Suggested Itinerary for Central Portugal :  For those short of time!

Day 1

Drive up to Lisbon and do the ‘day trip’ mentioned earlier staying in Lisbon overnight

Day 2

Travel over to Tomar, have lunch there and then carry on to the area of Castello do  Branco

Day 3

Travel around the Serra Estrada via Mainteigas and then on to Viseu

Day 4

Travel from Viseu down via Batilha to Sintra

Day 5

Travel down from Sintra to the Algarve (via Troia – see previous article) if you have the time

By taking a route based on the above towns/cities, you can cross off the left hand side of the coast around Figuera do Foz as if you’re used to the coastline in the Algarve, you won’t find anything that excites you on that side

On the way down to Sintra, naturally we had to visit via a golf course and went and played at Praia del Rey.  Stunning views, stunning golf course and a really weird personal experience on arrival. Having spent the last few days totally in the company of Portuguese (the only English I had spoken was to Nick) and not seen another foreigner (eg English,  German etc) during that time,  to arrive at the club house at Praia del Rey with hundreds of said foreigners milling about was an experience akin to when I come out of the jungle into the local town down in Bolivia.  Very weird experience and not  sure that I liked coming back into ‘expat civilisation’ after such a lovely time in the heart of Portugal.  Having said that, Praia del Rey is a golf course that is definitely worth visiting – it must have some of the best views in the world as half of the course is along the surf. 

The strange thing was though that whilst the club house was superb, with comfortable outside seating (must be the expat influence here!), calming music being played etc on first glance one thought one was in a true five star environment.  But then you notice that the terraces hadn’t been cleaned, the staff were slow/surly (not a patch on Sebastiao and his crew at Boavista), they expected guests to open the doors for the staff.  Very strange but a great place to go and a definite for anyone wanting to have a game of golf in the area

From Praia del Rey we drove down to Sintra – the most magical place in Portugal so far for me.  We went there after our trip to Lisboa (it is only about 30 minutes away so can be added onto a Lisbon trip easily) but everything was covered in clouds and mist.  The second time we went, the skies were deep blue, the countryside was green and the town itself is almost impossible to describe as it is so beautiful.  Be careful here though. 

There are in fact ‘two Sintras’ – the new part (which in itself is pretty old and pretty as it runs along the gorge) and the old town which way up on the hill, both ‘towns’ overlooked / dominated by two castles right at the top of the gorge.  We stayed in the most fabulous bed and breakfast – Casa do Valle – which had views up the gorge to the castles, was superbly  clean with a balcony to enjoy the views (and work – for the first time in a week we had a decent internet connection), swimming pool and lovely gardens.  I cannot recommend our accommodation highly enough (and as you might have noticed I am very picky!!!). 

Vipi, the Finnish owner, bought the land 20 or so years ago and has built everything from scratch in typical style for the area (the house looks a lot older than it is which is a testament to the care and love that has obviously gone into its construction and, indeed, the running of her bed and breakfast establishment) and she is a very caring and talented host.  We will definitely be returning as it is like Paradise (I know now what people feel when they go to Quinta Melody for the first time!)

The old town of Sintra defies written description – it has to be seen to be believed – but do be careful where you eat.  There are a number of restaurants (with outside seating areas!) in the main square but these looked real rip off places.  Instead, we climbed up through the town and went to a lovely restaurant where Nick had the best steak he has ever eaten in Portugal.  We spent more than we normally would but hey ho, it was the last day of our holidays, there was a guitarist there and it was all very romantic!  Definitely the best night of the holiday.

Day 3 and 4 of the Tour

In the morning we went and did the photography of the town before heading off to Montebelo golf course at nearby Farminhao  Strange place – in the middle of nowhere, lovely club house (again with no outside seating to enjoy the tremendous views), friendly staff and nice course but somehow it didn’t seem to be ‘finished’.  No obvious reason why but the place was empty, it was a beautiful Sunday morning but just lacked ‘something’ I couldn’t quite put my finger on.  Having said that, given the dearth of golf courses in the area, it’s worth playing (and very reasonably priced)

After a couple of hours round the pool when we got back on the Sunday evening we headed off to Fatima the next day – the most sacred shrine outside of Rome for the catholic faith.  I’ll keep most of my thoughts on this place to myself for fear of offending anyone, but if there’s a view that Christmas is commercialised in the UK, this commercialism on a scale never before seen. 

