Picnic

On the weekend we drove down to the Alentejo (meaning beyond -alem- the Tagus -the river), which is a beautiful area between Portugal and Spain, to the east. Stork country – storks are nesting everywhere (in trees, on roofs, on electricity pylons) and all over you can see these majestic birds swooping over the endless vineyards. During summer the Alantejo is yellow and dry; but during spring a lush green hue covers the fields and hills. With Niki´s friend Susanna (Susie) we drove down to a village called Mosteiros - Arronches where we met with a group of about 15 people who were there to commemorate the passing of a dear friend, colleague and father of theirs, Joaõ Neves, who died a year ago. Working for the national park in that area he had planned and prepared a number of beautiful walking tracks. We walked one of them, the Percurso Pedestre dos Mosteiros, and at the end gathered on the side of the river to have a Piquenique, where a most delicious spread of cakes, quiches, biscuits, breads, meats, cheeses, wines, beers and other drinks came out of coats, bags and boots of cars. A cute Golden Retriever called Riscas kept us company (Riscas means Stripes in Portuguese ... OK, the name was chosen by the youngest daughter of the family who insisted...).  There was also another dog called ... Chicco. Nothing like the ´real thing ´though ... Photos of the weekend to follow.