Jo’s Monday walk : a fishy tale!

I like a fishy story.  Don’t you?  Truth to tell this one isn’t much of a story at all, and it’s not what I had intended to post.  But if you can’t be spontaneous in your own space… well, it’s a poor show!  It all started with a seahorse…

‘Let’s go to Olhão!’, I said.  ‘There’s a new seahorse sculpture and some net things up in the streets’.  What more of an invitation do you need?  The Ria Formosa, just offshore from Olhão, is known for its seahorses, and you can take a very delightful trip over to the sandbars to hunt for them.  Stuff of dreams?  A little less exciting, the sculpture, looking out to sea.

But Olhão is one of those ‘love it, hate it’ places.  Full of character, if you want to be polite.  Desperately shabby in the back streets, but in the process of acquiring a shiny new waterfront for the visitors.  The marina is always a treat, as you watch the boats to and fro-ing to the islands, but the riverside gardens are currently being torn up and replaced.  Hopefully they will retain some of their character, and the wonderful azulejo benches.  So uncomfortable to sit on, but beautiful to behold.  But we’ve not come to sit, invitingly though the icecream van flutters its eyelids at the tables beside the water.  The Arab quarter is always beguiling, so long as you don’t mind getting a little lost in the narrow tumble of streets.  Spot the whale on the roof?  No, I didn’t see it either at first.

I’m heading for the pedestrianised shopping area- not to shop, but this is where I think I might catch a fish or two.  And certainly some street art!

Olhão has a fair claim to being the street art capital of the Algarve.  The work depicting the fishing industry is among my favourites anywhere.  But finally I find what I’m looking for, and yet it still comes as a surprise.  Fish cavort above my head, darting through nets and flipping their tails.  ‘Linda‘ says the sign over the shop- beautiful- and I have to agree.

I wander along, snapping and exclaiming, until I come to the main church square, where an exhibition catches my eye.  I read the text and take a pic or two, and then I notice that the other half is staring skywards.  He’s spotted the storks.  Attention completely diverted.

I circle around the building, happy to find so many at home.  Did you notice the time on the clock?  I did, simply because at 3 on a Saturday afternoon I usually attend a Zoom meeting with some lovely ladies.  Some of you will know that Becky spends most winters here in the Algarve, and that Olhão is her home of choice.  I wondered if she might like to share the moment.

Back we wandered to a favourite café, with a ringside view of the leaping life above our heads.  All was quiet in the heat of the afternoon.  At weekends in summer the Portuguese go to the beach, leaving the towns strangely empty.  Though empty in these days is not so strange!  We settle at a table, with a refreshing wine, and I make the call.  ‘Would you like to come for a walk?’  And so I retrace my steps, waving my phone at the sky in the hope that they might see the fish, and maybe a stork or two.

I did promise you a fishy story.  I hope you weren’t disappointed?

walking logo

And now some shares!  A lucky dip into my ‘likes’ introduced me to Helen.  Please stop by and say hello?

Quarantine Walks: The Bulford Kiwi

 

Drake has his own individual take on life, and he always makes me smile :

Away from home

As times go by

I always like to share stunning photos, and these from Mercedes are beautiful :

Hiking in green Appenzell

Rupali shows us the beauty of her world :

Daily Walk

Weekend 98: Moments from the Wilderness

And Indra takes me to a city I’ve always wanted to visit :

Hong Kong… An Eclectic Mix

Anabel is rightly proud of her heritage, despite ‘dreich’ weather :

Port Glasgow Heritage Walk

A daunder round Dundee

While Margaret juggles with words :

Six Words?  Twelve Words?  All nonsense

And Natalie joins in with my fishy theme :

Life and Fish-Themed Art

Becky and I share a love for the same places :

Where the Douro flows into the Atlantic

A bit of an aberration with the print in the shares!  Made me rather late publishing today.  Apologies if I’ve missed anybody.  It’s not so easy keeping track right now.  Too many distractions.  I won’t be walking with you next week.  It’s seriously hot!  Enjoy your summer/winter/life!  See you soon.

147 comments

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  7. What a delightful place Jo – love the fishy artwork the whole town has such character! Those blue skies are the perfect backdrop for the pretty old buildings. Hope all is going well 😃 It’s gone cold here but we are in mid winter after all. Unfortunately my aunt has taken a turn for the worse in the UK, which is really hard for my dad and impossible for me to do anything other than provide moral support over Skype. Of course these things can go either way so we just take each day as it comes. On a happier note I’m currently babysitting a mother cat and 6 kittens for my elder daughter! The mother cat adopted them at the end of March and turned out she was expecting! Fun and games! I’m sorely tempted by an adorable fluffy black kitten – Monsieur not keen as we already have a dog and a cat! Hope you have a good week xx

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    1. Hi, Rosemay! Good news/bad news- it all seems to get rolled up into one sometimes. I’ve now started to panic over the wisdom of my son coming here this month. They have sheltered so carefully in Leeds and it seems mad to expose themselves to the airports and the journey to get here. But we are so looking forward to it! 😦 😦

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      1. You did a brilliant job taking us round . . .and yes will be there. Although not for long as have a social distancing drinks planned in garden (weather permitting) so will need to dash away after saying hello.

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  11. So much to see Joanne! Love the murals, the fishnets and fish draped over the alleys, the pretty windows and door and of course the amazing seahorse statue and the cute ice-cream bike.
    I’m enjoying your book, have read about 60%, will try and finish it soon, but it’s been a busy few weeks. Have a great weekend

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  18. One of the posts I’ve most enjoyed from you, I love flying fish! And the pictures are amazing. Did you really take these by ‘waving your camera in the air’. I can’t believe that. I would dearly love to have seen this place at that time. Thank you for being there for me!

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    1. I had my phone with me on the walkabout, Mari, because I was on Zoom with Becky & Co, and I have no idea how much they could actually see, though they made oohing and ahing sounds! But I also had my little Canon Ixus with me and those are the photos you see, edited to try to improve their visibility. A place full of character, and flat, so I’m sure you could manage a stroll too. 🙂 🙂

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  20. Oh my Jo, what a walk this week!!! You make me feel even worse about our cancelled plan for Portugal this fall. At least I can enjoy it through your eyes and images!

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