(photograph © Kiwidutch)
After a long day in Porto, Portugal we are back in Vila Nova de Cerveira, where we have ordered dinner as the last of the evening light fades and as the medieval festival unfolds around us.
To our delight a small troupe of musicians stand right at the end of our table playing and they are soon joined by a small band of players who start a dramatic drama on the steps of the church just meters away on the other side of the road.
It’s all in Portuguese of course and way too fast for us to follow, but clearly it’s very funny in parts as the local crowd erupt in laughter and many spectators are drawn to the area next to us to watch.
We have a literal ring side seat to the drama and the atmosphere is wonderful. We sit and eat whilst we are entertained.
The musicians don’t stay with the players in front of the church the whole time, but moving around the stalls and streets but clearly there are some parts of of the play where their presence is interwoven into the drama, and so with the peaks and lulls of the interaction we have the best seats in the house tonight.
Sadly the food measures up less than the entertainment… the meat is tough and we don’t find the usual high standard of Portuguese flavour that we had come to expect.
(photograph © Kiwidutch)
(photograph © Kiwidutch)
(photograph © Kiwidutch)
(photograph © Kiwidutch)
The light is way past twilight as I take these photos so it’s a miracle that any came out at all, and the later main course photos are definitely worse for wear as a result.
(photograph © Kiwidutch)
(photograph © Kiwidutch)
I couldn’t even get a good photo with the flash, clearly the restaurant part of our experience was suffering a malfunction tonight in more ways than one.
I did get some video of the musicians and the players, sadly the windows media player can open the clips but only showing a black screen and error messages so I don’t know what went wrong there either. Oh well, win some, loose some I suppose.
(photograph © Kiwidutch)
(photograph © Kiwidutch)
(photograph © Kiwidutch)
(photograph © Kiwidutch)
(photograph © Kiwidutch)
(photograph © Kiwidutch)
(photograph © Kiwidutch)
To our delight we find out that the festival is on for the whole weekend, so we aim to head back in here tomorrow morning and to see more.
