Travel Photo Friday - The Barcelos Cockerel

Today, Travel Photo Friday features a fantastic photo that makes you want to be in the sunshine! Peter has kindly contributed today, and here is the story behind the photo.

Taken in the village of Alte just over the N125 to the North of Albufeira; the photograph encapsulates the  Algarve region of Portugal.....hot; blue sky; pantile roofs; pretty chimneys, and the proud symbol of the Barcelos cockerel.

Thanks Peter, and if you don't know the story of the cockerel, read on.....

A 13th century legend tells the story of a pilgrim who, on his way to Santiago de Compostela, stopped in the small town of Barcelos, in Portugal. He was wrongly accused of theft, for which the penalty was death by hanging. The pilgrim prayed to Our Lady and St James, the patron Saint of Protection, that justice be done, and as a final effort to save himself, the prisoner pleaded for a meeting with the judge.The judge was about to tuck into a roast cockerel when the pilgrim pleaded, "If I am innocent, may that cockerel get up and crow!" The cockerel rose up and crowed loudly. From that moment on, it has become a symbol of faith, justice and good luck. It is also a symbol of Portugal and can be found all over the country.