The town is full of shops (the size of John Lewis’ some of them) selling religious statues and the like and, from a visitor point of view, the whole town is totally tacky as a result.  Indeed, the town has grown from nothing to its current size on the back of three girls in 1917 seeing the Virgin Mary from whom they learned three ‘secrets’ – the third of which was not revealed until after the Millenium as it related to the assassination of the Pope.  One of the sisters involved, who was made a saint in 2000, only died three years ago having lived in the town all her life. 

Despite my comments on the tackiness of the town, the main square – or esplanade – is a sight to behold (think a square the size of that used for the Nuremberg rallies and multiply 10).  Strangely, after all the pilgrims we had seen walking to Fatima on our travels, very few people were there – although in May and supposedly October (when we were there but didn’t see) the place is full of pilgrims, hundreds/thousands of which make the last few kilometres of their pilgrimage on their knees to the Basilica. We only saw two doing this and they were taking photos of each other so guess they weren’t quite as focused as other pilgrims at other times

Moving on from Fatima we travelled to Batalhaa stunning town with again a superb cathedral and town square – with the former having the most amazing stained glass windows which reflected on to the walls of the cathedral making it a truly ethereal sight.  After a lunch here Nick had itchy knickers (I think he had had enough of sightseeing) so off back home to pack up for what was probably one of the highlights of our holiday – Sintra.

Day 3 of the Tour

However, going east and north the next day was a mind blowing experience  We took the main road out to Castelo do Branco (not really worth a visit as the castle is in disrepair, grafitti-ed and the town not much to talk about (although the shops were open but we couldn’t find a parking space) and then on to Idanha de Velha.   WOW! 

Traveling through the most superb countryside, offering everything from vineyards to hills, plains and mountains, arriving at this village was initially a disappointment  – a newly constructed (but unopened) visitor centre coupled with a modern metal walkway round the town walls, did not engender confidence. However, on entering the village – said to be the most perfect example of a Portuguese traditional village – the experience is one definitely to remember.  Cobbled (or rather calcada-ed) streets, historic village dwellings, superb views, chickens running around, beautiful flowers in the gardens and window boxes, all mix together to create a sublime experience. 

Despite the fact that it is obviously a tourist attraction (although there were only about six of us there), the village is a working one with butcher’s, cafes, mini Mercado etc.  The really strange thing was that again, although a tourist destination, it didn’t feel like one and there was only one souvenir shop (thank goodness) – in the UK such a village would boast tea rooms on every corner and be selling tat all over the place.  The local village people were also very friendly – when I went to get some coffee from one of the two cafes (note, no outside seating in such a superb setting) one of the residents started talking to me and within a few minutes, I had made lots of new friends (including the original guy going out to shake my husband’s (who doesn’t s peak and Portuguese) hand.  A great place to visit and one to definitely include on any itinerary

Nearby to Idanha da Velha is the village of Monsanto which has to be seen to be believed.  Built totally out of the rocks that dominate the landscape, the fact that anything, let alone complete houses, shops, cafes etc could be carved out from the rocky landscape is surely a wonder of the world.  There is no vehicular access to the village so park where you can on the outside, and the walk up through the village is a little on the steep side, it is truly worth it.  Again,  it is a tourist destination and although it has more souvenir/tat shops than the previous village, prices are not high – we had prime spot in the local café overlooking the plains, hills and rocks, and paid no more for the drinks than we would anywhere else in Portugal (the Portuguese are not good at ripping tourists off thank goodness!).  Again, a must visit for any time spent in the region.

From Monsanto we decided to go in the mountains – the Serra Estrella- which are the highest mountains in Portugal and in a good year, offer sking out of Manteigas and Torre.  Travelling from Monsanto to Covilha is fairly flat and although we didn’t get to stop in Covilha it looks a lovely town and one we’ll return to  – as you travel out of the town there is the most amazing, what looks like, university quarter up on the hill which is full of old buildings, with walkways across the streets.  As you keep going up, it gets steeper and steeper and effectively there are two ways to ‘do ‘ the Serra Estrella in a day – either go out of Corvilha  and go left towards Torre or go out of Corvilha and turn right for Manteigas (you can of course do the complete loop round but the road is very steep and slow and difficult to do without getting a headache in a day I would suggest) .  We chose the latter and  what a super drive it is. 

