GOLF AND SIGHTSEEING ... slide-show

The participation in a golf tournament in the south of Portugal was a good chance to revisit Lagos, one of the most historical coastal cities in the Algarve. The old city walls and winding streets date from when Lagos was the capital of the Algarve and ships set sail from here to explore the world and bring home ships of spices and slaves. Its fame derives from its association with Portugal's 14th-and 15th-century Age of Discovery. It was here that Henry the Navigator had his vessels built and prepared for the voyages of exploration down the coast of West Africa which ultimately led to the sea route past the Cape of Good Hope to India. 

After having had lunch at a small restaurant famous for its chicken dish, I drove through a narrow road and reached Lagos. No enough time to revisit everything I would have liked to... on the following day, I had to get up early.... anyway, I tried to make the most of the afternoon over there. It was really a hot day and the many foreign tourists I saw wandering through those narrow streets showed happy faces.

The golf course of a breathtaking natural beauty was a delight to play.

I returned back home, thinking that I should have devoted more time to roaming around the old town. Lagos boasts an abundance of historical sites and intricate architecture. The endless pedestrian streets with outdoor restaurants and coffee shops, and of course the boutique shops would have been sure to round out two full days..

WOULD YOU LIKE TO JOIN ME? (SLIDE-SHOW)

Oeiras is a town located at the estuary of the Tagus river, which means 14 km (8.7 miles) far from Lisbon. It was founded in 1208 when it was settled by Christians from the north of Portugal. Later, in 1759, it was granted to Marquis of Pombal by the then king, as a reward for having reconstructed downtown Lisbon after the 1755 Lisbon earthquake. The Marquis built a magnificent manor-house, which still exhibits grand stone staircases, statues, tiles and a beautiful garden with a grotto.

Oeiras was once part of a defensive line of maritime fortresses built along the Lisbon coast between the 16th and 17th centuries, including a fort resting on a sandbank at the mouth of the Tagus estuary. The fort comprises a round stone with a central tower and a lighthouse.

The heart of the historic centre of Oeiras boasts a new facility devoted to culture. Located in an old palace, the seventeenth-century building has recently been restored and adapted to offer the people of this town and its visitors a new and modern area for sociocultural initiatives.

Would you like to join me in visiting the town that I often drive through but had never stopped before until I decided to do it a few weeks ago?

IF YOU LIKE FLEA MARKETS...

Lisbon's flea market is called locally the Feira da Ladra or "Thieve's Market" (in the original Portuguese, it is a woman thief!). A market of this type is thought to have been in place in Lisbon since the 12th Century and the name Feira da Ladra was first mentioned in the 17th Century.
Today, the traders there are perfectly legal, and they show their wares in a district close to the Moorish Alfama district.

From the main square, the National Pantheon can be seen standing proudly.
The market is held every Tuesday and Saturday, from dawn to dusk. A myriad of small stalls sell all sorts of second-hand and new products, and other traders simply display their store on a stretched-out blanket.
Hand-made artisan goods, CD's, books, clothes, stamps, coins, military objects, antiques and furniture are all on display there, so the occasional bargain is still possible although many of the stores now seem to cater exclusively to the tourists.

After a long absence of about 30 years, on tuesday I decided to go to the market. I didn't test my bargain skills but I enjoyed strolling through to snap some photos. I found the market rather different from what it was before: many foreigners buying, many immigrants selling.

I left the market area through the opposite 'gate', passing by one of the biggest churches in Lisbon. From there, I walked along narrow cobblestone streets and reached the Moorish quarter of Alfama. I wanted to see the preparations for Saint Anthony's eve and something else that's quite unique in Lisbon and not common at all in any European city. I will take you with me, soon. Meantime, enjoy my morning at the flea market....

LET'S VISIT AMARANTE TOWN- slide-show

Last weekend, I travelled to Amarante, a little town in the

north of Portugal. Playing golf was one of my main purposes as I had neveLast weekend, I headed to Amarante, a small town in the r played its local course, characterized by small, undulating greens. Part of its attractiveness is its hilly nature. Not an easy course but a very challenging one. The town, a melting pot of history, monuments and nature, is pretty with its particular architectural style, yet it is often affected by several flood events.

