WAGS St Vincent Walk: The Feast – Sunday 22 01 2017

This blog, covering the WAGS celebration of St Vincent´s Day 2017, is in three (possibly four) parts. The first part, written hot off the trail, by Paul, dealt with the Sunday´s walk.  Then come two more contemplative or recollective pieces penned by the indefatigable Rod several days after the events because in between he had had to compose and delivere an altogether ground-breaking post-political-correctionalist Toast to the Lassies at Burns Night. This, the  second part of the blog, is the first of Rod´s two  pieces  and it covers the Sunday evening meal. The third part, Rod´s second bit, will describe the Monday´s walk. And then, for the fourth part of the blog, in addition to the statistics, we may with luck be able to persuade Myriam to describe the post-walk Monday lunch.With such profusion of literary talent at our service, it remains advisable that your blogger continues to keep off stage as much as possible, save to apologise this time round for the quality of some of the photographs in this section, the indoor halogen lighting playing merry hell with digital camera focusing. At least that´s our photographers´ excuse; nothing to do with the G & T´s or the red wine. Now, over to Rod.
 

The afore-mentioned preprandial relaxation involved extra-large gins and tonics

Having dried out, rested and showered after Day 1´s physical and cultural activities it was comforting to know that we only had to stagger across the road from the Hotel to the much anticipated dinner at Café Correia. This family owned and run restaurant is highly respected by the local cognoscenti and most certainly did not disappoint.

Zé Francisco hard at work
The party was joined by  Artur Jesus and his charming wife Ana...Artur being of course the fount of all knowledge of things cultural and historical in the Vila do Bispo Câmara, now well known to most of us. 

Peter, Sonia, Ana, Ze´ Francisco and Artur Jesus
Of those who had walked that day, Ingrid and Janet had preferred to go home for the night but we were more than compensated for their absence by the presence of Mike and Jyll Pease and Peter and Sonia Schroder. And so it was that 22 folk sat down for a dinner which really did live up to  the restaurant´s reputation.
Zé Francisco Dias Batista, his wife Lelita and their son Sergio kept us enthralled with dish after dish of the food for which they are famous.

Potfuls of splendid vegetable soup and platefuls of boiled prawns opened proceedings. This was followed by Lulas á Correia..lulas as you have never had before; tender and in a delicious sauce, and great potfuls of Camarâo  Guisado.

 

After that came even more potfuls of Cabidela de Galinha, and deliciously tender Façeiras de Porco.  Pud was an enormous rich Alfarroba, Amendôa and Figo Tarte. 

All this was washed down by a never ending flow of white and red wines together at the end with the inevitable medronhos, some relatively innocuous con mel, others the real McCoy at 50 plus.

Was it this that encouraged Paul to display the Body? Who now knows?
 

(Rod said a few words of appreciation to the Batista family and for their food, and also mentioned that Artur Jesus has recently published a history book.)
At this point Sergio´s brother appeared on the scene and, despite working in the Finanças!, he proved to be an extremely accomplished ´accordionista´. 

 

Musical chairs - the chairs lost

Swaying to the music

  He entertained us with a very wide ranging repertoire which at one point even roused John and Antje to cavort round the floor performing a rather curious blend of some local folk dance and The Gay Gordons.
 

 (Antje thought she was rehearsing The Eightsome Reel or The Dashing White Sergeant which was why she kept on trying to get one of the nearby chairs to join in.)
 
A splendidly jolly evening indeed.