Beach at Salema
Yesterday we did a little road trip I had read about in a travel article. We headed west from our house in Praia da Luz to the village of Salema. 
The cobblestone decor made it obvious we were in a place that is dependent on the sea for its livelihood. 
We went for a walk along the beach. 
Although in summer the beach is said to be extremely popular and crowded with tourists we shared it with only a flock of gulls 
and a group of fishermen who were repairing their nets. 
Our friend Rudy got into quite a conversation with one of the fishermen and Dave and I listened as he explained in his limited English that their main catch was octopus. 
He showed us the terra-cotta and steel pots they use to catch the octopus. This fisherman owns literally thousands of them. The pots are all roped together on lines that can stretch for 20 kilometers or more. 
The octopus like being inside the pots because it is safe and secure, kind of like a cave for them, so once the fishermen have reeled the pots in they put a spot of bleach into the pot which chases the octopus out. They sell the octopus to restaurants.
I had read one needed to stop in Vila de Bispo to taste the goose necked barnacles, so we found a tiny restaurant there for lunch. 
Our helpful waiter David brought out a plate with a goose necked barnacle for us to look at. It made Dave and I decide to eat something else so we ordered sandwiches. 
Our friend Rudy was more adventuresome and asked the waiter for suggestions. 
He ended up ordering the fried moray eel. Rudy said it was good but there wasn’t much of it so Dave and I shared our sandwiches with him. While we were eating a couple came over to talk to us and asked if we were from Manitoba. They had noticed Dave’s Winnipeg Jets hat. Turns out they were from Manigotagan and ran a campground there. They were traveling through Portugal and checking out the Portuguese campgrounds. Rudy who has been an avid biker in the past, also stopped to chat with a group of bikers from Great Britain.
The cook kept coming out from the kitchen during our meal to check on us. She couldn’t speak English but her cheery voice and smiling face made it clear she hoped we were enjoying our food. We didn’t order dessert but she brought out a small slice of some lemony kind of pie for us to share anyway.
After our meal we got back into our rented car and headed off for more adventures. We’d learned how to catch an octopus and what a goose necked barnacle was… two things we didn’t know before our road trip began.
Other posts…………..
Coming All the Way to Portugal to Get To Know People From Our Church
They couldn’t really speak English but we managed to communicate quite well with hand gestures and pointing to menu items and the owner helped us pick out what to have after supplying us with a plate of olives and a tray of bread. 
The owner left to buy the tuna and sea bass we had ordered from a nearby fish merchant. We watched his wife prepare our pitcher of Sangria step by step. She chopped oranges, splashed in wine, added other fruits she had already diced, threw in ice cubes, and then tasted the Sangria herself to be sure she’d got things right. Just then the owner returned with our fish and his wife took it and bustled into the kitchen to cook while the man chatted with all kinds of people from the neighbourhood who stopped in to visit. 
The meal was AMAZING! The fish was flavorful and the homemade potato fries done to perfection. 
Before we left I asked our host if he would take a photo with me. I wish I had taken one with his wife too. She came out of the kitchen just before we left and we told her how great the meal had been and she smiled and said some stuff in Portuguese that sounded happy and pleased. 
We did stop on the way home to get a bag of oranges. There are orange trees everywhere in Lisbon. 
The man who sold us the oranges told us they’d be sweet and was he ever right! He also taught us to say obrigado which is thank you in Portuguese. 
Later I looked up the restaurant which was called O Tasco Do Vigario on Trip Advisor and everyone just raved about it saying what a fabulous full course meal they’d had with cocktails and wine for two people for only around 20 Euros. Everyone gave it four or five stars! Our experience exactly!
One of the favorite places my friend Esther and I like to meet for visiting and sketching is the beautiful Folio Cafe on the Canadian Mennonite University grounds at the corner of Grant and Shaftesbury Avenue. 
Big windows provide plenty of light. 
There’s a patio where you can eat on nice days. 
The lunch items are delicious. Homemade soups and sandwiches and desserts. Last week when I visited I ordered the beef borscht and a sandwich with goat cheese and marinated tomatoes on crusty fresh bread. 
For dessert there was a lovely latte and gelato. 
After lunch I drew my own versions of portraits of artists Picasso
and Tom Thompson. 
The Folio Cafe is spacious and welcoming and it is easy to spend several hours there visiting and drawing in the comfortable airy space the cafe provides. If you’ve never been to the Folio I suggest you give it a try. 
i
Scott Sawatsky was a young man teaching English in Korea when he met a German brewmaster living there who taught Scott everything he needed to know about making beer. That’s the story we heard when Scott gave us an interesting tour of the beer making process at the 
We had a fun Monday night at the Peg Beer Co. with three other couples. First we took a tour of the brewing facility and learned so many interesting things from Scott about how the beer at Peg Beer Co. is made. One fascinating thing I remember is that after the barley has served its purpose flavoring the water for the beer, a Manitoba farmer comes and picks up the mashed barley to feed to his pigs. The kitchen at Peg City Beer Co. buys some of those pigs back from that same farmer to use for the pork items on the Peg City Beer Co. menu. Talk about recycling! 
