I WISH YOU AN ENJOYABLE WEEKEND... (slideshow)

Two weeks ago, on the way back from the north of Portugal, I stopped at a small town, Amarante, crossed by a river that  in winter often overflows, the water rising to high levels.

Every first weekend of June, Amarante holds a festival in honour of its patron saint, a protector of marriages. According to the tradition, touching the Saint figurine that we see inside the monastery is thought to bring imminent marriage. I have serious doubts about it...

The festival is characterized by a pageantry that I didn't attend, an open air market that I enjoyed strolling through it and a fertility tradition: unmarried people exchange some rather intriguingly shaped cakes as a token of their affections!!! 

The streets were taken by characters that are not of this world. Gargantuan giants of myth and fears walked the streets of the town along with big headed ones, believed to  keep the bad spirits away, while groups of drum players challenged  each other to play louder, longer and faster.

The market was colourful, with many stalls selling a wide variety of products. The main textile factories are located in the region, a fact that explains why fabrics and clothing were much cheaper than in Lisbon. I bought nothing but a small cage for a cricket. Crickets are good memories of my childhood and I missed their chirping on hot summer nights...

I couldn't yet find crickets on sale in Lisbon but someone has already promised to get one for me. In the meantime the cage is waiting for its little resident.

I really enjoyed this travel in time to other eras and places that sometimes was interrupted by the ringing of a mobile phone,  reminding me that I was in the XXI century...