Carnaval - Loulé, Portugal 2014

This past Sunday was the third time we have been to the Loulé Carnaval.

Remember to click on the photo to see a larger image.

The photos are in no particular order - just ones we both like which I think give a flavour of the event.

The morning was cool but mostly sunny. Most of the weather guessers had predicted cloud with a significant chance of rain in the morning and clearing in the afternoon so the morning sun was welcome, but short lived. Clouds began to move in and by the 1:15 pm when we set out for Loulé for the 3:00 pm parade it was overcast, cool and breezy.

By the time the parade began the wind had become lighter and the parade participants, apparently undaunted by the cool, cloudy conditions, were in the mood and ready to go! (even the painted, naked young women, though they must have been at least chilly, were on their float.) And, it didn't rain!

We could guess at what a couple of these floats and figures mean, but, unfortunately, for most we have no idea what their message is.

At this point, just a reminder about Carnaval. It is a pre-lent celebration held in Catholic countries all over the world. In Portugal it is known as Carnaval but similar celebrations in other jurisdiction may use different names such as Mardi Gras, for example.

In Portugal many communities have their own versions of Carnaval on a larger or smaller scale presumably based on the size of the community and the local interest. We have been told that the one in Loulé, a town of about 25,000 people, is one of the larger and better known Canavals in Portugal. 

There are a number of different events during the days approaching the beginning of Lent but the one we are most familiar with is the joyful, colourful, vibrant, noisy and exuberant parades, one on each of three days, which have a theme that usually includes irreverent commentary about political policies and politicians.

The events go on over a period of 4 or 5 days and it is a brief period during which "acting out" a bit is apparently tolerated.

It is said that communities and families put a great deal of time, creative energy and effort into preparing for this celebration - we have also been told that preparation may go on during much of the year. And that all of the work is done by the people of the individual communities.
This child and another, the second to last photo on this post, were beside each other on one of the floats and, as I think you can see, both looked totally bored with the whole thing.

On the other hand, the child below who was not in the parade, was ecstatic about something!

So, all the floats and costumes that we see in the parade and all that goes into creating the parade is the result of the work of individuals and families in the community, in this case Loulé. It's pretty amazing when you realize that not only the floats and personal regalia are made by the community but so are the excellent large "puppet" and float heads which represent the political targets of disparagement!

And, not only the participants in the parade are dressed in colourful costumes;  lots of children and some adults there to watch the parade are in celebratory attire, as you can see in some of the images. This child, for example, was not actually in the parade though her mother surreptitiously, or not so surreptitiously, placed her onto a float (see if you can find her on one of the floats) or, as here, into a gap in the parade.

When we went through the gate into the parade area I was immediately reminded of one of the annoying elements of the parade - namely extremely loud and persistent noise! The voice and music noise level from the loudspeakers is deafeningly loud (even by putting mouth to ear one cannot pass on a message) and it goes on before the parade begins and throughout the duration of the parade.

Though the police, security people and those keeping things moving are prevalent and watchful, there is a remarkably limited amount of restraint on the crowd in moving in and around the floats and parade participants.

So, for those interested in taking photos - and there were many! -  one is pretty free to move about and into the parade route both before and during the parade. There are mini bleacher type seats and benches around and some choose to sit while most seem to stand and walk about as the parade folks and floats make the circuit around a central boulevard for, I think, at least three times, maybe more.

When we were initially in the parade area, and even as the parade began, it seemed very much less crowded than we remember from previous visits, so we were able to move about and find good vantage points easily.

Before too long, however, the number of people had increased dramatically and if you left a spot it was quickly occupied. And more folks were spilling into the parade route for photos or just making their way to a different location. By the time we were ready to leave - we had seen all the floats and performers and the noise was just too much - it took us a while to thread our way through the densely packed boulevard to get to the exit.

I mentioned at the beginning of this missive that this is our 3rd opportunity to enjoy the Loulé Carnaval parade and our impression is that, while it is still extremely well done, the number of floats and other participants are becoming fewer each year. It's such a wonderful tradition one hopes, if our impression is correct, that this is not a trend that continues.

