Portugal Adventure

Last few weeks in Portugal

2010-04-01T09:12:00.000-07:00

Goodness, it's the 1st April already. We've been back in UK since 2nd March. Since then we've been really busy catching up with friends and relatives and trying to get organised so that we can go back to Portugal once and for all. The plan is to return to Portugal as soon as possible. Before then though, we have to get the house ready to sell, and then actually sell it! We are hoarders, so we have to get rid of loads of stuff and then redecorate several rooms. We are also working our allotment as we are happiest when we are growing some veggies.

Here is a summary of our last few weeks spent in Portugal.

Rain stopped exploration in the main. And then there was that big storm on Saturday the 27th February that brought down trees. We woke up to find that we had no electricity but apart from that the cottage seemed to be okay. We had arranged to travel to meet up with friends that day, and despite the weather we braved it. We drove over towards Arganil, watching the trees along the lanes with trepidation. There were signs that trees had fallen and had been cleared quickly, and the roads were littered with branches and other debris for the whole journey. We met Kathy and Keith at the Mendes Bar. The bar had no electricity either. Kathy had made us delicious chocolate cakes with icing topping as a farewell treat. Despite the bar being unable to serve coffees etc, it was full of Portugese chattering away.

We didn't actually get the electricity back on until 1630 hours on the 28th Feb. The reason why we had no power, and also the neighbouring villages, was because a pylon had fallen down on the N17. Our big clean up of the cottage was hard work without the vacuum cleaner. Twig seemed to know something was afoot as we packed our stuff away and cleaned the place through. We hauled the rugs outside on the varanda and beat them with brooms like the Portugese women do.

Very early on Monday 1 March we set off for home, driving up to Santander to catch the ferry for a 23-24 hour crossing.

The voyage was uneventful, thank goodness! We were dreading travelling in case we ended up meeting the storms we had experienced on the Saturday. All the rivers that we saw on our way through Spain had burst their banks. The Picos de Europa were thick with snow.

When we arrived at Santander it was gloriously warm and sunny with a gentle breeze. On our journey the Bay of Biscay was relatively calm, it felt just like being on the Witches' Hat.

Back in the UK and we hadn't gotten far before we met our first traffic cones. Then more, then more. How we hadn't missed them for six months! Our journey home was punctuated all the way with road works. About 40 miles from home we could resist no longer and we scouted out a chip shop. Slavering we were, imagining those hot salty vinegary chips. And they were horrible! Expensive and horrible. Nothing like what we had envisaged, or indeed, cooked for ourselves while in Portugal.

That's one of the things we have found since we've been back. The choice is overwhelming in the supermarkets. But nothing compares to Portugal. Everything we craved has left us disappointed (apart from cheese!). Nothing tastes as delicious as much as we thought it did unless we cook it from scratch using raw and fresh ingredients like we did when we were in Portugal.

This is the final entry for this blog as our six month Portugal Adventure is now over but after all the rain we may be escaping to Tenerife for some sunshine! We may start a sister blog to record the process we go through when house hunting and buying over in Portugal. We are looking forward to going back.

Gouveia

2010-02-22T03:45:00.000-08:00

Yesterday after lunch we had a drive up to Gouveia to do a geocache. We found the cache just in time as a heavy rain shower started. We didn't have time to explore Gouveia but it is definitely worth a proper look around from the little we saw. It sits in the foothills of the Serra da Estrela and is not as remote as we had previously thought. We spotted the "turismo" that we intend to visit, we also saw supermarkets such as Intermarche and Lidl. Gouveia seems an ideal base for exploring the mountains or lowlands on foot.

The other reason we drove up to Gouveia was to try and find a parking place for the PR2 and PR3 walks that are mentioned in a link on our "Hidden Treasures" post (links to Gouveia camara percursos pedestres). Studying the sketch maps we could see that Vinho was included in both these walks. It took us a while, but we eventually found where we could join both walks. They were quite separate from one another. Unfortunately the weather forecast for the next week is rain, rain, and more rain.

We have been trying to find information about a walk that goes from Vila Pouca da Beira to no avail. Even a visit to the village was fruitless. We managed to find a Roman road that was impressive but nothing to indicate the walk, despite a sign by one of the churches indicating that there is walking in the area.

Today we managed to find a little more information about this on the Oliveira do Hospital council website. Also is a bit of information about other walks. No maps unfortunately though.

After the terrible weather that has struck Madeira it seems that 11 districts on the continent are also on yellow alert. We wonder if El Nino might be the culprit for the really wet winter and now this period of "mau tempo".

Bread and Cake

2010-02-20T08:37:00.000-08:00

There are little white vans that comes around the villages. Some are selling fruit and vegetables, one man sells bread and cakes.

We can get lovely fresh baguettes, rolls, and loaves from the bread man. We bought 6 bread rolls, and two slices of sponge cake for a total of 1.33 euros. The bread is always soft and delicious, and the cakes were probably the best we have tasted since we arrived. One had a really yellowy custard in it, and the other was probably cinnamon and dates.

The only problem is with these vans is that it's a bit like trying to catch the icecream van. We never know when they will appear. And we either spot the bread van when the wallet is in the house, and we don't have any loose change in our pockets, or we only notice him as he's disappearing up the exit track.

Today we were very naughty and tried one of the fresh cakes from the fridge in Ecomarche that we have been salivating over for some time. The only problem is, once we made the decision to throw willpower to the wind and buy one, we then had to pick from a very alluring choice.

We plumped for a "Bolo de Chocolate" at 3.25 euros. We felt obliged to sample this as soon as we got back to the cottage. Soft, fresh, MOIST and delicious. It will stretch to about 8 generous portions (for greedy guzzlers like us). The only thing is the inside is not chocolate, just the outer coating. But that's no criticism really as the sides are plastered with chopped nuts and it really was quite superb.

Hidden Treasures

2010-02-20T08:14:00.000-08:00

The forecast for the next few days isn't great. Rain and thunder possibly. We light the fire every night though some days we feel that we need to light it early afternoon, and on other days when the sun is out, it does not get lit until about 1800 hours. It gets dark about 1820 hours at the moment.

Yesterday we were out near Arcozelo [Gouveia]. It was a beautiful sunny day after a couple of days of rain. We walked on part of the PR3 to a group of granite rocks that had steps, and a grave, hewn into the rock. The formations of the rocks were impressive, and added to that were wonderful views and archaeology - we felt like we had found treasure.

Today, another glorious day of sunshine after a night of quite heavy rain. We went over to Fiais da Beira to the remnants of an agricultural village, consisting of approximately 75 buildings. The array of buildings are built over a granitic plateau and are still amazingly intact. It felt very special to be allowed to explore this lovely place.

The green meadows and agricultural fields, beneath the pruned grapevines, are beginning to brighten with white, pink and yellow spring flowers. At the same time, in the distance, is the stunning sight of the snow-ridden Serra da Estrela. Magnificent.

We managed to find some information about walks in and around Gouveia, ie the PR1, PR2, and PR3. A downloadable file (28 pages) is available at this link

There are more walks outlined at this link just click on the word Percursos to open the hyperlink to the listed walks.

Coja Carnival

2010-02-17T05:34:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we went over to Coja for the Carnival due to begin at 1500 hours. The Carnival marks the beginning of Lent and takes place on Shrove Tuesday. The floats were gathering in the grounds of the Galp fuel station on the end of town we came in on, so it meant the road was blocked off and the parked cars lined the road on the outskirts.

Though spectators were gathering in groups from the Galp station onwards, we made our way to the main square to meet our friends.

Despite the rain there was a pleasant buzz in the air. A relaxed excitement.

The floats didn't make their appearance at the square until nearer 1600 hours. But then the parade lasted for at least an hour. Imagine the smell of popcorn and the sound of big bass drums, whistles, horns and trumpets. There were varied and colourful costumes, clowns, bumble bees, animals. Water bags launched from one vehicle were caught and lobbed back at the sender, much to everyone's amusement. Children in the crowd had dressed up specially for the event, dressed as princesses, clowns, gladiators. People were wearing crazy hats or wigs.

Because of the rain it was difficult to get good pictures of the floats. It was really nice to see all age groups participating and spectating. The buildings around the square had people looking from balconies and windows.

After the parade we went up to Gordon's bar and had a beer. Then Keith and Kathy were invited to the house of a Portugese friend of theirs, and we were made welcome too. We felt very honoured to be able to participate in their celebration and to receive such hospitality. We were plied with food and drink, Serra da Estrela cheese, wine, homemade bread, goats cheese, and another soft cured cheese. The meat eaters were enjoying wild boar sausages, hams, and other types of meats. After the savoury came an assortment of puddings and then the spirits to finish off. Jon tried Aguardente (a smooth and fiery, brandy tasting spirit). At 1900 hours we all traipsed upstairs onto the balcony for a wonderful view of the firework display on Coja bridge. The display lasted about 15 minutes.

All in all a wonderful day.

Spring

2010-02-15T04:45:00.001-08:00

It's distinctly chilly today, overcast and windy, and the sun is struggling to show through. We lit the fire about one hour ago and have resigned ourselves to a "make and mend" day. It rained heavily during the night and the forecast is for more rain today but it hasn't appeared yet.

Yesterday we drove down through Penalva da Alva in weak sunshine. The mimosa trees are all in bloom and look glorious. So is spring officially here? The festa period has started again this week. We saw people in fancy dress costume, and we are meeting friends in Coja tomorrow to see the carnival floats, then at 1900 hours there will be a firework display on the bridge. Let's hope it warms up a bit, and stays dry.

We are a bit stir crazy to be out walking and exploring the mountains a bit more, but our car isn't four wheel drive, and we daren't risk going up those winding steep mountain roads unless we know it's safe. It's deceiving that while in the valleys it is relatively mild, the Serra da Estrela is swathed in snow.

A look at the Manteigas webcam confirmed our decision to stay low was the right one.

This is Manteigas just before 1300 hours today.

Yesterday we cooked ourselves a romantic meal for Valentine's Day and generally spoilt one another more than usual. There is definitely a feeling of love in the air. Spring is so sexy.

Pneus Tyres

2010-02-11T07:07:00.000-08:00

Today the weather has been glorious sunshine. Not sure what has happened to the forecast. Last night the forecast for today was mostly rain, and this morning it had changed to say it would be cloudy mainly. And yet, it must be 15 degrees Celsius or more. It feels like a beautiful May Day in the UK. Our washing that only went out at about 10.30 this morning was bone dry by 13.30 hours.

We had to get a couple of new tyres for the car. We tried a place just off the N17 down a side street, opposite the main turn off for Oliveira do Hospital. The garage had been recommended to us by a friend.

They were already busy with changing tyres on another car when we arrived, so we just loitered in the entrance way until someone came over to see what we needed. The lady spoke a smattering of English, and with our smattering of Portugese we managed to understand one another. We had been told by someone that it comes a bit of a shock to them if you walk straight up to them and begin explaining what you want. Play it cool, be patient, and when they can they will see to you.

She asked us if we wanted new or remoulds. We explained that we wanted new, mid range cost-wise. Then she checked the tyre size, went off for a few minutes, came back and had written down the options. We could go for an Asphalt at 39.50 per tyre, or for another make, for 50.00 euros per tyre. We chose the 39.50 ones. In the UK we usually pay about £30 per tyre so we were quite content.

They instructed us to pull the car in, put it up on a ramp, and within 20 minutes we had paid up and with a friendly goodbye, we were on our way. All in all, a very painless experience.

One thing to take into account is that most of these places seem to shut down entirely over lunch. So we knew that we would either have to hit them mid morning or sometime after 1430 hours to be on the safe side.

We had been procrastinating about changing our tyres because we were a bit worried how we would get on without speaking fluent Portugese. But judging from some of the used tyres discarded at the side of the garage, ours could have lasted another 12 months! Some of them were really bald. And considering the way some people drive over here it's worrying.

While we were driving up the N17 we spotted an Express coach heading in the opposite direction, towards Lisbon. This was just after 11.00 hours. We think they were just about to do a pick up at the next village on the N17 where quite a crowd was gathered (Beira, by the turn off for Galizes). We don't know whether this is a weekly trip, or a daily one, but thought we would record it here for future reference.

Muddy Walkers

2010-02-10T02:23:00.000-08:00

Generally the weather has grown a bit milder, but there seems to be a return of rain. We checked the weather forecast yesterday and it looked very promising, only 20% chance of rain, so we set off for a 16km walk SW of Tabua (that we found from a link posted on Expats Portugal ie http://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/home.do)

But after only a few miles light rain had started. So we were unlucky there, but unthwarted, we donned our waterproof coats.

Another mile or so along the forest tracks and we came to a stretch that was virtually impassable. Okay we could have done it in thigh length wellies! The forest track had been churned up by some heavy vehicle and it looked like a scene from Glastonbury. Even if we managed to wade through, we didn't know how much more to expect further on. So, a bit disappointed we retraced our steps. We wouldn't even attempt to come back and do this walk until it has been dry weather for a few weeks.

We returned to Tabua, popped to the Post Office to post a birthday card to Shannon, and then we went to the Farmacia. It's been a revelation to be able to buy some drugs over the counter here that in the UK are prescription only. It was one of our worries that we were only able to bring 3 months supply of our prescription drugs from the UK. So we have to pay for them, and they are not cheap, but it's only for the short term. When we move out here permanently we will try and get onto a local doctor's books, and with a Portugal prescription the cost will be way less.

On our way back we stopped off at a little picnic spot at Covas to eat our packed lunch. The sun was out by now and all we could hear were bleating sheep. We were quite amused to see a herd of sheep following a few naughty goats to fresh pastures. The poor old shepherd was blissfully unaware of the exodus until the last few stragglers started running down the hill to join the escapees. We have to admire goats really, even though they ate all our veggies, as they're quite anarchic.

Plug Plants Available

2010-02-04T06:25:00.000-08:00

The rain promised yesterday probably appeared after we had actually gone to bed as we never heard it, but the ground was wet this morning. We drove over to Arganil to visit the market. The plant sellers were there with healthy plug plants; cabbages, tomatoes, peppers, leeks, and lettuce.

We bought some vegetables off the market; a huge bunch of fresh watercress and another huge bunch of flat leaf parsely, six juicy vine tomatoes, a lettuce and about half a dozen turnips all for about 5 1/2 euros. Then we had a lovely cafe meio leite in a cafe and treated ourselves to fresh doughnuts. Delicious.

