Figueiró dos Vinhos, an exemplary village!

There aren't summer vacations that end without me having cross off the map a place where I hadn't been before.

This year, like most times, I decided to cross off a place in Portugal. If we don't know our own country, what foundations do we have to be able to go beyond borders? The choice began like any other research in the 21st century: by opening Google!

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I started by searching “Tourism Portugal”. I was hoping that these two miraculous words would be enough to solve a question as blatant as this one. The list of destinations appeared, infinite, just as expected. I had already visited the majority of the places named, like Porto, Lisboa, Sintra, Guimarães, Aveiro, Portimão, and so on. In that moment I discovered something extremely important: that I didn't want a place that appeared in the usual touristic routes, but that would allow me to know a little of the essence of my country as I enjoyed the warmth of the summer. That was when I remembered a colleague of mine.

This colleague of mine grew up in a small village in the center of the country. Since I have known him I have seen his pride in disclosing the name of the land that watched him grow. He wouldn't tire of saying how beautiful it was, how the city council was clearly betting on tourism, of course, of how he would like for me to go there. So, he had a little wonder in Portugal to show me and I wanted to visit a place like that. I asked him if I could visit him that summer. His answer was yes. That's how my trip to Figueiró dos Vinhos began.

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The village has an extremely picturesque look.

The buildings breathe an ancient history, some, unfortunately, can't hide it because of their deterioration. It's a typical Portuguese village. The central cafe. The “Zé Maneis” and the “Tis Albertinas” walking the streets. And, most of all, a charm of its own. Figueiró dos Vinhos was chosen as a home by several artists and, being there, you can see why! The aesthetics of the village is what captures the attention of any visitor. I asked my friend where we should begin my visit. He, knowing of how I enjoy sun-bathing, water and nature, said that we should start with the Fragas de São Simão. I had heard of this fluvial beach, since it had been nominated for the seven wonders of Portugal, in the fluvial beaches category, therefore, I accepted his suggestion!

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He took me there in his green Toyota Yaris. The path is built the way I wanted it to be: by nature. Among the trees, the scenery of the mountain e, surprisingly, with a recently tarred road. The view from high up over the other mountains, below, creates the illusion of us being bigger. We passed through several tunnels formed by trees that, separated by the road, decided to embrace each other. In the end, after much descending, we reached the bottom. I though that was it, but then he started to go up a narrow street. I asked him where he was taking us. He simply said: "Wait and you'll see". Just the vague answer that a girl lost in the middle of a mountain needs...

He was right. I had to admit. I waited, I saw it and it was worth i! He parked the car in a little parking place in the same little village Casal de São Simão. The Casal de São Simão is a village made of shale, known by its holiday houses, by having only one street, of course, by having a beautiful pedestrian connection to Fragas de São Simão. The village, which should be part of the route, was an crucial ingredient to my delight. The little cared for houses, with renewed wooden doors, flowers in the balconies and the casualty of a Portuguese home were everything that I wanted to see but that I didn't know existed. I imagined buying a summer house there, some day. How beautiful would it be to have a space like that for myself, where I could bring my loved ones to spend some time there, isolated from the hustle and cruelty of cities?

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My friend took me through a trail. I noticed the red and yellow marks on some walls, indicating that the trail is signalled, verifying its safety. That calmed me a lot. It is always better to know that you are going through a place where someone has been paid to go through. If there was someone to break their legs there, that person had been paid and got out without a scratch! The trail in between the trees is easy. It is downhill but it's safe. There is no real danger of slipping. That, of course if the visitors aren't jumping around. That place was verified, but one thing is for it to be safe, and another is to have no common sense... My friend was careful and told me he preferred if we walked slowly, which not only made sure I enjoyed the view and prevented any possible accidents.

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We were following the trail for about five minutes when we started to hear the sound of water from a stream. That, for me, is extremely alluring, I love the sound of water. I tried to walk faster.

When arriving at Fragas de São Simão, the view is breathtaking. The stream has a small dam, that works as a "diving area" in the fluvial beach. It has a small bar in a corner. A pretty metallic bridge connects the two sides. And the biggest point of attraction, a beautiful flora surrounded by enormous boulders. The rocks work as a resting area for the late-coming visitors. That was my case. I thought it would be too uncomfortable, but as soon as I set my towel and laid down, I realized the opposite. It was somewhat comfortable. Not the rock, obviously. But the fact that I was laying on a rock, with the sound of water in the background, the warm son on my skin and the feeling of complete rest. When talking to my friend, I discovered that the Fragas had a wilder area, slightly more hidden from the tourists' gaze. A plane area, surrounded by trees and where the river runs wildly. I decided to go take a look before I took my shoes of and showed my bikini to the world. The area had some old wooden swings, a plane space for groups to stay comfortably and the secrecy that I desired. I told him that we should place our towels there and that, when we wanted to go for a swim, we would go back to the other area. He wanted to please me, so he agreed.

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My first dive was slow. The water was cold and my body was too hot. Little by little I got in, and, suddenly, I gained courage and I plunged in. You can stand in the water on most of the beach, or even all of it if you are tall. I swam a little, whilst appreciating the beautiful “dolce far niente” which I later found out to be a tradition in Italy. I talked him into getting out of the water when my stomach growled. We headed to the bar, ordered some sandwiches, fresh drinks and ice cream. The order was accepted and taken care of quickly.

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I spent the rest of the day in tranquility, which that place offered me.

I took some photos, read and played same games with my friend. At the end of the day, I packed my belongings and followed the same trail we had taken before, to get to the car. Going uphill was a bit more difficult, but not too much. I even enjoyed it, to be honest. When we reached the top, my friend told me that we could have taken the car directly to the fluvial beach. If I hadn't enjoyed walking that trail I would had said some inappropriate things.

I went to his home at the end of the day. The sun still had a few hours left to shine, but I had decided that on that day I wanted to see the moon. I would only leave when it got dark.

I know that, for sure, I was going to find other delights in that small Portuguese village...

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