“We’re built to walk. We’ve been wired by natural selection to absorb meaning from our days at the loose-limbed gait of three miles an hour. And whether we count ourselves cursed or lucky to be standing on the Earth at this frenetic moment in our history—I, for one, would choose no other time to be alive—reasonable arguments abound to slow down. To pause in our tracks, the way a local Afar pastoralist named Idoli Mohamed does, arms folded akimbo atop hand-greased acacia sticks. To watch. To listen. To glance over our shoulders, seeking older compass bearings.”
– Paul Salopek
from his National Geographic Out of Eden Walk
August, for many people in Portugal, means holiday time. And so, since my sister and niece arrived from Spain, where they live, for a two week visit, I decided it is best to adopt the customs of the land and take a break myself. Although my vegetable garden demands some attention, I am limiting all quinta work to a minimum, and instead drag them along to all the places in the area I’ve been longing to explore. With the current heat wave sweeping through the country, we venture out early in the morning, but make sure we are back around lunch time to hide in an airconditioned space to talk, cook, and take siestas.
A visit to Termas de Águas Radium (above), a now abandoned spa complex, which hail back to a time when people thought radioactive water had healing properties, provided us with many interesting photo opportunities.
Portuguese Words:
férias – holidays / vacation
férias de verão – summer holiday
a onda de calor – heat wave
calor – heat
quente – hot
Note:
I hope to, at some point in the future write more extensive blog posts about the places we are visiting. For now, I am taking a break to relax, explore, and enjoy the company.
Written by: Jolandi
Ahhh, that pool of water looks so refreshing and relaxing! Enjoy your break! I think with the hot weather and the doldrums that often come with it, August is an excellent time to go on vacation.
It was such a great break from my usual daily rhythm, Hangaku. – Jolandi
I had the very same thought about the rock pool. I wish I had something similar to resort to on a hot day.
Enjoy your break.
Best wishes,
Tanja
That pool was wonderful, Tanja. I’m not a big fan of swimming, but it was just what I needed after our hike. – Jolandi
I hope you are having a wonderful time with your sister and niece, Jolandi. Enjoy the company and the outings and I look forward to reading all about it later.
Best wishes,
Clare xx
Thank you for the lovely wishes, Clare. It was wonderful to explore with them. – Jolandi
Looks and sounds lovely! xo Enjoy the time off.
It was a lovely break, Lani. Now it’s back to find my old rhythm again. – Jolandi
Enjoy that break and don’t even answer this! 🙂 Refreshing one’s body and soul is a wonderful practice!
I completely agree, Lex. The break did me good. – Jolandi
Hello Jolandi, I do hope you are enjoying time away from the world of pixels and taking in every moment of your well-deserved vacation 🙂 Please give Michael our best.
It was wonderful to break away from “the world of pixels” for a while, Takami. I should do it more often. – Jolandi
I had no idea some people in the past thought that radioactive water had healing properties. We humans seem to have always been and will always be interested in trying anything that is said to heal us. But taking a break is undoubtedly one of the best ways to do this. I hope you had a nice one with your sister and niece.
Neither did I, until I did a bit of research. I should actually do a seperate post on it, as it is rather fascinating and incredible. We had a lovely time, Bama. As you, I’m sure know well, it is often more fun to explore with others than always on one’s own. – Jolandi