Touristy Spots

Another good Fitbit day! Lots of steps and stairs / elevation.

We didn’t exactly set out for it but ended up doing very touristy stuff today. Sunday of a Holiday weekend too so some of the spots were quite busy but we still managed to have another great day. And MAN! we can pack a lot of stuff in a day!

First couple stops were Miradouro just outside town. How many view points can we stop at i was wondering however; we had read the night before that these ones were extra special and they were – wasn’t just a parking pull out with a railing to take a picture, they were gardens and picnic area and of course the views too.

Next, a hike to a waterfall (Salto do Prego) and a loop back through an abandoned village. This wasn’t one of the most talked about hikes online so i was surprised to see how busy it was. It actually wasn’t too bad on the trails but quite busy at the waterfall itself. Even the chickens were out for the hike – for real, we saw one early on the trail (it was coming down the trail), there were more at the top and another one right down at the fall where everyone was -it knew where people were stopping for snacks! After the climb up to the fall, i figured we’d be going down since it’s a loop and we were heading back – WRONG! It kept going up even on the way back – i swear (yes i sometimes swear) it was a hike UP both there and back! As we were still climbing on the way back, i thought to myself (I would have said it out loud to Chelsea but she was too far ahead of me!) “too bad there won’t be any beers in the abandoned village”. Well WRONG again! The village is being restored, so far, there are 3 guests houses & A BAR (one table kinda bar). Who would have thought? As tempting as it was, i decided to wait til we were actually done the hike and back in the village …. probably a good thing because from there, it was a steep down on a sparsely stoned cobblestone road back to town. Note to self – you better make sure you’re packing light if you’re staying in the abandoned village, it’s a long way up to your room!

After the hike, we made our way back to the town of Farnas where we had been earlier in the week but this time we had dinner reservations tonight at 1800hrs. We were a couple hours early and decided to visit the garden that everyone had been raving about – it was a beautiful property with a hot springs pool but we didn’t use the pool, just wandered around the gardens. There was also some festivities happening in town, people had flower petals on the street in front of their houses, some with elaborate patterns and everyone had their best linens hanging out the windows to lean on when looking out on the street, kids were in their Sunday’s best. We asked what it was all about and got a general understanding that it was a Christian Holiday where ‘the saint’ (I think it’s the priest of some higher up dude) comes out and walks around the village. Well sure enough, on the way back from the garden and to dinner, we were right smack in the middle of it all so we got to watch the “saint” guy (& his very big entourage) walk through the streets on the flower petals! He almost made us late for our dinner reservation!

Dinner at Tony’s for a “Cozido” – a traditional stew-type meal cooked all day in the hot springs. It was a must do but didn’t compare to yesterday’s lunch at Maria’s! It was very meat heavy – pork, beef, chicken, chorizo sausages and even blood sausages! Potatoes, carrots, cabbage were the veggies. It was ok. Could have used a tons more salt and some herbs or spices! Not great but a tradition that we had to try. Whenever someone invites me for dinner and asks if there is anything i don’t eat, i answer ‘blood sausages’ cuz i eat anything and what are the odds anyone would serve blood sausages anyway? so if you’re wondering …. YES! I tried the blood sausages and I have to say, it wasn’t as bad as i remembered it to be as a kid but i think i will leave my answer as is if anyone asks me if there’s anything i don’t eat!

The next touristy stop on the agenda was the hot springs pools. I’m not a fan of getting in a hot bath with a bunch of strangers but when in Rome…. … I survived and will admit it was kinda nice too. Good way to end a busy day.

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