more sunshine and exercise...in Constancia....

...still going up... hahhahah...... but, honestly, in hindsight, it was a very good thing that we put on as many walking miles as we did.  We enjoyed waaaay too much great food and way too many custard tarts and other yummy desserts later on ...... poor Joe fared the worst, but luckily I only gained 4 pounds.  Lost it and then... am gaining it back as I am not out walking in the snow and cold.  Roll on, warmer days.

A little chapel nearer the top.... church in background... and behind that a lovely little perfectly kept cemetery with some very old stones and crypts.

Little houses right close to the cemetery and church....I decided the caretakers might live here.   I love to make up my own little stories as I go along.... not only while on holiday...but, pretty much everywhere.

As usual.... one or two not quite up to snuff.  Somebody needs to show up with a brush and some whitewash.  Still sturdy for sure...just needs a bit of cosmetic care....

some old.......some new........ all so clean and lovingly cared for even though blackened from time and weathering.  Coarsely crushed light sand between the stones for walking on..... ..... some real and some artificial flowers.... and even two new bumps of pale sandy earth where someone was recently laid to rest.

We quietly took some photos and definitely appreciated the workmanship of the stones and little vaults.....  and then began to head downhill.

Turned around to look back.... a beautiful palm ....  turned around again and this..... I'm not sure exactly what it is...but, reminds me of what we call Tulip Trees around here......     






                                                        

Little planters along the walkways and the streets... ... flowers in all of them.....

Prickly pear cactus..

Hard to tell the size without some perspective....yikes...

This little place looks like only half a house... how strange.....

And, this lovely little fella (I decided it was a "he") was behind bars.  The cats roamed freely...but, this did seem to be the fate of most dogs.  Small, tiled areas to hang out in.  Only saw one or two with bigger yards and some grass to play on. Hardly saw anybody actually walking a dog.   This little guy was just a puppy...and only wanted somebody to talk to him and pet him.  He had the softest fur...like velvet....   Several others we saw were pretty loud and probably wanted a taste of Canadian back(side) bacon. Probably they were just frustrated.

..still heading uphill... Constancia, Portugal...

....in and out of little pathways we went ..and up and down steps....we peeked into all the cute little areas and found all the hidden doorways.  Well, not all by a long shot...but, lots.   Hope we weren't trespassing..but, it seemed to be just a labyrinth of steps and cobble and rockery paths that led up or down.  I think some were shortcuts so the people who lived at the top of the hill could get there quicker.  That was my take anyway.

                                              

       

sometimes just a look up was enough to warrant another photo.
















This door was a bit newer than some ....and I wonder if those newer bricks inserted under the lintel were to allow for more height when placing the new door? .... he got a few extra inches out of it...

There were several places for sale..... where was the agent when we wanted to look inside? ...

Maybe number 3 was the better option...it did have a newer door...

Aha.... some of those road signs I missed whilst walking up... I just had to look back to notice them.  It's definitely got to be organized... because some of the little streets are too tiny to allow two cars to pass each other.  You can see this one is a bit wider...two can pass.... or...even park in front of a house.

Look at the little sailboats designed into the cobblestones on this street.

loved the blue tile works we saw in so many areas...

more cats.... some even had collars...but, all seemed to have the run of the streets... not too many cars to worry about...and I bet they are all pretty savvy...living outdoors most of the time..or perhaps all of it. I don't know for sure...although, come to think of it... I did see one or two looking out of windows.....

A little public courtyard where people gather to visit and catch up with goings on.  The houses are so tiny, I think that is why folks spend a lot of time just walking or visiting in the outdoors.

Some places were just not as kept up as others.....

But, most of it was lovingly cared for..

A few nearer the top had larger areas for yards and gardens... there is probably a story behind it all...but, I'm afraid I don't know it.
This guy had a big yard with orange and lemon trees...some grapes and even an olive tree or two below that...  and a good view of the river in the distance.

No for sale sign on this one.... drat.  Click on the photos to biggify and see more.....

