Figueira da Foz ... the town of my childhood ... or dispersed images and memories of my childhood ...

I have been wanting to write about Figueira da Foz ... (my hometown ...  and the town of my childood) for quite a while, even if it no longer means what it used to  ...

The coastline as seeen from Serra da Boa Viagem is entirely different ... huge buildings have been "planted" by the sea, annulling the typical one storey houses that once proudly stood along it, with Grande Hotel da Figueira (the tallest building then) turned into a mere and almost unrecognisable building squeezed inbetween blocks of cement ... 

The salt pits and  the endless rows of codfish being dried out on netted partitions which could be seen  across the bridge (Gala) have given way to abandoned stretches of land  crying out for help ...  

The beaches that stretched along Gala which we used to ride to on our bicycles, because of being "isolated" ... and under no vigilance of any sort, are still there ... not as "untouched" as before ... though still under no vigilance ... a recently discovered paradise for  young surfers (the only ones who dared ride those waves then were Australian adventure tourists) ... 

The lacustrine wooden huts standing on piles are no longer to be seen, with the exception of one which now houses the tourist office of Gala ...

The sea and the river have been "withdrawing" ... invaded by the sand,  so the outstanding city lighthouse which once was close to the sea is  now at the crossroads of two avenues having been turned into a "Museum".

A commemorative entrance sign enhances the role it played in the past when  a group of volunteers from Figueira and  the neighbouring villages of  Montemor and Tentugal took over this fortress against the  Napolean oppressors enclosing them in and forcing them to surrender... (ironically enough many of the tourists who "invade" these beaches every  Summer are in fact Portuguese immigrants who have long ago chosen France to live and work in ...).

My brother, my daughter Mia and I drove up to the mountain in search of the lighthouse  my grandparents used to take us to when we were children and to our surprise it  was there and it still looked the same ...  though it may not have impacted us the same way it did in our childhood ...

From the lighthouse of Vela we continued towards the beach of Murtinheira, which used to be amongst some of the nicest in the area ... and despite the fact that we didn't  bathe in its waters the "magic atmosphere" still remained ...

Our house  is still standing ... as empty and as "decadently" beautiful as never before ... there are no longer resident servants to look after "us"  ... a weekly nurse to help my mother in her medicine practising ... a gardner to tend the garden-beds and trees that used to surround a lake with geese and swans (offered some time ago to the public garden) ... a cook that often came to help the servants ... the piano accords as played by my uncle and sometimes any of the three of us ... though ...

the beauty of the painted ceiling in my mother's working room, which fascinated me as a child, still impressed me ...

... and so did the upper part of fire place in the Music room ... I so often used to look at ...

 

Old photos and paintings of my mother and my aunt (who still inhabit the house) ... were to be seen everywhere ... and  amongst those the one that still impressed me today was  the painted portrait the day she got her Medicine diploma ... 

A weekend of dispersed images and memories ...

(to be continued ... one day)

The reactions to the birthday presents ...

As I have so often said before one never knows how the children of Calheta might react to getting presents from people they don't know ... but who unexpectedely (for them) have become their distant "guardian angels" ...

Sibylle has just sent me the photos of three of these children, who were handed birthday presents sent to them by such people, whose photos they looked at for the first time ...

Jussara, who has turned eleven didn't want to get her eyes out of the printed "godmother's" face (I slid into the envelope just before I had the postal parcel sent out ) and when she did (I was told) she held onto the book she was sent. She reacted emotionally and even cried ... tears that were certainly a mixture of happiness and disbelief ... as to what had happened to her  ... - presents sent to her from afar with  a touch of love and affection ...

Her "godmother" Cristina Ferro got also emotional when she saw the photos of the little girl ... (Who wouldn't?)

   

 Jussara wearing the new dress sent by Cristina

Jussara looking at Cristina (Left) and the book, though still touching Cristina's photo (Right).

Juliza who has also turned eleven reacted in a completely different way ... there is happiness all over her face and even posture ... In fact, she had wanted a "godmother" so badly that when I sent some previously stamped cards for them to write to their "godparents", she wrote hers the same day she got it ... expressing her cheer joy of finally having one.

Juliza proudly wearing the new blouse Isabel sent her (left). Juliza with all the presents she was sent, out of which "Isabel" is the biggest one (I am sure).

Claudina who has turned twelve was also very happy  ... We can just see it in her smile as she sits in front of all the presents "godmother"  Mafalda sent her.

Claudina wearing her new dress (Left) and sitting in front of all her presents (Right).

There isn't much more to be said ... Images speak for themselves ... and so does happiness ... the one we can so easily contribute towards ...

