Five Feet, Nine Inches Above Ground

A winters day in Tavira may feature rain or cloud combined with wind and sunny breaks. Thursday, January 23 was that kind of day. We started out with tracking down the Church of Saint Francis which was less than two blocks from the apartment because of our intention of attending a concert in that venue on Friday evening. Unfortunately, the concert was postponed due to the illness of a performer according to the notice posted on the door.

There was a silver lining to that particular cloud because the adjacent walled garden was open on Thursday and it was truly a joy to explore especially when I realized i had visited it last year with Randy. The sky cleared off and the sunshine warmed the freshly watered herbs and flowers and the resulting scent was intoxicating.

A geometric pattern awaiting Spring fulfilment

a Gothic point of view..

kept in order by a tolling bell…

and the deft hands..

of a capable gardener.

The Church of Saint Francis wasn’t open. However, the Church of the Hospital of the Holy Spirit on the same square was open for a funeral…

so we quietly went in and had a quick look

and left as the mourners arrived.

Another church cat..

It was also a day for shopping and eating and a longish walk. We had lunch in the sunshine outside of a lovely cafe near the apartment. The wonderful thing about restaurants or cafes in Portugal is that one can sit there forever. The service staff or owners will never give any hint of wanting anyone to leave. You have to ask for the bill.

On the way to lunch, there was a doorway here…

…and another one here…

as the clouds continued to pile up in the sky

Decaying gentility in the middle of a commercial district.

And then there was lunch of sardines,

octopus with rosemary tea.

Feeling more than replete and well rested, we set out on a jaunt that took us out through the salt flats via the causeway that leads to the marina and the last stop for the Tavira Island ferry. There was sunshine and a cool breeze just perfect for walking.

It was the graffiti that caught my attention on this abandoned industrial building…

Its a very flat landscape

ideal for shore birds….

piles of harvested salt

and cormorants.

A seaside rock garden.

The ferry headed back into town.

Two species of footprint

The Tavira shopping mall…yes, I went shopping there!

An abandoned home, perhaps…

and the clouds…

moved in as the day came to an end.