Milfontes: a thousand springs leading to the ocean

Somewhere south of Lisbon, in the most expansive corner of our Europe. Milftones. Where thousands of springs would converge. Where paths intersect and where a direction must be chosen. A place where time comes to a standstill. Where in the morning, small dogs leave tiny puddles in a blanket of mist. 

From noon onward, a total silence covers the streets until the sun slowly begins to sink. Then, slowly, the first shutters creak open. A shopping bag is grabbed. An awning is unfurled. The sky gradually changes hues. First orange. Then red. At Bar Azul, the first tables are set outside, and the first pipe of the evening is lit. In the distance, you can hear the sea crashing. Wildly. Against the small pebbles on the beach. Sometimes against the rocks beyond. Tonight will be rough. And after the night? After the night, the mist arrives. At dawn, as it finds its path once again, it embraces Milfontes.

Milfontes, Portugal, October 2022