While the weather was overcast, there were glimpses of sunshine, and overall it felt very warm and there was a happy bustle. A lovely morning. Back over towards Oliveira the sunshine was more sparse and now it is raining and it doesn't look like it will stop anytime soon. Time to light the stove.

Photos taken in February 2010

2010-02-03T08:35:00.001-08:00

February photos link

Mata do Desterro - River Alva Walk

2010-02-03T07:29:00.001-08:00

We have had three frosty nights in a row. But today it hasn't been the usual endless sunshine we have come to expect following a frost. It's rather overcast and cool, and the forecast suggests that there is a high chance of rain by 1600 hours.

It's now 1530 hours and we have not long lit the wood burning stove. The landlady came over today to sweep the chimney earlier, so hopefully the stove will burn more efficiently. When the stove gets stoked up it puffs smoke back into the room so you have to open all the windows and doors. Last night we just gave up on it as no matter what we did the fire just languished, there was no heat, and the radiators failed to warm up. Even Twig is cold. She tries to get on your lap to warm herself through and it's a bit difficult to type with a laptop and a cat on your lap!

Yesterday we were out walking again, and at the risk of being repetitive, we chose a walk that ran through the Mata do Desterro again (circular route from Senhora do Desterro), but this time the walk continued up into the valley and then ran back down above the River Alva.

It's hard to believe that the water in this river, unless it gets diverted in the meantime, will run past the cottage we are renting (about 20 miles away).

It was fantastic weather, the sunshine was wonderful. We had calibrated the map of the walk onto the gps and though there was a discrepancy of about 20 feet, it served us well. The only problem we had was near the end of the walk where we had to cross a water course that forms part of the hydroelectro works. The path across the water course was blocked by a locked gate. We have notified the site in the hope that they will rework the route so that it prevents others experiencing the same problem. This walk (12km) and other "Percurso Pedestre" are at the Turismo Guarda.pt site. The link also provides routes for cars. As our Portugese is still "muito pobre" we use Babel Fish to translate either words, sentences, paragraphs, or the entire Web page.

Water Supply Fixed

2010-02-03T07:15:00.000-08:00

Our water supply is all back on and connected to the mains.

However, it wasn't as straightforward as we had thought it would be. It turns out that the owner of the property is responsible for providing the box, or structure, to house the Council's water meter equipment. That meant that before the council could come and reconnect, our landlady had to sort out a new location for the box to sit, and get it built. Obviously the bank where the box used to be was no longer feasible (eroded), so she arranged to have it sit up against the wall of the house next door so the foundations are solid. It's only a simple structure, nothing too sophisticated.

Once the box was sorted the council arrived, on Monday (1st Feb 2010). There was a gang of about 4 people. They had to dig down to find the main pipe then alter the length of it to fit snugly into the new box. They also reconnected the original meter. The only trouble was we only found out they had arrived and started working when we turned on the tap to find we had no water.

However, within two hours they went, job done. Only they don't connect the water to the house again. That was another job for the owner.

Eventually, we got our water all connected back on, and the meter in situ working perfectly, all in the same day. The water is coming out of the taps cloudy, but clears after a while. It's probably perfectly safe but we tend not to use it for drinking unless it's boiled first.

Back Online

2010-01-31T08:20:00.000-08:00

Our telephone (and internet) were out for 9 days. Yesterday (Saturday) a telephone engineer turned up in the afternoon and spent 3 hours looking for the fault. It transpired that damage had been caused to the telephone line further afield by people hunting. Anyway, it's good to be back online and being able to Skype our families.

Here is a quick overview of what we've been up to:

We went up into the Serra da Estrela just above Seia, to a pretty little village called Senhora do Desterro that has 5 chapels. From here we walked to Praia Fluvial da Caniça. We had the place to ourselves, but in summer this place must be brimming with people. Before we walked back we wandered down to "Buraco da Moura", a granitic cave. Jon was brave enough to venture inside and discovered that there seems to be quite a network of tunnels off the main chamber.

On another day we decided to go on a exploratory walk from Alvôco das Várzeas. We followed a caminho florestal for about 2 1/2 miles, all uphill, until we came to signposts indicating we could either continue on to Chao Sobral, retrace our steps, or tromp back down another caminho florestal to Parente. We chose to walk to Parente, that was about another 2-3 miles but all downhill, and from Parente we walked the final short stretch back to Alvôco das Várzeas along the road (and mostly flat). There were great views of the mountains, the valley and villages on the walk, but the first 40 minutes on the uphill stretch to Chao Sobral was pretty mundane as the trees lower down obscured the views.

We returned to Senhora do Desterro twice to explore the Mata do Desterro. The Mata provides 3 walks (percursos pedestres, PR1, PR2 and PR3). We explored PR3 and PR2 on two different days. We also did a small detour to Cabeça da Velha where there is a large granite rock that resembles the face of an old lady. The views were also really great.

The PR3 is the hardest and steepest, it takes you all the way to the top of the Mata, firstly through pine forest and then through a landscape of granite rock formations. Absolutely stunning views and landscape. We went on 24 January 2010, and the weather was fabulous. In contrast, when the next day we did the PR2 route, the weather was much chillier and there was a smattering of snow on the ground. There was a biting chill wind, though in the sheltered spots the sun was wonderfully warm. This walk was again through forest to begin with, and less steep than the PR3 route. Again, the views opened up to allow you to enjoy the fantastic scenery. The return path is mainly downhill/flat.

Being without the internet we made use of the free internet service at Coja library and Oliveira do Hospital. At Coja the computers are old and cronky and extremely slow. The computers at Oliveira were much better but you are not allowed to use the service at Oliveira without registering and being allotted a username and password. The "Monitor" at the Oliveira library speaks good English. The library at Oliveira is on the first floor inside the Casa da Cultura. To register you have to take a photocopy of your proof of ID, eg passport and fill in a form.

Several other things have happened in the past week worthy of mention:

Twig is back! Twig went awol when we went to the Algarve last December. Our landlady took Twig to live with her in a nearby village, the intention being that it would be a permanent move. But after a couple of days Twig ran off. We hoped she would make her way back to the cottage but after two months we'd more or less given up. And then a neighbour of our landlady spotted a little cat that fitted Twig's description near her barn. Twig is now safely ensconced back at the cottage. She's become very clingy, following us up and downstairs and insisting that she sit on our laps almost all the time (she's on Jon's lap as I am typing this). The poor little mite is half the size she was when we last saw her, but her fur is still luxuriously soft and clean and her eyes bright. It's good to have her back in town, though we are not counting on her to dispose of the new mouse who has taken residence!

The second thing is that we saw the second episode of Surivors on the tv on Tuesday night. There was this action scene where they run into an enemy gang and there is lots of chasing and fighting. And all of this was set in the grounds of the old HQ for West Midlands Fire Service in Birmingham! The new HQ is now a purpose built building a few miles down the road. On this footage, the nodding geyser who first appears is none other than Firefighter Tony Ball from Bilston Fire Station (E7)! Jon worked for the West Midlands Fire Service for 30 years and retired in May 09, and I worked for the Fire Service for 14 years. We both spent some time at the HQ either in the office block, or going up there for meetings etc. It was really weird to see it on the tv!

Weather wise - we've had a run of good weather from mid January onwards. Before that it was very wet, and now we get some glorious sunny days with frosty nights.

The only other thing to mention for now is that we have discovered "Sempreviva". This is a shop, not unlike Wilkinsons. We only wish we had found it five months ago! It's situated on the N17 near Oliveira, slightly offset, on the opposite side of the road, from Lidl.

Gripe gets a Grip?

2010-01-18T05:25:00.000-08:00

Jon and I are both a little under the weather at the moment. Jon is over the worst of his heavy cold. Can't be flu (gripe) as there were no aches and pains or a fever. He now has a racking chesty cough that we have to try and shift. And then in the middle of the night on Saturday I started sneezing for Britain. Last week I was acting as Florence Nightingale and now Jon is doing his turn. He's just making us a potato and leek soup to have for lunch.

Re medicines. The supermarkets around here don't sell medicines or drugs, unless you want foot powder or antiseptic gels. For anything else you have to go to the farmacia. The nearest to us is about 5 miles away at Galizes (near the post office).

I managed to ask for some medicine for the gripe and for nasal congestion. I paid 4 euros for tablets but back at the cottage and a close inspection revealed that they weren't much stronger than the paracetomol we brought with us. As luck would have it we had brought some cough medicine with us, a few Sudafed capsules and some Lemsips. Then our landlady kindly offered to try and ask for something at the farmacia like Sinutab. Amazingly, she managed to buy some Sinutab. It cost 4.61 for 20 tablets but it's good stuff.

Yesterday I had the choice of lying in bed under sufferance (Jon was trying to get me back for making him rest while he was ill) or convalescing on the balcony in the gorgeous hot sunshine. Guess what won? It was like a hot summer day in the UK. Today it's overcast again but very mild.

Mudslide takes out Water Supply

2010-01-15T06:53:00.000-08:00

Sensational stuff yesterday, here at the quinta! We have had lots of rain, 3 days solid probably. About midday yesterday there was a bang and a thud and then the sound of a geyser of water spurting down the garden and hitting one of the galvanised roofs. From the cottage windows we couldn't make head or tail of it. But closer inspection revealed that the concrete junction box for the mains water supply (plus meter) was now down about 10 feet from where it used to be on the track. It was now in the garden, upside down. And the water was trained across the garden.

Can we take all this drama on our very own doorstep?

Of course it meant that once the water in the pipes was gone we would be without tap water. We filled as many containers as we could. Our landlady brought water with her from the font. And for flushing the loo we could make do with buckets filled up with water from the butts.

However all that was unnecessary. The landlady and a neighbour did a great job of patching up the disaster area and getting us reconnected to the mains.

The bank where the concrete box used to be has disintegrated. The temporary fix is dripping water. And as they rigged up the meter again, we will be paying for any water leakage. Let's hope the camara (council) get it sorted out sooner rather than later. It will be interesting to see how long it takes for them to come out and sort it.

Watch out for the next installment!

By the way, it's raining again today.

Central Portugal Album January 2010

2010-01-14T04:54:00.000-08:00

Compilation of pictures taken during January 2010 in Central Portugal - link also on right hand side. Having to do this as the Picasa slideshow is not behaving itself and we can't display all the pics. A web album is limited to 500 pics per album.

Penela

2010-01-12T06:54:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we went to Penela to explore a little. We visited the information centre and the lady there was really helpful and spoke some English. She gave us leaflets and a map of places to visit in the surrounding area.

We spent quite some time looking around the castle (free entry). There was quite a lot of it to explore, though there were some odd constructions/houses scattered about, that we thought might be left over from Christmas grottos.

The views from the castle were fantastic. In the distance we could see snow topped mountains that were part of the Serra da Lousa.

After Penela we visited a miradouro (viewpoint) to get a glimpse of a 25m waterfall called Pedra da Ferida (Wounded Stone). On our way there we noticed signs for a river beach higher up in the mountains called Praia Fluvial da Louçainha (pic below). We made our way there and were not disappointed. This place is a natural fresh water river beach on the mountain road from Campelo to Lousa and has the usual infrastructure of restaurant, toilets, picnic/barbecue area etc. Of course in winter it was deserted, the roads were icy and there was snow all around.

After visiting the river beach we headed home as we wanted to go a different route back to avoid some of the icy roads we had encountered near Gois/Lousa on the way out that morning.

Walking and A Little Bit of History

2010-01-08T07:52:00.000-08:00

On Thursday morning we had a frost, but the sun was shining so we went out for a walk near to Penacova. We started off at Portela da Oliveira where there are ruined windmills and fantastic panoramic views. We could see the Serra da Estrela clearly with its snow topped peaks.

There is actually a geocache here but as it is a multicache and we have problems translating the clues from Portugese, we decided to leave it for another day. We have details of another walk in the area of Penacova (10km).

The walk took us through several villages and though there was a bit of road walking, most of it was off road. We struggled a few times though as the map we had taken from one of the information boards was different to the actual waymarkers on the ground. We sometimes risked deviating from what was calibrated on our gps because we figured the waymarkers would lead us to the same place, albeit by a different route.

Again we were privileged to see parts of rural Portugal that lie off the beaten track. It was so warm we eventually succumbed and took off our coats. When we returned to the car we went into the tiny cafe near the mills and enjoyed a huge mug of cafe meio leite (milky coffee) and it was delicious. The gentleman who runs the cafe was really welcoming.

All in all a lovely winter's day.

Saturday - it was another frosty night but the sun was lovely and warm. We went out geocaching and they all gave us glimpses of Portugese history.

The first visit was to a memorial of a horrific train crash that happened in 1985 at Beira Alta. The train line is single track and at the time communications weren't sophisticated enough to warn the train drivers of the imminent collision. The memorial site marks the spot near where the collision occurred. Many people died. It was a very moving place to be.

We then visited a site with some Arte Rupestre near Mangualde. The carvings were made in granite stone and were quite distinct.

The last two caches were to dolmens. The first one (Anta da Cunha Baixa / Casa da Orca) dates back to the Middle Neolithic Age. It is the largest and best preserved dolmen in Portugal. The location was very peaceful and rural.

The last dolmen (Anta de Carvalhal da Louça) was a lot smaller but there have been finds of quartz blades/arrow heads. This last site was in what must have been a really impressive landscape at the time of its construction. Unfortunately, there is a busy main road nearby though so it does take some imagination to picture how it must have been.

Today, Sunday, no frost but we have had a snow shower! Quite windy too. The snow has not stuck as it's several degrees above freezing.

Weather Forecasts

2010-01-05T11:47:00.000-08:00

One of the problems we have experienced is finding accurate weather forecasts for Central Portugal. Interestingly, different sites contradict each other quite a lot.

Until a few weeks ago we were relying on WeatherBug, but the nearest tracking station seems to be near to Porto (supposed to be one at Coimbra but it never seems to work). And generally, we have found that the forecast from Porto doesn't genuinely reflect what happens this far inland.

Back at home in the UK we always use http://www.weather.com/ and we have taken to looking at this site here, comparing Coimbra, Viseu and Covilha forecasts to get an average idea of what it might be doing in the triangle in between them - ie where we are.

For the rest of this week WeatherBug is predicting a run of minus Low temperatures (-1, -4 and -5) and yet on the weather.com site the Low figure does not fall below 1 or 2 degrees Celsius for the same period.

From now on we will be relying on the Weather.com site but we still need to check on a daily basis as the outlook changes dramatically from one day to the next.