 

PORTUGUESE CHICKEN SOUP: RECIPE AND MORE...

Canja de galinha is a variation of chicken soup that is popular in Portuguese cuisine. The exact origins of the soup are unclear, but it appears to date back to the 1500s. Some historians believe the soup is similar to earlier rice-based types of soups found in India. Traditionally, canja de galinha is served as a comfort food to those who are suffering from colds or general ailments. The comforting dish is also served at weddings and other special occasions.

Have you ever said, "It's easy as a pie."? If you've ever made a pie from scratch, you know it isn't as easy as it sounds. The Portuguese saying is, "É canja!" It's as easy as making chicken soup. I think making chicken soup is much easier than making a pie from scratch (let alone one made from flour, shortening, and all the rest). It does, however, take time to do it right.

My recipe is very basic. Like anyone who likes cooking, I have my own signature touch that I put in my canja. All depends on the taste of my guests.

Ingredients:

1 entire chicken

two onions, each one pierced with one dried clove

1 carrot

rice, orzo or couscous as you like

Optional: fresh lemon drops, fresh mint leaves, cinnamon stick

I always buy an entire chicken from a butcher as I can get it packaged with the giblets. I use the entire chicken and, together with onions and the carrot, I boil the meat while still on the bones to develop a richness of flavor. After the chicken is cooked thoroughly, I remove the meat from the saucepan and add rice (to save time, the rice may be cooked in advance and then re-heated with the remaining ingredients). Sometimes, instead of rice I add rice-shaped pasta such as orzo.

After the skin and bones are removed from the chicken, I get the meat shredded and add it back to the pot. All of the canja de galinha ingredients are simmered together for a few minutes. I add the chicken's eggs and it cooks for 5 minutes more. Then, I take out the gizzard, heart, and liver, and mince them with a knife. If I'm sure my guests like those minced, I put some in each soup plate along with one of the eggs. A few drops of fresh lemon juice added to the soup makes it good and so do fresh mint leaves.  

I hope the video clip, though in Portuguese language, complements my  rough explanation on the recipe.

 

MADEIRA ISLAND #2 AND LAST - FLOWER FESTIVAL - SLIDE-SHOW

Every year, two weeks after Easter, Madeira’s flower-festival fills the main streets of Funchal’s centre with carpets and other displays of a myriad of flowers and colours.  Spring at its best was over there ... Enjoy!

LET'S GO OUTSIDE LISBON ... SLIDE-SHOW

A few weeks ago I spent the weekend outside Lisbon, more precisely at a small town, one hour’s drive away from my place. On the way to my final destination, Palmela, so the town is called after its Roman founder, Cornelius Palma, I stopped at Azeitao, a small village nestled in the mountains, where wine producers have been creating sweet muscatel wine for centuries. After wandering through the village and its local market, I headed to the semi-rural town of Palmela, up on a hill and home to many multinational industrial plants like Volkswagen or Coca-Cola, while a significant number of foreign families live in the area. The castle, the town’s landmark, offers a unique view over the whole region and the Atlantic Coast. A former 500 year old convent adjacent to the Castle was converted into a boutique hotel, by the end of last century. Thanks to a hotel voucher I had got at a golf competition, I stayed in it, and enjoyed its comfort, despite a certain austerity that preserves a lot of the 17th century. Enjoy!

~~ Have a good weekend ~~

MY VISIT TO MADEIRA #4 AND LAST - SLIDE-SHOW

The day following the tournament was spent sightseeing round the island, always on good roads and tunnels (the island boasts 147 tunnels).

The first stop was at a wicker factory, at Camacha. Wickerwork is one of the principal industries of Madeira. Both men and women devote themselves to this typical craft industry putting all their creativity and talent in their works. Local willow trees provide the raw material of canes of various sizes and diameters. Before being used they are cut and peeled then boiled for elasticity making them easier to work, this gives them their characteristic brownish colour. They are then left to dry. Today Camacha is the largest centre of production; its wickerwork is still traditionally made and exported all over the world. We toured the wicker factory showroom and saw how those works were made.

