Ode to Olhão and other lovely places

We’ve been back in Olhão in Portugal this week, getting what I now see as an essential annual winter sunshine boost. Like last year, we’ve had glorious weather and I count my blessings that we’ve been so fortunate to have sunshine and almost cloudless skies every day so far.

Without a car or bikes, there are of course limits to what we can do, travel wise, so we’ve walked extensively, used the local train and explored a little by bus, which we hope to do more of. However, let’s not forget the boats (how could we indeed?). 

View from our hostel

Our first excursion was to the island of Armona in the Rio Formosa. Reached by ferry from Olhão, it’s  just under €3 return for a lovely trip of half an hour each way. Armona is a magical island where the only vehicles seem to be small maintenance jeep things made by John Deere tractors. Everyone who lives there gets around the island on foot or by bike. As for transporting goods, many of the houses have their own version of a pushcart parked outside. I was fascinated to see several men coming  to the ferry when we arrived, wheeling their carts to pick up goods their wives or friends had brought a across with them.

Armona at sunset

I think I could happily hole up on Armona or its neighbour, Culatra, for a winter. That kind of simple life appeals to my ideal of a pared down existence.

Back on the mainland and walking around, we noticed how there are hundreds of small cafés all over Olhão. Literally. These are very local, so the clientele seems to be people living very close by. There are always at least a few customers in each of them, the Portuguese being a very social people, but apparently they don’t all have loos (we tried), so normal rules for hostelries don’t apply. My claim is that it’s because they can just go home if they need to. What they do have is cigarette machines, something we no longer see in northern Europe, which makes it easy for Koos to feed his habit as long as he has the right change.

On Friday, we took the train to Fuseta, where we walked around the harbour, fascinated by the fishing boats with their skinny ropes. They barely look strong enough to hold a plastic bath duck, let alone a sailboat, cruiser or fishing craft. We were also intrigued to know how the owners get on board when their craft are moored several metres from the quay. And if on board, how to they get ashore? Our answer came when I saw a man in Fuseta pull his boat to the quay, jump on board to collect something and then when he was back on the quay, he pushed his boat out again with a big shove. No anchors were involved, just a weight to keep it in position when he stopped it. Amazing.

Apart from the somewhat ‘wish and a prayer’ style of mooring, I was also fascinated by the marina’s slipway, which was just constructed of lengths of wood, like railway sleepers. I’m not sure how they haul the boats up the ramp, though. The present incumbent looked as if it had been there awhile and wasn’t about to move.

Salt pans, another feature of this coastal area.

Another entertaining moment in Fuseta occurred when we walked down a side street and saw a local lady gesticulating in some agitation. She was standing over a manhole with a crushed cover, and was clearly concerned that someone might fall into it. Help arrived in the form of a council worker riding to the rescue on a 50cc scooter that was largely held together with duct tape, and I’m not exaggerating. He got off his steed, took out his weapon which happened to be a tape measure, and leant over the offending hole. Judging by the state of his scooter, we thought he must be measuring the opening to see how much duct tape he needed to fix the cover. Thoughts of Fuseta’s public structures being held together this way appealed to our sense of the absurd. Little things, eh? Here are a few more photos from our visit to Fuseta, a charming place as are many of these small Algarve towns.

Fuseta station

A fishing boat leaving the harbour

Village street, Fuseta

Well, that’s enough for the moment. I’ll write more next time as there have been other adventures and other sights, but for now, have a great week allemaal, and I hope the sun is shining in your hearts if not on your skin.