Pam Loves Portugal

We visited Sao Vicente and Santiago, two beautiful islands belonging to Cape Verde on the West Coast of Africa across from Senegal. Their motto is ‘Cabo Verde-No Stess’ Everyone is laid back, kind and friendly. It has an unspoiled unique landscape with ragged mountain peaks and pristine beaches among the many fishing villages. The city centres have vibrant markets and a luso African culture with music and art uniquely its own.

Búzios is a picturesque little beach town 177kms east of Rio de Janeiro. It is a calm safe refuge from the big city. We spent the day at Praia Brava at the Rocka Restaurant and Beach Lounge and enjoyed amazing views and lunch..

So..we flew Air Canada Toronto to São Paulo. We landed to discover our connection to Rio had been cancelled and rebooked for two hours later. While waiting in line airline employees offered us water and snack boxes apologizing for the change. So nice..I’ve never experienced that at Pearson. Also went to Plaza Premium Lounge at Toronto and in São Paulo and difference was night and day. São Paulo was far better. Table service at restaurant, self serve bar, selection etc…Don’t know what’s going on Canada but we need to step it up..

John and I have always been interested in visiting countries that Portugal has had a history with. Namely, Mozambique, Brazil, Macau (Hong Kong), Cape Verde and Goa (India). We love seeing how Portuguese culture has influenced the architecture, food and customs of these countries. Twenty years ago we met in Angola while teaching there and ten years ago we were able to visit Goa. It was amazing to eat traditional vindaloo, a dish derived from the Portuguese way of preserving pork in wine with garlic (vinho d’alho) and speak Portuguese with local people. Here is a photo dump from that trip. Today, we are so excited to be on our way to visit Brazil and Cape Verde. We will be visiting five cities in Brazil and two islands in Cape Verde. I’ll be posting travel pics and videos here on this page so keep an eye out to see life in these beautiful countries.

Father’s Day in Portugal 🇵🇹

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Porco Alentejana, or Porco Preto. In March we had an opportunity to visit the Feira de Porco Alentejana in Ourique. It is a huge market celebrating Iberian black pork and the Alentejan gastronomy. This pork is a unique breed produced in Portugal and Spain. They are free range eating mostly acorns and take two years to mature. Descendant of boar, the meat is unlike regular pork, with an exceptionally delicious flavour. While there we enjoyed ALL the food, tasting unique things like acorn pastries! Before leaving we drove up to the Ourique castle first erected by Moors in 711, the views over the Alentejan countryside are outstanding.

Same boat, same spot, different days. Low tide, high tide, Ria Alvor.

Picture of the day. An afternoon walk by the Ria Alvor with this handsome guy. It was windy and the seagulls were enjoying floating on the gusts of wind.

Filigrana. Filigree jewelry is the manual art of using delicate metal strands (gold, silver) and weaving them into intricate lace like designs. Portugal has a long history of filigree making. In the Minho region, particularly Viana do Castelo, the women wear this jewelry in traditional costume for festivals. The famous Coração de Viana, (heart of Viana) was commissioned by Queen Maria (1700’s) as a symbol of Jesus sacred heart in commemoration for giving birth to a male child. It is undoubtedly the most popular style of pendant and earring produced in Portugal. For more on the history and meticulous process of this style of jewelry making this article explains it well.

https://www.portico-magazine.com/articles/filigrana-filigree-twisted-strands-of-the-portuguese-soul

Ginja or Ginjinha. A Portuguese liqueur made from instilling Morello (sour) cherries in aguardente (brandy). Óbidos has many shops selling different varieties as it’s produced locally. They have a tradition of serving it to you in a little chocolate cup. It was my first time trying it and I asked John if he liked it or not, and the conversation went like this:
Me: Do you like it?
Him: Eu gosto COM ELAS. Translation: I like it WITH THEM (Female, plural).
Me: What?? With who?
He laughed and pointed to the bottle, COM ELAS means the cherries are left in the bottle!

Óbidos. A picturesque medieval city an hour north of Lisbon. We came for the International Chocolate Festival but got lost in the shops, bookstores, churches and manueline architecture of the town. We walked the entire perimeter of the city wall, which is a four foot walkway with no handrails! There are many festivals to enjoy throughout the year, Chocolate, Medieval, Christmas and open air concerts in the summer. Here are some pics of the town, I recommend staying at the Pousada in the castle (more on Portuguese Pousadas later), or a lovely boutique hotel called Senhora das Rainhas.

Cacela Velha. Day trip to the east coast with a visit to our favourite little village in the Algarve. Where the lagoon starts on the east side of the Ria Formosa. A charming village with typical Algarvian houses, chimneys and cobblestone paths. There’s a fort, a chapel and a hand operated cistern in the square. It’s like turning back time, a place unspoiled by development. Love, love, love coming here..

A new view..

Lagos Zoo. With over 140 species of animals that are happy and healthy and friendly. Being in Portugal the environment is lush and green with lots of shade. It’s a cozy yet vibrant place. A bird paradise. I was in Meerkat heaven! John says he doesn’t know who was more excited, our granddaughter or me. A great place to spend an afternoon.