Though in this photo we are leaving there are still many images I would  like you to see, so I'll be back with another post on this Carnaval.

Saturday number two - Portugal 2014

This is our second Saturday in Albufeira and it is a day of rest for us between our fairly vigorous exercise during yesterday's visit to Portimão and Praia da Rocha and Sunday's trip to Loulé for the Carnaval parade.

No beach visit this morning due to the unpleasant weather and as we approach evening dark clouds are once more rolling in so possibly no beach this evening either.

But, not to worry. As you can see, for those who like beach sunrises and sunsets and beach images in general, I have a few photos from earlier days that I have included and I hope will be of interest in spite of some of the similarities among them.


Remember, click on the photos for a larger image.

It's not a bad day for a rest as it has been overcast, very windy and with light precipitation off and on for most of the day. Our hope is that today's Carnaval parade managed to escape any rain and that tomorrow it will as well.

Because we have been under the impression that Monday is a holiday, I walked to the supermarket, with dark clouds threatening, to pick up some things for Tuesday dinner - it turns out that Tuesday, not Monday, is the holiday so I could have done the shopping on Monday - but it is done and I didn't get rained on so I'm free on Monday.

If the weather is kind tomorrow and I get some good photos of the parade there will be some quite different, hopefully interesting, images for the next post.

See you after Carnaval.

Portimão/Praia da Rocha - Portugal 2014

No beach this morning - today is a bussing and exploring day. Left a bit before 8 am to catch the local Albufeira bus to get to the bus terminal where we boarded the Eva bus for Portimão to check it out along with nearby Praia da Rocha. The latter is apparently a well known beach town, attracting thousands of beach seekers every year. Portimão, said to be home to about 37,000 folks, is about 45 - 50 minutes from Albufeira by bus and we arrived there bearing a map provided by our JMV rep and prepared to explore. 

It was a beautiful sunny, pleasantly warm day - t-shirt and shorts for the middle of the day for me - and the bus deposited us immediately adjacent to the expansive promenade that extends for about a kilometre, or likely more, along the river Arade (Rio Arade). After getting organized and walking along the promenade (sorry, no photos) we decided that we would walk the stated 1.3 kilometres to Praia da Rocha. The question arose about which route to take - the one suggested on the map or the "wing it" route and, after some discussion, we decided to take a route the destination of which we had no idea. It took us by a decaying old Monastery of St. Francis and past a well guarded naval establishment (because it has a good sheltered harbour along the Rio Arade which empties into the nearby Atlantic ocean, it has been an important shipping and naval location as far back as the Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians and the Romans, who knew Portimão as Portus Magnus) and onto a very walkable stone paved path. We met several walkers and bicyclers along the way so we grew increasingly confident that we would end up in Praia da Rocha, which we did but the walk was substantially longer than 1.3 Km. 

Praia da Rocha

Picture a very wide, pristine beach (see photo) rimmed by seemingly endless high rise apartments, hotels and/or condominiums.

Where the beach meets the non-beach there is an excellent boardwalk the length of which we know not because we didn't walk the full distance, but it would appear to continue to the extent of the beach. 

And along that boardwalk are cheek by jowl eating and drinking places all very organized and quite interestingly designed. 

Sorry, no photos of these places but we did have a very tasty crepe with chocolate and banana at one of them, and at that place we sat at some interesting tables, of which there is a photos.

At intervals along the main boardwalk there are mini-boardwalks extending perpendicularly toward the ocean.

Walkers on the breakwater

At one end of the beach, near the breakwater, there is a sand soccer area and a basketball court both seemingly equipped with lights for night play. If you look closely at the photo of the beach (the first photo at the top with rocks in front) you might be able to make out the sloping light standards that look a bit like billboards, which indeed they are, each sporting on the back a full size ad for something.

