National park walking

The red earth and attractive houses where we ended our walk today, at the Quinta da Colina not far from Tavira. There we were served tea and cake - not tea and oranges, though we were surrounded by orange and grapefruit trees and some of us had orange juice - by an ex-pat English woman for whose architect husband their once-ruined house had been “a project “. I was reminded of the quaint tea-garden we’d visited in Polirinia, in Western Crete, in similar circumstances...

Our walk today, in the region’s national park, took us through more eucalyptus trees than I’ve ever seen, some had been blackened by fire, but were sprouting vivid pale shoots from their bases. It was intensely sunny, with little wind - hot, in fact.
We’re going out before dinner to hear some fado. There will be nibbles and port ...