7th CampingCar Portugal Meeting
(The Blue River Town - Setúbal)
From 19 to 21 September, 2008
The participants majority, start arriving very early, as wishing to anticipate to maximum the beggining of an encounter promising to be a nice gathering, everyone eager to meet "old" companions.
At arrival a wellcoming atmosphere, good humoured crowd, all ready to drink a nice glass of "moscatel" (region sweet wine) and homely cakes, carefully done by our hostess, Nina.
Through the night they kept coming, some from afar, as happened with our friends from Spain (normally, we refer to them as "nuestros hermanos" = our brothers).
Saturday, divided in two groups, alternated visits were effected to Setubal Town, Arrábida Hills and Convent.
In the first case a tourism technician from Setubal Municipality, guided us, to Jesus Convent, built in 1490 and one of main examples of Manuelina Architecture, of our country.( King Dom Manuel II).
Unfortunately, closed for repairs, only the mother chapel, covered by patterned frame mosaics, could be visited.
The painted retable, installed in 1520, is exposed in the Galeria de Pintura Renascentista (Renaissance Paintings Gallery).
Bocage Square - Setubal centre (Bocage, José Maria du, was a very popular and sardonic poet, born and lived most of his life in Setubal).
Santa Maria da Graça church, heart of the mediaevel borough. Here, begun Setúbal.
Walking in the more characteristic streets of the river town, inclusive the roman cetarias (in the Setubal Tourist Office building), we went to visit Casa do Corpo Santo, Setubal's reference to Baroque period.
Lunch time came to recover energies and some rest, to support a bit the high temperatures felt, against meteo office previsions, which a couple of days before, predicted otherwise.
Other visited place, Arrabida Convent, established on the XVI century, by the Fraciscan monks and supported by the Duke of Aveiro.
A lendary story says an english merchant ship's owner, heading towards Lisbon, was surprised by tempestuous wheather and left adrift.
Some people of the ship, believed their rescue was due to a miracle and decided to stay in the place nearby, originate thus, the first hermitage in the zone.
In the frontspiece can be seen Monk Martinho, open arms, blindfolded,mouth shut by a padlock.
At night the traditional groups diner, important convivial moment shared by all participants to the event.
Sunday morning, we drove to Vila Nogueira de Azeitão, to visit the famous José Maria da Fonseca wine cellars, prestiged and centenary vine producers, and there, the participants entered a world of hystory and tradition in the vine production art.
Installed in a splendid building of the XIX century, the Jose Maria da Fonseca cellars, maintain a small museum with photos, trophys and old machinery.
The climate and soil conditions, favour the grapes and wine of different types, the more well known "Moscatel de Setúbal", liquour wine, unmistakeable floral fragance, honey anf orange.
An inside garden gives access to wine agging cellars, one of them occupying the warehouse of the weaver loom of the older clothing factory.
Before lunch, time to do shopping, wines, sweet rolls, dry twisted cookies and small sweet cheese, done, it was time to eat something and depart to home.
On the air the promise of meeting again within months...
...occasion, CampingCar Portugal, VIII Encounter.
See you there !