Here's a cute one with an odd shape... and his own palm tree.  That was strange to me.  Palm trees, orange trees...and in the next yard...a pine tree.  It just seemed odd somehow that they all did well in the same environment.

Huh? .... hahahhah.... I was used to seeing cats and even dogs everywhere... but then, up pops a chicken to say hello... on top of a very high stone wall.          
                             

..not even talking about the weather.....

but, this will be a bit of a longer post to outline my little plan.  It's taken me a few days to try to decide what to do.
I want all of you to be able to enjoy a little of our holiday in Portugal... and yet... my friend Maria and I took so many photos that it is tough to decide which ones and how many to post.  If I do too many in each post..it will take forever to download for those not on high speed....and I know some of you have trouble with that....

I think I'll just begin at the beginning... and post several photos a day for ..oh,... for a verrrry long time.  Maybe even til next year and perhaps we go again.  Hahahha... perfect.  I don't even have to think about what I'm going to post.  But, since we both took lots on each day and they are still in separate albums..(because Mr. BV still has some fiddling to do with something that he is trying to accomplish)....  I just have to figure out which ones I did post from each set and therefore...which not to post a second time. Still haven't figured that one out..... it'll be a bit of "backing and forthing" I guess.

After 10 hours to Frankfurt and a few hours wait in their deluxe airport...  then another 2 1/2 hour flight to Lisbon.. our friends picked us up and drove us around a bit to get a little first look at Portugal.  Had a wonderful meal at our hosts ...(it was a very late meal for them as the big meal is usually earlier in the day) and then, some wine, and even some port, because we wanted to get a good sleep and actually still felt pretty wide awake even after such a long trip. I never sleep on planes... next time..I'm taking some good drugs or using a damn big rubber hammer.

Anyway...we wanted to get on Portugal time right away...jet lag be damned!  We only had 3 weeks to be tourists; we weren't wasting any of it.  The first day...we awoke at 11:00 am.!!  Acckkk..what the?? ...day half over... after the best sleep of my life!  I couldn't believe it.  But... onward....

 We drove (okay, Joe did the driving) to a nearby small town called Constancia....( Check the link to see more info regarding this little town.)  It was our first up-close glimpse of the tiny streets in most of the little towns we would see during our stay.  So tiny, only tiny cars can drive through them... and definitely only one car at a time........there is backing up if somebody comes from the opposite direction...I still haven't quite figured out who decides to back up...but, on looking back at some photos...I do see signs indicating no entry on some of them.

So...without further ado.... please enjoy a walk with us around this lovely little hillside town of Constancia... from the parking area so you can get the idea of the terrain.

All the streets ..walking and driving areas... are cobbled in chunks of marble and in some places granite.  The whole country seems situated on marble .. it's everywhere.  There are lots of quarries in Portugal, so I suppose seeing as it is pretty cheap and easy to come by...they use it freely, plus why not use up the leftover smaller chunks for something worthwhile.  I'm betting asphalt would be more expensive and not easy to use in most places... so.. chunks of marble it is.  Plus...it's lovely to see, of course.



















A lot of the buildings were restored, freshly painted and really kept up... others, of course, were not kept up quite as well. There seem to be several little porthole windows in various building in this town..



















I thought these anchors looked neat... designed right into the cobbles...

You can see the hilly terrain....

These little streets are for driving as well as walking believe it or not.  People on foot and in cars coming and going, some carrying baskets of groceries... although it certainly wasn't busy.  A sleepy little place actually... and lovely. This would be a great place to live in which to keep fit.  Walk down for bread each day.  Oooh... and the breads....yes, indeed.... I would definitely not mind walking to get the breads  ...every single day!!   As a matter of fact... I would need to keep walking a lot.  I loved the breads in Portugal.   I'm still trying to find the perfect cornbread recipe since coming home.  So far..no luck.  Do you have a cornbread recipe...and I'm not talking southwest stuff either...this is a yeast based loaf I want. Dark thick crust... lovely tight crumb...and sweet tasting...oh...man...it was yummy.   With olives..meats and cheeses.....sigh...............................................................

