Early morning fog at the Tagus South bank. Grey light, a sense of unknown space, vague unmeasurable distances , cold. And silence.
FOG
Tag: Tagus
Mud
A walk yesterday along the south bank of the Tagus, on a calm morning with gray skies and little sun. Low tide leaves large areas of mud along the shore, covered in green slime. On the muddy surface an old fisherman is making repairs on his boat, probably as old as he is. Further ahead, a goose walks proudly, dominating his territory.
The river (again)
Another trip along the Tagus, with a Zorki-1 camera, an Industar-22 manual lens and a roll of Eastman plus-X (the camera, the lens and the film have been out of production for years). Old stuff, but it works.
Living next to the river makes us familiar with it, but it ends up becoming a banal presence for many people. We can contemplate it, run along the shore or, simply, turn our backs on it, ignoring it.
Or not even use the chairs that allow us to so easily look at it.
By the river
Saturday afternoon, South bank of the Tagus. People gather there to meet, eat and drink.
Some people prefer to be left alone. A moment of rest to settle ideas and feelings
Others choose to dance. A group of friends, or more probably an informal dancing class. They bring their own music and dance in pairs. One of them directs the others, giving instructions before each music sometimes correcting their movements. They seem to take this quite seriously – but they share and communicate a lot of joy.
Some people make and play their own music…
… while others sit and talk, probably about the good old times
The Soap Factory
There is a small beach on the Tagus bank, between two cliffs, just west of the 25th April bridge. In the XIX century there was a soap factory there, today only its ruins remain. To get there it is necessary to take a steep path, not easy to find. At the river level we can found two chimneys, parts of the brick walls, lots of rubble and the opening of an old furnace. The place is invaded by briars and thorny wild weeds. The pillars of a former pier are still visible protruding from the water. Some fishermen take advantage of that place, they keep there a small boat and their fishing gear.
Salt
Reviewing some old negatives from more than 15 years ago, I found some images from the salt pans of the Tagus South bank. They seemed abandoned then, probably they are now out of business. But old tools and machines were still there, and also the big salt mounts – as if the people working there had suddenly gone away. Some boats were on the river – and seagulls too, of course…
Trafaria
Trafaria is a small fishing harbour on the South bank of the Tagus. It is the last river port before the sea. Fishermen use small motor boats to place or bring in the nets that they leave overnight at the mouth of the river, or in the sea near the coast. There are always some of those boats arriving or leaving. A huge silo was built by the water, and big cargo ships often stop there to be loaded with grain. It is not a tourist spot but it is a pleasant place to take a meal by the river. Seafood is excellent and the restaurants, although not very sophisticated, are very popular.
River
A variety of scenarios in the banks of the Tagus
João Avelar images 