Grumpy Old Griffithses

2010-01-04T08:32:00.000-08:00

Today we didn't wake up grumpy even though we fancied going out for a walk and the weather forecast was mostly for "precipitation".

We didn't let the weather get us get down though, as we had two tasks.

One: Get money from the cash machine (as when we tried the one at Lidl on Saturday 2 January, it wasn't working. That wasn't too surprising seeing as it was after the Bank Holidays). Two: Go to the main post office at Galizes AGAIN to see if is open to collect a parcel that we have been trying to collect since Christmas.

One: Lidl cash machine still out of action. We then drove down to Intermarche at Oliveira hoping that their cash machine was working. Thankfully it was. Trouble was, our timing was wrong and we turned up just as the senior school next door to the supermarket was emptying for lunch. This means the cafe at the Intermarche and the queues at the till are full of testosterone infused lads and giggling girls. We ask ourselves, we were that irritating as teenagers? Er....yep!

Two: Our visit to the the Post Office was a failure AGAIN as it was still shut. It has now been closed since 24 December! The card we had left in our post box on Christmas Eve to tell us to collect a parcel had some printed data on it about dates and times but we didn't fully understand it. So when we tried on the Monday after Christmas and the post office was shut, we were philosophical, ah, of course it was shut until...Saturday. Saturday came, Post Office still shut. Our card, at a guess, said it would be open on Monday (today) from 0900 hours. No, still shut...but sign on the door now saying it would open at 1400 hours. As you can imagine we were doubtful. If this Post Office ever opened again it would be a miracle.

So, all in all, by now, we were feeling pretty grumpy.

Anyway, the good news is that when we went back after 2pm the Post Office WAS open at last. There was a lovely long queue of people waiting to have some service. The girl tried to be pleasant but we weren't in the mood. We managed to strangle a "Boa tarde". Anyway, we retrieved our parcel successfully on showing Jon's passport, and managed to post some letters off to the UK. Cue fanfare!

Back at the cottage, there was a break in the rain. With the warm sunshine on our faces and the birds singing in the trees you could almost believe Spring has arrived.

Jon opened the parcel that had a Christmas card and lovely gifts from Laura and Graham. Grumps immediately gone. A ray of sunshine just when it was needed most.

New Year's Eve 2009

2010-01-01T02:36:00.000-08:00

Another damp but mild day, interspersed with heavy showers. We went out geocaching about 0900 hours, armed with a packed lunch, and did not return until after dark. We then prepared and ate a hearty cooked meal with a glass of red wine and then snuggled down in front of the television to see the New Year in.

Friends had asked if we wanted to meet up at a bar to see the New Year in but we were tired, the roads were wet and slippy, and with the prospect of colliding with other alcohol infused drivers, we opted to stay home safe with the Wamsler warming the radiators.

By 10.30 hours we were lagging, the television failed to stop us from diving into a warm bed. But at midnight the valley came alive with the sounds of loud fireworks marking the transition into 2010. The hubbub lasted about 10 minutes and then we were both snoring again.

During the day we had visited several geocaches. The first was the "Prehistoric Circuit Fiais/Azenha" (Circuito pré-histórico de Fiais da Telha / Ameal) not too far from Carregal do Sal. It is an amazing place, the area littered with prehistoric burial chambers, art work etc.

The second cache was to Cabanas do Viriato where we learned that one of the streets was named after Aristides de Sousa Mendes, who helped thousands of people (mainly Jews) to escape Nazi territory. It wasn't until 1974 that the Portuguese Government acknowledged the actions of Aristides Sousa Mendes as heroic.

The third cache was at Caldas the Felgueira on the River Mondego. The water of Caldas da Felgueira helps patients suffering from skin diseases. It was discovered that the water can cure various types of diseases, such as asthma, bronchitis, muscle diseases, skin problems such as eczema, etc.

Then we visited another ancient burial site called Anta da Arcainha. Excavations at this site show that it probably originated from the neolithic period, but was also used during the Copper and Bronze ages. Though it has been plundered over the years, much of it still remains to give an impressive sight.

Finally we went to Lagares da Beira to do our final cache for the day. However, there was much activity in the small village with it being New Year's Eve. There were the massive logs in the square ready to be relit (from Christmas Eve), this is a custom in all the villages, a gathering point for the community to celebrate together. Dark clouds that had followed us as we moved from one site to another now caught up with us and we heard the first signs of thunder. Back home to light the fire, prepare our hearty meal, and snuggle down on the sofa, for the eve of the new year.

Waterfalls, Picnic Sites, Mediaeval Bridge and Veggie Sausage

2009-12-29T10:06:00.000-08:00

Yesterday it was surprisingly warm. It must have been about 18 degrees celsius, though the sunny spells were interspersed with goodly rain showers.

Off out geocaching we went. First to Barriosa where there is a river beach and a waterfall, weir and restaurant. There has been a fair bit of rain over the past few days/nights and the waterfall was impressive.

After Barriosa we visited Vide where there was a picnic site hidden away up through the lovely narrow streets in the village. The start of the T1 waymarked pedestrian walkway through the Serra da Estrela begins at Vide, though we couldn't see any obvious starting point. On our gps we did have one of our calibrated maps though and managed to find where the walk would lead out of the village.

After Vide we went to a mediaeval bridge at Alvoco das Varzeas. The bridge is in good condition and the marks made by the stone masons perfectly preserved. Near the bridge we found another waymarked pedestrian walkway but with no information board etc we have no way of knowing where it leads to, whether or not it is circular, and how far it goes. We may try and follow the path for a couple of hours to see where it goes and then retrace our steps if necessary. Also at the bridge is a picnic site that must be a real magnet in the summer.

And on a different subject altogether - We have been experimenting with vegetarian sausage/burger recipes. You can buy tofu and soya products here, but the processed veggie fare is very expensive. We have found several recipes on the internet and are adapting these to give them more of a kick. One of the recipes is more labour intensive but is lovely with mash and peas and gravy. It consists mainly of cheese, mustard, onion, mixed herbs, breadcrumbs, and then floured egged and breadcrumbed on the outside. These are then gently shallow fried. Another recipe is from soya mince, contains thyme, sage, turmeric, coriander, stock, mustard, Marmite, and eggs, and is easily shaped into patties for sticking on a bun with fried onions, mustard and HP sauce. Hmmmmmm delicious.

Bolo Rei

2009-12-29T09:36:00.000-08:00

We have found so far with most of the cakes we have tried (Pastéis de Nata being the exception) is that they are very sweet but lack any distinctive flavour, and they are usually DRY. Jon's says that eating some of these cakes removes every drop of moisture from his body. You definitely need a cuppa to help, I agree.

In the run up to Christmas we saw "Bolo Rei Com Chila" for sale in all the supermarkets. They are traditional Portugese cakes and are either round with a hole out of the middle shaped like a huge Polo mint, or square/oblong shaped. They are decorated with strips of brightly coloured, translucent confection, in red, green and/or yellow. But they always seemed a bit expensive for us to try out on a whim (3.99 to 4.99 euros). So when we saw them reduced in Lidl after Christmas we decided to try one out of curiosity (still well within the sell by date). And, undaunted by the fact that we can barely fasten our waistbands, we felt obliged to give one the taste/moisture test.

Well, we tried this Bolo Rei cold, and we tried it hot and considered buying custard to make it palatable. They are a bit like a big dry sponge strudel with thin layers of something like figs or dates, and occasionally a chopped nut. Sounds yummy, but it isn't. And these beautiful strips of translucent confection on the top, taste of nothing but sugar.

We also bought something that looked like a really rich dark chocolate mousse roll, with chopped biscuit in it. Taste test: moist, sweet, Chocolate flavour none. Biscuit flavour, none. A cake seriously in need of a chocolate injection.

Our quest for moist tasty Portugese cake continues...in the meantime where we can we recycle them. Most end up as a bread and butter pudding, moist, with plenty of flavour. The chocolate mousse roll has yet to be transformed.

Boxing Day

2009-12-26T07:01:00.001-08:00

On Boxing Day we decided to walk towards the Ponte bar at Barril da Alva along the track behind the house. It was a lovely mild sunny day. We had uploaded aerial images onto the gps that would help make a decision as to which tracks to take, as we knew we would come to forks in the trackway. As it was the first time we had used the Garmin Bing Map tool we were eager to try it out.

We walked for about a mile and tried to keep as close to the river as the track would allow. We came across a lovely picnic site and river beach area beside the river, that we had no idea was there before.

A little further on and we arrived at the Ponte Bar on the outskirts of the village. And then we turned back, retracing our steps. Along the way we had wonderful views of the mountains and the river. There was a section where the slate showed distinct fossilisation of leaves.

The walk to the Ponte and back was just over 4 miles. We intend to extend the walk by heading down the lanes through Digueifel, through Vila da Cova, down to the Ponte, then along the track back to the house.

The accuracy of the images on the gps were excellent, and this will be a boon for us to explore more on foot etc without paper maps.

Back at home it was time for a snack and a cuppa. We had traditional Portugese cakes called Broas de Natal that were made in Seia. They are a bit like a scone and contain mixed fruit and nuts. On the ingredients there is batata-doce that is, apparently, sweet potato. Overall they are dry and a bit disappointing on the taste scale.

Christmas Ghost Story

2009-12-26T01:23:00.000-08:00

It was Christmas Day. The day had passed with the usual jollities, and darkness had fallen outside. All was eerily still and quiet apart from the hiss and bubble of the river on its eternal journey. On the horror film that we had just started to watch, a girl was being chased by something through the woods. Would she make it into the house? You could almost hear the breathing of her pursuer on the back of the girl's neck...

And then there was this almighty banging on the windows of our cottage...

Frozen in the light from the film, we stared wide-eyed at one another in disbelief. Our hearts had almost stopped. And it came again. BANG BANG BANG BANG! BANG BANG BANG BANG! Who, or what, was banging on the living room window? Twinned with the horrifying realisation that our lounge is on the upper floor of the cottage! Was this creature at our window suspended in mid-air? Or was it some terrible spectre that was so tall that it could beat the window with it's bony fingers...

Actually, no, it was our neighbours letting off fireworks!

We ran outside onto the balcony, suddenly all very brave now, and enjoyed the spectacle.

It was all a bit of a squib after the initial heart somersaults. There was only one more firework which did bang bang bang bang, and was pretty, but that was the last. And the film...well it was quite a scary film, but it seemed pretty lame after we had exercised the terrors of our own imagination.

And then all was eerily still and quiet apart from the hiss and bubble of the river on its eternal journey.

Weather - frost, mist, thunder

2009-12-21T00:35:00.001-08:00

We always knew that buying a place in Portugal would demand some thought as to the aspect of the property (consideration of the compass direction). It's common sense that if you buy a place on a north facing hillside then it can mean you are left in the shade (cold) for most of a winter's day.

We have experienced 3 nights of frost so far, though talking to a friend yesterday, she says they have had a run of frost 10 nights in a row almost. But they are higher up in the mountains. We are at the bottom of the valley so when we wake up to a mist we have probably been saved from the worst.

The forecast for last night was a Low of -4 degrees celsius, and that is probably the coldest we have experienced here. In reality however, today is overcast and milder than expected. It is difficult to get an accurate forecast, and though we do keep an eye on a weather internet site the forecast does alter from day to day.

Mist; frost; neither lasts too long once the sun is on it. We are fortunate that the house we are staying in is positioned so that we get early morning sunshine, and then it is upon us all day until it disappears behind the hills near to sundown. If were were in the shade, the frost or mist would probably linger a lot longer, maybe all day.

The sunshine is still very strong compared to what we are used to in the UK for this time of year. It feels more like a warm spring day. Our washing dries on the line, and it's still warm enough to sit on the patio and soak up a few rays.

At the moment, the forecast for tomorrow is widely scattered thunderstorms. That means possible loss of electricity, internet will be out, and everything electrical unplugged for the duration. Even with surge protection we have heard that people have had electrical equipment destroyed.

Queijo Azul Bergader

2009-12-18T02:20:00.000-08:00

Just tasted the blue cheese we brought back with us from Continente supermarket in the Algarve. It's called "Queijo Azul Bergader" and is really delicious. It's been a while since we had Stilton but in its absence this is a good substitute.

Earthquake off Sagres - Felt in Quinta da Sapeira

2009-12-17T03:54:00.000-08:00

Last night we both woke up, not knowing why, about 01.40 hours. It sounded like the roof tiles were shifting. Jon thought he felt the house give a single shake. We both decided that it was probably an earth tremor and went back to sleep. Apparently there was an earthquake off the coast of Sagres (where we were visiting last week - maybe we should both concentrate on the diet a bit more!)Perhaps it was us that awoke the sleeping dragon!

This link (from the Expats Portugal forum) gives more info.

Independent Walking in the Algarve

2009-12-15T06:22:00.000-08:00

Early December is a great time of year to visit the Algarve for walking, if you like it about 15 degrees Celsius, not too many people around, and cheap hotel prices. We managed to get a six night (bread and breakfast) stay in a four star hotel in Albufeira for 30 euros per night (ie 15 euros per person). That's cheaper than staying on some campsites in the UK.

We are back from our trip where we did some independent walking in the Algarve and have come away being pleasantly surprised with the area. As usual, we tended to stay away from the beaten path if we could. But the beaten path does have its advantages, such as fish and chips!!!! Mostly though we ate in a Portugese restaurant that provided a 3 course meal and a drink (wine in our case) for 8.95 euros per person. The service was excellent and the food very tasty, and good portion sizes. What was good was that they also had a few vegetarian options.

The drive down was pretty boring mainly along toll roads, that cost us somewhere in the region of 35 euros altogether. Needless to say coming back we opted for the drawn out, explore Portugal, drive home. It took several hours longer as we were keeping to the speed limits (unlike everyone else!). We shaved off about 70 km from our journey, saved toll fees, and used less diesel. We also saw the changing landscape as we journeyed 288 km from the Algarve up to Central Portugal. We may be biased but as soon as we hit the "Central" area (just above Tomar) the landscape became more interesting, with its hills and valleys instead of miles of flat farmland.

The downside was that we arrived home in the dark. The house was very cold, but intact. It does not do to be complacent, and we had taken precautions to make the house look like it was business as usual, and taken care of securing any valuables.

The Algarve has stunning coastal scenery. We used geocaching to help us explore safely, and the guide to walks in the Algarve that we had taken with us. We actually saw the Portugese version for sale in the Albufeira tourist information centre in Albufeira Old Town. It was A5 size and was on sale for 7 euros. They didn't have an English version. We asked if there were any walking maps for sale but the staff told us they didn't.

