Thinking
As I write this post I am sitting in The Algarve in Portugal looking at this view.
It’s another pinch me moment but please don’t pinch me because my body is sore. My husband and I decided to do the walk of The Seven Hanging Valleys. We’d read about it online, friends had told us we HAD to do it and the start of it was literally on the doorstep of the place we were staying. At least that’s what we thought.
‘Let’s go early to avoid the heat of the day’ suggested my husband.
‘Good idea.’ I lathered myself with sunscreen, put on a hat and dress and sensible sneakers and we left. For some reason I also slung a bag over my shoulder.
The beginning of the walk was more a scramble than a walk. It was sheer rock face. Yes, that rock you see in the picture is what we climbed. There was no path, there were very few people, there was a lot of rocks. This was no place for a woman to be carrying a bag over her shoulder. But we had read so much about what is meant to be one of the most beautiful hikes in Europe so we clambered - also the views were more magnificent than any photograph could capture, which is good because I needed both hands to hold onto the rock face.
What felt like hours later we came to a big sign, the first we had seen, I was thrilled - maybe it was the half way point. But no, it was a sign signalling THE BEGINNING OF THE TRAIL This is good, we consoled ourselves - at least now there would be a trail to follow and we wouldn’t have to be rock climbing. Also the sign said it was a “medium” hike. Medium we could do.
Reader - it is not a medium hike and there was no trail. It was magnificent and breathtaking and awe-inspiring and we felt so lucky and privileged to be able to experience it. But it was hot and there was no path and there were no rails and there were sheer cliff edges and I am used to living in Australia where they barely let you stand on the beach without a railing, a paved footpath and 32 caution signs. Also I was still carrying a stupid handbag!
We walked for 9kms. We saw the most amazing scenery and I was awed by the nature around me. I was also very hot and quite tired and I had started to hate my bag with the intensity of a thousand fires.
When we got back to our hotel I marvelled at the ‘tan’ that I had picked up in a single day - I am a freckly woman who burns when the sun rises, but here I was, a lovely shade of brown. I stepped into the shower and watched the dirt wash down the drain.
It was a stunning experience and I am so glad nobody told me how tricky it was because I might not have done it…
Reading
Like everyone else in Australia I have just read Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty. There is a reason that everyone is reading it because Liane is a brilliant author who tells such a compelling story that you can’t help but get lost in it. She’s the kind of writer who makes me feel so lucky that I get to be a reader.
I was nervous about this book though because of the premise - if you knew when you were going to die what would you do differently? I’m squeamish (read petrified) about thinking of death - not my own but people close to me. Here One Moment tells the story of a woman who ‘predicts’ the age and cause of death of every person on a flight from Hobart to Sydney and then it follows these people (and the woman who made the predictions). I have to admit that I needed to google for spoilers at one stage because I was literally gulping the words and sitting on the edge of my seat and apparently that’s not a great way to relax.
If you have loved any of Liane’s books (and really who hasn’t) you will love this one.
Eating
Pastel de Nate. So many of them. They are everywhere in Portugal and Portuguese colonies, such as Brazil, Mozambique, Macau, Goa and East Timor. Who knew?
I may or may not have eaten too quickly to photograph the beauty of this delicious Portuguese custard tart so you have to put up with a photo of me scoffing it outside the shop because that’s the kind of patience I exhibit. I also lack the patience to take another photograph and delay sending this out…
I don’t eat meat or shellfish so eating in Portugal is er, tricky, but I could live on pastries so all is good. That said my husband often begs me to eat protein and I like to let him think I listen to him, so I ordered a tuna salad the other day and it came with tinned peaches and tinned pineapple in it. To some people that would be heresy - my sweet tooth deemed it one of the best salads I’ve eaten in months.
Thanks for reading - and travelling with me.