Five Feet, Nine Inches Above Ground

The Algarve Festival of Almonds and Almond Flowers

One of the joys of visiting the Algarve on an annual basis is the opportunity to take in the yearly seasonal events such as the Almond Festival held in Alta Mora in the eastern Algarve not far from Castro Marim. Over the years, it has grown in size and popularity giving this tiny mountain village an international profile for a weekend. The event, held Saturday February 1, is well organized and provides an excellent opportunity for local business and crafts people to display their wares and services and the entertainment is all home grown. It also devotes space and effort to the time honoured traditions of regional agricultural practices that have gone the way of the mule and the home spinning wheel. The weather cooperated and for the most part the sunshine held on until early afternoon when the clouds started to roll in. Many thanks to Randy for taking on the task of driving us to and from the event. It’s a breathtaking journey on winding roads through the mountains and valleys to get there and back. The vistas are amazing on a clear day.

The entrance fee of 3 euros gets one your own plastic mug and an amazing experience. Almond trees and their fruit play a huge role in the local economy and have done so since the Arabic occupation centuries ago. There is a lovely legend that illustrates how the almond tree became part of the Portuguese landscape when a Moorish prince, Ibn-Almudim, fell in love with and married a Nordic princess, Gilda. The latter deeply missed the beauty of the freshly fallen snow of her homeland so her husband planted a large quantity of almond trees outside of her window to create the illusion of freshly fallen snow when they were in full bloom. Much better than snow, in my opinion!

The almond tree is native to Iran and the earliest traces of its cultivated existence have been found in Bronze Age settlements up to three thousand years ago. For me, they echo the beauty of the blossoming apple and cherry orchards of southern Ontario that I remember from my childhood. The blossoms vary from white to pink and there are many different types of almond tree.

After a lunch of chicken in fresh bread and my mug full of Super Bock, it was time for one last look before trekking down the road to the car. The clouds were darkening and the temperature was dropping. Time to hit the road towards home.