From there we drove up to Pico do Areeiro. As the road climbed up, central Madeira’s green forests gave their way to landscape of turf and later on to rocks. Travelling through fluffy clouds, welcomed by sunshine at the end, left us impressed. We had arrived at Pico do Areeiro, the third largest peak on Madeira that offered stunning views. We were told that it would be best enjoyed at sunset or sunrise. 

Madeira’s Ecological Park started just below the Peak. The great natural beauty in the Laurissilva Forest, a Natural World Heritage listed by UNESCO, still has much of its original vegetation. The trout farms that aim to produce trout to replenish the water of the Madeira island, caught my particular attention. I had never seen such farms before… Some of my friends had a short rest at a local bar and enjoyed Poncha, the typical drink.  Just for your curiosity, I leave the recipe on here:

 You need:
- one measure of alcohol called "aguardente" which is white vodka made from sugar cane
- a little of sugar cane honey (specific kind of honey, different than 'normal')
- fresh lemon juice and orange juice (roughly 2-3 lemon to 1 orange measure)
Stir it and stir and stir again....
And you have your own Poncha. Particular proportions are secret of every producer. So you can try and find you own golden mean.

The taste is excellent, they say. You can drink it chilled on hot days or at 'normal temperature' during autumn.

After having had lunch at a typical restaurant we headed towards the northeast of Madeira, the home to the famous and unique thatched cottages that have an A-frame design. They are one of the iconic symbols of the island. 

The day ended with a buffet dinner party, during which the awards and trophies were distributed… My luggage got a bit heavier on the flight back home…

 

 

MY VISIT TO MADEIRA # 3 - SLIDE-SHOW

As I got up and opened the window, a cool breeze blew up on my face and looking at the sky I anticipated a great day for golfing. My forecast proved later to be correct. Not hot, not humid, the perfect weather for a superb golf day. We were 32 golfers, most of which had never played on that hilly course with stunning views over the ocean and the mountains. On that day, it was our first round just to get familiar with those tricky greens and fairways. At the 19^th hole, I heard so many different comments about scores. Most players were not happy with their results. I don’t take golf as seriously as many players do. I had had a very enjoyable time, my score was pretty satisfactory and perhaps on the following day, when the tournament would take place, my clubs would be friendly to me.

Upon returning back to the hotel and feeling my legs in good condition to go for a walk, I went to explore another area of Funchal, a cosmopolitan and very panoramic city with several parks. Funchal has been Madeira’s capital for more than five centuries and is said to have been so named because of the abundance of fennel (funcho, in Portuguese) growing there.

The city is well kept: the pavements are clean and pleasant in themselves with their mosaic, black-and-white appearance. The cathedral, in the very heart of the city, was not very far from the hotel. Pleasant open-air restaurants and cafés surround it. I was not much in the shopping mood, yet I visited a shopping center just to get an idea of the stores in there. Nothing particularly special…. The best shops are hidden away in various shopping arcades and narrow streets, dotted around the city.

It was already a bit late when I reached the local market. Outside it, I saw a few sellers, wearing the typical costume.

My outing ended with a stroll in the city’s main park, where I noticed that romance certainly blossomed among the beautiful trees… in fact, anywhere…

 

MY VISIT TO MADEIRA # 2 - SLIDE-SHOW

I stayed in the capital, Funchal, where hotels are principally on two levels to the west of the sprawling city; one level just above the city centre and the other way above it. I was way up above, so I walked down on my outings, though, like many similar hotels, mine had a free courtesy bus service to the city centre.

The hotel was near the statue of the Empress Elizabeth, commonly called Sissi, who stayed in Madeira twice, for health reasons. The island was known for its favorable climate for the treatment of tuberculosis. Every time I passed by the tribute of the city to Sissi, I always saw some pretty flowers placed in its hands.

Madeira is known as a floating island of flowers. The temperate climate does mean that it is pleasantly warm round the year and this is why so many plants thrive. Perhaps it’s no wonder that the garden-loving English have so liked the island throughout recent history.