Up and up, round and round – quite  breathtaking although very few opportunities as the road is so narrow to stop and take photos.  It took us about two hours to get to Manteigas – and what a disappointment that was.  From above it looks totally picturesque but when you get there, it’s a little faded with tourist shops, and cafes that seem to have been built specifically so you can’t see the view (another example of little outside eating spaces).  However, if you need to use facilities or need a drink, here is the place to have it as there is nothing after this until you get to Seia – I was so desperate for a drink that we stopped at the Pousada(which must be one of the worst in Portugal – built in 1942 (why they were building such when everyone else was at war I don’t know), again nowhere to sit outside to enjoy the views and really quite shabby.  So, if  you were thinking of staying in a Pousada in the area, I would definitely say don’t as you will be most disappointed.

What we did find on the way though – and this just shows you the type of high class places my husband takes me to – was a gypsy encampment which enterprisingly had set up a coffee stall.  Not the best coffee in the world – and food consisted of buying a bag of rather stale cakes – but fun all the same.

Anyway, continuing on out of the Serra Estrella the drive down to Seia is spectacular and this did look a rather superb town.  One shouldn’t underestimate the time it takes to drive just half of the way round the Estrella so do leave a good afternoon to do it.  On reaching Seia we decided not to take the drive back to Alvorge and instead stay up in the area as it was so beautiful.  We found the most superb hotel in Viseu which is a stunning town with a picturesque (but working) old town with the most amazing misericordia or cathedral. 

The town is truly enthralling and is split into two parts – the new (which unlike a lot  of Portuguese towns is very attractive) and the old.  We stayed at the Hotel Avenida (having stopped off at a Chinese shop in Seia and bought clothes for the evening and all necessary toiletries for a total of 60 euros, including what Nick says is my best pair of jeans) which was a lovely hotel, clean, bright, with balcony, a lovely welcoming owner, and internet access – all for 45 euros for both of us including breakfast.

 Dinner was taken in a local restaurant – at Imperio dos Sabores for dinner (232 400 584) highly recommended for simple Portuguese food for dinner.

Day 2 of the Tour

As day two dawned, although it wasn’t supposed to be a golfing  holiday, Nick had the urge so to speak so we decided to go north east and take in a golf course in the area.  First stop was Luso,a spa town which has great recommendations in the guide books but which personally I would not bother putting on the itinerary.  Very busy, not terribly attractive, and with the rudest waitress I have ever come across in Portugal (avoid Lourenco’s café if you ever go there).  Having said that, Luso is the ‘producer’ of the biggest brand of bottled water in Portugal, and it was quite comical seeing all the locals and visitors go up to the water fountains,  clutching their Luso bottles, and filling them for free.

Deciding to cut short the visit to Luso, we travelled up to Curia(by passing the prostitutes the main road who shared the sidewalks with the pilgrims in their vis vests going to Fatima – a strange combination) which is a strange place (Curia that is) but with a certain charm.  The town itself basically exists of large manor type homes/palaces that have been converted into hotels and spas of and is probably one of the early resorts of the 19^th century. 

Its long tree lined avenues are really quite imposing, and is certainly somewhere to put onto a visit list if you are ever in the area.  However, if you are planning to golf at the resort’s facility- give it a miss – terrible course, with greens  that were so bad that we couldn’t stop laughing.  The best bit about it was that the course was only 9 holes.

 Having decided to not avail ourselves of a further nine holes of Curia golf course we headed off west to the coast to Figueira da Foz which is where I was going to stay.  Not worth a visit despite it being the largest resort in the area – like the Lisbon beach areas, run  down and dirty in comparison with elsewhere.  What was good though was if you come out of Figueira and take the coastal road through the quarry travelling south and out to Quaios , there is an unmade road (not for the faint hearted but the type of road that my husband just loves) which affords the most amazing views of the coastline -  which at a high level looks a helluva lot better than at low level from Fig. 

