky here today, though rain overnight. Builder coming round in the morning if he can get here as they are repairing the road nearby. Not even sure I can get out to pick up the OH from the station! Gonna be a long detour if I can’t.
    And my favourite photo is the one of the bikes – great composition, lovely light and looks so peaceful. Enjoy your busy week!

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      1. He went to buy a guitar – his inheritance/big birthday present 😀 Coming to look at the problem – again – and see what can be done about it. I’m almost ready to have the whole darn thing taken down!

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      2. Hasty! 🙂 🙂 Not long home. We were eating out with Marie and invited in to see someone’s conversion job on a lovely old house. Port was offered but somehow we managed to decline. 😦 Walking tomorrow.

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      4. Always tempted! In lots of ways. But really don’t want the work involved. 😟 Sitting on a bench by the river appreciating life. We walked in the hills this morning and received the news that a lovely walking friend died last night. Stomach cancer. Very abrupt. It is what it is, Jude. Got to grab it and hold on 💕 xxx

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      5. My best friend died from stomach cancer – 2 years from getting the diagnosis to the end. And today my builder told me about his former gaffer who died on New Year’s Day from the same thing. He had only found out three weeks before! Life is precious 🌹

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      7. We had trouble with our conservatory in Cley for years. The roof was leaking and we tried several builders to fix. The third company did a good job, it has stayed dry ever since and everything was transformed. The room to the garden is our favourite room for more than six months of the year now so don’t give up! 🙂

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      8. A very dear friend of mine here in Norway told me only yesterday that he had a stomach cancer operation one week after we last met and is currently getting chemo. This all happened four weeks after his retirement and so many plans and to be altered. Life is indeed precious. Better not postpone our dreams until whenever … Hugs to you both. ❤ ❤

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      11. I can’t like this comment, but it does go to show that we don’t know what is ahead for us (and maybe as well we don’t know) but we do need to be happy with what we have.

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  15. What a lovely stroll in the sunshine Jo. That’s all you need isn’t it, bit of sun and some boats to look at. Sound lovely. Oh and maybe some nice cake!

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