Anyway, summary of our visit to the Algarve:
West Coast, geocaches x 2, on the "Trilho das Mares" or Trail of Tides walk on Page 15 of the Guide (see link above). We cut the walk short by going through Carrapateira to get back to the car that was parked at Point B on the map. It amounted to about 5 or 6 km. If we did it again we would reverse the walk so that we were doing the coastal part last on the return route (as per Walk 27 of the June Parker book "Walking in the Algarve") or just walk along the coast one way, and then back again. The route along the road was pretty boring. Alternatively, we would return to do the whole 19km walk as per the map in the Guide.

After the walk we visited Sagres. There was a geocache there that took us to the Fortaleza da Sagres that juts out into the sea making it the southern most point in Europe. The fort was quite an ugly building, and we had to pay 3 euros each to go in, but it was worth it as there were information boards inside and a few remains of the original fort built in Henry the Navigator's time c 1400s. The rest of the fort was mostly destroyed by Sir Francis Drake and by the 1755 earthquake. We took a pedestrian path from inside the fort that took you on a route around the promontory to the different points of interest (and info panels). There were "furnas" or sea blowholes fenced off. One furna in particular, that didn't look much as they had blocked it with huge rocks, gave a really loud roar every time the sea beneath the promontory entered the blowhole. So SCARY! It really did sound like a dragon or some monster was under your feet, and the grass around the blowhole moved visibly each time from the dragon breath. Filmed the noise and moved away FAST! If you play it back you must turn up the volume on your computer and your speakers, and this 8 second film still won't be anywhere loud enough. Hard to imagine what the noise would be like on a windy or stormy day. It's no wonder that it was a sacred place to the Romans and pre-Romans.

THE SLEEPING DRAGON

On the way back to Albufeira we passed a retail park with a large supermarket called "Continente" and we managed to buy Mature Cheddar Cheese! The block was 200g and we paid 3.09 euros. When we went back on Sunday to stock up on Cheddar cheese to keep us going for several months, the 3.09 cheese was all gone (bloody English people!) but they had Cathedral City, 200g for 3.19. So we had most of it...the sell by date is May 2010. We also managed to buy a block of Parmesan that we haven't been able to buy here (though we can get pre-grated Parmesan in packets from Intermarche and Ecomarche).

Tuesday 7 December we decided to visit the mountains near Monchique to do some walking. Again there were geocaches, and we had a map from the Guide for a walk in the area of Foia, that is the highest mountain in the Algarve. Unfortunately, as we drove up the mountain the fog and mist thickened. At some points we rose out of it, only for it to drift across again a few minutes later. Certainly no day to be out walking in an unfamiliar area on a mountain. So, we retreated to the coast, and using geocaching again we did a 7km circular walk between Lagos and Luz. Half the walk took us along the coastal path, and then it brought us slightly inland across a golf course, past ruined buildings, and then back to the coastal path. There was no fog lower down and the weather was perfect for walking.

Wednesday 8 December we decided to explore Albufeira, as we hadn't at this point, actually seen a beach in the resort we were staying in. We found the beach,a few hundred meters from our hotel, and began walking along what looked like a coastal path. And ended up walking all 4km to Albufeira Old Town where a lot of the main tourist action takes place. The Old Town is certainly worth a visit as it is very pretty. There are plenty of bars and restaurants, the tourist information centre (though it's probably the only info centre we've visited that does not have any info to give out apart from a map of the resort). Nearer to our hotel is The Strip. We wandered down The Strip a few times looking for somewhere to eat. Most of it was closed down but it wasn't hard to see that there is usually a panoply of bars/restaurants to suit every taste. Blissfully, we had the place almost entirely to ourselves. The advantage is, that though most places were shut down, those that were still open had quite good offers on. Though, having said that, we did pay a total of 22 euros for a fish, a cheese and onion pasty, 2 portions of chips, 2 portions of mushy peas, and two pints of Super Bock.

Thursday, we visited Pera, near Silves to do one of the walks in the Guide (link above). This was the Praia Grande Interpretation Trail, 5.5km. There were 3 geocaches on this route. It was a nature reserve, but really there wasn't much to see at this time of year. The section that runs along the beach was exhilarating.

Friday, we returned to the beaches of Olhos da Agua (Eyes of Water) that takes its name from the numerous fresh-water springs that bubble up both on the beach and off-shore underwater. We used geocaching to help us explore safely. Unfortunately, the tide was in to start with and we could not do the first cache. But we ventured in the opposite direction and managed to move along the coast on the coastal path. We were rewarded with more secluded beaches, fantastic views, and a structure that was built for pedestrians straddling the coastal landscape to protect it. The wooden structure was akin to something from Swiss Family Robinson. By the time we had finished in this area, the tide was going out and this enabled us to go and find the cache in the other direction. During our stay in the Algarve we have paid different prices for our Super Bock. Costs of beer - Olhos da Agua, being a tiny fishing village, was surprisingly, the most expensive with two small Sagres costing 1.50 euros each. In comparison, at the chippy, we paid 2 euros per pint for Super Bock. In Central Portugal we normally pay 60-90 cents for a Super Bock.

We visited a Chinese "eat as much as you dare" buffet place on Friday night. The meal was 9.50 euros per person, and the drinks were on top and were not extortionately priced. There was plenty of choice for meat eaters but less for those who prefer vegetarian fare.

Saturday was taking it easy day. We lazed, bathed, slept, read, watched Sky (couldn't get anything else).

All in all, a great break in a fantastic hotel at a budget price with wonderful staff and fabulous buffet breakfasts. The most we spent was on the way down there on toll roads and diesel. Apart from that the other main expense was eating out. With tips etc, the minimum we paid out was 20 euros per occasion, and the most expensive night out cost us 27.50 euros.

Christmassy Feel

2009-12-06T04:43:00.000-08:00

It has finally started to feel like Christmas. We went to the car boot sale at the Kapingdi Bar, that at this time of year only happens on the first Sunday in the month.

We stocked up on mincemeat, dried mixed fruit, mixed spice, vegetable suet, cranberry jelly, a Christmas pud, and some mince pies. What a bounty!

As soon as we got back Jon lit the fire, as it's like a typical day in the UK today, very wet. And then in the comfort of the warm kitchen we enjoyed a mince pie each with a cup of frothy coffee. Heaven...

Caminho do Xisto de Fajão

2009-12-05T02:36:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we visited a tiny village in the mountain range, Serra do Açor, called Fajao. There is a 4km walk from the village that we found details from at the Aldeias do Xisto website.

On the drive up into the mountains the views were, as usual, fabulous. We were above the cloud in the valleys below.

The walk on the website is described as facil (easy) but compared to the Benfeita walk that we did (that was medio - dificil) the Fajao walk was more strenuous. So, in our opinion, this should be at least medium to difficult as well.

The length of the walk is only 4km but the terrain is quite challenging in some parts, and taking it at a leisurely pace with time for picture taking and a butty stop, allow yourself 3 hours.

The weather was overcast but dry, and there was barely any wind, though as the afternoon wore on we could see the clouds beginning to brush the tops of the mountains near by. The walk would not have been as enjoyable in the mist, but the trail was fairly well waymarked so there was not much danger of getting lost. There is also a path that splits the 4km walk into two to allow a faster descent if required. The whole time we were on the mountain walk we never saw anyone else.

We recommend doing the whole 4km walk. The views are fantastic and the rock formations awesome. Jon felt that the rock was a bit too loose to do any actual rock climbing or scrambling (that we might have considered doing on another day, with all the proper equipment).

Guia de Percursos Pedestres do Algarve

2009-12-02T11:56:00.000-08:00

Fantastic! We managed to find an English version of the Guide to walks in the Algarve (typical, we couldn't find one when we were deliberately searching and found it when we weren't looking for it). This was after our last post where we were saying how frustrating it is that we can not find English versions of booklets etc.

To download an English version, visit the site on this linky, scroll to nearly the bottom of the page, and download the pdf, but be warned, the guide is over 100 pages long. Guia de Percursos Pedestres do Algarve.

Piódão, Chas d'Egua and Foz d'Égua

2009-12-02T09:24:00.000-08:00

On Monday 30 November we did a geocache that took us to the Parque Arqueológico de S. Bartolomeu in Meruge near to Oliveira do Hospital. (The village of Meruge holds an annual fair of pork and sausage (ie Feira do Porco e do Enchido) each November which is worth visiting if you like pork).

Near to the Parque Arqueológico de S. Bartolomeu is a monument site called Sepulturas Antropomórficas. It is believed that the whole area has been inhabited by Romans, perhaps Visigoths, Arabs or Mozarab. Their graves at the site are clearly visible, carved in the granite (one child and five adults).

Yesterday, 1 December, it rained most of the day and night. But today was fine and we were off out geocaching again. This time we headed for Piódão, that is a historic schist village in the mountains (Serra do Acor).

On the way there we stopped at the Arte Rupestre: Centro Interpretativo de Chãs d´Égua, Arganil. The centre is closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Entry is free. The centre is very small and there is no information in English, but there are a couple of "finds" showing the carvings on pottery and on slate. There is also an information panel indicating where in the immediate landscape some of the artwork has been found.

We travelled further up the valley to Piódão and found an information board outside the tourist information centre outlining a circular walk around Piódão itself.

There are also slate waymarkers to nearby villages Foz d'Égua and Chas d'Egua but though we asked at the tourist information centre there were no maps available. The trouble with these walks is that the paths are not very well marked from what we can see. The original slate markers are sometimes broken or have disappeared altogether.

The best tourist information centre we have found is at Loriga. All of the others so far have not been able to provide us with the information we require, namely maps, leaflets or information about walks. Sometimes they indicate that you could try the another tourist information centre.

We are going to visit the Algarve to do some walking. The Algarve is currently about 3-5 degrees warmer than Central Portugal but cool enough for us to enjoy hiking and walking. We were chuffed when we discovered a booklet in Portugese entitled "Guia de percursos pedestres do Algarve" that looks really useful for exploring the Algarve on foot. But realistically we need it in English. On Monday we rang the tourist information centre in Albufeira (as we will be staying in that resort) and asked about the guide. No they didn't have it in English, and no they didn't have any of the Portugese versions either. They told us to try another tourist information centre. Is it us, or don't they get many English tourists on the Algarve, or maybe they just don't expect us to want to leave the beaches? It's quite disappointing that the tourist information centres are just really not equipped to help people who want to explore the country outside their car.

On the way back from Piódão we stopped at the really pretty village of Foz d'Égua. A lovely end to a lovely day out.

Loriga - Serra da Estrela

2009-11-26T00:53:00.001-08:00

In contrast to today, Monday and Tuesday were beautiful. On Tuesday we went out geocaching in the Serra da Estrela to the town of Loriga. First we visited the turismo and managed to get loads of leaflets, some detailing walks in the area. On closer inspection some of these are circular and some are shorter linear versions tagged on to the main trails that run through the Serra da Estrela. Another booklet the lady in the centre gave us was outlining walking (and separate car) routes of the glacier valleys. These are all linear though so extra forward planning required. The lady in the tourist information centre spoke excellent English.

Next we grabbed a coffee, treated ourselves to a bottle of organic Medronho Brandy (and as it cost 22.90 euros it will be a treat!). We also bought some bread rolls and "Bon Bons" from a local bakery. The Bon Bons were like little doughnuts with a what might have been a custard filling.

Then we made our way up to where we knew there was a river beach (praia fluvial) at Loriga. We were not disappointed. The council have worked hard to make this a great place for all the family to visit and enjoy the river in it's wonderful surroundings. Today we were the only ones there and enjoyed our packed lunch in harmony with nature.

We then set off for the nearest geocache, ie Casa dos Ingleses (house of the English) or also known as "Penedo de Alvoco". It seems that the house was originally inhabited by locals (one of the inhabitants was born 1825 and died in 1900) but then the area was inhabited by English who were mining for metal in the area. One of these (by the name of James) died in November 1911 and was buried in the local cemetery. (In 1944 six English aviators were also buried in the same cemetery after crashing in the mountains).

Loriga info: It was an English military airplane; Hudson Aircraft, that had that day left Gibraltar for the United kingdom, carrying the following occupants: Captain-Robert Tavener HILDICK; Lieutenant-John BARBOUR; Lieutenant-Daniel De Waal WALTERS; Lieutenant-John Patie THOM; 1.Cabo-Jack Learoyd WALKER; 1.Cabo Henry Ernest HEDGES.

The Civil Register of Seia, registers the six deaths as having happened on 22 February of 1944. The assumption is that the plane came down in fog.

We returned to the village of Loriga and wandered along to the Roman bridge. But as it was getting late in the day we decided that further exploration (and other geocaches) would need to wait for another day.

We returned home to find a big bag of homegrown potatoes on the porch from our neighbours (recompense for the goats eating all our veggies). On Sunday they had given us one of their goat cheeses and asked if we wanted them to pay for the damaged crops. We would not accept any money, it wouldn't be right. Yesterday there were further gifts of cabbages and turnips, freshly harvested.

Weather

2009-11-25T00:50:00.000-08:00

We think we have the "weather" sussed out now. First we check what the local forecast is (ie lower down where we are) and then we also look at the webcam for Manteigas that is tucked snugly in the middle of the mountains. If the overall forecast is reasonable and the picture of Manteigas is clear then we go for it. We could go out in most weathers but fine days are still plentiful at this time of year so we prefer to pick and choose. There's not much point travelling up the winding roads of the mountains for a view as far as the car bonnet. The other thing we have noticed is that the weather forecast predictions change almost daily. You can't rely on looking at more than the immediate day ahead.

Today, Thursday, as I write this, the webcam for Mantegias reveals mist and fog up in the mountains. The local forecast is pretty miserable too, 50% chance of precipitation and cloudy. We were intending to visit Piódão and Chas d'Egua but they are in the mountains as well, so that's not really feasible today. See webcam image of Manteigas below, taken at 08.46 this morning.

And Manteigas webcam image approximately one hour later...