Carnaval 2023! The city of Loulé hosts the biggest parade in the country as well as festivities most like Brazil. This year did not disappoint with amazing costumes, samba music and of course political satire! Our little ‘voodoo doll’ enjoyed every minute.

The seven hanging valleys trail. An 11km hike along the top of coastal cliffs in Carvoeiro. Beginning at Praia da Marinha in the east and ending at Praia de Vale Centeanes in the west. Along the way there’s a lighthouse, gorges, secluded coves and huge sinkholes. Not to mention some of the most beautiful seascapes. We kinda cheated and mostly stopped at the many beaches in between. And lunch, we enjoyed a patio lunch @ Jardim do Farol.

Fort Almadena. We were out exploring the little beaches between the coastal towns of Salema and Burgau, namely Boca do Rio and Cabanas Velhas, and found this little piece of history. Built in the early 1600’s to defend the areas fishing industry from pirates. Today it’s a most peaceful spot for a guy and his dog to watch the sunset.

The quaintest little beach church you’ll ever see. Nossa Senhora da Rocha chapel in Porches, Algarve. Set on a peninsula flanked on either side by two sheltered beaches, Praia Nova to the west and the fisherman’s beach Nossa Senhora da Rocha to the east. A lovely calm area with beautiful walking trails to enjoy.

Ponta da Piedade. (Point of Mercy) Listed as number five of the world’s most searched places on Google Maps 2022. A unique headland in Lagos where you’ll find caves, sea grottos and golden pillars in the ocean. A beautiful place to hike on the cliffs above or kayak and paddleboard down below.

Monsaraz. A little medieval town of 800 inhabitants in upper Alentejo. First occupied by the Moors, then taken by the Portuguese in 1167 and not long after handed over to the Knights Templars. Portuguese king Dinis fortified its walls and built the castle in the 14th century as a strategic defence against Castile (Spain). With an elevation of 640ft it overlooks the Alqueva dam (lake) and you can see as far as the Guadiana river which divides Portugal and Spain. I love coming here. I learn and see something new each time . You can not only see the history, you can feel it. The architecture has been well preserved. Also notable is the beautiful fountain at the base of the hill built in 1723. If monolithic monuments interest you check out the Menhir of Bulhoa and the Chromlech of Xerez, two of many Neolithic remains nearby.

Porches is a municipality about 10 kms east of the city of Lagoa in the Algarve. It is best known for it’s many pottery shops. A very popular one is Porches Pottery, where you can watch the artisans create these beautiful pieces..and can have your own designs commissioned on plates or tIle panels. Bar Bacchus is a little cafe and garden onsight where you can enjoy lunch and even more more beautiful tilework.

An afternoon enjoying the sunset at Praia Grande in Ferragudo. Tasting new Gins..this one, Gin Mare, is lovely with basil. Apparently Club Nau is a rocking place to listen to live music. Will have to make our way back..the food looks amazing too!

Iberian Magpie. Or ‘Pega Azul’ in Portuguese. I’ve been noticing these beautiful birds around the house we’re staying in. They are found mostly in Portugal and Spain. I often see them flying in twos or threes and I discovered they eat mostly acorns and pinenuts which are plentiful around here. I find the colours so attractive, glossy black heads, white neck, smoky taupe bodies and blue wings.

Vincentine Coast. We took a drive up to Aljezur through Carrapateira to an amazing restaurant called ‘O Paulo’. Highly recommend, the views are breathtaking. We enjoyed a ‘Cataplana de Marisco’. Typical Algarvian dish of steamed seafood in a dome shaped cookware called Cataplana. It had lobster, crab, shrimp, oysters, clams, razor clams, and mussels in a savoury broth. It was the first time I’ve tasted a wine from Trás os Montes, northern region of Portugal, and this one was like the best Pinot on the planet. We also went for a beautiful beach walk at Praia de Bordeira. The beauty of Portugal…

January 1st beach walk. Praia do Beliche..beautiful day for reflections..things lost, things found.

As we were booking our New Years Eve venue, we noticed the menus all include ‘a glass of champagne + RAlSINS’ to toast at midnight. This is because the Portuguese have a tradition of eating twelve raisins as they ring in the new year. Twelve raisins, twelve months, twelve wishes! Happy new year! 🎉🥂

Our Christmas this year was bittersweet. We did the usual merry making , three days of feasting and hosting out of town guests. It was amazing watching the magic of Christmas through our granddaughters’ eyes. We didn’t expect to have a tree this year but John found a box of decorations, we took it as a sign and it lifted our spirits. Our hearts were heavy as on December 22 we had to say good bye to my most cherished companion of 11 years, our beloved Shar Pei, Pippa. She became ill very quickly and it was so hard being away from her during this difficult time. She was a constant in our lives and there is no way to measure how much she will be missed.

A little Christmas shopping in the Algarve. Vila Vita Parc Christmas Market.