A little structure is essential. With no structure, how do I decide where to go on my bike or eat dinner each day? Today is Monday and the beginning of the terrible Fast. Baffi is closed for 2 days! I’m on a pattern of eating at Baffi every other night. I was there Wednesday, Friday, Sunday and will of course be back Wednesday. After riding up Monchique the first 2 days, now I am on the rotation of East West East West. This is a West day. I planed to go to Zavail but the weather looks threatening so I have elected to stay close and go to what we call the Hippy Town, Barao de Sao Joao. It is only about 1 hour away, one very short nasty hill.
I probably went to this town my first riding day back in 2016! Back then I ate at the hippest of the bar/restaurants. Last year I switched to a less hippy one that is almost next door, right on the main square. But today that one is Monday closed so I went around the block just to see if there was something I had not seen before and got lucky! An open restaurant. They are still serving breakfast but there are two couples with very small children and even other guests. Jill the server is British. She and her husband came last year and decided to some for longer this year. I think he works construction while she does this waiting.
Wine and bread while waiting for Lunch hour:
Requisite selfie
When Jill announced that they could move onto the lunch menu, I ordered the coconut curry. A mistake. Bland and not interesting.
Here is a line from my notes:
“Portrait is better. More dialogue and less this what she thinks.”
Finally figured out that it refers to Portrait of a Lady by Henry James, the book I am reading. I had been in a set of pages were we were only hearing what the young lady thought and no dialogue. I never made much progress in the book, still today, April 24, I am only on page 138, but it did keep me company at many dinners and bars.
A couple beers:
Interesting Candlabera:
Finally headed home, out of town. This is a caravan park on the out skirts.
Tues March 26 ride is back to the East.
Lunch at Fonte De Pedra
My real time notes say:
Cold, maybe 1 drop of rain. Stomach is not happy. Maybe bread will allow me keep up the drinking. I am at the first East restaurant I found in 2016 across from an archaeology site. Left Lagos at 11 and got here at 12. I was very afraid it might be closed as Solar is but looks as if this place is closed for lunch Wed Thur. It is cool, cloudy. I am sitting inside but there is no fire. I have put on the riding over shirt and the cap. No immediate improvement. Last night and tonight I am homeless. Baffi is closed, will reopen Wednesday. Tomorrow I will god willing have lunch in the sun at Zavail with the surfers. I have not been there yet this year. I would have gone yesterday, Monday, me second day traveling west but they were closed Monday so I took a chance on going to San Joao. The restaurant on the square that I like was Monday closed but I found one around the corner with Jill to wait on me.
I did make the mistake of having the curry which is too vegetable and coconut milk. To day I have the pork with fig sauce.
I wish I would write down all these dishes so I could remember what I liked.
Everything at solar it seems to me is great. I will be back there Thursday. I had the duck a l’orange so maybe the fish or the beef stroganoff. The pig cheeks are good but I had a gressy rendition on Monchique.
Funny that the bottom of my back is cold. A woman and daughter are trying outside in the back. I will ask them if such is better
Almond tart is next.
I did survive a 1/2 liter and another 1/2 liter. Now I only have to make it home after asking the smoking sit outside contingent of their experience of life there and maybe their choice of food?
End of real time notes.
I never got to ask the outsiders.
The interior of the restaurant. My kind of decorations!
