Soap opera

This mini soap opera at the Tavira Pousada de Juventude continues, as core cast stays put awhile ... drama more real for Diana, Joana, Paolo and Carlos, who guard the inmates as best they can ... perhaps the younger customers, the Juventude in the title, are livelier and more challenging than the current cast, mostly pensioners ... though being children of the dawning of the Age of Aquarius we have our rebellious moments ... perhaps wandering about far from home is proof of that ...

Cees starts early with the philosophy, musing on the importance of unconditional love in personal development ... Harald follows up at breakfast with an extract from his current reading "The Power of Now" ... these different forms of love a general topic ... Universal Love, the Ground of Being, Tao or whatever we name it, being accepted conceptually at least ... though living in harmony with it and avoiding the trap of trying to describe it perhaps a bigger challenge ...

Since yesterday's grey sky and occasional sharp showers are replaced by sunshine and light cloud, a decent walk before this afternoon's xray is in order ... Fuseta is the destination, with return trains at 11.55 and 13.15 ... so, a brisk trip, more or less non-stop, on mostly sandy tracks, stretches the legs and tops up the vitamin D ... all before lunch ...

The visit to the radiology place is a cultural experience of its own ... joining waiting rooms with locals, wondering what conditions folks were investigating ... some looking worried, of course ... anyway the picture was taken and a disc provided for the dentist to peruse ... another appointment needed before deciding next steps ... and Santiago starting to call ...

Rhythm

Interesting to review the writing to understand how the richest days are not always well conveyed to the readers ... finding the spaces to write while the mind is fresh not always easy and yesterday was not only full of walking, but talking too ... lots to process in the dialogue with Harald ... fit new information into current narratives ... hopefully open to new narratives as well ... anyway, by the time the walk, train trip and supper, swiftly thrown together from what was left in cupboard and fridge ... finding cooking and eating space in the rather small kitchen ... and then taking writer responsibilities seriously, throwing together some words with the photograph, before gratefully heading for bed ...

After breakfast with Marc and Harald, some more philosophy, before seeking out an organic farm shop on the edge of town, recommended by Julian ... there is a leaflet and a map, with the Aldi, handy for the nearby by-pass, as reference point ... luckily, since the leaflet seems the only concession to publicity, and sign posts absent, even at the entrance to the rather run down farmstead the organic gardener has rented ... all blown down by recent heavy winds ... meanwhile in Aldi, a decent selection of processed organic produce to complement the home grown fruit and veg ... two worlds converge perhaps?

Today is the 66th anniversary of the birth of Cees ... whose early career as a professional footballer in the Dutch second division was cruelly curtailed by injury ... other careers in related professions followed, physiotherapy, swimming teacher ... another sun seeking refugee from Northern Europe finding the energy of Tavira and its Pousada de Juventude congenial .... with occasional forays along the coast to other hostels ... Faro, Lagos, Arrifana and more ...

The early tourist season has started and plenty of couples from different countries in evidence (coupling being optimal for holidays maybe), along with the large group aspect, observed on the main street and appearing as a herd, following the leader, random locals and bloggers standing aside to avoid being trampled, or worse, being sucked into the parallel universe of commoditised tourism ...

The point of the title, as far as blogging goes, is that early introspection and reflection, combined with mid-morning drafting, later editing, some photos, and plenty of walking, of course, appears optimal ....

As preparations continue for a full on birthday party at 6pm, a short stroll to Santa Luzia for chocolate and cake is in order, since lunchtime rain has cleared ... a couple  of sunny days in the forecast, though not much help to English couple at adjacent table who are leaving tomorrow, after two weeks holiday with two days sun. .. a shame, though they seem sanguine enough,  probably having learned that whilst we cannot control the weather, we can control how we feel about it ...

Meanwhile reading continues with Kate Mosse's "Labyrinth", entertaining enough and introducing time slipping, our heroine Alice moving between her 2005 life, linked with that of 1209 ... in the always fascinating context of the Cathars of Languedoc. ..

