Parque da Mina, Mine Park

I am grumbling somewhat as I write this, as I have already written and published a footprint about the lovely mine park and after pushing the wrong button, lost everything that I had written! Oh well, I won’t be pushing any new bottoms on the screen this time!

After driving to the top of Mount Foia and having a lovely lunch in Monchique, we felt that we still had time to drive the short distance to the former capital of the Algarve called Silves, but ... on the way, in the Valley of the Bull, we saw a sign for Parque da Mina inviting us in. It piqued our curiosity so we turned in and followed the road a short distance to a parking lot. We had been tempted. Needless to say, we never made it to Silves!

We weren’t sure what lay ahead but at the end of a long path under an arbor, we were pleasantly surprised to see a lovely stone mansion, that turned out to be 300 years old. It felt a little like we had travelled back in time and could see how a well-to-do, land-owning family had lived in this area of Portugal so many years ago.

As we rounded a corner of the careful maintained house, we saw that the front door of the house was open (yay), and we walked in. What a treasure!

The house was packed full of practical and not so practical artifacts used in daily life. There were some extensive and eclectic collections of clocks, plates and even smoking pipes that reflected the family’s interests. Each room was a wonder.

The first room we went into was an office filled with old writing tools. We noticed a colorful painting that, upon closer inspection turned out to be a grisly little scene of hunting dogs bringing down a wild boar. The master was there with his knife at the ready, lunging in for the kill. Quite a painting for an office!

The next room was probably our favourite. There was just so much to see in it! This must have been a living room where the family spent most of their time. We saw musical instruments and games and an old Vitrola near the fireplace. But this is where we also saw several stuffed animals and mounted animal heads on the walls. Two polar bear pelts were on the floor and a stuffed two headed goat was standing nearby. There were two large turtle shells that were wonderfully carved and the backbones of something. Obviously the family had enjoyed the good life and someone had travelled a lot.

Going down a few winding stairs, we went into a big and dark ‘cellar’. There were several exhibits showcasing the different industries that would have been necessary to support the household - agricultural tools, woodworking tools, a distillery for making ‘moonshine’, tools for making shoes and boots, horse bridles and saddles, a little general store, and so on. We also saw old photos showing how the local liqueur/brandy, medronho, was made from the fermented berries of the strawberry tree which grows on the property. The place was really full of old items.

I guess as one of the wealthiest and largest properties in the Monchique region, Parque da Mina had to have everything to make themselves. self sufficient. The house was surrounded by agricultural fields, forests and a working mine that produced iron-ore and copper so they needed a lot of specialized things.

Going upstairs, we peeked into a room where the sewing machines and flat irons stood at the ready and read on a plaque that all families of means employed their own personal seamstresses.

We passed by the sitting room where the descendants may have sipped some tea and learned the news of the day from a vintage radio perched upon the side table. The bedrooms were tastefully decorated and, since Portugal is a traditional Catholic country, the saints protected and watched over the family while they slumbered.

There was even more but I won’t go into everything. It was an amazing house and well kept up. Apparently, there are still some family members living in the town.

We went outside and a gentleman approached us and invited us to try some of the estate’s medrohno (moonshine) with an alcohol content of 48%! We slipped our samples of that fire water and he generously offered us more. (Hic)

From there, we followed a trail to the mine and through an aviary and a petting zoo. We had an enjoyable afternoon trying to imagine how people had lived so long ago in such isolation.

Sometimes it’s more fun to take a detour to explore a place you’ve never heard of rather than stick to the original plan and, for us, this turned out to be one of those times. It’s rare to see a historic home so meticulously maintained and to find so many authentic and vintage collections displayed in each room.

Silves will have to be on another day, but we have time.Läs mer