I'm thinking a lot of clutch changes if you drive in these towns ..hahahha... and actually in one steep place ..later on..we did smell a totally burned out clutch on a car.  Some poor guy not used to standard shifting or hilly terrain I guess ...who finally managed to navigate his way to the top of a particularly steep street.  Some of them might just be slippery in wet weather too...  and,...they better hope it never snows.  Of course, unlike here...they don't have to worry about that scenario.  Oh.. I forgot...I wasn't going to moan about the weather. Sorry.  I must have looked out the window.  Still two feet of the white stuff in my front yard.

Back to sun and holidaying...... Up and up... looking into eveery nook and cranny... snapping photos all the way.... we loved it.  So quaint compared to what we are used to here in Canada.  Not much history ... or even the look of it here.

Cute little doorways....some tucked back in out of the way.  Some of the doors opened almost directly onto the roadway.... not only in tiny villages...but, along the main highways!  don't stagger out in some places after one too many glasses of port or in a hurry to get somewhere.   I'll post a couple of those later ....most taken whilst enroute....

Maria and were both taken with the tile work we saw everywhere during the 3 weeks of doing touristy things at cathedrals, towns and castles.... .......and.....the doors...and doorways.... so loved those!!  My idea of European towns and cities... the beautiful photos of windows and doorways...

The doors were so tiny.  I'm only five foot two and my head was mere inches from the top of the door frames in many of the towns.  All I could think of was hobbits.... yes, most of the little older folks are definitely not tall...but in days gone by must have been much shorter yet.   Some doors we saw were so low we would have had to bend over to get through.  I really wanted to have a look inside some of the sweet looking little homes.  Maybe next time.......

Some of them were so clean and white washed ...and with little plants...or kitties hanging around outside.... love it all.......

This one's for you Krista.  Isn't it a beauty? Not afraid of people at all either.  There seemed to be quite a few cats everywhere we went during our stay.  However, I can't say they appeared feral.... they all looked so soft and clean and well kept.  And...it appeared that even though they were allowed to wander they were well fed.. probably by more than one person.  I spied little bowls beside some steps...and did see one lady putting out a few bowls...near several steps.  Maybe they just make sure all cats are fed...I don't know...

I don't know whether to laugh or cry....

... but, seeing as we Canadians are supposed to be a tough lot....I better yank on the ol' boot straps.. hike up my britches and get one foot in front of the other...... waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh....I don't wanna!!

Of course, this happens every year about this time.... last year it was April 10....the year before I think it was June 5.... so.... this isn't too bad...........I guess. *pout*.......

It was raining last night so we knew darn well it would look like this when we got up.  It is barely 0C so this new 6 inches will melt quickly...but, the underlying 2 feet or so in most areas...won't be melting along with it.....not yet.  It's all frozen and crusty and icy under this new soggy stuff....

That Elmo...always so ready to help me measure snow.  You'd think as often as I've plopped his bum into freezing white stuff... it'd wipe that stupid smile off his face.

Before I even grabbed a shovel, I grabbed a broom and went out to rescue my poor juniper... knocking off the huge amounts of snow as it was bent straight over from the weight of the heavy wet stuff.

One of the lower branches was already in trouble from an earlier snow fall...it was on the ground nearest the wall.  With the snow off...you can see how far over and down it was pressed with all that weight.  Hope it stands up all the way once again some day.  A couple of the branches are probably going to have to be trimmed off.

I decided to take a walk around the block and see what else got crushed....and...sadly.... plenty.

OMGosh.... this...... well, this was the biggest Mugo Pine bush we have ever seen....and usually the branches are totally upright like raised hands and arms..... oh, dear..... squashed totally.... hope it recovers....

All of them were bent under the terrible weight of the snow....

This guy had the right idea.... shovelling would be a killer today.

Oh, oh........

