The Minde Polje, a flat and closed basin within karst limestone, limited by the plateaus of Santo António and São Mamede, in the central region of Portugal, has 4 x 1.8 kilometres and is drained on the periphery by the sources of the Lena, Alviela and Almonda rivers.

During the periods of greatest rainfall, the input of water in the system is greater than the flow allowed by the springs. The water rises within the network and floods the depression, as happened this year in January. Inside the polje there are numerous ponors that drain water underground. Actually, this region contains one of the largest underground freshwater reservoirs in the country.

Being periodically flooded, it has a peculiar flora, with the common hawthorn standing out among the bushes, the ash trees, and the Portuguese oaks among the trees. I visited the place a few days ago. Although it was no longer completely flooded, there was still a lot of water. It was late afternoon.

The sky had many clouds with stretches of blue. The atmosphere was perfectly calm, without any wind. I was marvelled to see the perfect reflection of the hawthorns, now completely bare of leaves, and of the sky, in the patches of water that still existed.