Excuse me, dear readers, we’ll have to generalize here… whether or not the Portuguese read My experiences here in the rural areas suggest they don’t. When we were still an “Alojamento rural,” before the COVID pandemic hit, I rarely saw a book on the bedside table when I went to do the room. Quite a […]
Do Portuguese people read? Read More »
It’s that time of the year again. At the end of summer, we’ll be inspecting our homemade limestone caves, just like every year. Pardon? Where might that be? Those limestone caves are growing in our boilers Calcium-rich water combined with heat does a lot to your equipment. Not just your equipment, by the way, because
Homemade Limestone Caves Read More »
It was hot, this past week. Over 35º C. Even with the usual ocean breeze that’s warm. Now that there are no guests, I took the opportunity to have a good go with the high-pressure cleaner. Satisfying in terms of effect but a bit of a boring job. You can think about the upcoming work
Work in progress – part umpteenth Read More »
The new acquisition has been put to good use right away, this past week. I had seen a few things on OLX and CustoJusto – the two largest second-hand sites in Portugal. Second-hand shopping is fun, although very different here than in the Netherlands. When returning the rental car I saw a second-hand shop: “Look,
Second-hand shopping Read More »
“That contractor doesn’t know what to do anymore either,” says amiga J., who is telling me a wonderful story about her Ukrainian-Russian neighbour Maria over coffee. Maria is struggling with her Portuguese contractor, who according to him “has done everything possible”. Foreign approach to Portuguese architecture Maria wanted a roof window. Absolutely. Now. Can’t live
Foreign decisions on Portuguese architecture Read More »
The president of Vinha da Rainha stands at the top of the stairs: “Bom dia, dona Helena” and gives me a hearty handshake. That’s what it’s called in portuguese, the president of the sub-municipality. The mayor. And translated, I’m dona Helena. He announces the arrival of four other presidents Next Friday – when you read
Four presidents visiting Read More »
“Oh dear!” I say anxiously after I hobbled from one bed to the other, “Where is my arm?” “Look at that, you found it there,” the nurse says to me with a smile. My left arm is almost lying across my head. Completely numb. Very friendly staff at the hospital in Figueira How did I
How does it work at the portugese hospital? Read More »
There are few things you can do without on your body. Of course you can cut your hair and your nails, that’s no problem. But for the rest it is important that everything stays in place and in good condition. Nice considerations when I was in the dentist’s chair this week. For the infamous root
Magic word: Couto toothpaste Read More »
It was quite a challenge to get this glued, dear readers! You may not be able to imagine what a challenge it was – especially if you have never mosaiced before. It was a technical transportation challenge, this mosaic That was mainly because we put it – like we often do – on a board.
Chimney mosaic – a technical challenge Read More »
In the municipality of Soure I know of three places where you can get rid of your waste. That was accompanied by a substantial european subsidy, and was thought up at the drawing board, but it does work. You can drop off all your waste there Great initiative. Before that, the alternatives were: leave it
The last time I was there, the ground floor was still full of old rusty fridges, and the stairs to the tower were closed because it was too dangerous. A stork had made a nest in the tree growing on the tower. The Monastery of Seiça has been empty for a long time It’s a
The Monastery of Seiça Read More »
It smelled very much like fire, and in the afternoon the sky became overcast. The sun disappeared, and every now and then it reappeared blood red. It was hot, I wanted to go to the beach with Mira. A few days above 35º, and half of Portugal is on fire It was wonderful on the
Portugal on fire, and a lizard on the beach Read More »
My cousin Judith wasn’t far from us this week – but she was far too busy trying to keep herself going so she didn’t come by. She’s forgiven, because it was only for a week. A single holiday on the waves She went surfing in Ericeira (“best waves in Europe!”) with a group of like-minded
Single holiday on the waves (of life) Read More »
My friend Anja is staying here for a few days. We’re going on an adventure, looking for a little lake that was recommended in the newspaper, the Diário de Coimbra. It looked like a fairytale in the photo, but on the way we suddenly see something else fairytalish. Abandoned and neglected houses are quite normal
Abandoned and neglected houses in Portugal Read More »
I read in the newspaper that the Netherlands is counting its wasps. There is a national wasp count, a scientific event that has existed for two years. Its goal: to know if the wasp is thriving, and to improve the image of the wasp in general. Wasps have a bad reputation – no justification for
“We’d rather not take a photo” my Israeli guest says upon departure. I asked if I could write a blog about them. They may want to come and live in Portugal, so who knows, that might help them find a place. Israel is not a very relaxed place to live at the moment Everyone understands
Visit from Israel and beach art Read More »
The first thing she did was carry the garden table and a few chairs to another place, behind our kitchen. I suddenly saw them sitting there, mother and daughter, both with hair down to their waists. Son Remi also wants to let it grow again, and when I first met father Erwin, he also had
The eye and the hand of the Master Read More »
It was the week of unexpected visits. Randi suddenly came by. We have known each other for a long time, from rare encounters. We’re not BFF’s, but people who like and respect each other a lot. Randi is Norwegian, and was married to a Portuguese man (emphasis on was), and has a Portunorwegian daughter. There
Portuguese foreigners and foreign Portuguese Read More »
The building we live in is more than a hundred years old. The core was built as a bathhouse, with fifteen bathing cubicles. The water is medicinal and good for skin diseases. It was done according to good old Portuguese building traditions That building tradition is called: piecemeal. First the core, the bathing area. It
Portuguese building traditions Read More »
