{Portugal-Alentejo}

I spent a few days in the Alentejo region in Portugal--which was fantastic. I visited my friend Milton who is from a little town called Alvalade. I loved the blue skies, the traditional houses painted in blues & yellows, the tile work, the fantastic food, and the warmth of the people. We also took a trip to the beach, which was simply lovely. Swimming in the warm water and playing in the waves is my idea of a vacation!
It was sadly too short, though.

{beautiful details in Alvalade}

{Santiago de Cacém}

{old train station}

As we drove along the rugged landscape, numerous cork trees were having their bark stripped of the cork...and we also drove by many cork factories, with all the bark drying in the sun. Here is a rendition of it on some tiles on the train station:

..then off to the beach! 

{paradise!}

{Milton, my ever faithful guide!}

{such beautiful details everywhere, even in nature}

We had dinner in a little town, Porto Covo:

{simple church in the main square in Porto Covo}

We ate dinner at Marisqueira Marques, Porto Covo; the best clams I might have ever tasted!:

{beautiful interior, but we ate outside}

{yummy vinho verde!}

{a day spent swimming at Milton's cousins}

{their cellar}

{home grown}

{can anything be better than champagne in the afternoon? oh yes, champagne with homegrown strawberries & mint, by the pool!}

 On my way to the airport we drove along the coast...

{here I am at the furthest point--Cape St. Vincent, Sagres--it was windy!}

& then it was onto the plane and back to London :(!
until next time, Portugal!
beijos,
L

{quotable thursdays}

{saudade}

I just returned on Monday from a fantastic trip to Portugal...more on that later, but I am missing the beautiful country...so today's quote is actually new vocabulary. A word that only exists in Portuguese and is impossible to translate into English:

{saudade}

I have left Portugal behind... & I miss it...but hopefully I'll return soon!

On another note, I'm off to the Peak District this weekend to visit Darcy country. Indeed, we are visiting Chatsworth, the manor house that Pemberley was likely based on in Derbyshire, and the house which was Pemberley in the 2005 version of Pride & Prejudice! 

I'll be keeping a lookout for Mr Darcy emerging from the pond--never fear;)

xo, 

L

{quotable thursdays}

Tomorrow eve I head to Portugal for a mini-break! can't wait!
If you recall, I was in Lisbon in November for a conference and really enjoyed it (blog here). I was however, on crutches so I'm looking forward to being mobile this time.
I realise I have lots of catching up to do blog-wise...some great weekends have been had, but for some reason work has also been really crazy recently.
Anyway, I'm headed toward the south this time, so looking forward to exploring a different region and spending some time on the beach and in the sun!! Even better, I'm visiting a friend who lives there, so will get an authentic experience too.

{adventures are a must!}

{sun, sea, glamour? Yes please!}

{gorgeous!}

{happy hour on the beach!}

{& I'm off!}

xo, 

L

{Lisbon}

Portugal was fantastic! I was so sad to leave and so sad that I wasn't as mobile as I wanted (I did manage the trip, but had restricted mobility with my crutches unfortunately). But I made the best of it, and did manage to see some things, thanks to very helpful and kind conference colleagues.
The conference I was attending was hosted at the fantastic Palacio Fronteira. It was built in the 17th century for the Marquis of Fronteira, and the 12th Marquis still lives there today (he even graced us with his presence on the first day, welcoming us to his palatial home!).
{I would recommend listening to this Portuguese music by Ana Moura, while reading this blog post: a Portuguese friend recommended this music to me and I can't stop playing it!}

On the first day we were given a tour of the property by what I call the 21st-century version of the perfect courtier (oh, Castiglione would be so happy to hear the tradition still exists today!):

{the perfect courtier giving us a guided tour of the Palacio Fronteira}

{the private chapel}

{resident cat!}

{we ate lunch in this beautiful setting--with wine and food in abundance--I felt like I was back in the 17th century!}

{I gave my paper in this fabulous room!}

{exterior of the palace}

{the gardens...}

 After the conference, we enjoyed some of the city...

{delicious fish!}

{a concert at Saõ Roque}

{followed by drinks in a wine bar}

{Lisbon's night life}

{wine!!!}

 On the Saturday a local Portuguese friend showed me some sites that would be easy enough to do with my crutches-this is the fantastic church attached to the Monastery of Jerónimos. Work began in 1501, under the patronage of Manuel I:

{me & my crutches!}

{stunning knot-work as decorative vaulting recalls the Portuguese explorations by boat}

{sunny Portugese skies!}

 In the same area of Belem, is the famous Pastéis de Belém, where they sell & make the traditional pasteis de nata:

{the greeter at Pasteis de Belem!}

On this grey, London day, I long for the sunny skies of Portugal...I am so glad I didn't cancel the trip--it was well worth it in the end!
Beijos,
L