A fortress looking at the horizon - Routine views

Hello Everybody :)

It wasn't supposed to be an adventure. Not even a planned getaway. In fact, it all started with a simple business transaction, one of those we arrange via message and that involve phrases like “I’ll meet you near the castle”. Now, any outsider would think this is a rather esoteric way of doing business, but here in the north of Portugal, everyone knows that “the castle” is Castelo do Queijo. Official name? Fort St. Francis Xavier. But let's be honest: who uses the official name?

I arrived a little early, which is typical for me, I must say. It was sunny and clear, it was also windy, as always, and the Atlantic Ocean nearby seemed a little angry with the world, hitting the rocks hard as if it wanted to attract attention. With time to kill and a camera in my pocket (yes, the kind we have on our cell phones), I decided to stretch my legs.

And that's how I stumbled, figuratively and almost literally, into a kind of sacred Porto ritual: men (and a few women, to be fair) in intense card tournaments, set up on the very rock on the coast as if it were a floating café sculpted by nature. Some play, others watch. Everyone comments. There are those who smoke, there are those who eat lupins. And the most curious thing? That 17th century fortified structure right there, as a backdrop to this democracy of clubs and diamonds.

Fort São Francisco Xavier, built in the mid-17th century, emerged as a very serious response to a very real problem: pirates. Yes, real pirates. With boats, swords and probably less romance than the movies would have us believe. The Portuguese coast, especially that area between Matosinhos and the mouth of the Douro, needed defenses, and the fort was one of them.

The name “Castelo do Queijo” has several versions and legends, but the most popular one says that it owes its name to the rounded boulder on which it was built, which resembles... you guessed it: a cheese. I don't know what kind of cheese they were eating back then, but I like to think of a beautiful mountain cheese, robust and imposing, worthy of withstanding cannons and lookouts.

Today, the fort stands there, firm, aged with dignity, with its decorative cannons and a privileged view of the ocean. You enter for little money (or sometimes for free, depending on your luck) and inside you feel that thick silence of places that have seen more than they tell.

Right next door, the Montevideo Avenue Gardens stretch out. A sonorous, almost poetic name. There, green meets blue in an almost cinematic dance, with well-traced paths, strategic benches and generous shade. Families have picnics, joggers walk by with headphones on and there's always the odd dog raving about clearly having the best day of their week.

The coast itself is a true mosaic of rocks, small beaches and cliffs. There, in front of the fort, there is a tiny, secluded beach that seems to only exist for those who know it. It's not always good for swimming and the sea is unreliable, but the scenery is worth it all. The sea air, the sound of the waves and the reflections of the sun on the water have this almost therapeutic power. Have you ever thought about how the sea can be a kind of emotional mirror? Sometimes serene, sometimes tumultuous. A reflection of ourselves, perhaps?

Meanwhile, the salesman appeared there. The transaction was quick and efficient as if we both knew the important moment had already happened. Because it wasn't the purchased object that marked the day. It was the break. Dead time that, after all, was alive with history, landscape and people.

And it's curious how these things happen, right? We expect one thing and find another. Or rather: we found everything else. A fort with a snack name. A group of players who turn stone into a game room. A coast that invites silence, photos or reflection.

If there's one thing travel has taught me, even the kind that starts with a normal business, it's that places don't wait for you with tourist plans. They just are. And sometimes, all you need to do is stop for five minutes and open your eyes to be surprised by a small universe hidden in plain sight.

That´s all for today, Hope you like it :)

Thank you again for watching :)

Always remember:

Value your time, because every fraction counts, and the price of anything is the amount of life you trade for it.
May the memories of the travels be eternalized in the photographs, and may the photographs transport us back to the travels ;)