I couldn't believe my eyes when I rounded the corner to our place..... my sidewalks were clean!!  Oh, thank you, thank you, Dan!!!  He was just crossing the road to the older lady that lives opposite us.  He hollered that he didn't want anybody having heart attacks and decided after doing his own ....he would just do the rest of us.  What a guy!   He's been shovelling our walks pretty regularly all the weeks we were away...and now... he's doing it again.  Says this winter he has used his snow blower more than any winter so far.  So much for global warming..... I still maintain that we are heading back into another ice age.

Even if it is a pain.... I do have to say....it does look beautiful.....

I especially love the look of the drooping or weeping type trees and shrubs....

A poor little robin..... wondering why he came back from Arizona or Mexico or wherever he went for the winter.  They always come home about 2 or 3 weeks too soon.  Just like us.  And...no worms out of the frozen ground yet.  I see them hopping around behind the sparrows and chickadees.  Probably trying to get the lowdown on what to eat before their own food source shows up.... much later now than ever I would guess. They probably lose a bit of weight before it gets nice enough to forage for the good stuff.  All this, after having to fly hundreds if not thousands of miles just to get here.  Not right.  Not right at all.

Well....now...I'm off to bake Dan some strawberry muffins.  He deserves them!  Maybe it's time to invest in a snowblower....even though I usually am happy to do it for the exercise..... or..... save the money to make a downpayment on a tiny house somewhere warm.... so I can follow those robins when they leave in October......

We're home....

and of course, it's the pits.  Even though I'm sure I don't have jet lag....I also don't have any motivation...or energy ...or much of anything really. Getting back into some sort of routine is proving difficult.  I've been just wandering about the house.... trying to decide where to begin.  Of course, it's only been a day and a half.  Or, perhaps it's looking out my front door and seeing this that has some detrimental affect....













after all....it's a long way from this isn't it?....

It's tough to go from sun, sand and surf ....to snow, cold and dull......

That does it.  I'm just going to look at my little collection of sea glass, shells worn to a glass-like finish...and my cute little hand painted souvenirs instead.

..or my cork and silver jewellery.. Portugal is well known for its cork oaks... producing about 50% of the world cork harvest.  It is a great sustainable resource with big impact on the ecosystem and it's now illegal to cut down a cork oak.  No longer just used for high end wine corking anymore either  ..... jewellery, hand bags, even clothing, made from cork, is pretty amazing to see and feel.  It feels like velvet. We even saw an amazing wedding dress in Batalha made from cork.  I'm not sure what happened...we must have been too stunned to remember to take a photo.....or maybe it was because we were so busy looking at all the beautiful hand bags... which we didn't buy but probably should have... they were lovely. It was a stunning dress ...and so unlike any wedding dress I've ever seen.

Funny how a new and exciting holiday routine becomes so quickly embedded...and yet getting back to the old and familiar, or perhaps the mundane, takes much longer.  Hmmmm........

There I was..    having coffee by myself this morning (ours seems to pale in comparison) ..... wishing I had some company and some lovely Portuguese bread for toast..... then I found myself surfing the 'net for recipes for breads... Portuguese breads.  I did find several.  Bookmarked now.... and ready to go..... I sure hope I can manage a dense, tasty cornbread like some we found... mmmmmm..... not anything like the cornbread we think of at all.  This is a rustic, yeast based loaf...with a firm dark crust.... oh, man..my mouth is watering just thinking about it.  I'll keep ya posted....

I remember thinking about how I would be so organized before we left.  Oh, sure....absolutely.  I was going to take photos.... upload them.. label things... write about them... blah, blah..blah.... yeh...right...as if......

Both Maria (my friend and wonderful hostess) and I... somehow managed to take at least 100 to 150 photos a day!   Every single day!  Hahahahahah.... and, now?   Three weeks have evaporated; I have totally forgotten some of where we were; what we were doing and even which day it was.  And, who even wore a watch or cared what time it was either? So...I will probably just post lots of the beautiful pictures and try to add a name or a town or something and call it a day.

If I do post some that you absolutely must know the name or origin of, ... please just ask.... I will definitley enlist Maria's help...and let you know exactly where it is....


ps...... oh, great....I just looked out the window...and it's snowflaking....arrghhhhh!