Churches, Palaces and Strawberries

After having visited so many churches we find they are beginning to run together in our minds.  We are vowing to see no more.  The number of palaces we have seen is beginning to approach that level of tolerance as well.  How much grandeur and opulence can a person absorb?  It’s like the question, how much pudding can one eat and still savor it?  But oh, each is lovely in its way, and each is an icon of history found only in very old countries.  To me, one of the best explanations of why so many cathedrals were built in Europe and how they came about is in the book, Pillars of The Earth, the first book in Ken Follett’s Pillars of the Earth series.  It is a fictional novel but it is thought to be historically correct.

We usually visit a church because of the art, the architecture, and in nearly all instances, its story.  Some are elaborate in design, gilded in gold and silver, and have walls adorned with art and statues.  Some are modest.   Admittedly though, a church offers a quiet place for a brief moment for reflection and for giving thanks.  It’s an interlude from the hustle going on the street just outside.

Still, we have had enough.

With several more months of travel remaining on this trip, I’m sure we will break down and see many more churches and palaces – after all, we don’t want to miss a thing!  But for now, we may take a brief reprieve, that is, after we see two more palaces in Sintra this week.

We’ve had such a pleasant, relaxing weekend in Ericeira.  We were due for a little downtime.  But there is so much yet to see, feel and do!  Still, two days of resting, writing, and planning have done us good!

Given a bit of free time to think inspired us to make a change.  Originally we planned to leave here and move to Porto on July 5.  Instead, we are going to make trips to Madeira and the Canary Islands.  Why not?  It’s a great opportunity to see places we might never have a chance to see again.  Let’s do it!!  Porto is still on the agenda but that city will be after these island trips. I should add, that it takes hours of planning with each of us online to get a change like this done.

We left the house today to have lunch near the beach and take a walk to the Sunday market.  Lunch was a simple but delicious Portuguese country dish — thin steak in garlic topped with a fried egg and served with French fries and salad.  Delish!

Lucky for us the strawberry lady was at the Sunday market today.  She has the largest, most luscious strawberries we have ever seen or tasted.  They were grown near Mafra. Last week we bought better-priced strawberries from another vendor.  While they were good, they just did not compare to the berries the strawberry lady offers.  I took her picture today.

We will leave here in a week.  It’s time to clean out the fridge.  We have leftover pasta in the freezer.  We stopped at the Mercado and bought a half-kilo of great huge, fresh shrimp to steam and serve with the pasta with lemon.  Won’t that be fine!

I am almost embarrassed to say that the high temperature here today was 69 degrees and sunny.  A gentle wind is usually on tap making the air feel cool and fresh but the sun is very warming.  I will never grow tired of this weather, this classic little town, the food here, and that glorious, glorious blue sea.