The drive back to Alvorge took us through Pombal (named after the Marques who designed the Lisbon street layout after the 1755 earthquake) which is a nice town with a main square but not much else (again, all shops closed) to Ansiao(not really worth a visit) .  All in all, day 2 had been a bit of  a washout but at least it confirmed to us that If  one is short of time one can quite safely leave the western part of Central Portugal out of the equation around Figueira and Coimbra

Day 1 of Tour

Nick and I decided to do a 6 day trip up to Central Portugal which roughly starts just above Lisbon and finishes at about Coimbra (we’ll do the real north next year).  Not being fans of hotels, we decided to base ourselves In the middle of the region at a place called Alvorge so we could explore east and west with equanimity  

So, having set off early in the morning of 9 October, The first decision we took was to avoid the 35 euro motorway toll charge and take a meander along the B roads up to the Lisboa.  Whilst there is nothing like driving through the Monchique mountains in the Algarve early morning and seeing the mountains pop through the clouds, when you’re trying to get to somewhere as far away as Lisboa, two hours of it to get about 60 miles does become a bit tedious.  We therefore opted to take the motorway (and suffer the cost) up to Lisboa and then make a left and travel through the south of Central Portugal.  And boy, were we glad we did.  Within two hours of leaving the Algarve it is difficult to describe how different the two terrains – and local architecture are. 

We took the N118 at Santarem and travelled towards Abrantes along the river (having along the way the cheapest lunch at 3 euros for both of us including drinks) and then north up to Tomar.  Tomar is definitely on the top of my list for a revisit.  It is situated on the river, has lovely gardens, a superb main square which was a pleasure to sit in and have coffee (one of the few places we found where we could sit outside), lots of little shops (which as usual were closed during our visit – I do believe that there is jinx on my doing any non food shopping) and the most amazing castle / fort /museumon the top of the hill – indeed it is marketed as the most complete of Portugal’s castles and the views are tremendous so if you are visiting  up north, do include   Tomar on your travel itinerary.    

From Tomar we travelled north up to Alvorge,our base for the holiday where we had rented a cottage.  Whilst the village was central for discovering the region, and if you accept that you get what you pay for, then where we stayed, Jasmine Cottage could be a good base.  At 35 euros per night both of us in a two bedroom cottage with pool it certainly was good value – but not somewhere I personally would stay again as (a) it wasn’t terribly clean (crumbs in cupboards and sticky worktops, dust on surfaces and objects etc), (b) it was very dark as had very few lights and they were all low wattage (although the owner did supply another lamp which at least made it possible to read if we both sat together) and (c ) the gardens weren’t that terribly well looked after. 

Having said that, I do realize that where we live and the types of homes that I rent out, I probably have very high expectations and all in all, taking into account the price paid, it is not a bad place to stay.  The really disappointing thing was that I booked this cottage as it was in the middle of a village with supposedly three restaurants within walking distance.  However, one had closed, one was on his holidays for the month of August and the third was hardly walking distance.  Having said that, we did find Luis’ restaurant in the next village which offered amazing value – wine at 2 euros a litre (and very good it was too) and dinners for two  including coffee, dessert and wine at 15 euros all in.  You can’t really go wrong with that!

What was great about both the location of the cottage and the village was that it gave one a great feel for the area – the views of the mountains were superb, the vineyards were a plenty in the locality and the sunsets incredible (it’s a great area for photography!)

Lisbon and the area:  our weekend trip

Known as Lisboa in Portuguese, this interesting but sprawling city is very easy to get to from the Algarve – just 2.5 hours by car if you take the A22 (but beware – it’s the most expensive motorway in Europe with the average toll being 33 euros from the Algarve to Lisboa). 

 If visiting Lisboa for a short time, choosing where to stay is essential. There are hundreds of pensaos, hotels and other types of accommodation available – but those that are in the luxury category tend to be in the business or ‘Bond Street’ type locations which are miles from the main attractions of the city such as the Castle, the main squares, affordable cafes and normal shopping.

We chose to stay in a small pensao right in the middle of Lisboa on Rossio Square- the Pensao Praca da Figueira .  The area itself is a bit seedy (think Kings Cross a bit tarted up – and talking of the latter, yes there are a few of those around too) but it is slap bang in the middle of where everything is, from cheap restaurants, to the elevator (designed by the inventor of the Eiffel tower and bearing an uncanny resemblance), the Castle, Convent etc.  The hotel looked a bit iffy from the outside (and from the two flights of internal steps to reach it) but once through the door it was clean, and reasonably cheerful  and incredibly central (the tour buses – see below) go from right outside the door.