Caminho do Xisto da Benfeita - Way of the Shale of the Benfeita

2009-11-20T11:11:00.000-08:00

Friday was a perfect day for a walk. Not too hot (forecast max 14 degrees celsius) no rain, and clear. We set off from Benfeita, walked uphill for about 3 miles to a small mountain village called Sardal, and then it was mostly downhill past Fraga da Pena (waterfalls and picnic area) through Pardieros (another small mountain village) - stopping for a coffee at a local bar - and then the final leg down through a valley back to Benfeita. The walk is one of the aldeias walks, and is quite well signposted, though a few times we couldn't see the markers and plumped for what we hoped was the right way. Fortunately we were right most of the time. We did have the gpx track provided and used that to confirm our passage using our new gps. We had also calibrated in Google Earth the basic map of this walk (NB: at the time of writing the map is only obtainable at the start of the walk itself - we'd been through Benfeita a few times and took a photo of the map board). One of the real problems we have been having is there are no detailed maps apart from military maps - the price of the maps is not cheap). There are plenty of walks, it seems, but you seem to have to pay for a guide to take you out to know where most of them are. The walk we did yesterday would have cost us 25 euros each, and that didn't include lunch or travelling to the starting point.

The walk is about 10km in total, and takes you through current and abandoned agricultural landscape, past ruined schist villages, countless waterfalls, and woodland. At a leisurely pace, stopping for taking photos and having a snack, it took us about 5 hours. Apart from when we stopped for a coffee, the only people we saw were two Portugese villagers harvesting olives.

It felt such a privilege to be able to wander this area freely. It was like stepping into a secret garden on a mega scale. Almost every turn had another nook, cranny, wonderful view, gushing stream or waterfall. The floor was strewn with many different varieties of mushrooms, fallen chestnuts, walnuts, and fruit. Sometimes the path was vivid red with the fallen medronho berries from the Strawberry Tree.

3 December 2009 - Additional Note: This site has a little more information about the Benfeita walk and some information about Piodao.

Colcurinho

2009-11-19T00:26:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we set off to do a geocache multi-cache with our new gps unit. With a new unit there are a few things you need to do, first of all it has travelled from the UK so it needs to find where it is, and then Jon had to calibrate the compass by holding the unit level, and turn round slowly in the same direction twice. No, it's not 1 April. It worked.

The multi-cache started at an amazing ruined schist village called Colcurinho. We explored the village and found the clues to the next stage. At the side of the village we noticed a footpath sign (noted to explore on another day).

Part two of the multi took us to a really pretty village called Santuário de Nossa Senhora das Preces. To enter the village you drive through gates, which feels a bit like you are trespassing. It sort of reminded us of Portmeirion, only you didn't pay to go in. We had a really lovely cup of coffee (cafe meio leite) at the cafe kiosk in the main square, 55 cents a cup. We found our cache clue which would take us to our final destination, but before we set off we visited the Botanical Garden.

The third and final part of the cache took us up, up, up and up to the top of Monte Colcurinho. On the top of the mountain is a chapel called Capela da Nossa Senhora das Necessidade. This place also has toilets, and a bar area. It was all locked up but we gather they have festas up here. The panoramic views were fantastic.

The gps performed very well, though we want to try and conserve the power a bit more to use less batteries. There are other things we want to try out with the gps, uploading existing gpx tracks for walks, and uploading the maps we aligned in Google Earth to see how accurate they are.

Today we are off to Arganil (Thursday is market day) to visit the tourist information centre mainly. We want to try and find information about the Centro Interpretativo de Chãs d´Égua, Arganil (Arte Rupestre near Piodao). We found out, when we were trying to find the walks near Colcurinho, that there are ancient cart tracks and spirals and the centre at Chas de Egua is dedicated to these.

Parcels

2009-11-18T00:30:00.000-08:00

We have received various parcels this week. For parcels too large to fit into our post box at the top of the track, the postman leaves a card telling us to go to the post office at Galizes to collect it. Galizes is about a 10 minute drive away. Jon showed his passport as proof of identification. Very straightforward.

A parcel arrived from Barry and Lorraine, who had kindly gathered together about a dozen films for us to watch. We don't have a DVD player but they play fine on the laptop, and we have some speakers plugged in as well and it works a treat. Cuddling up on the sofa to watch a film is something of an event for us and feels special.

Another parcel arrived from Viv and Michael, with a Christmas card and wrapped presents. The card has been opened but the presents will be saved for Christmas morning.

We had our main Christmas present (to each other) early, and it arrived yesterday by Fedex. The chap from Fedex spoke only Portugese, and he was asking for Jon to sign for the package. But Jon was in the bath. So I said "banho" and did an impression of Jon scrubbing himself off in the bath. I think the chappie knew what I meant as he let me sign for the package and beat a rather hasty retreat.

Our present to each other this year is a new GPS. We broke the old Garmin Legend the other day, and though Jon rigged the pocket computer/satnav to act as a handheld GPS, it just wasn't the same sitting in the palm of your hand. Our Garmin Legend owed us nothing and, because we used it so much, we decided to treat ourselves to a new model. Our new GPS is a Garmin Oregon 300 and, by all accounts, it's fab.

Mapping (to Ordinance Survey standards) is something we are having a problem with over here. Jon recently discovered that with our new GPS we should be able to upload maps to it that we have calibrated in Google Earth. It's all very experimental at the moment, but if it works it will be a boon.

This morning there is a mist hanging over the valley, but it's early at the moment (0800) so hopefully the sun will burn that off by mid morning. Yesterday was warm and sunny, but the previous two days were wet but mild.

We also experienced our second thunderstorm. It came over us so fast we barely had time to unplug everything, including the telephone, when there was an enormous clap of thunder right overhead and the electricity went off.

This time we were armed with torches. Twig was inside safe and sound, though obviously terrified. Jon sorted the electrics, it was just a trip of the switches. After that the storm moved off very quickly, thank goodness.

Olive Harvest

2009-11-14T07:14:00.000-08:00

The past few weeks has been olive harvesting time.

Some folk may take their harvest to a local village where the olives will be pressed en masse. Or if you have enough to do a single press that is another option if for example yours are organic and do not get mixed with the communal lot that may not be organic. An olive mill is called a Lagar de Azeite.

For those olives pressed communally the harvest you take in is weighed beforehand and then you get a proportion of the olive oil that is produced. Apparently the mills only open for a limited amount of time each year so it's quite important to get in early.

The Expats Portugal forum has more information.

Pruning also takes place at this time of year. Pruning olive trees is something of an acquired skill apparently.

The Mountain Village of Balocas

2009-11-14T04:15:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we had a lovely day out. We did two geocaches, that took us up into the mountain village of Balocas in the Serra do Acor. Up in the mountains it felt a bit like a summer's day in the Lake District, ie damp, misty, but with astoundingly beautiful scenery. We had left glorious sunshine back down in the valley.

The mist was slowly beginning to clear as the day went on and the views improved. We snacked at the picnic site at Balocas that had wonderful views of the valley below.

The first cache was to a waterfall that was quite a way off the beaten path. The second cache took us up to a building that the forestry commission use as a look out point for forest fires etc.

As usual we had the place entirely to ourselves.

When we arrived home we found, to our dismay, the goats and sheep had been in the garden again and this time they left us with very little. The herd ate all the lettuce, cabbages, broccoli, most of the pepper plants and even the tomatoes. We are quite annoyed about it. However, because we don't own the place we will not be spending money on goat-proofing the garden, so for this trip out here there will be no more vegetable growing. When we come to buy a place we will make sure there are no goats for neighbours or there will probably be, almost definitely, murder committed.

They left the beetroot though! Maybe so they can come back for it another day!

Just found a site and here are some ideas on how to cook goat: succulent chanfana (goat stew in wine sauce) or the equally appreciated maranhos (pluck of goat with rice), roast kid...

Sra Da Piedade - Fairytale Place

2009-11-11T02:57:00.000-08:00

Today and yesterday the weather has perked up a bit, though it's still pretty overcast. Yesterday we had a trip to Lousa, which takes just over an hour. The plan was to find the information centre, get maps and guides for the walks that we have seen on the Lousa tourist information site and do two geocaches.

Lousa is quite a large place though not too scary to drive around. We parked easily enough for free. Tuesday is supposed to be a market day, as well as Saturday, but there was no market that we could see and we arrived at 11am.

We wandered the town, looking for the information centre, and marvelled at some of the very old beautiful buildings. But after a while we still couldn't find the information centre. The girl on the reception in the library gave us a map of the town and pointed us in the right direction. Lots of times when you say obrigada, thanking them for their help, they seem embarrassed and say Nao, nada (no, it's nothing), but it is to us!

So we wandered further afield and found the information centre tucked on the outskirts of town (handy!) and looked around the eco museum. We were the only people there. The chap in the info centre spoke very good English, but when we asked for walking maps, guides etc, he couldn't really help us that much. He did give us some leaflets and a basic map, but not really what we needed.

We went back to the car and set off up into the mountains to do our geocaches. Our printer that we brought is currently out of ink (waiting for an order from UK to arrive). Therefore, we were struggling a little to manage without the full geocache information. The parking co-ordinates kept depositing us at the viewpoint (miradouro) above the village we were trying to reach by road. Our satnav was telling us that it had arrived at its destination. What is actually the case, and we have had this twice now, is that you are at the co-ordinates but not at the right altitude. Looking down into the valley below we could see roads to Sra Da Piedade, and that was indeed where we were supposed to park, but we didn't have good enough maps showing us how to reach it.

Still, we were both up for a walk and had sturdy footwear on, so we ventured down a path at the side of the viewpoint, past fallen trees and all. We explored the castle and then set off to find the cache. But we went the wrong way, or, tried to go the hard way! After fording a stream, and then trying to climb slimy rocks at the side of the waterfalls (all in a day's outing for us usually), we realised that we would have to go back across the waterfalls further up. So back down the waterfall, over the stream, then back up to the castle to find the way to the mountain shrine.

To say this place is beautiful is an understatement. It's like being in a fairytale. We had the place to ourselves, but in summer this is probably bursting at the seams with people.

Hot and exhausted from our exploring of Lousa and the village, and knowing we have to climb the hill back to the car, we decided against the second geocache that would involve at least another hour and half walk.

On our way back home we stopped off at Arganil and ventured into the information centre there. We asked the girl, who spoke excellent English, for walking maps and guides in the locality. Again, she could not really help us, though the council is putting walks in place there is no supporting literature at this time. Maybe next year we will have more luck.

Patties

2009-11-07T08:40:00.000-08:00

We bought two empadinhas today from Intermarche (1.10 euros each). We wondered if this was what we know fondly as a pasty. "Empadinha" isn't in our Portugese dictionary, and the nearest we could find to the word pasty is pie (or empadao).

Apparently Brazilians have a snack known as an empada or empadinha (little empada).

Anyway, they were delicious and the outer case was not pastry, or bread either, so we would probably describe them as a "patty".

We also did two geocaches while we were out. The one was in a village called Esculca (pron Shkulka) and this gave us fabulous views from a viewpoint (miradoura). We travelled further up the mountain to the Voo Livre (Flight Free), where paragliders launch themselves off the mountain top. On a clear day the views would be fabulous. Even on a dark miserable day today the views were pretty impressive.

The second cache was at a small chapel with ornate stonework.

Roasting Yer Nuts

2009-11-07T03:31:00.000-08:00

The past two days we lit the Rayburn and Jon is becoming more accomplished in the task of lighting the fire and getting it to heat the house. Though, it has to be said, he's becoming a bit too adept! To say we were warm is an understatement. Even the cat needed to get out into fresh air as we were all sweating buckets! The extra blankets on the bed were certainly not required, in fact we opened the windows to let some cool air in. The temperature gauge on the Rayburn goes up to 300 degrees Celsius (max) - not sure what happens once it goes above that!

Some of the logs are mimosa and these (being dry and seasoned) burn very well. Jon has found that three or four of the logs will keep the Rayburn going all day, rather than the split logs, that burn faster. The logs kept whole, also seem to generate more heat once they have caught.

Jon made a delicious wintery chestnut soup, though it was a fiddly job shelling and skinning the chestnuts.

I made a bean bake and allowed it to slow cook in the Rayburn.

Autumn has arrived

2009-11-05T07:08:00.000-08:00

There's a definite autumnal feel and we have just lit the Rayburn (1500 hours). We are fortunate that there is already a woodpile awaiting our use. We have measured the existing woodpile with the landlady, and agreed that there are 7.5 cubic square meters of wood stacked. At the end of our rental we'll gauge how much we have used. The going rate at the moment per cubic square metre is 35 euros. All of this is forming part of our research on the cost of living over here.

The radiators are all toasty and there's an extra cover on the bed just in case we get chilly tonight. As the clocks went back on 31 October, the nights are drawing in and by 1800 hours it's properly dark outside.

The temperature fluctuates throughout the day with the changing weather. One minute it's raining and feels like it's about 11 degrees Celsius, and the next the sun is shining and it feels rather nearer to 16 degrees Celsius. However, the dark wet spells are getting more prolonged, and the forecast for the next few days doesn't seem to change much. So maybe this is it. Autumn has arrived.

While we were out shopping a little while ago (Lidl) the Serra da Estrela was cloaked with dark clouds. Wouldn't fancy being up there right now. Our bill at the supermarket came to 33.33 euros. That made us smile as these little things serve as reminders of home, Treble Three (333) being the name of the support group for the Ogwen Valley Rescue Team that we are members of. With the memory you can't but help think of your friends back there in Wales, also with fantastic views of the mountains from their homes, and all the great adventures we have had over the past few years as part of the support team, walking, scrambling, raft racing, potholing, bonfire and Christmas parties at Base, the list goes on. If they were here now we would probably be trying to drink Portugal dry of red wine!

There's something really special about lighting a fire and feeling the warmth permeate. And it's funny how Jon, being a retired firefighter, makes a great firestarter.

Walk "Pardieros" Serra do Acor

2009-11-04T01:04:00.000-08:00

Yesterday the weather forecast for Arganil was 0% precipitation, overcast, max 15 degrees, and that meant to us that it would probably be a great day for walking. Up until now it's been too hot for us!

However, the valley we were walking through was in the Serra do Acor and had its own microclimate, so it did rain, for a short while (as Peter Kay would say, it was that fine rain that really wets you).

But what a lovely walk it was. The paths were probably formed by the agricultural workers who used to live up in the valley in the schist cottages that are now mostly ruins. And more recently, Arganil council has done remedial work, building slate stairways etc, to enhance the route.

The walk was medium/difficult rating and this was because of a steep stretch about half way along. Without proper maps we did manage to stray off the route because of some confusion with the signage, and after about 15 minutes we turned back. Our detour though took us along another track that is part of the Aldeias do xisto trails, and from the little we saw it merits further investigation and seems well signposted.