When we were ready to wend our way back to Portimão we were tiring so thought we would try to find the purported 1.3 Km route, only to find that we had lost our map somewhere along the way :-( So we had to wing it once more, again with success, but the walk was a bit more difficult and we felt, longer than 1.3 Km. When we arrived back in Portimão while looking for a cafe we passed this well preserved chimney stack, presumably from a long gone factory. On the top was a large stork nest with a stork sitting on the edge. Just as I was about to take this photo the stork retreated into the nest, so no stork for you to see - but trust me, there was a stork there.

After assuring ourselves where to get the bus home, we found a small outdoor restaurant where we had drinks (coffee and orange juice) and an expensive couvert (bread, black olives and a variety of cheeses and a couple of different patés. ) After we sat down and ordered a couple sat at the table next to us and the man was wearing a Tilley hat, so pretty certainly a Canadian. The Tilley hat triggered conversation and we discovered that they are from Mount Hope - only a few kilometres from Dundas!

After food and conversation, we walked a bit more of the promenade, picked up a pastry to stave off hunger on the way home and made our way to the bus stop.

I have refrained from mentioning that, at intervals along most of the promenade were some quite beautiful large stone sculptures, the products it seems, of recurring  contests over recent years. My hesitation in mentioning them is, I am sorry to say, that for reasons I don't understand, I took no photos of any of them. You would have liked them, but to see them you will need to visit Portimão yourself.

Beach, Old Town and Trȇs Palmeiras - Portugal 2014

As Calvin (of Calvin and Hobbs) says, "The days are just packed!" I have been so busy (see photo right) that I did not have time for the blog yesterday. 

Tuesday we met Ana, our JMV rep, who had not had the time to get the information we were hoping for concerning out visit to Sétubal. One of her Canadian clients died over the week-end so she was very busy trying to work out arrangements for the family.

(The sunrise photo below was made a few days ago but didn't get posted. I like it so I decided to post it today. Once again a fisherman - they seem to be everywhere!)

Sunrise looking toward Faro

Ana did, however, provide some of what we need, including a map, for our one day visit to Portimão and Praia da Rocha - the latter is a beach and town by the same name which is close to Portimão. We plan to visit the bus station Thursday to scope out the bus schedules etc., and likely buy the tickets for the trip on Friday.

Did a bit of grocery shopping to replenish the larder and came home. We often go to a small "supermarket" like this one mostly because it is closer to home and, though a bit more expensive, it is more convenient when we are just picking up a few things.

Tuesday evening as usual I was at the beach for sunset and it was the best since we have been here so have included one image below - once again a fisherman was conveniently present. 

Tuesday evening sunset

Wednesday morning at the beach was very pleasant - warmer than most mornings so far though the sunrise was less than spectacular. As is often the case, there was a fisherman on the breakwater so he was the object of several photos. Unlike the others I have seen, he was a bit more adventurous, going quite far out, even close to the end of the breakwater. 

The tide is lower at sunrise now so it is less dangerous out on the breakwater, but even so there were still some quite large waves washing over it.

He seemed to know what he was doing though, skillfully moving around to avoid being swept off by some unpredictably (to me) large wave.

Took a lot of photos in order to get a few keepers, two of which are included.

Spent a good part of the morning culling through the images and did a bit of processing on a few. In the afternoon we went into old town, I on the beach and Ruth by bus to meet at the bottom of the escalators. If you are in a hurry, walking on the beach is as tiring as walking in the snow - but, given the choice, I'll take the beach. The objective of this outing? Stamps, postcards and other mailing equipment. And for a visit to Sir Harry's for drinks and other necessities - like healthy apple pie. Then, home again with a stop at the Modelo (the larger supermarket) once again for things we neglected to get yesterday. It's really all about eating.

Wednesday was the "anniversary" of our arrival, so we decided to celebrate and eat out at the Trés Palmeiras (the Three Palms) restaurant about 2 blocks from our apartment. We had an excellent meal - blackened scabbard with banana and monk fish kebab with rice and veggies - both very tasty.  

Ever seen a monk fish? It's a bottom feeder with huge jaws and dangerous looking teeth. Doesn't look tasty does it? But looks are deceiving, as they say.

Tomorrow is our day trip to Portimão and Praia da Rocha. Will let you know how it goes.