Talking of the buses,if you don’t have much time fork out on the guided bus tours (and don’t be shy if you’re not a regular tourist, they are cheap, easy and by far the best way to get a feel for Lisboa – some of which you’ll want to go back and visit after your tour, and some you definitely won’t).  There are three ‘lines’, red and blue, and operated by the Big Yellow Bus company (where we got confused as we kept looking for the yellow line too).  Anyway, if you buy one ticket for one route (valid for one day, hop on and off) it’s 15 euros, but if you buy two routes (which lasts you two days, again hop on and hop off) it’s 19 euros.  A no brainer really – in my opinion, you really do need both routes as they go to different places and it’s a great and quick way to see everything.   One further reason for taking the bus – getting around Lisboa by car is a nightmare, so if you drive you’re better finding a parking space (another good thing about the hotel was underground parking opposite) and just leaving the car there. 

Having done the two bus tours, there is (again only in my opinion) one place you must go and visit and that is the Castelo do Sao Jorge at Lisboa (set high up on the hill and with a separate town of its own, it is the most beautifully preserved village and castle with stunning views).  The buses don’t go there (streets too narrow so if you’re short of time or don’t want to walk up there, get a taxi up there and there are lots of buses to bring you back (and yes, your red/blue tour ticket is valid for these buses too)

You can eat expensive or cheap in Lisboa.  The main eating places are two or three streets around the Rossio (main square) where you can sit outside, under the stars and feel all romantic – and at the end of the evening broke (especially if you’re used to having 10-15 euro meals in the Algarve).  Go two or three streets to the right (as you have your back to Rossio) and you will find a whole load of truly Portuguese (ie not tourist) restaurants where we had one of our best meals in Portugal so far (Restaurant Adega da Mo ) for around 12 euros all in including wine (not bad for a capital city – try that in London!).  You do have to go past a couple of peep shows to get to these restaurants and yes, there was a guy being a bit of a nuisance having come out of one of them, but definitely worth the money and the experience (and the waiters were absolutely superb!) 

Sadly we only had a day in Lisboa as we had to take Nick’s sister back to the airport for her onward flight back to Australia so instead of spending the second morning there we decided to head up to Sintra which is supposed to be one of Portugal’s most scenic towns.  However, it happened to be a very misty morning and we saw nothing (not even a cafe open for breakfast – see separate blog about eating on Sunday mornings in Portugal) and headed off down the coast to Cascais (ok but not worth a detour if you’re on a tight time budget) and further along the coast down to Lisbon (avoid all these results both sides of the River Targus as they really are down at heel) and headed down to Setubal where we took the ferry (20 minutes) over to Troia.  A really interesting area being a spit of land opposite Lisboa and with a great golf course there.  Some development amongst the pine trees but the beaches are clean, empty and there is a real French feel about the place and the whole peninsular.  After a game of golf at the lovely Troia golf course(where I beat hubby hands down) we decided to finish off the day by taking the coast road all the way down to the Western Algarve.  Surprisingly, the roads are pretty good and some of the coastline is superb (although not as spectacular as the Western Algarve). Two places of particular note to visit/stay in would be Porto Covoand Vila Nova Milfontes– both old fashioned resorts with lots of restaurants and the most fantastic sunsets.  We will definitely be visiting these two places again.

Motoring down, the light was failing so we decided to stop off in to Aljezur for dinner – spotting an overfull restaurant by the side of the road (always a good sign normally).  Disaster – expensive, poor service and not very good food – so my theory on roadside restaurants went on the back burner for that night.

So, between 7 am on the Saturday and 10pm on the Sunday we had managed to ‘do’ Lisboa, have a fabulous evening dinner, go shopping in the El Cortes Ingles (if you’re not familiar with this Spanish chain of stores, then they are in my opinion the best chain in the world for choice and price) travel round the Lisbon coast, have a game of golf, go on a ferry, travel down the Silver Coast and Western Algarve, proving if you don’t have much time, it’s possible to a helluva lot in one weekend in terms of getting to know Portugal a little better!

