winter in algarve: almond blossoms and cave explorations with friends!
holga, fuji neopan 400
Category: algarving
Categories
via algarviana
we learnt to hike and love the mountains in slovenia… the solitude, the view and good food at the top of the hills, the clean air stretching our lungs, the dirt in our shoes and the sore, tingling legs on the days after. it’s hard and yet it’s so easy — one foot in front of the other, until you reach your destination. no distractions and no giving up in the middle… nowhere to escape but into our own minds and the greenness that surrounds us.
we picked the south mostly for the good weather year-round — the hills and mountains came as an added bonus, one that we might end up enjoying more than the beach itself. the via algarviana, the path that runs the length of algarve really is the cherry on top of the cake.
the scenery here is remarkably different from the one in slovenia. instead of glacial valleys, we straddle the serra and the barrocal, through the cork and holm oaks, strawberry and olive and almond trees, beehives and small vegetable patches.
300km of well-marked paths, with lots of circular one-day detours for when the mood strikes.
last year we walked section 4 with friends, and the circular path in marmelete on a separate occasion, and i look forward to logging many more miles in 2016!
a curious cat in cacela velha.
ps – oh hey look! we’ve just crossed a full whole year of this series! :)
Categories
abatanado
not being able to drink milk has made me crave a longer caffeinated drink to replace my beloved meia de leite, one that i can warm my hands on and take my time drinking. espressos are nice, but a bit too short. so over the years, i’ve turned to americanos or long black coffees, to scratch my itch.
when we moved back to portugal though, i thought my days of americanos were over. the portuguese are a bit set in their ways, and the right way to drink coffee is always an espresso — period. that is what “a coffee” is, around here. so imagine my surprise when, a few months after moving here (and already resigned to my fate), i heard someone ahead of me in the café ask for something that sounded funny… and receiving exactly what i wanted! a looooong-expresso-on-a-tea-mug kind of drink! :D
i pointed to the other lady’s cup and said “i want that as well… what do you call it?“, and the barista explained it was an a-ba-ta-na-do. oh, happy happy day! it existed! it had a name! :D
look at all that caffeinated beauty! next to it, the boy’s espresso looks tiny in comparison:
i don’t remember anyone mentioning abatanados in the north of the country, but everyone seems to know them here in the south, which suits me fine! it has become my #1 coffee drink, when outside of the house, and i’m really happy to have inadvertently stumbled on it! *glup* :)
a very hot day in vila real de santo antónio, some months ago.