November has arrived
Ana Valentina Angelo
November has arrived
Under the skies of Figueira III
Hello, Figueira!
November has arrived, Figueira. Cold and a fine drizzle embroider my coat with tiny drops. The sun, which comes and goes, takes its place as a star and plays hide-and-seek with wisps of white cotton-like clouds in a lush blue sky.
Photos: Cesar Angelo
I walk along the boardwalk in the direction of Praia de Buarcos. The waves are smooth and beautiful, although the weather is cold. So you are all mine, Figueira? That’s a lie!!! Where are the visitors? Well, some brave ones are on the beach, others in bakeries and restaurants, sipping hot chocolate with pastel de nata, or a good wine. Or even in internal attractions such as museums, churches, artistic and historical exhibitions that only you, Figueira, can offer.
Figueira in summer and ... in winter, too
At this time, there are not as many as the so-called “summer vacation tourists”. These visitors today seek the beauty of the city in a more quiet context, less traffic, quieter commerce, and sidewalks … Everything is calmer at this moment.
They are special guests who appreciate, besides the beach, historical aspects – monuments, music, art exhibitions – with a hint of the way of “being figueirense”. Parked vehicles boast distant origins on their license plates. Ladies with the famous European shawls (or not), neck and head protectors, surprise everyone with bare feet on the beach sand…
Looks like a movie set
Photo: Cesar Angelo
Buarcos is very interesting. Its beach invites you to swim and rest on the sand.To my right is the Buarcos Fort, “a long stretch of wall punctuated by three bastions – 16th and 17th centuries”¹. To my left is a cluster of townhouses with narrow winding streets that look more like a movie set.
The wall tiles
And, of course, as these are Portuguese houses, the tiles on the external façades are present.
Photos: Cesar Angelo
The fisherman and the sea
The variety of tiles displayed on the massive, centuries-old, thick walls, which sometimes advance to the sidewalks, demonstrates a historical testimony of the commitment between the fisherman and the sea. The Church of São Pedro Pescador and the Chapel of Nossa Senhora da Conceição, from ancient times, remain well cared for, flowered and much visited.
Photo: Cesar Angelo
The tower of Castelo dos Redondos
Photo: Cesar Angelo
Here, in this scenario, at the top of the community, the summit of the Castelo dos Redondos tower shows what time has allowed to preserve of this monument, built in the time of Dom Sesnando (1091), ² governor of the city of Coimbra.
For the evening, tea or wine?
For the evening, nothing more cozy than a hot tea or even a glass of good Portuguese wine, not before having enjoyed the art exhibition offered to visitors to Figueira da Foz at CAE- Center for Arts and Shows, available to the public until the beginning of 2020, day and night, with free admission. They are unmissable and available to those who enjoy them. And you, Figueira, are still beautiful.
See you, Beautiful Figueira!
To you who read my column, take care and until our next meeting.
Author: Ana Valentina Angelo
Photos: Ana Valentina Angelo & Cesar Angelo
Original Language: Brazilian portuguese
Translation: Sabrina Jung Todt Angelo
The author does not practice the changes to the 1990/2009 Brazilian Orthographic Agreement
