A Creative Spirit
While driving through the sleepy village of Brejão in the Alentejo, we happened upon the most amazing street art painted on the side elevation of several houses. Curious to discover more I took several photographs and sent them to my Portuguese blogging buddy, Sami, in Oz. Sami quickly identified the lady in the series of paintings... Continue Reading →
The statue of Infante D. Henrique (Henry the Navigator), sits pride of place in the Praça do Infante Dom Henrique within a few metres of the "Slave Market". Born March 4th, 1394 Henry was an important figure in the Portuguese Age of Discovery and sponsored exploration voyages in search of new trade routes down the coast of Africa.... Continue Reading →
I don't have any pictures of Easter Bunnies or Easter Eggs, so hope a picture of Folar da Páscoa will suffice. I'd planned to drag Mr. Piglet along to a Folar da Páscoa festival today. However, as it's being held outside and the weather is SO awful I will have to wait until next year!... Continue Reading →
Cozido à Portuguesa is a typical Portuguese stew cooked from a range of wholesome ingredients such as cabbage, pig's ear, porco rabo, blood sausage and other various "unmentionables". I'm assured it's absolutely delicious and a real gastronomic delight...err...experience. I'm not normally one to back down from a challenge (except for eating snails and oysters),but as... Continue Reading →
This traditional Portuguese recipe is courtesy of Fernanda I'm always keen to try Portuguese recipes so when Fernanda kindly shared this recipe I thought I would experiment. I tried to discover what the word "Farófias" actually meant but unfortunately it did not translate. Any clues please? I've never tasted Farófias before so my taste buds... Continue Reading →
Azulejos are hand-painted tiles used to decorate properties in Portugal both internally and externally since the middle ages. They were introduced to by the Moors and originally decorated with geometric patterns in a single colour. This post was inspired by the WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge this week's theme is Geometry.
The first time I tasted Bacalhau à Brás I spat it out in surprised horror, downed a glass of water and swore at the assault on my taste buds. My tongue reacted in much the same way as that of a slug when you pour neat salt on it. I realise a tongue and slug... Continue Reading →
Our first holiday to the Algarve was nearly thirty years ago and memories of the stunning beaches remain imprinted in our minds like footprints in the sand. The secluded coves and miles of beaches with soft golden sand, flanked by sandstone rocks, rugged cliffs and unspoilt countryside enticed us to return; not to holiday, but ... Continue Reading →
But not as we know it! Perhaps looking at this photograph you would be forgiven for thinking the shot was taken in the heart of the country, and not in a small town in the Western Algarve. When I captured this moment it was if I'd stepped back in time to another era and a... Continue Reading →
Are they the eyes of a GM critter? Have aliens arrived from outer space? hmmmm I'm not convinced. OK, humour me and let your imagination indulge itself - what do you think? Please check out Piglet's new gardening blog - Piglet's Plot for the answer...
The theme for this week's WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge is "Wrong". I often reflect on the heated and ongoing debate about the traditional spectacle of bullfighting which is popular in several countries including Spain and Portugal. While some people refer to bullfighting as an "Art" others refer to it as "Sport". Either way should people... Continue Reading →
Or should this be "10 useful facts I did not know about the Carob tree"? Lacking inspiration for this week's Wordpress Weekly Photo Challenge - theme: "Growth" , I stumbled across this picture of an old Carob tree (Árvore de alfarrobeiras). I'd taken the picture on our first geo-cache expedition and according to the accompanying blurb about... Continue Reading →
Praia da Ingrina is a Blue Flag beach located in an idyllic and unspoilt country setting "far from the 'maddening' crowds". As I sat on the beach enjoying the tranquility and natural beauty I could even hear a cockerel crowing in the distance. That's a first, I've never heard a cockerel crowing from my vantage... Continue Reading →
This traditional Easter recipe is courtesy of a friend in Northern Portugal. Tarte de Páscoa (Easter Tart) Ingredients Filo pastry (18 circles). I used 2 x 230g packets of *PÂte Feuilletée which I think is ready-made filo pastry. 1 medium onion (finely chopped) 500gr Spinach 4 Hardboiled Eggs 2 Uncooked eggs 70gr Parmesan Cheese 30gr... Continue Reading →
A few weeks ago we returned to Praia do Vale dos Homens to show friends the pair of white storks we'd discovered nesting on an outcrop of rocks. As we drove through the back streets of the sleepy village of Rogil we noticed a group of elderly men gathered on some waste ground. Some were... Continue Reading →
Or perhaps better known as Chocolate Salami! Chocolate Salami is very popular in the Algarve and is a great biscuity-cake to serve with tea or coffee. It's extremely rich so it's wise to cut the slices as thin as possible. I can only assume the name comes from its chouriço sausage-like appearance. So after my... Continue Reading →
Portugal blogger Julie Dawn Fox set herself the challenge of writing a series of posts relating to Portugal using each letter of the alphabet. When I read her intro post “A personal A ~ Z of Portugal” I thought “What a brilliant idea” and one that could be easily be adopted by fellow bloggers across... Continue Reading →
Baiao kindly shared this picture of their family Folar! This recipe also uses almonds. Shopping at the local farmers market a couple of years ago I could not help but notice a crowd of women gathering round a particular cake stall. Curiosity eventually getting the better of me I went over to investigate and squeezed... Continue Reading →
Piglet in Portugal 