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Thursday The Miracle Cat
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An Unexpected Trip To The End Of The World
After finishing a whirlwind tour of Portugal in September and a transition into our first week of language class, we were delighted when our friend Jorge invited us for a leisurely trip to Sagres on October 5th. This is Republic Day in Portugal, a public holiday that observes the transition from a monarchy to a…
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Sintra: Pena Palace, Petiscos, And Playtime In The Garden
Sintra is a town nestled in the Sintra Mountains about 15 miles northwest of Lisbon. It was once a summer holiday haven for Portuguese royalty and is a very popular day trip for visitors. The region is chock full of palaces, castles, mansions, viewpoints, a convent, a sanctuary, and multiple beaches. When limited to a…
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Casa De Chá Da Boa Nova
On almost every trip, we try to book a meal at an upscale restaurant. We aren’t food snobs, we’ll eat street food and sandwiches without a single complaint, but we like fancy food too. I love collecting cookbooks, reading about food, experimenting with new recipes, and watching shows like Top Chef, Iron Chef, Chef’s Table,…
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Porto Street Art And A Tuk Tuk Tour
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Pinhão And Port Wine
Port tastings and vineyard tours was another request made by our visitors and Pinhão, a gorgeous village in the Douro Valley about 80 miles from Porto, is one of the best places to indulge in this endeavour. In Oregon we frequented many a vineyard, and were long term wine club members with more than one…
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Bom Jesus Do Monte
Cousin Susie had this sanctuary on her “must-see” list and we wanted to visit different regions, specifically the north of Portugal, to scout locations for a future relocation. Could we really trade 300 days of sun and bright blue skies in the Algarve for a rainier, cooler climate in the north? We couldn’t even remember…
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Olhão – Lisboa
Our first extended vacation in Portugal was in September. We had finally arranged pet sitting for our unruly furry kids (thanks neighbor Paulo) and there were still a couple of weeks of summer vacation left before Portuguese language school. We headed to Lisboa the day before a scheduled meeting with my cousin Susie and her…
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Weekend In Coimbra
When we were preparing to move to Portugal our real estate agent introduced us to another couple (Randy and Corinne) who were also preparing for their international move. Their house had just sold, they had already been on a scouting trip to Portugal and fell in love with the country. We moved about a month…
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Day Trip To Spain
One of our classmates/friends and her husband invited us along for a shopping trip and lunch in Spain. This sounds exotic from an American perspective but it’s quite commonplace here in Portugal. Spain is about a 45 minute drive from Olhão and public transportation options are also available. It is a popular destination because a…