The daily routine review - Portugal 2014

On the way to the beach

We are starting to settle into a bit of a routine now so here is where you get the really boring day to day not much happening stuff. In the morning I'm down at the beach in time for sunrise with camera in hand hopefully ready to find something interesting to capture. Usually a walk happens somewhere during the day then back to the beach for me around sunset before dinner. 

Remember - to see a larger image, click on the photo of your choice.

In the evenings some reading (Ruth), cleaning up in the kitchen (me) and then possibly a game of crib or listening to podcasts or music.

Old Town Albufeira in the distance

Michael gave me one of those small portable speakers - Jambox - which connects by bluetooth to my iPod, where I have stored a lot of CBC podcasts - Ideas, Tapestry, etc. as well as some music. So a pretty good store of evening entertainment in the absence of any TV or radio. There are two TV sets in the apartment but, like TV at home, not much to watch, and nothing in English.

So, this morning, Monday, it was cool but clear and following the mild storm last night, the ocean was demonstrating its power, vigorously pummelling and eroding the rocks on shore and creating lots of spray and spume. 

I know these crashing waves images can be boring but I like them so I include them for me and anyone who might be interested.

This a good morning to try to get some interesting wave action images so I waited patiently for the "sétimo onda(s)" to make contact with the rocks at just the right time. (Sétimo onda means seventh wave and the conventional wisdom suggests that the seventh wave is the largest in a series of waves.) I made nearly 100 photos in the hour or so at the beach and was able to toss about 60 or 70 fairly quickly. Spent a good part of the morning working with the remainder and found a few worth keeping.

Plenty of foamy spume

"And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,

And flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea gulls crying."

John Masefield.

Central Square in Albufeira

After lunch Ruth took the bus to the shopping centre to pick up some necessities and I walked into town hoping to pick up some maps for Portimão and Sétubal at the travel information centre only to find it closed! Open Tuesday - Saturday, closed Sunday and Monday. So, I headed back toward home, stopping at the bakery along the way with vary dark rain clouds moving in - I managed to get to the bakery and home without getting wet. Took a few photos in town along the way, nothing too interesting but a couple included.

Walked by this house with a nice little garden of flowers.

Dark clouds threatening

Tuesday we meet with our JMV rep and hope to get the info about our proposed trips to Portimão and Sétubal.

Meeting in Old Town and future plans - 2014

View out our window :-)

Saturday - a beautiful sunny day though cooler than I would like.

Remember, for a larger version of any photo, click on it.

Slept in today and missed the sunrise so, for variety, I decided to walk the beach to "old town" this morning around 7:30 am. I'm not sure how far it is  to town, but over a Km, and only a few people  on the beach and interestingly quiet in town as well. 

Old pier 

Old pier again

When you reach the old town you pass the old pier and walk onto a large open space that used to be the beach area where the fisherman hauled their boats out of the water after a day or night of fishing. It is now covered over with large paving blocks, like the ones in this photo below, and there are no longer any boats to be seen.

This area is very hilly and this part of the old town is in a low area so to get to our apartment hotel on roads we used to have to walk up quite a steep hill to get to the adjacent high ground. Three or four years ago, the town, wishing to spare tourists the exercise of walking down to and up from the old town, decided to put in an outdoor escalator - actually two escalators, which you can see in the photo which looks across the plaza. 

They definitely make the trip up and down much easier. But I can't imagine the maintenance, what with rain and beach sand, especially in the summer when this relatively sleepy town of 25,000 or so, swells to 100,000 or more! Or so "they" say.

So, I took the escalator up out of "old town" on my way back to the apartment for breakfast.

Then some reading, photo processing, blog writing and before I knew it it was lunch time. In the photo below we are looking back from the top of the first level escalator to the lower level of old town.

As Ruth was having a bit of discomfort in her hip we decided on a shorter walk with no hills. So, we went to the "strip" - an ugly tourist trap area with shop after shop of junk - but Ruth wanted some sunglasses, hence the purpose of our visit to this depressing place.

