{"id":1982,"date":"2023-03-04T15:56:09","date_gmt":"2023-03-04T18:56:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/carmelbrennan.com\/carmel\/?p=1982"},"modified":"2023-03-04T15:56:11","modified_gmt":"2023-03-04T18:56:11","slug":"saturday-march-4th-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/carmelbrennan.com\/carmel\/saturday-march-4th-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"Saturday, March 4th , 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m in another coastal area in Almograve. It’s just unbelievable. What I love about this Alentejo coastline is the fact that you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got miles and miles of nature – no resorts (unlike the Algarve). It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s just nature; that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s why I guess it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s preserved to maintain the wildlife and natural resources. Every cove opens up to fabulous views.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Miles and Miles of Beach and Surf and Cliffs<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I was photographing a young man getting ready to surf. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve never actually seen somebody set up for surfing before. And I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t realize they waxed the board, for the opposite reason that you wax cross country skis. For example, the wax keeps you on the board, not slipping off. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s put on the top side of the board, which was interesting, because if not, you would definitely slip off the surface of the board when wet. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s just getting ready to set out ; he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s just gone down to the sand, pulling up his wetsuit as he goes and getting his board ready. I had to laugh- he had a cigarette before he went down to get into the water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Surfer and His coach<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Catching the wave<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n


The surfer used the current (I was told) to get him out far enough to get the ideal conditions. By using the current it only takes about 10 minutes to move far out to a spot where it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s perfect to catch a wave. I can see as I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m watching , the waves are building – it must be the time of the day. I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t believe the amount of strength it requires. This young man has only been surfing for a couple of years. The older man said he, himself has been surfing for over 30 years, and now as he is older he is much more cautious; and then another friend of his came by who lives in the area and he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s also been surfing about the same amount of time, 30 years.
Watching surfing exhausted me! I am now sitting in the middle of Almograve at Restaurante O Lavrador, having a soup and a beer! The waiter looks like a young Dustin Hoffman. Exactly the same smile. And I think he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the same height.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Almograve center- View from the restaurant patio<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Almograve Resident<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Regarding two of my friends who were to arrive here in town tomorrow afternoon- they are still under the Air Canada weather block at the airport in Toronto. I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t imagine having your Air Canada flight cancelled one day because of staff shortage, going home,coming back the next day for a flight, checking in, going through customs, getting on the plane and then sitting on the tarmac for six hours. Then, because of the weather, the flight is cancelled and you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re stuck in the airport because there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s no transportation back due to the weather!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what happened to my two friends who are on their way here to join me. I messaged them this morning thinking they were in Dublin ( in the same time zone as I am!) and they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re still stuck in Toronto. I know they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve also missed their connecting flight in Dublin as well as the hotel that was booked and paid for in Lisbon!! The expletives that came out of my friend’s Irene’s mouth were priceless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Travel can be so frustrating. I told them that they can stay a few days more to make up for the delay. My other buddies don’t arrive until the 14th of the month!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Miaow! Forget this blog mum…there’s me to pet!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m in another coastal area in Almograve. It’s just unbelievable. What I love about this Alentejo coastline is the fact that you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got miles and miles of nature – no resorts (unlike the Algarve). It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s just nature; that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s why I guess it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s preserved to maintain the wildlife and natural resources. Every cove opens up to … <\/p>\n

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