Waterfalls, Picnic Sites, Mediaeval Bridge and Veggie Sausage

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.