Tag: Praia Da Vitoria

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Spring is Sprung? Well, not yet, but we’re getting ready:)

Praia in Winter
Hard to believe in just a few months the sand will be gone, the umbrellas will be out, and the families will be frolicking in the surf…to most, not soon enough!

Winter is hard on the beaches in Praia (which means “beach”) and the winds, sands, tides, and storms, deposit a lot more sand even inside the bay. So each year about this time, the Camara da Praia da Vitoria (City of Praia da Vitoria) brings in trucks, tractors, and excavation equipment to redistribute the sand and carve out a pleasant beach for the year.

Some say it’s the first sign on spring.

Some poor schmucks like to agree, but instead know that “Spring Cleaning” is the first sign of spring.  So when the sun comes out, the winds die down (slightly), and “outdoor dining” becomes tenable, one unnamed individual labors at power washing the veranda, getting the Terra Trikes out and oiled up, and cleaning cobwebs off the eaves.

I know, it could be worse. I haven’t shoveled any snow in several years.  Moving the furniture on smooth tile floors is easy and painless. The windows have power shutters, so cleaning them isn’t too time consuming, and honestly makes everything look a lot brighter. Mowing the grass is more than physical exercise, it’s intellectually challenging, with three “smaller” yards separated by tiled cement, two of them are “triangular” and so I experiment with the most efficient way to cut them and empty the clippings. (So my definition of “intellectually-challenging” has evolved since days of military tactics and community and media relations, and snow plowing:))

Either way, we also have more time to get together with friends and family in our relatively Covid-free environment, share some chats, wine, and more than enough food. Way more than enough.  (A wonderful Italian neighbor just dropped off a pot of Cabbage Soup which smells fantastic:))

So as spring comes, we welcome some changes (NOT spring cleaning), but watching the sand disappear on the beach. We prepare for the joys of the change of seasons! And that is the best part of island life today.  Relaxing with friends, fine wine, and anticipation of next month….

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Important Safety Tip…when you wake to a cruise ship in the harbor, DON’T plan on visiting the market in Praia da Vitoria!

So we woke this morning to a visit from the Ventura Cruise Ship docked in the port just below our place. It dwarfs the usual container ships and regional cruise ships. This one is out of England, has been at sea for a month, and is on their way home.

So the moral of this story is “Pay attention to your surroundings and use your head!” She says “let’s go down and visit the Electric Company’s office, get our account for the new house changed, and pick up some bread from Luis at the city Market. (Luis has known Sofia her whole life and treats us like family when we stop). So we zip downtown, split a café and sanduíche mista (ham and cheese on fresh bread) and then drive over to main street to visit the market.

Ship in the harbor…main street…didn’t put those two things together. Buses everywhere, cops giving parking tickets, literally hundreds of Brits taking photos of everything, hitting all the tourist shops, carriage tours, island tours, wine sales, little Azores souvenir stands … you name it. So I drop the missus (the cop understood me when I explained we weren’t stopping) and then circled the block…no small task on one-way cobblestone streets. But I did manage to find my bride coming back out of the market with fresh bread and fresh bananas and get her back into the truck — all without losing too much of my patience:)

So I need to heed my own advice…when you’re retired and not in a genuine rush to make an appointment, deadline or get to work…pay attention to your environment. A huge ship brings tourists…they help all our neighbor’s with livelihood and they help spread the word about how wonderful our island is. They also come ashore quickly and go everywhere. So give them a wide berth on days when the ships are in. And help them enjoy as well:)