Friday, November 1, 2019

Cortela to Salir

I  loved this hotel.  The first night I had grilled chicken breasts and French fries cooked in something evil.  The second night the owner recommended the squid so I ordered it.  It was okay but it was a huge order.  I forgot to put a baggie in my purse so I wrapped a lot of it in a napkin and put it in my cloth purse.  Forgot about it until the next morning.  Now my purse smells like dead fish. EEEugh! And last night I  ordered the chicken and fries. I saved half of the chicken and two slices of bread for lunch today.  Made a great picnic.  And the chicken was fairly garlicky.  Yum.


I had yesterday off.  A welcome relief.  I walked just a little way up and down the road that my hotel faced.    I asked the owner of the hotel if there were any towns nearby and he laughed.  Hmmm.
I love these tiled scenes.  I see them all over Spain and Portugal.


These figures are made out of cork.   This is a big area for cork, olives and citrus fruits.


A typical modern house but most houses are located inside the thick stone walls.


Solar power on top of my hotel room.  You know, I like to think we in the U. S. are the be-all, do-all top of the world in everything progressive but we are sucking swamp water in terms of solar power.  I am in these little villages in Portugal and 150-year-old shacks have solar power. I don't have kids but for your kids and grandkids' future, we need to move into the solar power world. Sorry for the lecture. I just hate being second and we are so far below second, they had to create aa new page.


This is an evacuation map in case of a fire.  My mother lives in Florida and my close friend Cindy lives in California.  I can't imagine anything scarier than running from a fire.  Do we have signs like this?  All I know is that everyone gets on the interstate and no one can move.


I first thought this was a windmill but it was some sort of grain storage. It was sitting on top of a sizeable mountain.  Yes, I had to climb up it. Pant Pant...Gasp Gasp.


The scenery just doesn't look as good in a photo as it did in real life.


See the little green tent.  There was somebody, necked (naked for you cultured types) walking up to it.  I was too far away to decide for sure if it was a man or woman but I first guessed the butt cheeks were male but then when he/she darted into the tent, I decided it must be female since most (many) males couldn't care less if you get a free peep.



LOOK! A yellow arrow.  Not the normal type of marker for this hike but so beloved by all who have hiked a Camino.


Another one of those crocheted tree covers.  Still don't understand why?


If only all of my hotels had signs leading me to them.


This is cork piled up high from the local trees.


Today is a National Bank Holiday and folks are resting.


My beautiful hotel for tonight.


I have my own little hacienda, overlooking the gardens.  I sat out here all afternoon.  I got in about 2:00 after a light 11-mile day.  Well, there was plenty of up and down but comparatively speaking, it felt like a walk in the park.  


There was an aviary in the gardens with these beautiful birds.  




When was the last time you saw a see-saw?  I remember if your friend fell, or jumped off, you hit the ground in a hurry but knowing my kid personality, I probably jumped off more often and giggled when they hit the ground.


What a wonderful dinner I had.  How often do we forget that sometimes the simple things are the best? Today was a holiday so Mae explained that she would not be able to give me the normal dinner but she could prepare something simple, like an omelet and a salad. It was a French omelet with cheese.  You know the French omelets are flatter and not puffy like our American ones  They are also rolled rather than flipped.  Just what you always wanted to know.  LOL  The salad, picked right out of the garden in the back was lettuce and tomatoes, a little onion, apples, and pomegranates. I saw a pomegranate tree on the property.  It was lightly seasoned with vinegar and olive oil.  So tasty.  For dessert, she provided sliced oranges with a tiny sprinkle of cinnamon sugar. It was as good a meal as I have had in many a fancy restaurant. She also gave me a pot of tea.  Camomile?  The fresh leaves were in the pot and it tasted good so I will sleep like a baby tonight.

So I sign off here.  Tomorrow is another day and another mile or two or fourteen.  Boa Noite!






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