Overall the walk was approximately 4.5 km and taking off 30 mins for going the wrong way, took us a leisurely 2 hours (incl photos and nosing about).

There are another 3 walks in the vicinity, with Mata da Margaraça being the place to get a leaflet for information (walks of different levels of difficulty and length). We hope, in time, to link the different walks together so we have a longer day out. We tracked the walk using our gps and hopefully will be able to upload the route for future reference.

Christmas

2009-11-02T09:42:00.000-08:00

Well, we have sorted out all our Christmas cards and sent them off by Air Mail (Via Aerer). The last few went off today. Bit premature maybe, but seeing as it took 3 weeks for Jon's mom to receive her birthday card we thought we'd rather be safe than sorry. And also, with the UK postal strike it would be just our luck for them to languish in a sorting office for an extra few weeks.

Below is a photo of all the cards we have made. Most of them are now winging their way to the United Kingdom.

We hope you like them.

Woodland Walk

2009-10-29T11:52:00.000-07:00

We visited a place called Mata da Margaraça, in the Serra do Açor today, to do a geocache. The place was was another geocaching gem.

We managed to find an English written book in the information centre on fauna and flora of the Serra da Estrela mountain range. We had a quick walk down to the river, collecting sweet chestnuts from the ground as we went. We also managed to get a booklet from the information centre indicating 5 other short walks in the local area, and we are looking forward to attempting these.

Another glorious day, still too hot for us to do any serious walking.

On the way back home we made a diversion to Arganil to do a little bit of shopping at Intermarche. We are now equipped with one of their loyalty cards that enables you to get some items at a lower price, as well as collecting points to spend on electrical equipment.

En route we stopped at the Mendes Bar at Secarias. Jon was feeling ravenous, and brave enough to face the prospect of trying to order some food in a Portugese establishment.

In the end we enjoyed a three course meal, with wine and coffee, all for the princely sum of 5.50 euros each! Amazing. We were convinced they'd undercharged us but they were insistent!

Can't believe it's Thursday again, the weeks go so fast!

Roman Ruins near Condeixa

2009-10-28T03:11:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we visited a Museum called "Museu Monografico e Ruinas de Conimbriga" near Condeixa. We paid 4 euros each entrance fee. The museum has a restaurant, picnic area, as well as the internal and external exhibitions. We spent ages inside looking at the artifacts that have been found on site - the information boards were also in English so that was really helpful. Then we entered the external part of the site. We were in awe from the onset.

What remains of the original Roman road, complete with wheel ruts, is one of the first things you see.

There are mosaic floors in abundance. These are remnants of the houses belonging to aristocratic families, so we felt highly privileged. We can just imagine some pompous Roman giving us the glare for roaming around his abode! Each mosaic was of a different design and though some reconstruction had taken place it was very sympathetically done. We took LOADS of pictures, and this linky will take you to these if you are interested.

Inside the museum one of the rooms was lent to the reconstruction of an inner courtyard that helped us visualise how the originals may have appeared.

The House of Cantaber is the largest dwelling found in the city and is one of the most spacious ever discovered. Bedrooms are designed around the open court. There is also in this dwelling a refined heating system, a private bathing compound, decorated pools and gardens. Wonder if he fiddled his expenses.

It was another very warm day, perfect for a wander about the museum, except for the most bothersome flies! Still, we could gain some satisfaction from imagining Cantaber the Rich in his luxurious abode being hassled by flies, unless he had a slave fanning him.

All in all we must have spent 3 hours exploring and would thoroughly recommend it as a day out to anyone interested in history etc.

The drive to and from Condeixa was beautiful as we travelled from one valley into another. On the way back we witnessed a beautiful sunset and managed to take a couple of photos, one of which is below.

Pictures

2009-10-28T01:26:00.000-07:00

We're experiencing a few technical problems with the blog. Our pictures suddenly don't appear and the number of followers. Trying to sort it out.

Castles in the Air

2009-10-26T07:21:00.001-07:00

The past few days have been overcast but very humid. Today we are back to glorious sunshine again. The clocks went back on Saturday night, like in the UK, and this will mean that by 6.15ish it is dark. We awoke to find the valley in mist, but by 10ish this morning it had already almost disappeared. However, we drove up and out of the valley and could see it was still lingering in some areas. In fact, as we drove up towards Lourosa, we could see the mountains standing proud of the lower cloud forming a temperature inversion. What a great way to start a trip to Lidl!

Our mission today was to get an electric blanket from Lidl. It only took one properly cold night, a week or two back, for us to decide that we would get one when Lidl stocked them this week. Hopefully, we won't need it for a while yet, but it's there just in case. Mind you, there's something a bit special about getting into a cold bed and snuggling close to your loved one.

After our shopping trip we went to Avo. We first visited Avo in June 2008 when we spent a fortnight in a yurt near Tabua. The place looked different this time with the autumnal colours, and the water in the bathing pools had been drained. This time we also ventured to find the castle. On the way up we spotted a man harvesting watercress from the stream. The final climb to the castle was up through a narrow passage between the houses that felt quite mediaeval. We wondered, would it only be in Portugal that last week's washing finds itself on display outside a historical monument? These are earthy folk, seeming to have little or no pretension. Our fondness keeps on growing.

Views from the castle were wonderful. What our pictures don't encapsulate is the peacefulness of the place with the smell of woodsmoke hanging in the air, the distant crowing of cockerels, jangling goat bells, birdsong, and the hiss of the rivers converging below.

Going Ape

2009-10-22T09:44:00.001-07:00

The past two days have been pretty wet, with prolonged spells of heavy rain. But today the sun has reappeared and it feels more like being in the UK in the summer, dampish, fresh, green, and not too hot. In fact, judging from the satellite images we are experiencing the same weather front currently being enjoyed in the UK, so the temperatures are pretty much on a par.

We stayed inside during the wet spell, ensconced in "Jon and Suze's Wandering Wammal Card Emporium" (see our logo on the bottom right), where we spent hours making Christmas and birthday cards. We need to try and get them finished as quickly as possible so that we can get them posted, as with the Royal Mail strike starting today, they may take a while to arrive in the UK at their final destinations.

We realise that these cards may be the only way of wishing our close loved ones a happy Christmas apart from a phone or Skype call, and though our cards aren't exactly the most professional looking, they are definitely unique!

We ventured out today to do more geocaching. It was good to be out. After the rain the smell of the pine and eucalyptus is lovely (though eucalypti are not admired by eco-warriors or firefighters as they are very thirsty trees and something of a fire hazard). Strands of eucalyptus bark were strewn on the lanes, so we collected some for kindling purposes.

The Rayburn has provided us enough heat to produce a meal, though we had to keep it stoked up for a good hour to ensure it stayed at 200 degrees Celsius, for the duration of cooking. Jon had made naan bread and oven baked onion bhajis, and that was accompanied by vegetable curry, homemade mint/cucumber raita, and minted onion. Pefection!

So, with all that feasting, we felt obliged to try and burn off a few calories by doing 3 geocaches. The first one was at an abandoned "pousada" or inn. It was strange because the hotel seemed in perfect condition, and there was a swimming pool as well, now lying redundant. From the cache site were amazing views of the mountains and the valley. The second cache was at Sandomil. Here there is a Roman bridge and what passes as a Portugese "Go Ape" obstacle course in the trees. Also, a small climbing wall. Today the place was damp and in recovery from the rain, but the weir was impressive. The third and final cache was at S.Giao. There is a campsite nearby, but our destination was for the praia fluvial (river beach). We were the only people around, but in summer the place will be thronging. The cache took us along the river for a short way, and there was funghi everywhere (we couldn't identify anything apart from Fly Agaric, so definitely nothing to eat for tea!) The walk along the river reminded us of Wales with the raging river and beautiful woodland path.

Warm Glow

2009-10-20T01:53:00.000-07:00

On Sunday we welcomed some friends over for a barbecue and it was a great evening. The nights after a hot day soon turn chilly after dark now, though it is counteracted by the fact that we can see the stars in all their glory. Complete darkness falls about 7.30pm at the moment. So, to make the most of the sunny day, we started the barbecue at 4.30pm, and it was just perfect. On the menu were meat kebabs, vegetable kebabs, sardines, hamburgers, Linda McCartney vege-sausages, pork chops, various salads, sauces and mustard, and the obligatory bread rolls. Swilled down with white and red wines, Sagres and Superbock, and Coca Cola for the younger ones.

We dressed the table with what we thought were candles and lanterns in red casings, that we thought would give a lovely warm glow, and at the same time get rid of any pesky mozzies. But our guests, who are more Portugal-wise than us, explained that these candles are used for memorial shrines! There is one way we would like to redeem ourselves though. Whenever we light these candles we will spend a few moments remembering those we have loved and lost; relatives, friends, and pets.

Balmy and Barmy

2009-10-15T03:04:00.000-07:00

One of the things we are still adapting to is the totally laid back attitude in Portugal.

We've tried twice this week to get some credits on our mobile phones. The only place in Coja to get a top up is a small cafe/bar. It's the place we bought our sim cards from originally. Unfortunately, nowadays we never seem to turn up when the place is open. There is a sign on the door that indicates they will NOT be open on specific dates. Yet when we turn up on the dates not specified, at the opening times on the door, the place is still shut. We need to find somewhere else to top up, and it may be in a different town. Luckily we do have the Skype account so we can still text, but the phone is handy for making local calls.

Who is the boss in this house? Well, we like to think we take it in turns :-) but actually, we now realise that Twig is the boss. Jon is now outside on the balcony reading a book. When he went out he made straight for the camping chair, while Dame Twig is curled up on the comfy chair with the sun on her fur! I remarked that Jon should be on the comfy chair and said to chuck Twig off, then I realised that yesterday, when I was sitting on the balcony, doing a spot of Portugese on the Linkword, I settled in the camping chair while the fluffball snoozed! Mind you, she soon got fed up of hearing me pronouncing Portugese really badly and went off to find somewhere more peaceful.

The weather is, apparently, very warm for this time of year. On Sunday it was 32 degrees! We're not complaining though. We threw in some coriander seeds a few weeks ago to see what happened, and it's now tall enough to start eating. The first frosts are usually December we think. We're also having a barbecue this Sunday coming if the weather holds.

Viewing Experiences - Episode 1

2009-10-10T07:01:00.001-07:00

Viewing properties has been a bit of a surprise to us.

Here is a summary of what we have found so far. We won’t mention specific agencies. Some of the occurrences may be unique to an agency, or may refer to more than one. But as we have only used 4 agencies so far, we are still “getting the hang of it”.

Websites giving vague information about a property, this could be the price, the size of the rooms, the whereabouts of the property.
One agent told us that they didn’t measure rooms as this was too much work.
From what we can gather, owners decide on how much they want to sell for, not like in the UK where we are told what it’s likely worth is. We were told by one agent that owners sometimes will not decide on a price until they know who the client is, so that they can ask for more if they think they will get it.
None of the agents has said they will keep us posted of properties they think will fit our needs.
One agent advised us to keep checking their website as in a few weeks time they will have seen other people by then… (they don’t seem to operate the same as in the UK where they have you on a mailing list).
No printed particulars. Only one agent said they would print out particulars of properties we had viewed, for our own information. And then they forgot. As we have internet access we didn’t chase this up, but it’s something to be aware of.
One website we contacted that we thought was an estate agent is actually a property portal, ie advertising website. If they don't have an AMI number they are not licensed estate agents. To be fair, these sites do advise for you to make sure you use registered estate agents. Registered estate agents have to check that certain things are in order before they post the property for sale, eg habitation licence if required. One agent looked at his "pending" file and told us that there were a couple of places we might be interested in but as he was waiting for confirmation of certain paperwork he could not show us these.
One website uses photographs supplied by the sellers of the properties – that might explain why some of the pics are a bit odd, eg picture of the patio with the family dog squatting in the background and week’s washing on line.
It’s good practice to be shown properties that an agent thinks will suit you perfectly, but on one occasion we were shown one property we didn’t ask to see, and ran out of time to see the one we HAD asked to see. The one chosen by the agent on this occasion did not suit us. We haven’t arranged to go back again to see the one missed out.
Viewing a property that the estate agent hasn’t seen in its entirety – there seems to be a problem with access to some properties. Don’t be surprised if your agent has never been inside the place they are showing you. Owners are often foreign, English, Dutch, German, Belgian. Quite often they have “gone home” without leaving a key.
Houses described as renovation, are sometimes no more than a ruin because they are so dilapidated.
Project plans for a part renovation that expired 12 months ago. This would mean we might have to go through the whole planning application again, including costs.
Part renovationed properties that indicate the current owner probably hasn’t actually thought it through! House flow no longer works.
Viewing all day without so much of the offer of a glass of water – we have now had a cup of tea at one house we viewed. Mind you, the one estate agent treated us to a two course meal, complete with wine and coffee at one of his favourite restaurants. That was rather nice!
One worrying thing is that when we contact an agent a week in advance to make a booking, to suit them and the owner of the property, we turn up on the appointed day at the appointed time, and the owner of the property is out, because the agent has not contacted them beforehand. They are now frantically trying to contact them while you wait in their office/back of car.

THINGS THE PICTURES DO NOT SHOW

Access roads at 45 degree angles
Access roads that are barely passable without a four wheel drive vehicle.
Neighbours (Portugese) glaring at the person selling the property. Can you hear the alarm bells jangling!
Attic space – Roof truss not attached to the load bearing part of the roof! Get us outta here!
Attic space with sawdust on floor, means the beams may be being eaten by something?
Water rights - one lovely place we saw had 2 wells. One of the neighbours had been given permission to use 1 well for irrigating his land. That could be a problem if you will need that water yourself. We were told that we could put in a borehole, if we needed more water - this would cost approx 5,000 euros!
Bear in mind other verbal agreements, such as grazing rights. If we want to use our new piece of land to grow vegetables to be self sufficient, but the neighbour who has previously been given permission to graze his sheep on the land is now told he is not allowed, he won't be happy. In fact, you may need to check that the previous agreement does not still stand?

TIPS

Go armed with cold drinks and snacks.
Go to the toilet before you set off as there is no guarantee some of the properties have a toilet. In fact, there is no guarantee you will actually see inside a property if the owner is out or a key not available.
Take GPS reading, you can Google map it later.
Take a compass reading, and bear in mind where the sun will be in the morning, midday, and evening. Think about your lifestyle, do you want to sit out in the evening and watch the sunsets?
Wear long trousers and sensible shoes if you are looking at a Quinta, or piece of land.
Take a camera.