Latest news regarding Calheta ...

Five more ladies have joined the group of "godmothers" - Henriqueta Sousa, Teresa Diniz, Rosa Ortiz, Conceição Capela and Telma Mendes, three of whom will be paying for the school fees of three of the children as well as their birthday and Christmas presents, whilst two of them will ensure the Christmas and birthday presents for two of the children, once their school fees have already been paid for by Carlos Bicho and Carlos Saboga, though from this moment onwards they are to be considered "godmothers" of  Eunice de Jesus, Liliane Rosy, Ivanilde Elena, Cynthia and Patricia de Fatima respectively.

I was handed the presents for some of the children today and although it might seem too soon (as I shall only be leaving by the end of October) the baggage packing is being "taken care of" already, once I don't like to leave things till the last moment, particularly because of the weight limitations.

Some black leggings, a T-shirt, a pair of  pink overall shorts, some underwear and a bag for  Patricia de Fatima's Christmas bought by  her "godmother" Telma Mendes.

 Some brown leggings, a T-shirt, a black and white stripped dress and some underwear for Cynthia's Christmas bought by Telma on behalf of the girl's "godmother" Conceição Capela.

Some dark blue leggings, two T-shirts (one of them long-sleeved), a dress and some underwear for Ivanilde Elena's Christmas bought by Telma on behalf of the girl's "godmother" Rosa Ortiz

Each of these girls will additionally get a book and/ or a book and a puzzle each, as everyone else over  this Christmas.


I had been given some money for little Aniza's, as well as her birthday and Christmas presents earlier They were handed to me by Celeste, who has decided to additionally "look after"  Bernardeth (Lou) from today onwards.

A light blue dress, a denim skirt, two T-shirts (one of which is long-sleeved), some underwear, one doll, two soft toys and some colouring pencils bought by Celeste for little Aniza.

Some white leggings, a T-shirt, a small school bag, some school material and two games bought by Catarina for Nélida's birthday.

Eduardo's birthday presents  bought by his "godmother" Maria João, who has also bought him a watch (the T-shirt has been kindly offered by Silvia).

Filomena's birthday presents bought by her "godmother" Maria João

I have already packed the T-shirts bought as Christmas presents by the "godparents" of the following children (Kevin, Eduardo, Veinilson, Leinira, Mana, Veronica, Melissa, Josefine, Juliza, Elcy, Ana Galina, Jéssica, Erica, Rosana, Nolita, Ivanilda and Nélida). I personally bought the ones for Ineida and Ineida Patricia who haven't got godparents yet.

I have also packed all the three dimension wooden constructions for Eduardo, Kevin, Kéven, Wilson, Claudio, Valter, Patrick, Pedrilson, Gerson and Veinilson and the books and puzzles for all the girls  (most of which were bought with Mr. Breitenstein's money). 

A lot more will have to be packed and although I am not necessarily running out of space I am almost reaching the weight limit.

I still haven't figured out how I am going to do it ... but I know I will have to find a way ... as I intend to  make all of the children we are "protecting" happy over Christmas ...

The National Tile Museum, Lisbon

The National Museum of glazed tiles is among the nicest Museums to be visited in Lisbon.  The fact that it has been housed in the cloisters of the Convent of Madre de Deus, dating back to 1509 makes the visit even more interesting.

The decorative panels depict the evolutive stages of the glaze tile making since its introduction by the Moors through to the development of a so called Portuguese style.

The Manueline cloister walls are decorated with geometric tiles and the rooms around it display the glazed  tiles by chronological age, the oldest being exhibited in the ground floor.

The central part of a huge 16th century panel of tiles representing the adoration of the shepperds is magnificent, so are many of the other tiles, whose motives vary immensely.

The 17th century tiles depicting hunting scenes are said to have been mostly decorated by artisans and not necessarily well  reknown artists, though the artistry of some of them is worth being looked at.

The Church was finished during the16th century acording to the guide but it wasn't but much later that it was decorated, the sumptuous rococo retable having been added after the 1755 earthquake. All of its walls are covered in white and blue tiles and at times one has to walk inbetween the church stools to be able to admire some of them.  

To thoroughly observe and absorb the beauty of the tile decorated upper rooms one needs time ...

Visiting it more than once does not diminish the impact it has on anyone who visits it, as there is always something "new" to look at ... a detail one may not have seen the first time around ... a room one may have seen in a haste ...

What seems to always sadden me is the fact that places like these are mostly visited by foreigners who do  appreciate and value the things we as Portuguese should be proud of and ought to visit more often ...