Looking at Figueira.

We continue to be blessed with fine weather so far. I think some rain is forecast for later today but it was fine down on the beach first thing, watching the waves roll in. You need to walk a long way out across the beach to reach the ocean. I don’t know whether it was always so far out, whether the withdrawal is natural or the result of land reclamation. Much of the land seems to be planted with hardy grasses and plants - reclamation is clearly going on.

Until last year there were huge prints of old photos on the closed shopfronts on the promenade, dating from the first half of the 20th century by the look of the fashions. They showed fishing boats on this stretch of beach, the beach covering what is now the promenade and some shots of a lido. This year they have disappeared, which is a shame. No doubt the originals are available somewhere but I used to like to stop and examine them. 

From the beach you can see the serried ranks of high rise buildings, not so high rise as in some seaside places, maybe 5 or 6 floors, with the exception of the Sweet Atlantic Hotel, which towers over the rest, just sneaking in on the right hand side of my photo. But even the not-so-high-rise is rather ugly in its modern way. 

 

And then at the estuary end of the promenade are the old buildings, Figueira’s iconic buildings, lovingly restored and looking very elegant. Our hotel is housed in one of these but is quite reasonably priced. Another houses the “Posto do Turismo”. And one seems to be high quality apartments for sale.

 

From our hotel window you can see the old fort, now usefully labelled “FORTE”, in case you don’t realise what it is. Just beyond it is the fig tree, for which I assume Figuera da Foz is named.

 

As we have wandered the streets of the town over the years we have often wondered about what looks like an old windmill, hidden behind the bullring. The other day we explored a side street that went closer to it and took some pictures. Another fortress? A windmill? Maybe a lighthouse? I have no idea.

Yesterday we lunched at a small, apparently family-run restaurant on the road that runs parallel to the river. “O Cais do Heleno”, Heleno’s Wharf, named for its owner, Abel Heleno, is a lovely place we discovered a few years ago and have kept returning to. They have no printed menu but seem to serve whatever fish is available. Yesterday was the biggest salmon steak imaginable. It’s a good job We only ordered one serving and a salad to share! The meal cost us just under €25, presumably because the place is a little off the beaten track. 

That end of town has a lot of quite grand old buildings, some in need of a little restoration, more repainting than restoration. I suspect that this area alongside the river was quite prosperous in the early days of the town. I should maybe do some investigating. A new project for me, perhaps.

Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!