I didn’t feel brave to take the cable from the city up to a village high above Funchal. One of my golf friends took it and was marveled by the delightful ride, with a wonderful view.

The day ended with dinner at a typical restaurant where I had the famous island dish, really a kebab of beef, traditionally threaded on a laurel stick, preceded by fillets of scabbard fish, laced with banana!

It had been hot and humid, almost like a tropical weather. I wondered whether I would go golfing on the following day…

 

MY VISIT TO MADEIRA ISLAND #1 - THE OLD TOWN OF FUNCHAL

Madeira island has its own goverment and parliament that take care of a population of about 300 000 living souls. Geometry of the island is rather simple - elipsoid about 20km high and 50km long (about 13 x 30 miles).  On this area, there is almost everything you might find in this climate - from subtropical and Mediterraen weather to mountains - inner mountains are about 1500m (4500ft) high. On Madeira island you can find only rock beaches. Madeira is not island for swimming and sunbathing, but looking.

Funchal is the capital city, where about 100 000 citizens are concentrated.

In a not so distant past, small fishing boats adorned the pebble beach that faces the sea, in the oldest part of the city of Funchal. Perhaps because of this link to the sea, the traditional and most common dish is fish in the 'Old Town'.

Today, Funchal is not longer a fishing city, but the link to the sea remains. In this area, near to the ramparts of a Fortress, an icon in this landscape, some of these small boats, which are a heritage, can still be found.

The area, appropriately called the Old Town, seems to have found in recent times, a new fountain of youth, and has once again become a center for entertainment and leisure for tourists and local people.

Its main street, Rua de Santa Maria, the oldest in Funchal and the first street to be opened by the Europeans, in this case the Portuguese, in the lands discovered in the Atlantic and around it, has a unique atmosphere. Nothing remains of the original street, except fame...

 

 

I LOVED THE CAR-FREE MORNING (slide-show)

A stretch (12 km long - 8 miles, approximately) of the Lisbon coastal road was yesterday morning closed to motorised vehicles to mark ‘No Cars Day’, an initiative that aimed to promote the use of non-polluting vehicles. People were only allowed to travel along the road on foot, bicycle, roller skates or other non-polluting modes of transport.

Along the road there was entertainment through a range of activities based on health, physical activity, the environment and mobility. In this way Lisbon City Hall associated itself once again to European Mobility Week and European No Cars Day, with the aim of raising awareness among the population for the use of alternative methods of transport such as bicycles, public transport – trains and buses – or walking, inhibiting the use of cars and pollution, respectively. This year, even the national railway company joined the initiative, providing free use of the trains along the line that serves that area.

I had never participated in the event before but this year I decided to get up early and be one of the thousands of people who breathed the refreshing air of the morning. Walking on the coastal road, normally very congested, gave me a very good feeling that was followed by a nice lunch at a friend's house, located not far from the end of that section of the road.

 

 

TODAY IN A SLIDE-SHOW

I had scheduled to stay at home this afternoon but a telephone call from a friend suggesting me to go with him to a fair that was being held at the grounds of the Summer Palace of the then Royal Family, made me change my mind. Off I went, and for good. I did enjoy going there. After all, the weather was very fine and it would be silly of me to have stayed at home. I had never expected to see the fair grounds so crowded. The traffic around there was congested. Luckily, we found a parking place without difficulty. I know well the area. It's only a 10-minute drive from my apartment. My camera was busy all the time...

Enjoy the slide-show!

 

  

 

TWO DAYS IN A RURAL AREA #2 ... SLIDE-SHOW

The morning was gorgeous, yet a bit hot. However, I didn't give up going hiking at the Royal Hunting Reserve, a few kilometers away from Mafra town.

The Reserve  was created by king João V as a leisure park for the royal family, between 1744 and 1748: with an extension of 819 hectares (2050 acres), it is encircled by a 12-kilometre long wall (eight miles); it was the ideal space for the Court to hunt, with woods occupying almost all the area.

