Arrabidays|Days created with your favourite activities
Escape Directory|Guide to the best on Lisbon's south side
The market or Praca, open till midday, is inside a large pink building and on the walls where there is space Azulejos, painted tiles, depict local scenes in cobalt blues. That is if you notice them of course, because our attention was instantly stolen by the bustle of activity, the sounds of trade, chink of coins and rustle of plastic bags. Here is the personality of Setubal. Women dressed in print house coats selling the vegetables grown on their plots, vegetables that hold their true flavour and fruit that sweetens the air. Large bosomed housewives waddle under the weight of bulging bags of produce and against the walls lean toothless old men in oversized coats and caps. We pushed our way into one of the cafes for a ritual black coffee, Bifana (pork sandwich) and cherry liquor, Ginginja, for the best start to the day and then wondered around the marble fish counters loaded, seemingly, with every fish the sea has to offer.
The Avenida runs parallel with the estuary, so behind the market we wander along the harbour filled with colourfully painted fisherman boats until we reached a row of restaurants with dining outside and the tantalising smell of grilled fish.Yes, the market had given us an appetite! Grilled fresh fish, a tomato and onion salad, boiled potatoes drizzled with olive oil and a crisp white wine, Planalto perhaps.
Eating in Portugal is so pleasurable that I sometimes find it hard to leave the table, however on this occasion we had a boat waiting for us.
At the marina by the ferryboats, at the other end of the Avenida, we boarded our fishing boat and motored our way along the Arrabida coast toward Sesimbra. I could not believe how different a coast I thought I knew looked from that angle. Towering above us were its craggy mountains guarding its beach alcoves. Shoals of fish darted across our portside as we dropped anchor; we threw our fishing lines and kicked back to enjoy the great sense of freedom, space and tranquility the ocean offers.
Another Arrabida moment...
FishDay
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