POSITIVES

Use each trip to explore the area. Usually the estate agent is driving, and giving you the perfect chance to soak up the scenery and spot places of interest.
Look at what has been done with renovations etc to give yourself ideas.
Use it as an opportunity to pick up snippets of information, both from the owners of the property and the estate agent.
Enjoy the experience. Usually, the sun is shining. Chill out and relax, and accept that no one is in a rush.

A Drive through the Mountains

2009-10-08T10:55:00.001-07:00

The weather has turned more inclement over the past few days but it rains mainly during the night. That gives us a nice break from watering the veggie patch. The peppers and tomatoes are actually flowering again! Jon has spotted that the figs have finally ripened off so we will be trying to harvest those. About a week ago we noticed the locals picking the wine grapes.

We went for a drive today, first we skirted the mountain range, Serra da Estrela, passing through parts of a river valley we have never seen. The rain has given everything a new green tinge, and autumn is only barely starting judging by the colours of the trees.

We drove over to Covilha, not because we have heard it's a lovely place to visit but, in the words of Wainwright, it makes the journey all the more rewarding to have a destination in mind...

Covilha was a bit big and a bit busy for our liking. There was a shopping mall! And a McDonalds! We avoided all that and found a lovely park with fountains and swans to eat our picnic in peace. There were black swans with bright red beaks (see pic).

Then we drove up through the Serra da Estrela, making a visit to the Torre, with its redundant observatories. The Torre was a bit of an anticlimax really, as there were no views to be had, and a few shops selling tat for tourists. Here are the ski tows too, and judging from what we saw, it would suit beginner to middle grade skiing.

We enjoyed the rest of the drive through the mountains, soaking up the landscape. Apart from about 3 other cars we had the place to ourselves. The clouds were quite low, and one moment we were in glorious sunshine and the next in pea-soup mist. Good job Jon was driving!

More information about the Serra da Estrela can be found at the link below:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serra_da_Estrela

Meeting People

2009-10-05T05:46:00.001-07:00

Saturday night we went to a new bar that was being opened by an English fellow called Charlie. We only knew a few people and they introduced us to other folk. Everyone agrees that it is quite hard for English people to earn money in this country, especially if you do not speak Portugese. It's extremely useful networking with other expats as they are usually trying to eke a living by some means or another that you may want to make use of one day. For instance, Kathy runs a book exchange, her husband is a builder, and another gentleman is where we buy our Linda McCartney sausages from the car boot sale. He also has a shop that you can visit at certain times of the week.

We do intend to try and integrate with the Portugese people as time goes by, and our Portugese actually improves. Though Jon did utter his first word to our Portugese goatherd neighbours, ie "cabras" (goats). First a couple of goats found their way into our garden and snaffled a few broccoli and cabbage plants that were just recovering from the previous onslaught, and then the whole herd managed to find its way onto the goatherd's vegetable crops. Honestly, we didn't lead them there, they just made a beeline!

Anyway, Jon tromped down the track to the house and indicated the cabras were munching. At this point there was half an hour of stick waving at goats and shouting.

Today, being a Bank Holiday Monday, we have had a spot of rain. The rain fizzled out around 0930 hours, and it is overcast now with sunny intervals. It's very warm still, though that could just be due to the fact we have had a cookathon. We have baked bread using wholemeal flour from the mill down the track, we have also made vegetarian cranberry and brie tart, and a tomato tart with pesto and parmesan.

For dinner Jon rustled up a meal he saw on "Daily Cook Challenge" of goat's cheese baked with a bread crust, sprinkled with sesame seeds and we ate it with cooked beetroot and salad. Delicious...

Inquisitiveness

2009-10-02T01:34:00.000-07:00

Starting to live in a foreign country feels a bit like being one of the central characters in a role playing game. Inquisitiveness is often rewarded by answers, but not always immediately.

Suze fancied getting some marmalade. But for a country that is swimming with fruit trees, and has regions growing oranges galore, we couldn't see any marmalade for sale. Until Jon spotted "Marmelada" in Lidl, and we thought we had cracked it. Okay, the product was being sold in a plastic oblong tray, no problem. But when we opened it up the texture was more like a paste, and it didn't taste like oranges, though it was sweet and not unpleasant. Strangest marmalade we had ever eaten.

We have to collect our post from the post box that is 300m up the track, where all the other post boxes for this quinta are located. On the way there, Jon spotted a fruit tree bearing something that looks like apples. We took one to inspect more closely, under the knife. Okay, we scrumped it from the neighbours.

Inside, the fruit was different to an apple as it had no central core though it did have one or two pips. It wasn't ripe just yet either, so we didn't fancy having a taste.

In the post box we get junk mail. Some from our redirected mail in the UK, and some of it more local. We don't actually mind, as we are saving it up for when we need to start lighting the Rayburn. Our favourite junk mail are the supermarket flyers (eg Intermarche, Ecomarche) that come in full colour, with pages about the size of The Guardian. Not only do they tell you what offers are coming to the supermarkets soon, they have beautiful pictures of the goods in question with their name.

So, imagine our childish delight when we positively identified the mystery scrumped fruit as a "Marmelo". A quick Google and we learned that the marmelo is what we know as quince.

The end of this little story is when we were out with an estate agent. He was a lovely chatty fellow with very good English. Somehow we found ourselves discussing marmelos, and Humberto began telling us how they are used. A kilo of chopped marmelo to a kilo of sugar, cooked until tender, becomes a pulp.

He must have thought we were both odd as we suddenly became very animated and explained that the Marmelada we had bought, must be made from the marmelo and not oranges. Humberto nodded at us, yes, marmelada is made from marmelo.

Closer inspection of the tub of marmelada this morning, and the key ingredient is "polpa do marmelo". Obvious, now that we know!

We haven't given up on the marmalade hunt yet. That's another thing we have learned in the last four weeks, the supermarkets complement one another very well. Between them they sell most things that we could wish for. Intermarche, Ecomarche and Mini Preco have a more extensive range, and now we have located the stores we are far more successful on our shopping trips. And if we can't find marmalade, or even if we can, we might just make our own marmalades, lemon, lime, orange...

Alas Twig and Griffiths

2009-10-01T03:01:00.000-07:00

Jon and Twig having a heart to heart about mousing responsibilities.

Linguas de gato

2009-09-29T10:30:00.000-07:00

The other day we bought what we thought were salty snack biscuits, from the snacky biscuit section in Lidl. They are called Linguas de gato.

We were disappointed to find that they weren't salty snacky at all, but they are sweet, and not really to our liking.

And then we realised that "gato" means "cat"! So, we thought we had bought cat biscuits.

Twig, the resident mouser, wasn't tempted when we put one near her as she rested from a tough day doing nothing.

I looked in the dictionary and "Linguas" means tongue. They are sort of shaped like small cat's tongues, and must be a popular Portugese snack.

Anyway, none the wiser, we will make a cheesecake tomorrow and use these strange sweet biscuits for the base.

I just googled Linguas de gato and found this blog:
http://missmishmash.blogspot.com/2008/02/linguas-de-gato.html

Olive Mill and River Beaches

2009-09-28T10:52:00.000-07:00

Sunday we spent all day viewing 3 very different properties. The beauty of it was that we had to travel an hour or so north of where we are living, so it was all a bit of an adventure. The terrain was quite different, with boulder strewn hillsides and then valleys and hills affording agricultural land.

All 3 properties were in different states of renovation. The most amazing was the old olive mill, it was like stepping back a hundred years, all the equipment was still inside, the walls were 3 foot thick granite, and the floor was solid blocks of granite. Part of the outer walls looked like something from a Norman church as the precision of the stonework was superb. The views from this property were also magnificent. The estate agent wandered around the old mill with us, and he was as awestruck as we were. It felt like a real privilege to be there. Could we buy this place? Well, it was affordable but would need a lot of money spending on it, there would also be architect fees, planning permission, habitation licence to apply for, as well as the actual work itself. And I don't know if Jon and I would be able to gut the place as it would feel sacriligious.

Today we were out geocaching. We found two wonderful river beaches on the River Alva. They are clearly popular places for locals, but today there were just the two of us. It was so peaceful. The photo shows the sulphorous thermal well at Caldas de S. Paulo. We were keen on having a dip but the sides were sheer, and it looked very, very deep (scary).

The more we see of this region the more we love it. Even a drive to the nearest Lidl rewards us with magnificent views of the mountains that form the Serra da Estrela.

First Viewing Trip

2009-09-25T08:39:00.000-07:00

Firstly need to say Happy Birthday to Jon's Mom. Happy Birthday Mom! Hope you got our "card" as it is on its way!

We had our first viewing trip today and got back about half an hour ago (about 4pm). We looked at three very different properties, and it certainly sets the mind cogs wheeling while we think about what we like and don't like. They were all local to Tabua.

Two of the three were potentials for us but for different reasons.

As a first experience it was quite enjoyable. More viewing on Sunday. And probably some more next week etc.

Now time for gin and tonic on the balcony to slake our thirst in these hot temperatures.

Acts of Kindness

2009-09-24T01:29:00.000-07:00

One of the things that we've found here is how helpful and kind some of the Portugese are.

There was the checkout girl in the supermarket who took us across Coja on foot, to show us where to buy sim cards.

Then, when we were out geocaching at the prehistoric burial mound, a gentleman slewed to a halt in his car, and though he couldn't speak a word of English, and we didn't have a clue what he was trying to tell us at first, he persisted and wrote down three other places he thought we might enjoy visiting in the local area.

In Lidl in Tabua, we bought some supplies and at the checkout the girl tried to explain to us in Portugese and sign language something about the carrots we had bought. Eventually, we understood that she was saying that we should swap the bag of carrots we had for the ones that were on offer for a bigger bag, at the same price.

These are a few examples of the kindness that we have experienced and it would be far easier for these people just not to bother. It's not that these people are not busy, because the shops both had customers waiting, and they were completely chilled.

Don't you think it's a sad indictment that these acts of kindness stood out to us, as being unusual?

News Flash: The cat is called Twig.

Seaside

2009-09-22T01:04:00.000-07:00

Figueira da Foz is the nearest coastline to us, approximately 80km away. As the holiday season is over and we don't enjoy crowds, we thought it would be a good time to venture over there to see the sea.

There are extensive golden sands at Figueira da Foz, and it puts you in mind of Weston Super Mare a little, as you have to walk for a few minutes to reach the edge of the sea. The pictures we took don't give justice to the size of the waves, it would have been a good belly boarding day if we'd brought equipment with us, or perhaps not, as the tide seemed to be on it's way out. Even at high tide it probably only reaches inland another 30 yards. There was a brisk wind blowing that kept us nice and cool.

The sands are very clean, and while at the beach we did a spot of geocaching. We enjoyed lunch in one of the seafront restaurants, and the food was very good and reasonably priced.

The TomTom led us into Figueira da Foz without any problems but on the way home it became confused as there were new roads that it didn't recognise, so we knew we were in for some fun. We had our first experience of toll roads as well, and for the first time ever when abroad, we managed to get into the proper line for the toll booth. The tolls were not very much money, some were manned, but the unmanned ones were really efficient as well.

Sunday night we wandered down the path to the mill that belongs to one of our neighbours. The access to the river is better here, and it would be really easy to swim or bathe in this part of the river as there is the weir and a small dam. Locals were fishing there, so we didn't launch ourselves in. In fact, while it's really hot, we are coping really well with the heat, and haven't yet felt the need to skinny dip (luckily for the rest of the population).

Last night we had a light tea, and were feeling quite tired from our jaunt to the seaside, so we cuddled up on the settee and watched a DVD on the laptop.

Celery (and goat) soup

2009-09-20T07:36:00.000-07:00

Yesterday the weather was a bit like the UK, overcast with sunny intervals, and for the first time since we arrived Jon was thinking of fishing out one of his "ganseys". I spent most of the day experimenting with the silk painting, trying different techniques. We did some shopping in the morning for a few bits and bobs, and for the first time we spotted celery, but unlike in England where you pay for the same price for every pack of celery, over here they weighed it leaves and all. So Jon felt compelled to make celery soup with all the leaf tops. And it was gorgeous, and we had enough for today as well, and tomorrow we'll eat the last of it.

We also tried the bread making again yesterday. Lots more successful this time, and nice to be eating bread that resembles what we are used to. Local bread is very dense but keeps for about a week if you wrap it up.

Today was back to mist that burned off by 09.30 hours, and then glorious sunshine. It's also car boot sale day (on the road between Tabua and Candosa on the EN528). The car boot is every two weeks up to September, and thereafter it takes place on the first Sunday in the month until Spring. It's not a big car boot by UK standards, but the stallholders are either English or Dutch. Some are selling books, mainly novels (English), some are selling bric a brac, homemade delights such as chutney, jams etc, and there is a stall that sells UK foods such as Branston pickle, Heinz baked beans, Cheddar cheese and other branded items that us Brits can't live without. We also managed to get Linda McCartney sausages from him.

When we returned we found two goats in the garden...gulp.

Jon chased them off, but they had had a good nibble at our baby cabbages. Hopefully the cabbages will survive. Chanfana (goat stew) suddenly sounds appealing!

Quest for Contact Lens Cleaner

2009-09-19T05:25:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we had that light rain that really wets you, until about 12.30 hours, then the sun appeared occasionally, but it remained pretty overcast most of the day. We went to Tabua to do some shopping, but the main mission was to find contact lens cleaner. We'd already tried a farmacia and were told that we would need to find an optician in one of the towns. Tabua seems to be the optician capital, as we spotted at least three different ones.

Anyway, you can imagine what it was like with our terrible Portugese and the girl behind the counter didn't speak English. We managed to indicate that we wanted cleaner for the contact lenses but there are different types of cleaner for different types of lenses. I was trying to tell her my lenses were hard, or "duro", and she was looking puzzled, wondering if they were flexible lenses (soft?). Jon rapped his knuckles on the counter, saying "hard...hard" and I don't know if it was that, or his charming smile, but eventually she smiled, and gave a gentle sway of the hips, as if the penny had dropped. On the box they are described as "rigidas permeaveis ao gas" so that should make it easier next time (sure). For a 120ml bottle that does everything like cleans, disinfects, neutralises etc, we paid 11 euros that is a lot more expensive than Asda's £4.99 jobby we normally buy.