With the proclamation of the Republic (1910), its name was changed to National Hunting Reserve.
It was open to the public in 1975, and has passed through some hard times, namely with the great bush fires of 1981 and 2004.
The park displays a rich flora, with cork oak trees, eucalyptus and willows, among many others, and fauna: deer, wild boars, foxes, wolves, eagles, owls, etc. I was disappointed as I didn't encounter any of these but deers and fallows, only. It's still summer and perhaps they were hidden somewhere far from the humans' sight.

A stream crosses the reserve but it was almost dried up. I saw beautiful vegetation along its banks. A plastic bin hung from a tree caught my attention. Later I was told that was an automatic feeding trough that spreads cereals during the summer months. Interesting to see a lime-stone kiln that was very well restored. I didn't see anyone else than me, probably people don't go hiking under hot sunshine. I admit, it was not very comfortable, yet I did enjoy the day but returned back home feeling some disappointment. I had been told that deers in the mating season were easier to photograph as they don't care much about humans: we do not groan as they do!   

 

   

~~ HAVE A GOOD WEEKEND ~~

TWO DAYS IN A RURAL AREA #1 ... SLIDE-SHOW

Mafra is a tiny country village with an enormous claim to fame: the grandiose Royal Palace including a monastery and basilica along with the royal apartments, all built in 1717 to celebrate the birth of a daughter to King João V. The extravagant king wanted the palace and basilica to compete in magnificence and grandeur with Spain's Escorial!

The church is one of the finest in Europe for its proportions and its superb use of marble (pink, cream, blue-grey and black, mostly from the local quarries). Fifty-eight Italian-made statues, all larger than life, adorn the façade, narthex and chapels. Indeed, with six large pipe organs and a complete carillon in each of the two massive bell towers flanking the portico (totalling 110 bells, all ordered from Flanders), the ensemble screams "regardless of expense." Every sunday, the bells are played and be heard within an area as far as 24 km (15 miles).

This vast complex is among the most sumptuous Baroque buildings in Portugal. The Palace was built symmetrically from a central axis, occupied by the basilica and continued lengthwise through the main façade until two major towers. The structures of the convent are located behind the main façade.

The complex also includes a library, with about 40,000 rare books. Rarely used in its history, either as a palace or a monastery, almost all of its 800 rooms and the extensive park have long been given over to the Portuguese army. 

On the following day, I went hiking at the Royal Hunting Reserve. One of my friends had told me he had encountered deers and boars....

   

THE COUNTESS'S CHALET AND PARK - SLIDE-SHOW

Yesterday, when I opened my bedroom’s window and saw the dense fog descending over the bridge, I was very upset. My day’s schedule was going to be totally damaged, I thought. However, by noon, the sky had cleared up and the sun was shining strongly. One hot day, again. Great! My decision of having lunch in the park that surrounds the partially renovated Countess Edla’s chalet would be perfect.

Early in the afternoon, I reached Sintra town and could find my destination up on the hill, thanks to the huge stones seen here and there. Glad to have chosen the right path, through cool shadows alternated with the rays of hot sun. When I parked the car, it was really hot but soon I chilled out by walking under the shade of the trees.

After laying a big stone – geologists call it nefeline syenite - for lunch that tasted particularly good, feeling a soft breeze, breathing the scents of nature, I went for a long walk through the park.

The goats didn’t seem to like my camera, the horse, either. I waited for several minutes until he might move further from the electric wire fence but he never co-operated with me. I didn’t get into the Chalet. The restoration works of its interior are not yet concluded.

The Chalet, was originally built (1868) by a Portuguese king for his lover, the Countess of Edla, a famous Swiss-German opera singer, who later became the king’s official wife. It is a building in Romantic style, made of stone and lime, but with simulated wood exterior walls decorated with cork tracery. The Chalet looks like it was designed for a Disney movie!

I left the park, thinking how that Countess’s life would make a good movie or perhaps… opera.

It was not late, yet, and from there I drove to Regaleira Palace for tea… a magical place that is full of masonry symbolism, from the entrance to everything outside and inside it....

The day ended with a gorgeous sunset and now I am enjoying a beautiful moonlight over the river.

Have a nice weekend!

