Portugal Lady

On our last day in the Minho region, we visited the igreja of Nossa Senhora da Abadia, the oldest sanctuary in Portugal. In a small store beside the church, you can purchase Milagros, wax forms of parts of the body. Inside the cathedral, stairs on either the side of the altar lead to an ancient carved wooden statue of the Virgin. She is located high above the altar, where often in a Catholic Church, one sees the form of the crucified Christ. Standing there before Nossa Senhora da Abadia, one can pray, make an offering, and place the Milagros. Leaving the cathedral, we ascended a path beside a waterfall through woods, and climbed to the top of the knoll where the miracle occurred. While at this sanctuary, busses loaded with visitors arrived. The village of Sta. Maria do Bouro near the sanctuary provided lunch and a walk on narrow cobbled streets. We returned home as the clouds thickened, the air cooled and rain began to fall. The remainder of the afternoon and evening a heavy rain persisted, and we enjoyed shelter from the weather. During the night, I opened the bedroom door to invite in cool air. A cloud blew in, scattering miniature droplets over bare skin. In the morning light rivulets ran down the glass wall, and water sounds were everywhere. Forms were indistinct and the sky so low it touched the cornfields and pressed against the roofs of houses. We packed our bags, said "tchau"  to Casa do Fragão, and dropped down out of the clouds heading for the sea!