A day on the Camino ...

...but not the unfinished business along the Via de la Plata ... this was the 25km leg of the Eastern Portugal Way, previously tried up the Serpa. ... and thanks to a diversion and the extra 3km to Vila Real to pick up the train, that's about 30km ... a good day's walking in sunshine and showers and in company with Harald, from Norway, a serious hiker ready for a decent stretch ... pictured with the latest addition to the Eastern Way, a handsome marker giving an idea of the scale of the task ahead ... if you choose to complete it, of course ...

Scandinavians well represented, with Danes, Anne-Marie and Ole checking out today, Gudmund still here after a flying visit to Seville for a casino ... and whose great question "If there had been no birds, would humans have decided to fly?" is left unanswered, like all the best questions ... Harald himself, though no Swedes or Finns so far ... are Finns and Icelanders Scandinavian? Hmm must ask Google about that one ...

Quiet in the hostel ... a French couple converse in the kitchen, names and photos yet to be obtained ...

Itchy feet a little happier, though it will be a week before they get going in earnest again, when Spring is properly sprung and, hopefully, teeth sorted for another few years ...

Sunny walk to Fuseta

Sun shows his face after going missing most of the past week or so ... looking fair for a while and the whole organism is game for a decent walk ... after breakfast it's off West along remembered route, swift enough without diversions for coffee, which comes after nearly two hours by the Ria Formosa nature reserve and a fish restaurant with 50 or more covers set for Sunday lunch ... on to Fuseta and checking train times find 20 minutes spare to pop into the shop for some eggs to add to the salad waiting in the fridge ... train shared with jolly group of English holidaymakers, heading for Tavira and some drinking ... though they are in their own bubble, so no space for philosophy ... pursued in the delightful silence of the three hour walk, seeing how the land has gratefully absorbed all the rain, preparing for drier days to come ... though not just yet according to the forecast. ..today a brief respite before rain returns ...

Back at the hostel, Julian, from near Brighton, is waiting to check in, having been west to Faro, Portimao, Lagos ... while Vento and Paco are waiting for the 4pm bus to Seville, having missed the earlier one ...

Anne-Marie and Ole, on holiday from Denmark, discuss things political and social while the thunder rumbles outside ... otherwise very quiet in the hostel ....

Interbeing and Fado

Blogger, the free platform from Google, requires ownership of the content and use of it to develop linguistic elements of ever growing artificial intelligence ... which means vigilance is essential to ensure that what was written, albeit with one finger on the tablet, appears on the screen, since auto-correct often substitutes what it already knows for words and expressions unrecognised ... perhaps this is how humans learn too? Anyway, the title of this post amusingly changes to "Intervening and Dado", which would make no sense to the stories to be told today ... though, who knows, maybe none of it makes much sense anyway ...

Vento, a lawyer from Colombia and his husband, Paco, a chef from Spain, share a glass of good Dao wine ... together 11 years already, and doubtless noticing major shifts in attitudes to sexual identity in that time ...

This morning's coffee meeting with Look, from the Almond Blossom Sangha, the Algarve department of Thich Nhat Hanh's Interbeing movement, with its monasteries around Plum Village, is very deep ... our first meeting since his partner of 32 years, Jane, passed last year ... the teachings on ongoing consciousness are discussed, the suffering involved in the practical experience palpable ... the eyes show it ... Thay himself using a wheelchair and able to communicate, though not verbally, spends summers in France, winters, wisely, in Thailand, where the weather is gentler. ..

After lunch with David and Marc, a cultural outing to a concert of Fado ... nice playing, singing rather shouty, though in tune as far as this untuned ear can tell ... a big space to fill in the church and she certainly manages to project into that space ... content rather a surprise, since previous information suggested Fado originated in the sadness of the economic emigration over generations ... maybe lightened a little for tourist consumption ...

