Sintra

August, 2015

     It was still July when me and a great friend, planned sightseeing in Sintra during my vacation week. Sintra is a Portuguese village, which refuses to be elevated to town in the district of Lisbon, whose name in its most medieval form (Suntra) means "bright star" or "sun".

     Well said and done. On August 26th we were in Costa da Caparica, and decided to get up early (at 9am, which for her, believe me, it's too early !!), make lunch (sandwiches, biscuits, fruit and jello, how wonderful) and head towards Sintra.

     When we arrived (with some help from the GPS), we went into the tourist office. And you may even question why ... Pretty simple ... Sintra has lots to see and visit, so if you can buy a whole ticket, ie, a ticket that allows you to visit different monuments, is a lot cheaper.

    As it was impossible to visit all in one day, we chose only three places: the Pena Palace, Monserrate Palace and the Quinta da Regaleira (I'll tell you about each on later posts). The three monuments are all different, so I can't say which one is the best. Each has its charms, and it's worth visiting them all. But one thing I say ... prepare to WALK ... A LOT !!

In order: Pena Palace, Monserrate Palace and Quinta da Regaleira

PS: Check it here for whole tickets and more info about the monuments; 

http://www.parquesdesintra.pt/  

Alpedrinha

September, 2014

    Like I posted before, now I'll talk a little bit more about the Alpedrinha vilage. It's a Portuguese parish, from Fundão's county. It is situated 556 meters above sea level and due to its natural beauty and architectural heritage is nicknamed "Sintra da Beira" (when I talk about Sintra, maybe you'll see the resemblance :) ).

    "Met" this village during a short trip held with foreign students, and although the day wasn't very nice (it was cold and rained a lot), it was quite interesting to know some facts about its heritage.

     In an afternoon I visited the Picadeiro Palace, which is now an interactive museum, which reflects in part the paths taken by shepherds during the transhumance. 

Picadeiro Palace

    The Fountain D. João V, which can also be called by Royal Fountain or Six Spouts. This Fountain is all granite and comprises a bulwark with three faces, each with its spout. According to legend, on the right drank single women, in the middle the married and those who drank on the left were witches.

Small places, can also have major enchantment!!

Chocalhos: Caminhos da Transumância

Rattles: Paths of Transhumance
September, 2015

     Every year on the third weekend of September, the Alpedrinha village receives the festival called Rattles: Paths of Transhumance. The inhabitants of the village (literally) open  the doors of their houses and garages, inviting visitors to come in and prove all kind of stuff, particularly the many liqueurs, the jeropiga, which are mixed with the smell of "filhoses" to the delight of all. One of the highlights of the festival is the journey by one of the transhumance paths, where the shepherd leads his flock, a well-Portuguese tradition.

photo taken by my uncle: Miguel

      I'm used to go to this event with some friends, but a couple years ago I started going with some of my family members, like my uncle and his girlfriend, my brother and his girlfriend and my mom. This year was no different, except by the fact we had two more addition, my mom's uncle and his wife. Imagine they came from Lisbon to be with us and we took them to go out at night.
      I have some little adventures, some with my friends, like walking miles to get to the car, were one of us was barefoot, and the other was very (very, very drunk), but also with my family, especially the one were I see my mom dancing with my uncle (first time I ever saw her dancing!!!)

      It doesn't matter where, or how old we are, coming together to have fun is always a pleasure!!

PS: On another post I'll talk a little bit more about the Alpedrinha Village!

S.Paio da Torreira

September, 2012 - 2015

    It is always around early September that me and my group of friends from university meets so we can celebrate the birthday of one of our own. Coincidence or not, this girl was born during the period of S. Paio Festival.

   But what is the S. Paio? Okay, this is a religious festival, an ancient tradition, which takes place between 4 and 8 September, on the beach of Torreira, in the municipality of Murtosa, whose streets and beach are filled with people of all ages and nationalities.

    During the day you can enjoy the various stalls with various items (regional sweets, clothing, toys, sunglasses, and more); overnight at these stalls, join the food and drink - restaurants of all kinds, including the famous pig on a spit and bars of caipirinhas and shots. 

    You can enjoy wonderful sunsets, by the sea, accompanied by a beer, music and good company. 

