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Cambodia: the circus and plastic – Eco-tourism
I have fallen in love with Cambodia. We have been here for over two weeks, and I feel rejuvenated in a way that I find difficult to understand or articulate. I am trying to work out why Cambodia has enlivened my spirit. The intense oranges and greens of the landscape and the solid temples, mixed with a touch of French colonial culture, have captured my heart. Old art, drawings, and paintings sit on Cafe walls as a silent testament to an age before the Khmer Rouge. It feels like being dropped into a warm, soapy bath that smells of jasmine, but it is not like that at all. Our trip…
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The tide waits for no miller
The fascination with water mills, both tidal or river based abounds in literature. With the mill in the background, Victorian master painters record magical summer times. Mills tell us much about societies and their ability to harness natural forces. Although occasionally difficult to find now, as most are in ruins, many can still be identified all over Europe, sometimes hidden in rough ground or positioned in all their glory in an estuary. Some have pre Roman origins. In the eastern Algarve, there are examples of both types of mill. This article focuses on tidal mills, which are typically in this region, horizontal, long buildings. Many tide mills, along with watchtowers, fortifications, hermitages and…
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From wind to the production of flour – The Cachopo windmill – Cachopo moinhos de vento
On Sunday 7th February a group of about twenty people visited the reconstructed windmill in Cachopo. Jim and I were among the twenty, mostly foreigners who joined the adventure. We left the Tavira bus station at 9:30am, in a coach organised by Tavira Camara and the Tavira Museum. The architect and social historian, Marta Santos led the group. She is an expert in traditional architecture based at the Museu Municipal de Tavira / Palácio da Galeria. The road from Tavira, twists and turns and winds all the way up hill to Cachopo, passing beehives nestling next to valley rivers. The views on the way are stunning. Arriving at Cachopo at…
