Artists and poets still find life’s meaning in a glass of wine. ~Joy Sterling
It is known that grapes were already cultivated in the Douro region around four thousand years B.C. and with the arrival of the Romans in the first century A.D., agriculture became a major activity of the region. While the politics of the region may change throughout history, grapes and wine production remain to be a pretty big deal. I’ll drink to that!
Saturday, August 11, 2018: Casa Fernanda to Ponte de lima. We sadly bid farewell to our new friends at Casa Fernanda and embark on a short, but hot 12 kilometer day. It’s as though the hills are singing to us as we walk from one festival to another.
Below is a short video of Day 6:
A line of RV’s from all around Europe are parked along the river take on the duties of “Welcome Wagon” as we enter Ponte de Lima, so it took a while to visit with the gang. It’s hot and we have been told the Municipal Albergue de Pereginos doesn’t open its doors until 5 p.m. All the time in the world, right?
Wrong… Randy makes the trip across the bridge (While Joan and I have a cold beverage) to check out the bed situation and discovers Albergue de Peregrino opens at 4 p.m. and he is encouraged by camino friends to get our bags in line ASAP! We quickly get all of our bags across the bridge and get in line for beds. When the doors do open we stand in a long, slow line for well over an hour, but it’s worth it as we do get beds.
All low beds and we have a beautiful view… A-a-a-ah-h-h-h.
August 9, 2018: Joan, Randy & Joyce take on Camino Portuguese Day #4 | 18 kilometers
A good day becomes great…the walk from Sao Pedro de Rates to Barcelos along the central route includes a photo opportunity with Elvis, the King of Rock & Roll.
As we enter the Barcelos town square we hear music and see the festivities. Is this their way of welcoming weary pilgrims? No, wait! It’s Thursday, the traditional market day, Feira de Barcelos. Why wait until the weekend?
Poor Tiina, our Finnish friend, is having ankle issues so came in later that day. Joan is the hero as she marks a bottom bunk ready for Tiina’s arrival at Albergue Cidade de Barcelos.
The grocery store is apparently having a sale on Bacalao, salted dried codfish. Reminds me of lutefisk with a better smell, consistency and taste.
Below is a short video of Camino Portuguese Day #4:
We welcomed the makers of Hen House Wines, along with their signature products, to explore inner artistic qualities. What better activities to pair than painting and wine.
Step #1: Open the wine.
I was impressed with the efficiency they demonstrated as the official bottle opener fired up the “power tool” style corkscrew. The speed of this handy little device made by Oster meant the first step was a piece of cake. This group means business!
Step #2: Lightly sketch the design outlines.
Confidence increased with each stroke of the pencil… I can do this!
Step #3: Fill in the background with the acrylic paints. Thin with water, as needed (or wine if it spills onto your canvas… it works).
A seed customer pulled in during this step, but the crew just rolled with the flow as they painted and chatted away until their instructor returned.
Step 4: Fill in the petals with paint color of choice and use a darker hue to shadow and outline. Accent with lighter hues.
This step took a little longer, so there was ample time visit and discuss area current events and history.
Step 5: Fill in the center and give it some texture by dabbing with the brush.
Almost finished…
Ta Daaaa! All in a day’s work.
Thanks for the fun evening, especially since I was able to just sit back and drink your intellectually satisfying wines.
A-a-a-a-h-h-h ~ This is the life.
RJMeyerArts 