The Rampa do Muro da Coelha, near the university campus, marks the beginning of the Penteada site, a once vibrant place. The author remembers the cobblestones, polished by the passage of oxen and mules laden with sugar cane and wine.
The scene evokes a path that no longer exists, but lives in the memory of a happy childhood. Recollections of farms, a wine press, Alexandre's shop (grocery, wine cellar, bar, and tobacconist), and Maria do Carmo's school punctuate the route to the city. Alexandre's shop was a community hub where groceries were bought on credit and wine by the glass, paid for on weekends.
It was a time of scarce resources but abundant fruits and vegetables, where no one went hungry. Organic farming, using natural fertilizers, was common practice, producing exceptional quality galega cabbage and apricot plums.
Recalling this past is not being nostalgic, but rather affirming the benefits of a simple life close to Nature. The initial goal, the fountain, is now in ruins, an unrecognizable vague wreck, contrasting with the elevated highway that flies over it, a symbol of the changes brought by time and history.
