Stage 5 — April 19: Odeceixe to Aljezur (25 km)

17°C — Cool, cloudy with some blue skies

By Laurel

Today we opted for the “Historical Way” alternate route, instead of the path right along the coast (I felt like taking a break from the cliff sides).  It was a pleasant trail on farm and forest lanes, and was quite educational.

Heading out of town, up on the hilltop, we passed the “Minho de Odeceixe,” a traditional windmill built in the 19th century and typical in the Algarve region.  Positioning the windmills on the hilltops, such as this, took advantage of the stronger and more reliable breezes off the Atlantic to turn the cloth sails and grind the wheat and corn into flour and feed.  Today, modern wind turbines can be seen on many hilltops in the region.  What’s old is new again!

Speaking of typical Portuguese sights, we also wandered past numerous cork trees, with the bark stripped from the lower trunks.  The trees are a variety of oak native to Portugal;  60% of the world’s cork comes from here.  The bark is sustainably harvested every nine years with no damage to the tree, as the tree will grow new layers of bark and can live for up to 200 years.  Isn’t that fantastic!?  Here are some more fun facts about cork:

• Used for wine corks, floor and wall coverings, bulletin boards, shoes, purses, belts, etc. (versatile)
• Recyclable and biodegradable
• Thermal, acoustic, hypoallergenic, lightweight, water repellant

Looks like I’ll be shopping for cork products!

Though not something traditionally Portuguese, we also learned today about loquats.  The pale orange fruit was hanging over our path and looked juicy and tasty.  (That’s what Eve said, too, about a tempting fruit and that didn’t turn out so well ...)  Anyway, are they edible?  We recalled that our hostel hostess yesterday had invited us to help ourselves to a bowl of produce which contained lemons and these same orange fruits.  So off the tree beside our path, Jim plucked a specimen and took a bite, then passed it to me and I also took a bite.  Delicious!  We later found out, thanks to Google, that these are loquats or Japanese plums and are eaten fresh, juiced, or made into jam and pies.  But don’t ingest the pits … they are mildly poisonous.

In Aljezur, we feasted on a wonderful fish lunch topped off with a decadent dessert.  To wear off the calories and complete our history lessons for today, we hiked up to the Castle of Aljezur high above the riverside town.  Only the ruins of a tower and partial walls remain of the defensive structure which was used through the centuries, in turn, by Lusitanians, Romans, Visigoths, Arabs, Spanish, and Portuguese.  The castle was abandoned in the 15th century when peace came to the region.