    Through the night, blend the sounds of street bars with DJs of beach bars - it's going from bar to bar all night!!!

    The highlights of this festival is not only the night parties, you can enjoy fire firework shows, at sea or in the Ria as well as Bateiras Sailing Race and the majestic Moliceiros Sailing.

Of course, that for most is a painful week, as they do the sacrifice of having fun every day: D

Aveiro

September 2015

           Aveiro is a Portuguese city, located in the Central Region, 55km from Coimbra and 70km south of Porto. It's a very important city at port , rail, university and also tourist level (as you'll realize)!

I've been in this town countless times but it all came down to a matter of purchases and soft eggs - ovos moles - which are good at any time. But this year was different... This year, for the first time... I crossed the Ria on a moliceiro, a unique experience without any doubt. [Moliceiro is the name given to the boats that circulate in the Ria de Aveiro, lagoon area of Rio Vouga. This vessel was originally used for harvesting of seaweed, but currently most used for tourism purposes.]

I begin by presenting the Falquim, the most enthusiastic moliceiro in the Ria. It's guaranteed you a trip of about 30 to 40 minutes, absolutely ecstatic, since the reports of those who follow us, the songs we hear that contribute to a more joyful journey.

 During the tour, the flow of information is constant, and the landscape becomes divine in certain passages, mixing different architectural styles, with the crossing of a daily life of the people of Aveiro with sightseeing.

While crossing the channel, you can still admire houses similar to those shipyards that once were present along the canal and the salt marshes, whose visit may be done through the Ecomuseum.

In Aveiro, there is a little of what is currently seen in major European capitals, and I'm not talking about shopping, but that area dedicated to lovers - love bridge - with a particularity that instead of so common padlocks, here we find straps, which are tied to the railings of the bridge and which are tourist attraction.

It is also characteristic of this city (an information directed to those who love shopping) An open-air mall,whose sidewalks to passers without any willingness to spend money, are shared by those who yearn to contribute to the booty back home. Of course, along the various city streets, you may find the typical souvenir shops (including soft eggs :) ) and small stands with the famous tripe and American biscuit - true Aveiro's delights. [My advice: try the tripe with after eight, hmmm!!!]

Speaking of food, let me tell you that I debuted in "nutelaria", for those unaware of the term, it is an establishment whose products are made or served with nutella chocolate!!! Because I know what you're thinking 'This is just to get fat', my friends remember that from time to time there'a no problem;). I leave you some suggestions - chocokebab; churritos & waffle.

This year, in the company of some friends, I went to a tea house where is also located the new art museum. A very pleasant space at sight and for our wallets. Its exterior is decorated with puffs and "tables", which are actually decks, but that work perfectly, and allow customers to enjoy a moment of relaxation with quality, and in winter this property offers blankets so we can cover (a detail thoroughly enjoyable).

This property is located near Praça do Peixe, a space where we can find several restaurants and bars that make up the night of Aveiro.

So enjoy your visit to this beatiful city, and here I leave a special thanks to Mariana, Daniel e Rosa, my dear friends.

Introduction

Hello,

I'm one of those persons that loves to travel and thinks that taking photographs isn't enough... I like to share, not only where I've been, but what experiences I lived. The true meaning of travelling is to learn, about ourselves, the local I'm visiting and about the persons I'm with or that I meet.

For those that know me, they know that what I say is absolutely true. For those that don't know me and suddenly step on this blog, I can tell you that here you'll find some of the reasons why I love to travel, it doesn't matter where or with whom.

It took some time to take this step, actually I need a little push from a a friend, or a gift that she gave me - a little beautiful notebook - and with it the suddenly wish of starting something totally new for me.  
I work during the week so I can travel on the weekends, sometimes near home, others a little bit farther. People say to me very often, that I was not made to stay in one place, I was meant to travel and live in different places, try different things. Isn't always easy to live this way, not just because I work and have some commitments, but also because sometimes some stones get in our way. 

So, expect to read here some curiosities about different places, that happened with different persons, and also expect to learn something new. But most of all, what I expect is for you to have fun, and please just TRAVEL!!!

Here I leave you with a magic song: "Vida de Estrada" (Road life) by Diabo na 
Cruz