The Last Supper in Nazare

After our hamburger fiasco at lunch, Clarita, Peggy, and I decided a salad might be nice for supper so we set off a little after 7 to see what we could find. This time we opted for the uptown – the more traditional part of town – as opposed to downtown – the touristy part. We tried one restaurant but they enforced the "cannot eat before 8 rule". We were just about to give up when we turned down a narrow road and happened across a tiny little restaurant, Rosas Dos Ventos. We went in and were promptly greeted in English by the owner. As we were the only ones there, he spent time talking to us. Ray is Portuguese and spent 20 years in Canada before returning to his home town to open this restaurant. His family is all fisher people and his restaurant reflects the history. Along the walls are pictures of his mother and father, grandparents, and himself as a young boy. The typical fishing gear is hung from the ceilings and walls. It was a charming place made even more so by Ray. We got our salads along with an order of clams cooked in garlic and olive oil and he stopped by our table to talk often. Then before we knew it, the place had filled up. In case we haven't mentioned this before, it seems like we have that good aura. Whenever we go into an empty restaurant or shop, in just a few minutes the place is swarming with people. Good for the owners, not always good for us. Ray, however, made a special point of dropping by each table and conversing with the patrons in their language. It took on the atmosphere of a party – warm and cozy. At the table next to us was a British couple, here for a holiday. We made some recommendations to them and then chatted with them while waiting. The Brit guy worked in Europe and had made a list of places he wanted to take his wife when he retired so that is what they are doing now. After we finished our meal, we asked Ray for the dessert menu and he told us he would pick something out for us. He returned with three scrumptious looking desserts – a flan, a mousse, and an almond paste. We took all three and shared them. Then he brought an after dinner port that was absolutely delicious. This more than made up for our awful lunch and the only bad part was that Shirley missed out. We will find a similar experience in Spain in which she can partake.