Saturday, May 9, 2026
We’re on land!
I wasn’t really missing land, but it was nice to be seeing and doing.
We had Mickey waffles with strawberries for breakfast. We stepped outside and took pictures, then went back and dressed warmly! Temperature was 52 and it was windy! It got warmer and less windy as soon as we got off the boat!
It is always fun to be taller than a truck!
Those looked cool.
We got to three arches and I took a picture of Keith. I took a picture of a couple, then they volunteered to take our picture. She told me she got everything, including the tower. 🤦♀️
There was an art display in the square. One picture really caught our attention.
St Sebastian’s church was next.
We sat in a park and watched a pigeon do a mating dance. He was all puffed up and making a cool sounds. Another boy came and started to compete. The girl wasn’t showing much interest.
We read that there was a big marketplace not to miss. We enjoyed the walk, but we’re a bit disappointed it was only veg – truly a farmer’s market. We walked inside and Keith spotted Kristine on the other side. We shared a box of strawberries – hoping for magically delicious Japanese berries. They were good but not magic.
Lucky for us, K and J had seen a procession to a different church with lots of lights. They were also making patterns out of flower petals on the ground. We set off to find it.
Lucky for us, today is the biggest religious celebration on the island. There were still a few people on their (hands and) knees making their way to the church between the rows of petals.
There are really long (some at least 7 feet long) candles that are part of the ceremony. People were walking around with bundles of two-foot-long candles. The people crawling were usually carrying very long candles.
It would be great to see everything lit up at night.
There are flowers everywhere.
The church was very ornate.
As we sat in the square to take it all in, there was a cloudburst. Boom! Water!
When it stopped we were wandering the square and it started again. We hid until a vendor’s umbrella. I thought I was hiding under a tree – feeling very smart for suggesting it (even though the trees just have stumpy arms and about 4 sticks for branches) – when Keith pointed out that we were actually under an umbrella.
Then fate just took us to a charmed moment. On our first trip to Europe (Italy) in 2012, we discovered Pistachio Magnum bars. We loved them. Keith has searched for them ever since, and never found them. Suddenly, today, he was eye to picture with them on a menu board!
He has 2.60 in his pocket!
They are as good as we remembered!! (both of them)
There was an old fort across the street.
There were lots of food vendors. Where does the chicken breast go?!
We shopped for cork stuff because we are in Portugal. SO pretty. I got a pencil case.
The cobblestones are often painted. It is really pretty.
Extra stuff from the day
A cork pencil case!!!