as though to confirm, i went outside and saw the golden light of the sun on the mountain that separates boa ventura/sao christoval from the next town arco sao jorge

absolutely spectacular, like a sign

it reminded me also

i found out that the portuguese word for the herb fennel is "funcho" and the capital of this island is called Funchal, and in ancient greek culture fennel was said to impart a blessing to warriors

and so i think that the word funchal may be a reference to "the blessed city" of revelation

there is lots going on there but that's just what came to me

also it makes me think about how i have been drawn to join the portuguese fatima catholic church here, and all the lovely people i have come into contact as a result of coming here, and even, this town's name means "good fortune" and the church is named "the church of the mother of good fortune" igreja da matriz da boaventura. maybe matriz means grandmother, actually.