Greetings to all readers. I come here to express my most sincere condolences to the victims of the natural disaster that occurred on 15th August in the Algarve. The Civil Protection does not yet have the official figures that came from this tragedy (actually, it has nothing), but inestimable damages are calculated, especially moral damages and on the bumpers of hundreds of vehicles.
But the reader, perhaps worried, will ask what actually happened that Wednesday? Was it an earthquake? A tsunami or a tornado? No. It was just a few drizzles.
The morning of the 15th came gray and cloudy, cool but not cold, but he soon promised not to invite anyone to bathe. The beaches took on the scenario of a winter day, practically deserted, showing those who didn't know that sometimes, very rarely, in the Algarve the sun also hides. Sun, as I understand you: I try to hide myself from so many tourists who, for whatever load of water, I couldn't have come on vacation in another month, but in vain...
The result was catastrophic and, allow me to be bold, ridiculous. As if in a region of such cultural and scenic wealth, especially in the summer, there was no other place to see or be than the beaches of our long coastline, all the saints made an unforgettable pilgrimage to the Shopping that there was closer (or farther away). And judging by the affluence, contrary to what we Algarveans find in winter, the malls it didn't seem like that many.
There were thousands and thousands of people walking in the aisles and stores of all the shopping centers in the region. A crowd like I've never seen. The population density was so high that in the 'hard' hours it felt like the front rows of a U2 concert. It would have been the perfect day for the Census gang to have asked half of the Portuguese. It was as if the last day of May 1 had been repeated, but this time exclusively in the Algarve and there was no 50% discount from €50 on purchases.
The human block was almost impenetrable and this whole scenario made me ask silently: is it possible that, where all these people come from, there is no drizzle?
Many entrepreneurs will have rubbed their hands in such a dismal situation, because of the business opportunity it represented, but not the humble shopkeepers who redoubled their efforts not to show too much chaos in which they were working. In the eyes of some employees, you could see the pain and despair of someone who is not used to being absorbed by the crowd while working. And, as my grandmother says: anything that is too much makes you sick.
In the basements intended for parking, the chaos was similar. A slow march in and out of parks, cars abruptly parked in holes too small for their size, needlessly tight maneuvers that made small dents in other people's bumpers. And subtract from this the patience and lack of art of some conductors…
St. Peter's fault? Holiday fault? Does the Algarve have other points of interest to visit when the beach is not an option? There is, there is and there are not few! But there will certainly be fundamental flaws in the dissemination and promotion of Algarve tourism. If those who visit us are not aware of other options of a natural, cultural and landscape nature, the fault can only be the lack of publicity, because general culture is not usually the gift of the common passerby.
For my part, I can leave here some visiting options to consider in future situations like this: Arrábida Natural Park; Temple of Diana; Gerês; Alqueva; mouth of the river Douro; Ria de Aveiro; Convent of Mafra; village of Monsanto; Chelas; among many others, just search the internet.
“Ah, but that doesn't stay in the Algarve!” I know.
Comments