Out walking on Monday morning I saw a signpost on the beach with Portuguese instructions translated into “English” :
Respect the instructions
of the rescuing swimmers
Respect the flag signs
Swim along the coast
Watch the children
Keep the beach clean
Another example of a bit of translation work done by someone’s cousin!
I’ve been going out for a brisk morning stroll instead of running as I don’t have my running gear with me. I returned to the hotel and eventually we went down for breakfast,only to find that the breakfast room was all locked up. Were we too late? it was only 10.00. No, it turned out that the hotel is officially closed until Wednesday but they have kept some rooms open as a favour to the chess tournament organisers.
The helpful receptionist recommended a pastelaria on the sea front, Dionisio. It was closed. Maybe because today in All Saints. We went elsewhere and had a decent enough coffee and a very stodgy croissant. Most unsatisfactory!
On Sunday I bought dinner tickets from the ever so helpful Patricia at the tournament. These entitle us to cheap meals at the Caçarola 2 restaurant in the town centre. Unfortunately, again perhaps because of it being All Saints Day, the place was full. We would have a 30 minute wait. So we went back to Buzia and had soup, salmon, chips and salad, with a glass of wine, all for under 20 euros. It would have been better not to have had the company of a garrulous retired sailor who wanted to try out his English on us - almost as limited as my Portuguese - but I guess you can’t win them all!
The sun shone beautifully all day. Just as well as we had to have lunch on the terrace as the Buzia was very full.
The family back on England reported heavy rain and even hailstorms. Trains were apparently cancelled from London Euston to the north of the country because of the stormy weather. Even some people going to the COP26 meeting had to evacuated from a stranded train. Not so those who turned up in jet planes. The latter were not setting much of an environmental example!
According to this report one third of England’s flood defences are in private hands.
In some cases, the town councils concerned don’t know who is in charge of their flood defences. How did we let that sort of thing happen? It’s another bit of craziness!
But …
Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!
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