“This is my beloved homeland”. Above that, the armillary sphere, found on the Portuguese flag.
This colourful boat is called moliceiro. And where can you find boats like these? In Portugal, of course! More specifically in Aveiro, a city near the coast.
On the left, Saint Anthony, “worker of miracles”. To the right, a reference to the well known Fado singer, Amália, with the caption “Amália, the voice of all of us”.
These boats, now used mainly as tourist attraction, used to play an important role in the local economy: They allowed navigation in the Ria de Aveiro and the harvesting of a kind of vegetation, called moliço, which was used as a fertilizer in agriculture.
The motifs painted on these boats vary, but some, like this last one, can be… cheeky. 😉
This one reads “I’m delighted by your little bird”. There is, in fact, a canary in a cage, singing, but this is a double entendre in Portuguese: “little bird” also refers to… well, a specific part of the female anatomy. 😉
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Fascinating facts, and the artwork on these moliceiro is as good as any folk art in a gallery. The double entendre is delightful, and I’ll say no more!
“Know what I mean? Know what I mean? Nudge, nudge. Wink wink. Say no more” 😀