A Trip Down Memory Lane

 Yesterday we went to Trasulfe, the village where we had our house for 16 years, almost 17. We wanted to meet the new owners of our house, and we enjoyed them so much. They love the house as much as we did, which is exactly the kind of persons we wanted to move into it. 

 

       

 

From the galería window, the scene was ever changing, due to the configuration of the land—all hills and dales. Cloud cover would drift down, then lift, then roll against slopes like ocean waves. You could sit at the window for hours and watch it constantly shift.

 

                                                        
     

Oh, the memories!

 

Many of our neighbors in the village are gone now. (I have written a poetry chapbook about our years spent in the area—on extended trips. We never did live there.) Everytime we go to Galicia, we do take a day to visit the village. So many of our neighbors are gone, and the health of the ones in this photo has become frail. We used to have these three wonderful neighbors over to the house for "meriendas" (snacks) a day or two before returning to Sacramento. In this picture, don't be mislead by the soft-drink bottles. They held home-made wine!

How about you? Do you have a special place that you return to again and again? Have you had home-made wine? Are you mesmerized by ever-changing scenery?

THE FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF OUR MOVING TO PORTUGAL

 

I know I haven't posted lately, but time has slipped away for so many reasons: I have been gathering blurbs for my new book, which will come out in April or May (more about that later.) I also polished up my poetry collection about Galicia and sent it to a publisher here in Portugal. I should know soon if they are interested—and I've been gathering blurbs for that. In addition, I've been jotting down ideas for mystery #3, and planning more book reviews for mysteries I've read and enjoyed. 

BUT . . . .

Monday was exactly one year after our arrival in Portugal. It was our first anniversary in our new home. Which felt big to us. On February 21, 2021, we arrived in Porto with two suitcases and a carry on, each. Our immigration attorney picked us up and drove us to Braga—first to our apartment (which was not ready to move into yet, but we dropped off our luggage) and then to a hotel we had reserved online (where we were treated so kindly, I'm still sentimental about that hotel).

So, this Monday evening we celebrated the anniversary by going out to dinner at the Centurium, a restaurant here in Braga that plays an important role in the new mystery, I've been mentioning. The owner has been a wonderful consultant for information about hotel remodels, and in general, he is a warm, generous person, who makes restaurant clients feel welcome and at home, taking time to chat with them. The Centurium is also part of the Hotel Bracara Augusta (thus, my interview with him about hotel remodels.)

Dinner was delicious, and we were joined by a special friend who is also our language teacher. The evening simply flew with great food and great conversation in a mix of Portuguese and English—flowing in both languages from her. A few brave stabs at Portuguese from us. 😋

As for the past year: What a wonderful year it has been. Heartwarming. We were excited to come, of course, and yet there is always a little twinge of trepidation about such a huge move. Well the year has flown by, and already we have a collection of happy times, thanks to the help of friends who made the transition and adjustment easy for us. I don't know what we would have done without them.

So, above is a picture of our "Braga Anniversary."

Meanwhile, we continue to settle in, and have started keeping succulents in pots, as they don't require watering so often. (Our herbs all died during a trip to Galicia.) Once our travel days are over, we will try herbs again. Until then, here is an example of our succulents (all with unpronounceable names). The bottom one is just starting to bloom with tiny yellow flowers.

Sorry it is a bit dark. When the light comes in that window, they practically glow like stained glass.

How about you? Do you keep potted plants? If so, what kind. Do you have special anniversaries besides wedding and birthday? If so, please share what they are.