After dinner I went to the beach to make a few photos and while doing so got careless and was caught by a surprisingly vigorous wave which submerged both legs to mid calf! That ended my beach outing.

A bit about our meeting with the J.M. Vacations rep a couple of days ago when we discussed 3 trips we hope to take - first is our short bus ride next weekend to the town of Loulé for the Carnaval parade, Portugal's version of Mardi Gras. Second is a trip to Portimão, a nearby town reputed to be of some interest, which we plan to visit in early March.

When we were in the Toronto airport waiting for flight departure a fellow passenger noticed Ruth using her iPad. Apparently he had bought an iPad a week ago and, as he was still at the beginning of the learning curve and having difficulty, he was delighted to find someone who seemed to know what she was doing. They had a short lesson about iPad use about which he seemed very grateful. In turn he mentioned a place in Portugal that he had visited and enjoyed and thought we might like - a place near Lisboa called Setúbal (apparently pronounced "schtoobal". We checked it out on line and with our JM rep who, it turns out, was born there! She highly recommends it and will explore transportation and a place for us to stay. Our current plan is to visit Setúbal for 3 days in late March.

More than enough for now.

17,490 steps Saturday.

First Post from Portugal - 2014

One view from our rooms

There is absolutely nothing worth reading in this post so you can just look at the photos if you like. And remember that you can see a larger version of any photo by clicking on it.

Wednesday, our arrival day, was essentially lost in the fog of too little sleep during our 6.5 hour flight. I do know that it was a beautiful sunny day and the temperature on arrival at 7:30 am was 12º C on its way to 16º C! Not much accomplished but we did go for a couple of short walks to the bakery and a mini mercado - a small grocery shop - to pick up some stuff for lunch and dinner.

In fact, much of a cool, off and on rainy, Thursday was also consumed by shopping for groceries and bits of necessary kitchen equipment and other paraphernalia that our stingy apartment/hotel owners fail to provide. And because we do not rent a car and are too parsimonious to hire a taxi, we have to make a few trips to the "super market" in order to bring home enough staple items such as sugar, salt and pepper, spices, vegetable oil, dishwashing soap etc. and day to day groceries to last a few days.

Sunset Wednesday evening

On our way home from the last shopping trip we were approached by a woman offering a promotional treat of waffles, fruit preserves and hot chocolate, so we took her up on it and enjoyed both the food and chat with the person who had invited us in. It turns out that she is from Germany, here helping her friend set up a small business which sells such things as "healthy drinks", ice cream, frozen yogurt, smoothies, etc.

So, we walked quite a bit yesterday and the good news is that Ruth was able to walk pretty much discomfort free - much improved from last year here and the more recent winter walking at home.

In the evening we rested while tensely following the scores, period by period, of the Canadian Women's hockey encounter with pesky American rivals, and went to bed overjoyed at the come back gold medal victory by the Canadian women! That's way it's supposed to be in women's hockey! Hopefully the men can do as well.

Beach frolickers

This is in the realm of way too much useless information, but we were very happy to find that we do not have to go to the bar for wi-fi! Our rooms are in a kind of "cul de sac" area that happens to be right adjacent to the bar but separated from it by by a permanent wall and a locked door - but close enough for us to access wi-fi - a service which seems now to be essential to life! And, if the stars are appropriately aligned and one holds one's mouth just the right way, we can occasionally get that critical set of curved lines while sitting in our living room! Life is good.

Sunrise Friday morning

Walked into old town today then back to the super market for a few more kitchen things and a few groceries for the weekend, then to the bakery for bread. Ruth walked all the way with minimum discomfort which is very encouraging!

More sunrise Friday morning

And, the beach! I did go to the beach, though briefly, Wednesday evening and had to share it with  a lot of other people, some cavorting in the surf. (See photos) But this morning I resumed my usual routine while here - I was on the beach in time for the sun's anticipated rising. Even though the sunrise was un-spectacular it was wonderful to be back there on the beach with only one fisherman with whom I had to share i

More about trips being considered next

15, 500 steps today!