the hot goddess

Midlife is Just a Bowl of Cherries…and Soup, and Sun

Portugal’s Silver Coast has been having a glorious stretch of spectacular weather this week, which began with a highly anticipated trip to Portugal’s cherry capital on Sunday. As promised in my last post, here are some photos from that outing, along with some other spring-y things that sprung up this week.

Cherries

We drove an hour to Santarém to catch the “Cherry Circuit” train to Fundão in eastern Portugal. The train ride took about two-and-a-half hours. It was a scenic and comfortable trip.

Many train stations here are adorned with the beautiful tiles (azulejos) for which Portugal is famous. I was adorned in my I’m-going-to-see-cherry-blossoms spring coat, cardigan, and bag. I also had matching glasses.

Wait for it.
Portugal is also famous for wine. Any old station can have a restroom sign, but here, priorities are straight.
Fundão train station

As expected, earlier wind and rainstorms left few cherry blossoms on the trees, but there were some, and the 12km hike we took was gorgeous.

It was a 12km hike up a mountain uphill from the town below. We stopped at this not-yet-midway point to snap pics of still-blooming trees. I stopped gasping long enough to look cool for this photo.
A few more stragglers still had blossoms.
Casa da Cereja is a UNESCO Centre of Fundão
Então (Sooo)… the word for cherry in Portuguese is cereja. The word for beer is cerveja. The two words sound very similar. I’m not a beer drinker, so I never have occasion to use the Portuguese word for beer. You know where I’m going with this, right? It was about here when I found out I’d been chatting on in Portuguese about beer blossoms, house of beer, and beer tiles much of the day. Sigh.
Serra da Estrela, or Star Mountain, Portugal’s highest mountain range, in the background. There’s a bit of snow visible.
Wall art from recyclables, near the train station in Fundão.
Now our day — and my outfit — are complete. Just call me Rainha da Cereja. Or Beer Queen. Whatever.

Soup

I am far less coordinated in the kitchen than I am sartorially, but I’ve been having a spring fling with homemade soups. A friend turned me on to the magic of pureeing a portion of a pot of soup, and now I am obsessed. Nearly everything I use in my soups — spinach, kale, turnip greens, cabbage, carrots, onions, pumpkin, leeks, garlic — is grown in the fields near my home. My pitiful chef self is having a Martha frippin’ Stewart moment, people, and I am thrilled with my own damn self.

Delicious vegetarian soup. Not necessarily a great soup to eat on date night, though. Just saying. But hey, it does wonders for obstrução.
Farm fields along the cliff trail behind my home.
Walking back up the trail after a “grocery store” run, carrying bottles bags of “groceries” in my backpack. Weekend ready! 

(I’m thinking we totally could use one of those train station signs here. Priorities.)

Sun

I cannot get enough of the sunny weather we’ve been having here, with pastel sunrise skies and blazing tangerine sunsets bookending each day. The ocean constantly beckons in blue.

From bed at dawn.
From the studio balcony as the sun goes down.
From the wine beach trail.

We’ve had clear, sunny skies all week but were not able to view Monday’s total solar eclipse. Portugal has to wait until 2026 to view one. My son and brother snapped photos in Northeast Ohio to share with me.

My brother took this photo from my mother’s backyard.
My son captured this shot outside his workplace.
My mother, who turns 92 this year, seeing the first total solar eclipse she’s been able to see in her life.
My brother and mother needed to bundle up as the sun’s warmth disappeared. My brother flew in from the east coast for the occasion.

It almost feels as if I were there. Almost.

Thank you for reading ❤️. Wishing you a weekend of happy memories, simple pleasures, and good stories.

My midlife mantra

Source: Unknown

All images are my own, except as noted.

The Hot Goddess

Instagram: retired_rewired_inspired

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28 comments

  6. Wow! Every picture/video is more gorgeous than the one before (and yes I am including you in this!😁). What a feast for the eyes. I had to laugh at the wine sign at the train station! Sounds like my kind of country. Thanks for sharing, Natalie!

    Deb

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  9. Your posts never fail to put a smile on my face. I enjoyed this glimpse (your stunning images) at your world as spring blooms. Love the idea of ageing with audacity, I’m definitely revising my “ageing with grace” version. 😀 ❤

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  11. Cherries, soup, and sun sounds alright by me! A treat to see your vibrant photos and gorgeous smile! I loved seeing your mom’s photo the first time – happy to see her again and your brother. A family of beautiful smiles! Thank you, Natalie. 💖🌊🌞

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