Outside, the rain returns after a dry, albeit cloudy morning .... just in time to provide an extra challenge for the cyclists enjoying the weekend of the Algarve Bike Challenge 2018 ... whilst back at the hostel Gert has left for Faro and his bed has been taken by a young Dutchman who likes to sleep a lot, according to Marc, who is experimenting with black bean dahl. .. Marina has made bortsch. ..there is rice in the cupboard and fresh veg from the market this morning ... fresh air certainly improved the head last night, maybe skip the wine as a bonus tonight ...

Urinal Art ...

A rainy start and a wander eastwards ... capturing an amusing and cheeky artwork in the men's toilets at the shopping centre ... obviously some caution is required when taking photographs in public toilets, but it's quiet and all is well ... the other objective is to buy some small headphones to enable discreet video viewing, since there is WiFi at the hostel and several more days to stay there waiting for x-ray appointment to sort the teeth ... though enough breaks in the rain to enable some walking ... maybe a trip or two along the coast on the train ...

Johannes has been busy painting yellow arrows pointing to the Eastern Portugal Way and time for  a few kilometres along the route, through the salt pans, towards Castro Merim, where it swings left alongside the Guidiana ... long before that a cycle diversion is marked through a muddy tunnel, soon followed by a closed bridge and a choice of climbing over to see what's going on, turning back for the diversion, or just heading back to town ... and since lunchtime is approaching and there are leftovers in the fridge, that choice wins ... good to stretch the legs though, and clear the head ... a little muzzy in the mornings, whether due to lack of oxygen in 4 bed dorms, constant WiFi, red wine or full moon, is not clear ... maybe a combination ... Diana says she turns her family wifi off at night, which seems a sensible precaution ...

Gert has opened a window, wine may be moderated, WiFi and Moon beyond our control ... let's see ...

Meanwhile, Joana sends a link to "Walk With Me", the wonderful film from Plum Village ... watched thanks to WiFi, of course!

Oat Slime and other delicacies. ..

Marc experiences the joy of porridge for breakfast, after an early couple of coffees along the street. .. hostel has many good points and breakfast included in the price (rising to €14 today) is one of them ... quite substantial and fine if you like cereals, white bread, processed cheese and ham, butter, jam, plus a poor relation of coffee, which is the best in the world in the bars ... however, porridge is the healthier option and oats easily found in the shops. .. Marc's command of English is excellent, philosophy easily discussed ... porridge, however, requires translation and it turns out to be a very descriptive, literal combination of main ingredient and its texture when cooked .... oat slime ... mmmm yummy, though unlikely to catch on as an alternative in English ...

A trip to the market secures more fresh fruit and veg ... including some small purple sweet potatoes, perfect boiled in their skins and eaten with a little oil and salt ... learned from Aljesur, where they have an annual festival of sweet potatoes ...

And so to the dentist ... and another tv set with American cultural crap on ... with sub-titles, though nobody seems to be watching, harder to screen out the almost known spoken language, weirdly familiar voice, laying out the particular crime being explored in today's edition ... with perfect irony, this channel is CBS "Reality" ... which is the hell realm such rubbish creates ...

More comings and goings at the hostel, Nick, Ukrainian working as computer programmer and able to work remotely more or less anywhere ... another facet of the new economy ... Ophelia and boys return from trip along the coast ... one boy on tech as expected, but the other has found "The Curious Case of the Dog in the Night Time" in book form and seems engrossed ... Daniel, from Leeds, sometime pilgrim, lands in room 101 for a night, before returning to snowy England tomorrow ...

Heavy rain this morning has turned river red and very full ... windy enough, too, for the walk out to the Island, where the ferry is not working due to weather ... which changes rapidly as the wind picks up .... Nautical Club perfect spot to watch it  .... not at all as you may picture a Nautical Club dear reader ... no formal dress required, coffee just €0.70 and a slightly eccentric woman running the place ....