Monday April 15
Today’s program is “Day in the Life” which is part of every OAT trip … just like the home-hosted meal we already experienced. OAT doesn’t want you to be a tourist but a traveler, somebody who gets to know more about the country and the people. That’s what we enjoy.
And since I am talking about it … what we also enjoy is the feeling of friendliness. The crew on the ship is amazing. From the captain to the cook etc everybody addresses us with our name. They are genuinely eager to take care of us. And our fellow travelers are also always ready to chat.
So, after the usual breakfast etc we are getting on the bus at 9:20 am. We are driving north into the countryside.
Joana tells us that we are lucky because it recently rained. Spain and Portugal has suffered drought conditions. But the bit of rain brought spring meaning that everywhere purplish flowers were blooming. It was difficult to take a photo from the moving bus especially because the windows are tinted.
At about 10 we are reaching the Finca, a farm which raises bulls. Bull fights still seem to be an important part in Spain and OAT always includes controversial topics.
I am taking a photo of the purple flower to find out what it is. My phone tells me that it is called “Patterson’s curse” and because of the high concentration of something in it it could be poisonous to some livestock but the gentleman who leads us around assures us that they are ok here.
A quick visit to the Hazienda.
Then he explains the bull ring to us which is really for evaluating the cows for breeding.
Our bus brings us to the other side of the road. This “finca” has many, many acres.
We are all climbing onto these trailers pulled by a tractor.
The animals have a free life in huge areas without much interaction with humans. Plenty to graze on in addition to extra food which they obviously like because they came over without hesitation. Once in a while they are coaxed into a different area to let what grows recover.
Ha-ha, had to text this to Sarah. The twins had a first-grade class project last October. They had to pic a character from a favorite book and turn a pumpkin (Halloween) into that character. Owen chose Ferdinand.
The blue things on the fence are brushes because that’s what the animals like to do … rub against them. At the same time they are treated for parasites etc.
More purple flowers.
After seeing the animals we were driving through some rough but very pretty wild land including through a creek.
Suddenly we were in the village the bus had driven through and Joana had told us we would have lunch.
This place where we were having lunch also belonged to the finca owners. The finca was family owned for many generations. The one showing us around and explaining things was responsible for groups like us because he spoke different languages. He was the owner’s cousin.
Lunch was very nice. The weather was perfect. First tapas on high little tables and something to drink.
Then the sit-down. Lovely.
And then it was time for the bus. I liked the statue in the roundabout.
At 6:15 pm was the Captain’s Farewell Cocktail with Port Talk following.
At 7 pm Captain’s Farewell Dinner. It is a day early but can’t be helped because of tomorrow’s activities needing the Captain’s attention.
The appetizer was cute and delicious. So was everything else. Well, it’s not called a “culinary trip” for nothing.
After dinner the crew showed off what other talents they have. Like: Several funny sketches. A very special musical instrument (I think from Indonesia) and classic piano and voice from the ship’s onboard doctor.
Another wonderful day! Thank you, Lord!
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