PS One for any lady that likes shopping:  don’t go to LIsboa on a Saturday as the shops close in the afternoon (apart from El Cortes Ingles) and you’ll kick yourself as you pass all the handbag and shoe shops – I’ll definitely be going back just for the shopping of these items (they are remarkably cheap and stylish)

PPS:  if you live in the Algarve and need housewares such as linens, bedding, cookware, again LIsboa has a very wide range at prices about a third of the Algarve – but avoid Saturdays for the reasons above!

After a long break from writing my blog (the summer season for rentals was exceptionally busy and all my time has been focused on helping all the lovely rental guests that visited this year have a super holiday), my blog is about to become like a no 9 bus -  none come along for ages, and then all at once. 

Anyway, with the summer season now behind me, and most of the longer winter stays firmly ensconced in their villas or apartments, Nick and I have taken a little bit of time out to go travelling around Portugal which is, after all, our home and we have never really been out of the Algarve. 

It’s amazing how many people live in the Algarve for many years, and go no further than their favourite restaurants, beaches and, of course golf courses!  Indeed, if my husband could spend his life on Boavista golf course, he’d be the happiest of bunnies.  Equally, very few holiday makers take the time to discover northern and central Portugal – which on the one hand is good, as it keeps both areas with a feel of being almost uninhabited, but on the other as the country is so beautiful, it is a shame more people don’t take the time out to see it.  So, regardless of whether you live in the Algarve – or are here for a few months over the winter – for those who have more of an adventurous streak, I am going to start putting together my thoughts on our travels (yes, I have managed to prise hubby away from golf course).  Due to the nature of my business, we can obviously only go travelling outside of the busy season, so it might take a while to get round everywhere, but in the past couple of weeks we’ve managed trips up to Lisbon and Central Portugal.

As an introduction to venturing further north than the Algarve, there are a few observations to make as to the difference between north and south.

First, both Lisbon and Central Portugal (and indeed the north) are very easy to get to.  Lisbon is about 2.5 hours by car and Central Portugal a couple of hours more – with lots to see on the way.

Second, the architecture from Lisbon upwards is very different to the Alentejo (the province above the Algarve) and the Algarve, for one very good reason.  In 1755 most of the Algarve region and much of Lisbon was destroyed in the earthquake, so very little of what existed before that date exists now.  Further north, they were hardly touched by the earthquake and there are the most superb examples of 9, 10^th, 11th and 12^th century castles, dwellings and other points of interest.  Even the houses are different – the further north of Lisbon you go, the more spread out they become (sometimes miles between one dwelling and another) and there are very different types of house, from the ajentulos (tiled) covered houses to over in the east, in the Serras (mountain ranges) very Alpine – Swiss style which, for some reason, all seem to have outdoor staircases.

Third, the weather.  On our brief experiences the tales of poor weather up in the centre and north of Portugal seem unfounded.  Yes, the mists come down (one of the reasons people don’t bank on going to these areas for their sunshine holidays), and yes, the evenings are very cold and yes, in winter snow can fall.  However, we have been up in Lisbon and central Portugal in October (I write this on the 11^th) and temperatures have risen to over 30 degrees.  Obviously, as the terrain gets greener the further north you go, which indicates much higher rainfalls, this does tend to fall during the winter months, so you should get good weather outside of these times (and almost certainly better than in the rest of northern Europe/the UK)

 Fourth the food.  If you don’t like Portuguese food, then a visit further north than Lisbon is probably not a very good idea.  We have seen a couple of Chinese restaurants but all others tend to be local Portuguese restaurants offering basically the same type of food (port, cod, veal chops) and about the same price. The big difference to the Algarve though is the wine – central and northern Portugal are great wine producing regions and thus there is a great variety to try, and as low as 2 euros a litre (one of the reasons we like the area up north so much!)

