Category: Uncategorized
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Mountain top gastronomy
Sunday began with a trip to the Estoi Gypsy Market. It only happens on a Sunday. Vendors and shoppers from near and far crowd into the open air market from about 7:30 a.m. until shortly after 12 noon. It’s a lot of fun and one could actually furnish a house from the goods on hand.…
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Sunny days, sunny ways.
Friday and Saturday went by in a wave of sunshine and cool breezes. It was an opportunity for me to explore some of the lanes and pathways around Estoi and check out the Pousada grounds. That wonderful combination of ancient palace and modern hotel is under renovation. They have recently repainted the exterior and are…
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Rediscovering Estoi
The village or parish of Estoi isn’t large – it has a population of approximately 4,000 people and that reduces in number, in all likelihood, in the off season, which is now. This is the second year in a row that it has served as home base for exploring the Algarve. Thursday, January 9, was…
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Walking the Ludo Hiking Trail
Hiking in the Algarve is regarded as a highly rewarding experience. Not an experienced hiker in the best sense of the world myself, I rather tentatively asked my friends next door if I could join them for their Wednesday morning saunter down the Ludo Hiking Trail. Randy and Harald have been hiking together for several years…
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Food for thought
Tuesday, January 7, 2020 dawned in Estoi, Portugal and it was time to shop for provisions. My friends, Randy and Marc kindly provided supper the previous evening and Randy obligingly carted me off to the grocery store the following morning. A a short walk of about an hour in a loop behind the quinta completed…
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2020 Vision: Portugal Again!
Slightly more than a year after my second sojourn in theAlgarve, my Portugal adventures begin again on Monday, January 6 when I will be arriving in Lisbon. Most of that day, the Feast of the Epiphany, will be spent on a train from Lisbon to Faro. I’m looking forward to spending time at the Quinta…
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Road trip to the West Coast
On Thursday, January 3, we hit the road for a tour of the west coast of the Algarve. It was a bit cloudy when we set out but the sun prevailed later in the day although the west coast lived up to it’s reputation for being cooler than the central Algarve. With Randy at the…
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Silves
The town of Silves, the oldest metropolis in the Algarve and one time capital of the region, reclines on the banks of the Rio Arade. The hilltop fortified citadel and cathedral were a focal point for trade in the region. According to local history, settlements have existed on the site since the Iron Age and…
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Cork forest tranquility
New Year’s Eve Day featured a return trip to the village of Alte and a visit to a cork forest on the way. Randy remarked that very little traffic was to be found on the tiny single lane road we travelled to reach the cork forest. He parked off to the side of the road…
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Vila Real da Santo Antonio
The town of Vila Real da Santo Antonio takes its Christmas nativity scene very seriously. On Friday, December 28, my good friends and favourite tour guides, Randy and Marc, took me to see the installation that stays in place until the arrival of the Magi commemorated in the Feast of the Epiphany. It was a…
Five Feet, Nine Inches Above Ground 