Mogarraz

September, 2018

Before I talk abou this little spanish village, let me say.... I'm back... again. The trips continued, but unfortunately I stop writting about them here. But now I decided do keep going with the blog, because it feels good to remind some funny episodes that I lived during my adventures, and also, because it keeps my memory alive... of course I have photos, but I think that writting about my trips, and share them with whom might be interested it just ads value to them, also because sometimes I go to places that aren't the most turistic ones.

So.. now I will tell you about this village called Mogarraz!

Mogarraz is a village of Spain in the province of Salamanca. This is a plce located in the heart of the Natural Park of Batuecas and Sierra de Francia. It's a medieval village built and repopulated in the 11th century by French, Gascans and Roseloneses, but its stone architecture remains intact.

 

 

Mogarraz has throughout its narrow streets, painted portraits of its ancient inhabitants. Those were painted by a local paintor called Florencio Maíllo, who had the idea to portray them based on the IDs photographs.

 

It is small, and the streets ara pratically deserted, even as I strolled through them, discovering every corner I found a gentlemen sitting quietly, enjoying the afternoon rays of sunlight, at the door of his house, to find out in a short conversation that he has the same man, whose painted photograph layed above his head.I kindly asked permission to take his picture and with all the serenity he accepted and quickly, also him became a momentary attraction of the village.

 

This is a tour that was part of a trip that I do with teachers and helpers with whom I work, at the end of the year, with the profits of our bets :)

I hope you've enjoyed it, and if you have the time, take a walk through this little charming village. Leave you with more photos!!!

  

Promoting Portugal

Hi!!!

It's been a long time since last time I was here... yeah... work can be possessive :P

But today I'm back with two videos just to promote my country... I know that for some people the vacations are over, but to others they just started... so if you don't know Portugal here are a few reasons to come here and visit the CENTER of PORTUGAL!!!

See you in a few days!!!

Vines, a tradition that endures

September-October every year

    The end of summer and the beginning of autumn are synonymous for harvest: the grapes are ready to harvest and produce the wine of that year. In this period it is common to hold numerous popular festivals.

    A Portuguese tradition that despite having been, during the last years, modernized, is still what it was in some aspects.

    Between september and october, the harvests, which in areas of the Douro, are large areas that require some labor, but in my case, or better of my family, the vineyard is quite small, whose final product is for own consumption; and it is a pretext to gather friends and have a lunch.

    So every year on a Saturday morning, my father, my brother, my mother and I, plus a few friends we took on the scissors, in a bucket and then we go to the fields.My father built it in our garage. a wine cellar, which includes a tank where the must is fermenting, so it is a process that does not even come out of the house. Now it has a machine where the grapes go, which are crushed and then transformed into must, which after being fermented (a process whose odor is horrible) turns into alcohol and then wine, which my father then puts in wooden kettles or stainless steel tanks waiting for it to be ready for consumption. Despite the machinery, it is still tradition at home, some of us go into the tank (without washing our feet) to crush the grapes. 

    Just one more detail: from the must is made the brandy (a drink with high alcohol content) and jeropiga (traditional from my country), which is a preparation by adding brandy to the grape must to stop fermentation, resulting in a more alcoholic drink than wine (I personally do not appreciate) which is the traditional drink for magustos (see next link)

 https://someanywhere.blogspot.pt/2015/11/magusto.html

 

Conímbriga, October 2014

   During my trip to Coimbra, previously, we passed  the ruins of an ancient Roman city whose remains are even today tourist attraction.

    Since childhood I've heard of them, but only in 2014 that I was able to visit. The expectation was great for what I saw I must confess...

    Conímbriga is one of the largest Roman settlements, classified as a National Monument. The town was at the time of the Roman invasion of the Iberian Peninsula, the main city of Escalabitano Convent, Roman province of Lusitania. It is 16 km from Coimbra.

    This locality was in the road that went from Olisipo (Lisboa) to Braca Augusta (Braga). At the end of century IV, with the decline of the Roman Empire, it was built a walled waist for urban defense, whose ruins are still amenable to see. In the context of the barbarian invasions in the Iberian Peninsula in 464, the Swabians attacked the city, but the victory of the Visigoths on the latter, made Conímbriga lost his episcopal status for Emínio (Coimbra), which had better defense conditions.

   The first excavations began in 1899 and between 1930 and 1944 were discovered, the public baths, three villas, especially the House of the Fountains, paved with mosaics and a central garden where they kept an entire plumbing system with more than 500 fountains. It was also revealed an early Christian basilica, a villa with private spa, a forum, that was demolished (at the time of the Flavian) to make room for a larger one. In 1962, the Museum of Conimbriga is totally dedicated to the archaeological site where it's inserted, and in it are exposed artifacts like coins and surgical instruments.

    I confess that for those who aren't big fan of history and visiting the ruins, this is not a very appealing place, unlike the lovers of Roman civilization. But it's always wonderful to see what was built centuries ago without today's technology, and the importance that people attributed to certain places and objects, to know the way of life and culture of a people who came before us.

World of Discoveries, May 2016

      Again there I was with the kids parting for another adventure. One hundred and few children, plus assistants and teachers embarked to discover the glorious era of Portugal. 

    We finally arrived to Porto, Miragaia area, embraced by the river and rocked by the seagulls' singing, the bustle increases... Here we go into the World of Discoveries, as interactive museum and theme park that reconstructs the odyssey of the Portuguese navigators, who crossed oceans to the discovery of an unknown world.

      I think that apart from the little ones, every person should go there... it's an interesting experience and learn a little more about the time, characters and legends. It's a great place for recreation of scenarios and because it's possible to touch, smell and hear, more than to see.

