AWW 2015-24: Christmas Walk to Santa Barbara Windmills

The Frozen Five met at Raposeiras in the eastern Algarve For a Christmas climb to the lofty windmills above Santa Barbara de Nexe.

Before setting off, we were given our safety briefing and the instructions for crossing all roads that we might encounter.

David stood in front of the Belisha Beacon and solemnly advised that when using the crossing, we must only step on the black stripes and the curse of the Fellowship of the Fells will fall on any who step on the white strips. Bica nodded sagely. The others had silly grins

Bica, Ken, Miriam, David and Ros. Fotographer Frank

As we set out down the hill, the temperature dropped, but we hurried on at a good pace to keep warm.

In the hollow we met a diminutive Santa. He told us that this year, Autumn had been unusually wet here in the Algarve, so he had enlisted Noah with his boat to assist. He advised that he had been doing a great business ferrying elderly British citizens across the Channel and down to the Algarve before the "B" day at the end of the month. However, that is ending as he gears up for Christmas.

Santa at the Fonte with Noah and his Ark

We could not stand and talk all day, so we left them waiting for the rain so that they could re-float the ark and we set off towards the windmills.

As you can see from the foto the clouds were coming in and and it started to rain. Then as the temperature dropped, it started to sleet.

Fotografer Franks out of Focus Foto of the day

As we neared the top it was a Christmas winter wonderland.

The snow stopped, the sky turned blue and sun came out.

The fotografer captured the moment, but five minutes later when we reached the summit, the sun had just melted it away.

However Miriam had collected some of the snow in her empty water bottle. It had quickly melted.

"there was that lingering fragrance of the crocus and snowdrops"

Miriam advised that already she could smell the first hint of spring and the new growth. We had seen some almond blossom earlier just beside Santa, but we thought that it was just his presence that had caused or some help from, what Rudolf had left at the base of the almond tree.

Anyway we took some sustenance with a little help from Bica.

She is persistent

And she will follow anyone whom she knows has food

We were on our homeward leg, when we came up the path and found we had been transported to Trafalgar square

Those people who have lived in Kenya just marched up to the gates raised their poles and the lions just sat up and begged. Just like Bica, they had seen that Ros had another Muesli bar

So to digress. Touching Trafalgar Square lions could lead to sepsis and conjunctivitis | News Vendor from USA (news-vendor.info)

And have you seen the fake news this morning. Donald tweeted that we should worry less about Covid and more about all those killed by the lions in Trafalgar Square. Sepsis kills about 45,000 per year in the UK.

Anyway next year we will have other things than Donald or Covid to talk about. We will be planning our travels.

So we continued on our journey, and we came across this lonely goat at the base of Raposeiras.