TE19 Iberian Adventure

Passing Time in Portugal

“Welcome to The Old Algarve – right off the beaten track!”

“How was the journey?” Judy looked up from her magazine. My Grandfather’s wife looked glamourous in a floppy hat, soaking up the morning rays. On the terrace, Grandad set to work scraping a dead lizard from the shutter. In the garden sumac and honeysuckle ran riot and wisteria climbed a low wall separating the lawn from a grove of sunkissedcitrus trees. Thepanoramastretchedacross thepoorest region in Western Europe; simple homes scattered in the hills, lonely dogs barked, bells rattled, and birdsong echoed across the valley. Meanwhile, Judy returned from the kitchen with a platter of oranges.

“Back home we’re subjected to Spanish oranges – bland, acidic, bitter.” Grandad waxed poetic.

“But these are simply divine.” Judy smiled, “Like tasting pure sunlight!”

“I’ve written to our local supermarket,” Grandad mused, “It’s a mystery they don’t sell them back home!”

“Taste probably isn’t the only factor,” Judy reflected.

They divided their time between the Old Algarve and the Kilmarnock countryside.

“We came out in ’02 to watch the Portuguese Open,” Judy explained, “but play was cancelled.” 151