     And now a short introduction... "The Discoveries launched humanity in an era of globalization [...] and Portugal had a starring role in this process for centuries on end, creating new oceanic routes and placing people, animals and plants circulating throughout the world".
     The museum is a place where cultures intersect, with 20 thematic areas. One part of the museum is navigable with replicas of small boats that make the most realistic adventure.

     A curiosity: this wasn't my first visit to the museum, but in that first time we couldn't use the boats due to a malfunction, so they offered us a trip on Douro River, with a panoramic bus included to take us to the port. I assure you that was the joy of the little ones!!!

 I leave you some information about the visits, withdrawal of the site itself: www.worldofdiscoveries.com so anything just take a look. The visit to the park and museum last about 1 hour and 30 minutes. Has qualified guides, it offers an educational service and the content can be translated into five languages - spanish, french, english, german and italian.

     As for the price of tickets (which is always cheaper if purchased online): Children (0-3 years) it's free; children (4-12 years) is 8€/6,80€; Senior (+65) and Students is 11€ and this is only for the museum and park, because if you wish to visit the temporary exhibition (which when I was there was about Ceuta), prices vary. 

At the end of the day is guarantee of a well spent time.

Badoka Safari Park, August 2015

    Have you ever thought about having a chance to do a safari without going to Africa? Well, I never thought of that, and so when I knew of this hypothesis didn't think twice.

entrance

     So in my week of vacation I decided, along with one of my best friends, to do a detour and go to Vila Nova de Santo André, in direction to Santiago do Cacém. I tell you never cross my mind that would be so far!!! Coming out of Covilhã it's more than a half a day trip, and yet we stopped for lunch on the way.

    Around 3pm we got there, with some expectation, because neither os us had been there. In this park you can see the Island of Primates, a place that recreates the environment similar to the wild. You can find were chimpanzees and baboons. 

    We can do a safari, in a tractor guided tour, by a space of 45 hectares, among giraffes, buffaloes, ostriches, zebras and many other friends from the African Savannah in freedom. It's possible in this adventure to feed giraffes and zebras, as they are quite affable and approximate the vehicles, waiting for the "great luck" (the guide advised not to feed the ostriches, because can become dangerous). For security reasons the Tigers and another species (of which I no longer remember the name) are in a closed space.

    In the park you can watch the presentation of the Birds of Prey (eagles and hawks in free flight, simulating hunting scenes) and also feed the lemurs (animals endangered ... who does not remember the mythical character from "Madagascar." .. "I like to move it, move it ..."). The most radical and wet experience is the African Rafting a 500 meters trip through troubled waters aboard an inflatable boat (for 2 € without travel limit - the people finished a trip and went back to the line) ... Get ready to get wet :)!!!

    The entire park is sandy, so do the Rafting and then make the visit isn't the best option (believe me). It's part of the park, the African village, the educational farm, the garden of exotic birds and tropical forest.

    The park has set schedules for all activities and the ticket is a bit expensive, but it's still a different adventure. In terms of price we paid (each) 15€+2€ (for rafting), but add 12€ (adult) or 10€ (child) if you want to interact with the lemurs.

For more information visit the website: www.badoca.com

Almeida, 2015

So Like I said I'm back :)

    

    Due to the fact that around this time there's a lot of small festivities in some villages around my region, I decided to talk about one that stands up above the others because of its military purpose once... Almeida - a small village near to the border with Spain.

     I confess that I was there for a few times with my parents, but I went back in 2015 for a flash trip with Erasmus students, and it's a whole different experience... I could finally check out some "secret passages" and play with some "characters" :)

    Almeida is a Portuguese village belonging to Guada's County, with about 1300 inhabitants. The village is known for its fortress, a twelve-pointed star, so one of the most spectacular European defensive systems (army lovers this is a place to visit)!

    "Almeida [...] committed to [...] building a renewed war machine that could adapt to new fire arms and allow seal the border." - www.aldeiashistoricasdeportugal.com. This village is part of the historic villages of Portugal and some of the information (that I no longer remember) was through the site above (give it a look).

    According to historical sources had its origin thanks to the migration of the inhabitants of a Lusitanian busy 61 B.C. by the Romans and later by barbarians. Given its geographical location (plateau), the Arabs named it Al-Mêda, Talmeyda or Almeydan, having been built a castle in the VII-IX centuries.

    In the period of the Reconquest, Christians took Almeida in 1190 and was later disputed with León (Spain), moving to Lusitanian possession in 1297 through the Treaty of Alcañices. 

    Received royal charter by D. Dinis (1296), who built the castle and again with D. Manuel (1510). The french invasions devasted much of the village. During the Seven Years War (1756-1763), Almeida went back to Spain and was taken up in 1763. along the liberal fights between 1829 and 1832 its walls were destroyed, only rebuilt in 1853 (so many wars!!!). In 1927 came the las Cavalry Squadron losing the military activity that for centuries was the reasons for its existence.

   Are a strong attraction the Square (century XVII/XVIII), a baroque military architectural model, a fortress with hexagonal layout. The access is made through the double doors in arched tunnel - Santo António and Saint Francis of the Cross. It  has six bastions with its casemates - underground galleries where the population gathered in case of danger and also served as prisons during civil war - and ravelins with moats 12 meters deep, where was built a field hospital and is currently located the Military Museum (for those that like to know more about fire arms and military stuff its a cool museum and not very expensive).

two Portuguese girls and two Brazilian guys :)

   I can actually tell you that visiting the museum it was fun!! My group and I had a blast creating scenes with the characters... and guess what... in several rooms are this touchscreens with info about the artifacts, but we actually found one were we took a picture... it was a blast (crazy people)!!! And after we played a little we found some passages that took us outside the walls :o!!!

Us and our secret passage!!

It was dark!!!