I could write to you of the small old streets in the Alfama district of Lisbon and the energy of that beautiful city. I could write to you of the gorgeous black rocky cliffs overlooking a wild and sometimes frightening blue green sea on the southwest coast. I could write to you of the jaw dropping views and the endless rivers that run through northern Portugal and the Douro River valley. But the real story of Portugal is found in the people and the food.
We spent a night in this lovely hill town
Everywhere we have travelled, which after a month now is most of Portugal, we find friendly and welcoming people. The average person here barely makes enough money to take care of their family. Many people averaging income around 450 Euros a month. In spite of the difficult life here the Portuguese will, for the most part, do anything for you. We only feel over charged in extreme tourist areas. The average meal including simple yet delicious food for two , lots of incredible local wine, and dessert runs around 15 Euro. Also the Portuguese bake wonderful bread and know how to make good cheese. Who could ask for more?
Yesterday we decided to travel east of Coimbria into the mountains of Serra de Estrela. It was one of our longest drives so far as we were coming from Sintra near Lisbon. It could have been complete in 3.5 hours but, as we normally do, we got off the expressway and drove on the small roads leading up to the mountains. We had made it to the mountains but were still in the middle of nowhere by 7pm and starting to want a place to rest for the night.
Michel on the edge of the world
Michel noticed a sign on the road pointing toward a Posada (hotel) and headed into a small village. Following the signs we ended up driving down a street so small it would have been called a sidewalk in the US, FYI this is normal in Portugal. There we found a family with children playing in the yard. We asked about the Posada but it had been closed for a long time. The story of this village, it seems, was that a mining company started to mine here a few years ago which caused the creation of the village. There are small homes spread along the side of the mountain here that were built to house the employees who worked at the mine and their families. However, at some point the mine was moved and the village died. At that time some of these homes were sold for as little as 2000 euro. Now people from the cities own them and use them in the summer. One of the buildings has a few small apartments and we were offered one as a room for the night. Amazing, everything inside our two bedroom apartment is new and clean. Beds are comfortable, TV, hot water, and a kitchen with everything we need. Outside is a river winding through beautiful tree covered mountains. All of this for 30 Euros a night.
Our own private river
Last night we searched for a place to have dinner and after traveling through a few small villages and finding nothing but closed restaurants, we finally found one open a few kilometers down the road. We were served a huge meal of stewed lamb in an amazing tomato wine sauce. Along side we had pig skin stuffed with rice, herbs, and lamb. Amazing! We were the only people in the restaurant and the woman who served us was proud of her food. This is one in a long line of fantastic meals that we have eaten since our arrival in Portugal. Some of the most notable meals are: Feijoada with Chucos (cuttlefish), made from white beans and a lovely wine sauce, or Chucos and Migas. Migas is a side dish made from bread, vegetables, and sauce that I am now addicted to. Or perfectly grilled fish and octopus with another version of Migas made with bread, spinach, garlic, and black eyed peas. There are snails cooked in an oregano wine sauce or a type of tuber barnacle cooked in salt water. I could go on and on. Almost every meal has been a wonderful adventure. Michel and I groan each day as our clothes grow tighter and tighter.
And the wine. Who knew the Portuguese made such great wine. It is all locally made and the people have never gotten around to exporting it. Most of the time it is not served in a bottle but instead poured into a .75ml or .375ml serving pitcher from a white cask which came from the producer down the street. It is not rough but light and delicious….and drunk with every meal but breakfast.
And on the road perfect food
moving forward in time about a month
Well our trip to Portugal is over now. We were just having too much fun to blog back then. Michel and I both look back on our time in Portugal as magical. Everyday was filled with new things to see, do, and EAT. We rented houses or apartments all along the road and we recommend this as the way to travel in Portugal (we used Trip Advisor & Airbnb). Many local people are ready for you to spend the night in their homes and we found them all welcoming and friendly. Some of them we now count as friends and would certainly return to see them again when we go back to Portugal.