7 MINUTES IS ALL YOU NEED...

By chance, I found this video on the huge sea of Youtube and would like to share it with you. Perhaps some of you can already identify many of the places shown on it. Estoril, Cascais and Sintra areas are my favourite destinations whenever I have enough free time. Enjoy!

~~ Have a nice day ~~

LISBON SOUK FOR A WEEKEND ... SLIDE-SHOW

Saint George’s Castle is a magical place, a charming hilltop citadel with pheasants roaming around the castle gardens. Once used as a fortress, today is home to a restaurant, an archeological museum, a café esplanade and several events like concerts and fairs. Due to its historical background and the dazzling views it offers, this was the perfect place for Lisbon Souk, held on the last weekend of July.

Before climbing the narrow cobbled streets which lead up to the ancient castle, I passed by the House of Spikes, a whimsical 16th century mansion, one of very few to survive the 1755 earthquake. It’s hard not noticing this building, since small stone pyramids – or shall I say diamond-shaped stones? – line the façade wall. I have no idea how many those are but I presume over 1,000. When I reached the castle I was surprised with the crowds, mainly foreigners, who were queuing up to buy their admission tickets. Fortunately, Lisbon residents have free admission. I could get into the castle grounds without wasting time.

The Souk itself was dominated by Morocco: handicrafts, people, sweets, clothing, etc. Unexpectedly, everything was expensive and I didn’t see many people shopping. The belly dance performance - I would say the dancers were Portuguese - was colorful and the Morocco music, though I don’t like it, was acceptable to listen for a short while.

 

WALKING IN A SMALL VILLAGE.... SLIDE-SHOW

An invitation to a birthday party of one of the four children of some friends of mine, at their summer house, yesterday, made me leave my apartment earlier and stop at Colares, a small and charming village that rests in the foothills of the world heritage site of Sintra. Fertile soils and good pasture fields, as well as the proximity with several water courses and the great Atlantic ocean, have contributed to make it an ideal area for farming, and very populated by foreigners who have settled there after getting retired. Every week-end, there is a small farmers' market by the roadside. Produces are fresh and sold at a very reasonable price. I did my shopping...

Unfortunately, yesterday, the sun was not shining, the humidity was high and the fog seemed to get denser and denser over the day. Even though, I was not discouraged and walked up and down the narrow streets, stopping here and there to take a photo. I would not tell a lie if I said that I breathed a little of Autumn atmosphere... very strange in this country where the summer season lasts until october. Exceptionally, this year, the season is very irregular...

A ROMANTIC ENSEMBLE - THE SECOND AND FINAL SLIDE-SHOW

After the stroll in the Park and a bit of rest at the tea-house I stepped into the Palace. This was built in 1790 over the ruins of an old chapel and a few years later the English writer William Beckford rented the whole park and palace. Beckford did not live in it for a long time. He left Portugal and the property was abandoned. Many years passed since then until 1856, when Sir Francis Cook ordered the reconstruction of the Palace, in a romantic style, with gothic, Indian and Arab motifs.

The whole Palace is not yet open to the public but I could visit all the areas, whose restoration work has been recently concluded. The entrance hall with its Gothic arches and pink marble columns, the corridor, a succession of arches and columns, providing a sensation of depth, the octagonal-shaped main hall with Indian alabaster panels (Mogul style) used as screens and with a fountain in alabaster, as well, the Music Room with its dome in decorative plaster work, the stairwell - a marble structure decorated with an ivy leaved pattern - and its huge dragonfly, the library with the walls entirely covered by walnut bookshelves - the door, also in walnut and decorated in bas-relief representing Diana, the Roman goddess, all were beautiful! 

The sun was about to set when I left Monserrate, not feeling like walking back to the railway station. Fortunately, there was a shuttle bus that drove me to the center of Sintra. I was thirsty and was wandering around the historic center, looking for a non-tourist trap bar (easier said than found) when I stumbled upon the hidden gem A Raposa (The Fox), a tea-house/restaurant. I went in for tea and immediately fell in love with the decor... it was different and cozy. My outing had had a happy end!