Weekly blog about holiday rentals and B&B Termas-da-Azenha, in an old spa resort in the Coimbra district. Only 12 km from the coast as the crow flies.
P: Bonjour Ellen, I wanted to ask you something: do you mind if I park my beautiful Dacia somewhere on your estate for 3 weeks from Saturday morning? I go to take a portuguese course at the university in Coimbra but parking space is scarce there, so I prefer to park the car safely in […]
Crash course portuguese at the University of Coimbra Read More »
“Then come around 11” I app, “’cause you do need a fair amount of time, and if the sun goes down at about 5, it’s no longer nice.”“Oooo soooo nice sitting in the sun making mosaics! What a life we have!” Paula would come and make a mosaic. In the sun, ’cause it’s a sunny
Making sunny mosaics Read More »
Last week we talked about us, us poor foreigners who are not allowed to vote, and this week we are talking about foreigners again. This week is about them, non-poor foreigners. They aren’t allowed to vote either, but that doesn’t matter because money buys you all kinds of things. A good architect, for example. An
Breaking news: foreigners in Tentugal, Portugal Read More »
Today is the day of the elections for the “Assembleia da República” – the Portuguese parliament. As a foreigner you are not allowed to participate As a foreigner/resident you can vote in municipal elections, which is much more comprehensive than just the municipal council. That layer of government is much thicker here, because it is
Foreigners are not allowed to choose in Portugal Read More »
Anything could have happened… but the reality was a bit silly. With jobs you can get all kinds of injuries Fortunately, we’ve established a few ground rules – a longlong time ago – the first of which is: never climb a ladder alone, and use all tools for their intended purpose.I owe the latter to
We live in injury time Read More »
Now, Henk is at home here. The first time he came here was in 2012, as a member of the volunteer team that renovated one of the holiday homes. Great fun to do the necessary work with volunteers I had reserved three quarters of 2013 for intensive renovation, but it had already been completed months
The return of the yard wanderer Read More »
I can still see her coming down the bathhouse path, with an unknown skinny black&white dog on a frayed rope, and her with a smiling face. “Oh no!” was my spontaneous reaction, “Nonono, I don’t want a stray dog anymore!” “But I do!” Irma replied cheerfully and unfazed, “it’s a sweetheart, and I call him
Mosaicing in the sun with well-known stars Read More »
I actually thought I was going to have a Christmas break – sounds pretty chic, don’t you think? – but the inspiration is flying around my head, so here we go, just keep moving. Then I’ll have an Easter break or something. Because what’s happening? Maria in the tower is to blame Instead of the
Christmas without Maria in the tower Read More »
In nature everything works together. Chickens, cats, cockroaches and snails So I’ve developed a few nice tricks together with the chickens. That is to say, with Big Mama and the Aunties, because the three others are still too young and too inexperienced to understand that I always come with good things. Evidently. The three elders
Wildlife in and around Termas-da-Azenha Read More »