We learned about the difficulties of buying a “Rustico” or ancient house and refurbishing it. Apparently the paperwork and red tape can go on for years. We observed that in the rural areas most of the young people have moved away. Either to the cities or to other countries where they can work and send money home to their families. We left our hearts back in the city of Lisbon were the mix of old and new generate an energy that cannot be resisted.
We know that while Portugal’s economy is observably recovering, many people still struggle every day. This has not caused them to lose their love for life or their generosity. Making the quality of life in Portugal very good for those who might choose it as a permanent home.
Below you will find some of the photographs Michel took along the road organized by region and the sequence or our drive.
South West – Alentejo
Along the river at Alcacer do Sal
This is an old area for washing cloths, I visit with a local
Santiagodo Cacem
Beach Near On our way South
Praia de Odeceixe
Zambujiera
Near Rogil
Panoramic of another beautiful beach near Rogil
South East – Algarve and back to Alentejo
Tavira – castle walls and church
View from our hotel balcony in Tavira
Michel’s favorite river the Rio Guardiana
Coming to Alcoutim – sailboats come this far up the river
View of Spain from Alcoutim
Heading back inland now and a view of Mertola – still on the Guardiana
Lovely Mertola
Mertola castle walls at night
Serpa – another hill town we truely loved
Serpa old castle walls – look out Claire
Serpa – the city is inside the old castle walls
Middle – more Alenjeto and on to Coimbra
Castles Castles everywhere
Evora – home of the Knights Templar
They were having a festival when we arrived
The locals dressed up in costume
Perfect picture of evora local
Many castles along the way
Inside an old castle 1000ad
During our visit to Coimbra
Locals in Evora
Locals in Evora
As we travel west toward the coast we find stone villages – 400 years old
Stone Village
Heading North to Porto and the Rio Duoro
The gondolas of Aviero
Each gondola has a funny sex joke painted on it – “Hi darling the doctor say that this time I am pregnant
Porto the city
Old beauty in Porto as well
Across the river old Port buildings
Finally a sunny view from our window
Beauty on the Duoro
Further up stream where they grow the grapes
A little South to Sintra
Beautiful hill towns on the way to Sintra
Lovely old city of Sintra
Palace on the hill
Castle walls above Sintra
Tourists riding to a castle
Beautiful home in the forest near Sintra
A look inside the palace
This area is known for it’s surfing championships
A cliff town over looking a stormy sea
After the storm
North east – Beira Alta
Serra Estrela – as high as we can go in Portugal
Clouds rising up to meet us at 2000 meters high or 6000 feet.
Coming down the mountain
Pool under the bridge
Coming back south now to Castello de vide
We spent a night in this lovely hill town
Old town streets
Local man
Heading inside the castle walls
He greeted us as we entered the castle walls
The city inside
Around the castle walls
More castle towns as we head to flat country
Returning to the lowlands round the Rio Guardiana
And full circle back to Lisbon – our favorite city
Beauty everywhere in Lisbon
Lisbon – another view
Many places to explore
Lisbon at night
And good food! Our favorite Brazilian restaurant owner
Our map…yellow is where we travelled
Categories: Europe Travel
FreeBirdTravelBlog.com 
Won-der-ful !!! Perfect description and amazing pics 🙂 We absolutly want to discover Portugal one day… Thank you for sharing your adventure ! See you soon, hugs from France
Le 3 juil. 2014 à 12:10, FreeBirdTravelBlog.com a écrit :
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It’s fascinating, Claire and Michel. ‘Your’ Portugal made me very emotional, I’m very touched by your description and photos, longing to know this wonderful country, so small and soooo big.
et quand vous faites et dites les choses, vous ne les faites pas à moitié, me voilà plonger en plein portugal à travers photos et récits, superbe…
Etes vous décidez de votre point d’attache ou avez vous encore beaucoup de terres encore à decouvrir ?
De belles pensées, nostalgique toujours 😉
I was fortunate enough to spend a month in Portugal many years ago, loved it so much, very nice to revisit through your most excellent photos and dialogue.
So where are you headed to now?
Until the end of the summer more Europe, then back to Asia, then home in Jan 2015, also a week in Tennessee in August w/family