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Maria Marques
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Maria Marques

From Portugal
Living in: Braga, Portugal
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  • Maria MarquesSeaside
    May6

    Apúlia

     May 6, 2018 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    In Apúlia we can walk along the ocean, either directly on the sand, or on the wooden paths prepared for people not to walk on the sand dunes. It is the perfect area for watching the sunset and go for a dinner of seafood or fish on the tiny fishermen restaurants in the area.

    There are old windmills that were used in the past for grinding flour and are now used as holiday lodging.

    The smell of the ocean is very intense on low tide because this is a rocky beach full of algae and you can even touch the black mussels that are attached to the rocks.    Read more

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  • Alentejo
    Apr30

    On the way home... Aveiro!

     April 30, 2018 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    Aveiro is the town near which I grew up! It is a special city by the seaside. Besides the beautiful beaches around, the city centre is crossed by canals - some call it the Portuguese Venice - and the salt fields are just 500m away from the city centre. You can go for a boat trip in a "moliceiro" or you can visit the Vista Alegre Museum and Factory shop in Ilhavo. This is also a fine example of Art Nova architecture.Read more

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  • Alentejo
    Apr29

    Elvas

     April 29, 2018 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    This is another UNESCO town in the Alentejo. It has a star-shaped city wall that you can walk around and it is the biggest fortified city in Europe. There are two smaller forts facing each other on the surrounding hills and smaller ones scattered around. As it is directly on the border to Spain - around 20kms - it was quite easy to spot any activity coming from Spain and controlling the road from Madrid to Lisbon. It also has an impressive aqueduct that makes you feel like an ant next to an elephant. In Alentejo, try all the food they have to offer you! All is excellent!Read more

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  • Alentejo
    Apr29

    Évora

     April 29, 2018 in Portugal ⋅ 🌙 18 °C

    In Évora - a UNESCO city - we stayed outside the city wall near the tranquil 19th-century public garden with statues, historic ruins & roaming peacocks. There are a number of restaurants and pubs in the historic centre where you can feel the Roman ambience mixed with the whiteness of the Arabic influence that lets the coolness invade the houses during summertime. You can visit the Temple of Diana, the Sé (cathedral) and the Bones Chapel - creepy!!! The Megalithic remains around the city are also a must and the springtime landscape in Alentejo is absolutely outstanding!Read more

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  • Alentejo
    Apr28

    Alqueva and Monsaraz

     April 28, 2018 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    Alqueva is the biggest artificial lake in the Iberian Peninsula. It is a dam for electricity production and farming irrigation. The construction of the dam changed the landscape of this area for in the past there were long periods of drought. Nowadays you can spot all types of birds.

    As for Monsaraz, it is a fairy tale village inside a fortified wall where all houses are painted in white and yellow. It keeps the traditional appearance and you can visit the castle and walk around the wall looking afar at the immense plains and the dam that covers a large area of the landscape. Don’t forget to buy a bottle of Ervideira late harvest on your way out!Read more

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  • Maria MarquesAzores, Faial
    Mar11

    Horta

     March 11, 2018 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    We thought about visiting Pico on the 2nd day but the weather conditions weren't favourable and the Port in Pico was closed... Maybe next time we can go there as well as to São Jorge. Anyway, we could still go a bit further around Faial and had a nice lunch in Cedros. Before lunch, we still had time to go to the natural pools in Varadouro. The afternoon was to relax and get ready to make the last stop for me - Peter's café. It was nice to meet such a lot of different people coming from all over the world. There was a regatta and 18 sailboats had reached the port in Horta. It was a loud merry environment where a lot of languages could be heard. Nice weekend!Read more

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  • Maria MarquesAzores, Faial
    Mar10

    Vulcão dos Capelinhos

     March 10, 2018 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    In Faial you can visit a lot of spots related to volcanoes because it was how the island was formed. It is 21 km in length and 14 km at the maximum width and it looks like a pentagon. The island is part of the Central Group and is the westernmost corner of the so-called “Triangle Islands”, which also include São Jorge and Pico, the latter just 6 km away from Faial. From Horta you can see the highest mountain in Portugal - Pico.
    On this first day we could visit the Caldeira, with its ice-cold wind, Praia do Almoxarife, Monte da Guia, Porto Pim, Horta Marina, the Capelinhos Vulcano and the Espalamaca viewpoint.    Read more

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  • Carnival
    Feb13

    Podence

     February 13, 2018 in Portugal ⋅ 🌧 5 °C

    Now we finally are in Podence. It is near Macedo de Cavaleiros, deep into the inner region of Trás-os-Montes. You can park your car near the street where all happens. It was extremely cold and I have to tell you that if you decide to stay for the burning of the huge Careto that happens at dusk, you should really have warm clothes. A woollen cap is mandatory!
    As for Caretos, they carry bells and cowbells around their waist, and energetically run around the village, jumping and shouting, disturbing the daily calm. One of the main reasons for these races is to find girls in order to dance with them and "chocalhar" (jingle their cow-bells). This is fun, but at the same time, a bit discomforting.    Read more

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  • Carnival
    Feb12

    Bragança

     February 12, 2018 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 5 °C

    We stayed in Bragança and before dinner we still had time to go to the medieval castle where we met our first Facanito, a Caretos boy. From its walls, one can see the mountains of Montesinho to the north and Sanabria to the west. This district is directly on the border with Spain. But Sanabria was for the following morning. In the late evening, we could still go to Celtic a bar for a beer near the open fireplace. It is so that in February the days are very cold in this area.Read more

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  • Carnival
    Feb12

    Viseu

     February 12, 2018 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 7 °C

    We decided to start our journey from Aveiro heading to Viseu. The historical centre of the city is beautiful and well kept. It was settled during the period of the early Iberian castro culture. The territory of Viseu was populated by a series of cultures, that include the Romans, Suebs, Visigoths and Moors. During the Roman occupation of Iberia, Viriathus, the rebel leader of the Lusitanians, is assumed to have lived for a time in the territory.Read more

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