Praia (beach) shell-shaped bay in Sao Martinho do Porto, the town my friends reside.
Sit under the blue skies with the warm white sand under your feet. The sands of Sao Martinho do Porto, the perfect place for peace and harmony.
Sure way to get a tan!
This coastline town is where my longtime Portuguese friends of forty-five years happen to spend their summers with their family. My last visit in 1988 was to do design work with Gigi on her new apartment.
Tall buildings are the apartments. In 1988 there was only one tower.
This visit, my third, I finally got to see the finished product.
Left to right: Lili, Gail, Gigi on the balcony of Gigi’s apartment overlooking the Bay.
Tents, blue and white striped, all connected.
This also was a chance to hug the family, and speak a little Portuguese. (Eu falar um pouco). Whenever I see Gigi’s mom, her sisters and cousins, I learn more. I like to speak the language. It is phonetic, and you really have to roll the “r”.
From the balcony you can enjoy the vista.
Blue and white tents on the beach with beach houses in the cliffs
Once a sleepy fishing village, Sao Martinho is now a favorite summer resort of the Portuguese and the bay is surely one of the most beautiful in Portugal.
Tents in red, orange and purple. The more traditional are the blue and white. But these are colorful on the beach. Gigi says, where you see the tents, you do not see umbrellas. They have separate sections. 24×30 oil on linen
The origins of the village date back to 1257. It was later famous for its ship building activities in the 16th Century during the times of the Great Portuguese navigators, but the real heyday of the village, as a resort, was during the fifty year span of 1880-1930.
Rooftops in Sao Martinho
Nestling between the modern buildings on the seafront there are still some of the original villas.
On the road out of Sao Martinho and near the Post Office stands the splendid old
Hotel Parque
Hotel Parque, now closed. It was also once a family home. In 1988 I had a room at the hotel. It was wonderful. There were two tennis courts. The clay is long gone, only to see the grown grasses bending in the breezes. The bar, once a popular gathering place in town, is disguised by overgrown foliage and trees.
Cafe’s everywhere, in yellow, in red, in many colors, between the cliffs and the sands.
Not far from here is a busy
Vegetable and fruit market in town center S.Martinho
little fruit and vegetable market and there are always restaurants, bars and cafes to be found.
Grilled sardines, a popular fair in Portugal. Gigi showed us how to skin and debone. it is tricky, but worth it. Fresh sardines, tastes like, well, chicken, it’s delicious, especially if you like chicken. The guys are the three brother-in-laws.
- Sundown in S. Martinho
- Beach walkers at sundown S. Martinho
There is still so much more to talk about. I will, next week. Will you come with me? Have you guessed what makes the magic in Portugal? Tell me what you think.
Lovely photos, Gail. Thank you for sharing!
Gorgeous Gail!! Just fantastic! It must have been hard to leave!
It was hard to leave. There are so many beautiful sights to see, and I love being with my friends and her family. They are great people. Thanks for commenting.
Absolutely beautiful, Gail. Thanks for sharing.
Marian, Thanks for commenting. Watching you fly girl, I am so proud of my Brooklyn friend. What a ride you are on.
And you’ll have to plan to take me with you. 🙂 Just lovely!
I’m so glad to hear your trip was so perfect. And going to a beautiful place is so much better when you have friends to share it with.
Thank you for sharing, and I look forward to more. If I ever write a story set here I know who to call.
Hi Katy, thanks for commenting. I am working on doing a painting workshop there, maybe it should be a writing workshop, on the beach? Their winters are mild, never below 37 degrees, I thought I heard someone say. Next week, Lisbon.
I was here.
Hi Paul, you were where? come on, come to Portugal with me, we’ll all go. You can teach square dancing there, they would love it. You gave bagels to the Bengali’s, square dancing to us all, now what?
It looks wonderful, Gail! Fabulous pictures of heaven on earth:-) I will put Portugal on my list of places I’d love to visit. Next time you go, you’ll have to plan a month long trip.
Hi Paula, thanks for commenting. Yes, a month will be better, ten days was miniscule. Still, it was a dream come true. I have been dreaming about going for years.