Our neighbours have had babies...they're so cute leaping around the field like they're demented or being chased by wasps. There are two black lambs and two white ones. We tried to capture them on a short movie yesterday they were so hilarious, but unfortunately there was too much light, but we will persevere...

Mouse free zone here........for now. Cat asleep on balcony, as usual.

Bread Fiasco

2009-09-18T00:50:00.000-07:00

Breadmaking...without weighing scales this was always going to be a bit of a gamble, and using an oven that we're not entirely used to would also be a challenge. All in all, we were sceptical about what the bread would turn out like. However, the bread dough was made and kneaded until silky smooth, then left to prove. After 1/2 hour it hadn't grown. After 1 hour had passed Jon was smelling a rat. He double checked the tin of yeast we had bought from Ecomarche a few days before and, after a quick check on the Portugese translation, realised that it was not yeast, but baking powder.

We could have waited all day and it would have just sat there like one of Lovecraft's slumbering monsters.

All was not lost, the dough became flavoured flatbreads, one was made into basil and tomato, another became cheese and Marmite, and the third became cheese and mustard. They're harder/denser but will do for emergencies if we freeze them. Though, in actual fact, the basil and tomato didn't last much past tea time.

During the bread fiasco Jon made lemon curd, and we'll be sampling this for breakfast.

We also made our first visit outside our cosy home after dark. It got dark about 8.30ish last night as it was quite overcast during late afternoon. While the nights are definitely drawing in, we usually have light until 9 pm.

Jon drove carefully up the dark curving lanes and we eventually arrived in Oliveira do Hospital, where we had arranged to meet fellow geocachers. Team Fafnir are prolific in this area, and while we were back in England we were in contact with them - they offered to buy us a drink when we came over. Nuno and Reta were absolutely lovely people, and we hope to meet up with them again in the near future. Nuno teaches information technology, so we had that in common as an interest, as well as being crazy geocachers.

Today we have a drop of wet stuff falling from the sky, that we remember as being "rain". It's a welcome sight now as the ground is thirsty. This time of year the water reserves are encouraged to build up to help support the hot summers - there are two large water butts here that capture the rain from the roof. We will be logging when it rains etc, as this will help us look back on this record next year and help with our long term plans. And besides, it wouldn't be English not to mention it!

Tremocos

2009-09-17T01:55:00.000-07:00

The tremocos were sort of nutty in texture and slightly salty, though ours did come in brine, so that might have something to do with it! Not sure if they only ever come in brine. They must be far healthier than peanuts though. Nice with a Super Bock!

The baking of bread never happened yesterday and will most likely happen today instead. We never did see any rain though we heard it pitter pattering for about 5 minutes during the night. Instead we went geocaching and bagged four in one day. The caching took us to some interesting archaeological sites such as a burial chamber, Roman ampitheatre and remains of a forum, also what is thought to be a Roman font, and a mystery cache over at Oliveira do Hospital (OdH) that led us to explore a bit more of the town.

Whilst in OdH we were feeling rather peckish we took a deep breath and went into a cafe to try and order something to eat. Suze ordered cheese toasties, or at least she thought she did. When they came they were magnificent, but were ham and cheese toasties. The poor waitress looked horrifed when we tried to explain that we were vegetarians. Anyway, we did what most vegetarians would NOT do, and pulled the ham off and ate the rest. We snaffled the ham to bring home for the cat (Mouser Extraordinaire). The toasties were good value. We learned perhaps to be a bit more specific, to say queijo somente (hopefully this means 'cheese only').

The geocaching took us most of the day and by the time we arrived home we caught up on a few chores like watering the vegetable patch (that seems to have developed molehills). The veggies we put in are coming along well, especially the green leafies like lettuce, cabbage and broccoli. The beetroot are okay but slow going. The carrots are looking a bit sorry for themselves.

We have a glut of ripe tomatoes and there are really only the two of us to try and eat them. We don't have enough jars to make chutney, so we are on a mission to try and come up with some delicious recipes to use some up. Fortunately Jon is a great cook, not so good for the waistline though.

The Italian job in Portugal

2009-09-17T00:51:00.000-07:00

Our trusty TomTom is great at getting us from A to B but occasionally we encounter what we call the TomTom Adventure. After a recent trip to Coja to check out the shops we asked it to take us home. This is what I could see:

On turning right, or attempting to, I encountered the following:

If I'd been in a mini I might have attempted it, but the Berlingo was a bit too wide. In the back of my head I could hear Michael Caine urging me "Put yer foot down, put yer foot down!"

Lidl and Tremocos

2009-09-15T08:14:00.000-07:00

Not much to note today, apart from it's hot again, though there is a 50% chance of precipitation tomorrow so we may stay in and bake some bread. We also did a bit of shopping over at Lidl near Oliveira do Hospital (on N17) for staple provisions, like wine, wine, more wine, beer, beer, more beer, and some potatoes. Hmmm...think we overdid the food again!!

The Expat Portugal forum is a really useful resource for information on all sorts of subjects. One of the threads was re the best wines to buy for under 2 euros - see below link. So we have our list and we are religiously working our way down it, like we feel we should.

http://www.expatsportugal.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=7665&highlight=

We bought some "tremocos" and were not entirely sure what they are, but Jon noticed them being sold on the markets etc. Apparently they are a snack item enjoyed with beer. They look like butter beans a bit, so we'll let you know how we get on.

River Beach at Coja

2009-09-14T08:30:00.000-07:00

Well, last night...the thunderstorm came, and it was the grandfather of thunderstorms. At first I thought it was Jon's belly protesting at the borlotti bean bake we had eaten, but no, it was the real thing this time. This meant the Skype appointment was off with Mom. On the scary scale, I thought the storm was probably a 8/10 (with 10 being really really scary) and Jon thought it was a 2/10. But then Jon has been in Cwm Eigiau (Snowdonia) in the middle of a thunderstorm with lightning striking very close by. So it's all in the measure, I suppose.

We knew thunder was in the distance as the internet connection became intermittent, but then the sky turned darker and the rain came, and it rained and rained and rained for several hours. Lightning strikes in the valley all around us. The electricity went off and on, and then there was a really close lightning strike, that sent all our electricity off. Fortunately the trip switches did their work so we were soon back in action and there are power surge sockets in the house to protect the electrical equipment.

And this morning, there was a mist hanging across the valley so that the hills on the opposite side weren't even visible. But by about 09.30 the mist had burned off, and we were in for another scorcher, but the air was more crisp and full of the smell of pine trees and eucalyptus.

We had a venture into Coja to look around a bit more. We found a nice pavement cafe and then we found a river beach (praiya fluvial) that, at weekends, will be brimming with locals. There was a strategically placed bar/restaurant. We even ventured to ask for the menu to see if there was anything vegetarian, but it was all full of meat and fish dishes such as Chanfana (goat or lamb stew) or cod heads, so we decided to come home and cook for ourselves. We enjoyed home fried chips and a Spanish omelette made with peppers and tomatoes fresh from the garden...perfection.

Taking it easy now, just for a change, chilling out.

Market Day at Tabua

2009-09-13T05:44:00.000-07:00

Several missions today, visit Tabua market for fresh produce, find somewhere to dispose of all our recycling collection, find drinking font to refill our 2 litre bottles so we don't have to buy bottled water, and a visit to Ecomarche for vittles and a drink of cold beer for our reward.

We found recycling facilities in the next village, ie Lourosa. We ditched bottles, cans, cardboard, plastic bottles and tetra packs (eg from cartons of milk, orange juice etc). We also found the village font, and refilled our water bottles for free.

The visit to the market and Ecomarche were also straightforward. At Ecomarche you can buy gallon containers of red wine (Capatz) for 6.45 euros. The wine is very drinkable and it's 13%. There is initially a deposit on the bottle of 1.25 euros, and then when you return the bottle they give you a ticket (bilhete) so you don't have to pay it on the next gallon container. All of this appeals to our greener side.

We bought a lettuce for 38 cents from the market that would have cost 1.49 in Lidl. The market is quite an experience at Tabua. On the inside market there are meat, fish, vegetable, bread stalls. Outside are the plant sales, and about once a month the market is larger, and there are clothes, hardware, shoe, curtain stalls etc. The sellers are very patient with us when we take an age to count out our cents to pay them.

Apart from that we've come back and Jon made some hummus for lunch but in the absence of our food processor, he had to make it using a mortar and pestle. We ate, as usual, outside on the patio in semi-shade from the sun. Chores done, there's nowt for it but for a sit inside in the cool, perhaps reading, or Suze doing a bit of sewing or silk painting.

There is Sky tv here, but the English channels we get are limited, like the usual BBC1, BBC2, ITV, More4 etc, so you can imagine we watch tv very occasionally, usually to watch the British weather forecast for a good laugh, though it seems to be a bit warmer over there at the moment. The Portugese children's programmes are cute - we thought watching these might help our Portugese but we can't understand what they're talking about. And when the little pigs keep just saying "Oink, Oink" there's not much to be learned from that. Still Suze likes the animation, that is quite sophisticated compared to some English kids tv programmes.

Anyway, that's it for today. Will be Skyping my mom later on today, so fingers crossed the internet connection stays stable and we don't get a thunderstorm.

The First Twelve Days...

2009-09-12T07:27:00.000-07:00

This blog is to record our six month stay in Central Portugal from September 2009 to the end of February 2010. We'll do a potted history for the preceding 11 days and then start trying to do daily entries.

We drove from home to Plymouth on 30 August 2009 where we caught the ferry. The ferry crossing dropped us in Santander on 31 August and we drove down through Spain to Vallalolid. This was where we experienced our first TomTom adventure. The satnav placed us on the opposite side of the river to our campsite and there was no bridge. So we drove around for what seemed an age to try and find a campsite, any campsite, by now we didn't care about our 6 euro deposit! In the end, surprisingly enough for a man, Jon stopped and asked for directions. Fortunately the young lady knew enough English to put us on the right track. So, gleefully, we eventually found the campsite, which had a bar! First stop was the bar, for two ice cold Super Bocks. The campsite was mostly empty as the holiday season is mostly over, so we could take our pick of where we wanted to pitch. We found a nice little pitch with some grass. The next day we set off for our final destination, ie the place we have rented for six months in Central Portugal.

Our journey from Vallalolid to our rental home was straightforward. But as soon as we entered Portugal it was clear as the landscape changed, much more green, whereas Spain was parched and yellow. The border crossing was just like going through a big toll booth, but we weren't stopped. Our passports etc were checked when we arrived in Santander off the ferry, and apart from that there was no other check made.

When we arrived at our rental property, we followed the directions given by our English landlady, and without them we probably would still be looking for this place! The property is situated approx half a km from the road, along a dusty track (our car is barely visible through the dust on it). We unpacked on our first afternoon, and though other towns were slightly closer to us we chose to drive to Tabua as we were more familiar with this place and knew exactly where to get our vittles from. Tabua boasts a Lidl and an Ecomarche right next to each other, and they complement each other very well, as what you can't get in Lidl you can most certainly get in Ecomarche. Ecomarche is also splendidly equipped with a bar. And having spent our first few euros on bog rolls and biodegradable toilet duck cleaner we felt obliged to have a deliciously cold beer in the bar.

On Wednesday 2 Sept 09 we ventured into Coja as we had heard that we might be able to buy sim cards for our unlocked mobile phones, so that we could use a Portugese phone network called Uzo (this meant that local calls would be cheap), our Orange sim cards would be too expensive.

We didn't know Coja very well and went inside a supermarket to try and make ourselves understood. Immediately four people in the supermarket began speaking ten to the dozen amongst themselves, we watched wide eyed. Then one of the staff led us outside, down the hill, down the high street and indicated a very small bar. We ventured inside and Suze tried her pigeon Portugese. The bar man reached up and started pulling socks from a basket. Hmmm, perhaps her Portugese needs more attention, we thought. But no, attached to the snazzy socks was a sim card. Can you believe we only paid 5 euros for the sim card, the socks came for free, and we also got 5 euros credit on the phones! To top up we think we will need to go back to the bar and get them to "recharge" it.

Local text messages cost 9 cents.

The coverage is usually fine but not when we are in the rental property, unless we move about on the balcony or in the field next to the house.

Thursday 3 Sept 09 we went to Arganil. We knew the market took place on Thursday mornings but we didn't know where it was located. We also knew there is supposed to be a Lidl in Arganil but we didn't know where that was either. The town was busy and we followed some people, who looked like they might be English (don't ask us why, we're not sure). Anyway, they were going to the market. We bought some plants ie 20 cabbage (couve), 10 leeks (alho frances), 20 lettuce (alface) and they cost us 2.75 euros for the lot.

There were a couple of days when we stayed home and chilled. There was of course the drinking of the gin and tonic etc at regular intervals.

We are trying to ascertain how many neighbours we have. We know the shepherd and his wife, as we see them moving the goat/sheep herd up the tracks a few times per day. The jangle of the bells on the animals is lovely.

On Sunday 6 Sept 09 we visited Tabua market to get more plants and provisions. We bought some beetroot plants and broccoli and some carrots for about 2 euros.

We visited Gois on one day to find Caminho do Natural which is a health food shop. We managed to buy some vegetarian provisions such as stock cubes etc that seem to be hard to find otherwise. In Gois we had some soup (sopa) that we think was cabbage soup and swilled it down with beer, for about 4 euros. After a stroll around beautiful Gois we headed back, and as we went back through Arganil we spotted the Lidl and bought some puff pastry as this is another item we have not seen anywhere else.

We weren't here for more than a few days before we realised we had a mouse, or two. So far we've disposed of six dead mice and the traps are still out just in case.

The house cat ran off when Suze pointed at the place where the mice are resident - obviously over fed!

We have now done a couple of geocaches, one was a "FTF" or "First to Find" - both very local. There is a little cluster of geocaches in nearby Coja that we intend to do in the next few days.

We visited Bobadela where there are some Roman ruins, there is some stonework that was to the forum apparently, and there is quite a large ampitheatre. After our visit we realised that there is actually a geocache there as well, and as with most geocaching there was a wealth of information about the place. We intend to go back and do the cache and visit the museum to look at some of the artifacts.

Geocaching info

Today we've been mainly chilling, doing washing and other bits and bobs, refining our viewing list. We even had our first rain shower since we arrived, it lasted all of five minutes! Our washing didn't even get wet from it.

Our internet connection is Sapo and is a bit intermittent. We are being cautious and disconnecting the internet and unplugging our electrical gear during thunderstorms, just in case.

And also today, we decided to start a blog. Sorry this was a long entry but from now on it should be a bit more brief.