Fifth, the scenery.  Wow.  Underpopulated villages, great space between the towns and villages and the most spectacular scenery – yes we have hills in the Algarve, but those in central/northern Portugal are just fabulous (and the road system is quite good to reach them).  However, i fyou’re used to the Algarvian beaches, especially in the West Algarve, you will probably find the coast line ‘up north’ lacking. The beaches are extensive, and outside of August almost unpopulated, but one can’t honestly say that the coastline is anything like as beautiful as in the Algarve.  Also, it’s important to remember that those beaches near to the big towns of Lisbon, Setubal, Coimbra etc also tend to be a little on the dirty side in comparison with those down in the Algarve

Sixth, flies.  We rarely get them in the Algarve, no doubt because of the breeze we always seem to have.  However, as you get to Lisbon and beyond, this is obviously where the Portuguese flies live.  In fairness, we might have been unlucky as the weather has been unseasonably warm up north this autumn (at 35 degrees in mid October this must be a record) and without any wind at all, guess flies are inevitable.  But right pesky they were too although we found a solution – which we would recommend to any one visiting and experiencing same – and that is to buy a can of Raid.  Although not specifically for flies (moscas in Portuguese) the ‘red tin’ kills anything in its path so all we did was spray where we were, and ourselves, and hey presto no more flies.

Seventh, eating out.  Again. I don’t know whether it was because the northern Portuguese restaurant owners thought summer was over but we found it extremely difficult to find places to sit outside to eat or have a coffee.  Indeed, on  more than one occasion, we purloined chairs from inside and took them out.  In the Algarve, almost every café and  restaurant has the option of sitting outside but in the north, one has to be imaginative and intrepid to do so.  

Eighth, and again to do with cafes, if you want an early breakfast ‘up north’ take your own.  Down in the Algarve, the pastelerias open early so if you want a ‘sandes mista’ – ie sandwich of ham (fiambre) and cheese (queijo) – then you can get one with coffee from abut 6.30 am in the Algarve.  Not so up north, rarely did places open before 8 am, and normally 9, so if you’re early birds like us be prepared to make your own breakfast/morning coffee

Ninth, lack of petrol stations.  Yes, we struggled with more than one occasion being glad we were on a down hill rather than an up hill as we began chunking along without enough gas.  We never actually run out but one tip is to ensure that you are well topped up at the beginning of each day as petrol stations really can be far and few between (and some also shut for lunch)

Having said all of the above, we have had two fantastic trips ‘up north’ and hope you enjoy my brief guides that follow in order to get the most out of the area, which I’ve written for people like myself and my husband who have little time to investigate and explore, but want to cram the most in within a short time.

 

Bootsie – our cat in the UK who went to a lovely home

Well, given our history with our cat in the UK (Bootsie – left – for whom we found a wonderful home before we left), it had to happen.  We have been adopted by a cat … and one that seems to be quite clever if behaviour to date is anything to go by.   

We noticed a cat had started to hang around our home here over the past few weeks, a cat that got bolder and bolder as he/she (we didn’t know which at the time) got nearer and nearer to us.  Then we started finding the cat had chosen our chairs with the comfy cushions on the terrace as his/her bed.  So we put the cushions away.  Then he/she moved to the long cushions in our winter garden (which we can’t put away), and then she disappeared for a few weeks.  But this week, she’s back with a vengeance (although not really as she’s a sweetie).

This weekend she started hanging around the terrace, so we gave her some food (museli and banana yoghurt which was wolfed down).  So we bought some cat food, and finally let her in to the house.  She certainly likes her comforts as she went straight away for the furry blanket and would sit there all day if she could (which she can’t as we don’t know whether she’s house trained or not – although having said that, it’s hardly a hard life to be put out here as it’s not exactly cold!)  We also named her – Mischief came to mind and has now stuck!

Then she started complaining when we put her out, and was just going from one end of the house outside (ie wherever we were) and miaowing like mad to be let in.  Then she found the office, and started coming in there (again resting on another furry blanket) so we have finally given in, and adopted her.  She absolutely loves her cuddles …. We do think she has an owner somewhere as whilst thin,  she’s not emaciated and cuddles do seem to be more important than food … the problem is, we don’t know how to find any owner (she has no collar)  

What I can’t understand is that out of all the homes in the area, why choose us … or has Bootsie had words and suggested it will be a good place to take up residence?  The only problem being is as you will see from the photos, there is one obvious winner in the beauty stakes (Bootsie)!

Today was publication day for my new website www.primealgarverentals.com .  Most important changes are it shows almost all the properties I now handle, has a new section for long lets for people looking to winter here or stay for a year or two, and there’s lots of new photogalleries of golf, scenery, facilities at Boavista etc.  Oh, and a link to this blog … !