APAPS 24.02; Rio Arade 2024 07 10

 

 Another brief pictorial record of this week´s walk. The Arade River, with a full tide and with no wind, was like a mirror, which made for some very tempting shots.

 Six starters only.

Like a mirror, as I said.

Action Man was back, after an absence of a few weeks. The ladies held his hands.

Then it was across the Roman Bridge and past the increasingly smart Ponte Romano hotel.

Then along the river bank.

Then past Quinta do Mata-Mouros whose long wall had recently been newly white-washed, in honour of a family wedding so we were informed.

A bit further along the track, looking across the river towards Clube Nautico, we caught sight of a very large raptor high up in the sky.

 Lesley, our in-house bird expert, could not immediately identify it but with her binoculars was able to say it had a white head. After the walk, she texted to say that she was pretty certain that it had been a griffon vulture, and these pictures that I was able to take confirmed that.

 "Able to take " from the internet is what I mean, Yves, just in case you were wondering.

Shortly after that my I hour alarm rang just when we had reached the Villa Pura Vida, to remind me to turn for home in order to be back at the breakfast rendezvous by 09.30. (You can have a video guided tour of Villa Pra Vida if you look it up on Facebook.) 

At this point Janet began to really step up the pace and she had to be gently restrained in case we got back to Silves too soon.

Passing Quinta do Mata.- Mouros again, we found a gate open for once and were able to look inside at a rather elegant storage house

Nearer Silves, we were still too early so I decided on a diversion. Rather than return by the same road as we had come, we would go round the large river meadow in Silves and go under the Roman Bridge. First a bit of bramble avoidance was necessary

Then the meadow and the bridge.

Although still under repair, the stonework looked quite solid.

And so back in good time.

The Track and the Statistics

The Breakfast

Our tracks may get shorter and our speed slower but the canecas stay the same size, thank

goodness.

As we sat down to breakfast at Café Plazza Pizza (to use its idiosyncratic spelling), somebody wondered aloud where Rod was and if he had returned to Silves. And there, suddenly, he himself was, come to check up as usual on how we ere conducting ourselves. He regaled us with tales of his latest visit to sunny England while we ordered our food.

Four had the English Breakfast which was OK apart from the rather dubious sausage offerings.

Hazel had simple bacon, eggs and tomato, which was probably a better option.

Lesley had an omelette which looked OK but I have had no critique.

There was ample toast but of the Bimbo variety which did not enthuse us greatly.

We may need to return to Café P P quite often for APAPS meals given our dwindling numbers and the falling away of two of our breakfast providers but at least it is economical and their menu does afford one a lot of choice.