Checking In
Staying in different Lisbon districts part 1, Bairro Alto and Chiado
This is our totally biased take on the Lisbon districts where we’ve temporarily laid our hats, starting with the nightlife centre of the city. […]
Portugal
Europe
An average day in the life at our Portuguese quinta
Coffee and a bowl of fruit (bananas from Madeira, mango and pineapple from former Portuguese colonies, local cherries which are just at the end of their season) are eaten on the back terrace in the company of two black cats who look as sleepy as we do… […]
Alentejo
Land of discoveries, Evora in Portugal
I’m currently engrossed in ‘Conquerors – How Portugal Forged the First Global Empire’. It is an enthralling account of Portugal’s thirst for discovery, and riches. As the pages turn I jump between open-mouthed admiration of […]
Europe
Six Setúbal Surprises
Economically and gastronomically upwardly mobile, the city of Setúbal, south of Lisbon, has more secrets than the average espionage agent; these are just six of them… […]
Europe
Turning Left, A Walk In Palmela, Portugal
For months we’ve lived at the end of a dirt track, in this lovely quinta with its enormous iron gates, always turning right beyond them, back along the dusty, rutted track to reach the road. Today we turn left, and I think of Jean Ainslie… […]
Europe
13 reasons why we love restaurants in Setúbal
We already knew Setúbal in Portugal was famed for its choco frito (fried cuttlefish) restaurants, but we had no idea that the rest of the gastronomic scene was quite so, well, interesting. […]
Alentejo
The remote lonesome beauty of living in Alentejo
The clanging of bells as goats made their way to their daytime pasture was our alarm call in the morning; a mixed chorus of song from golden orioles, bee-eaters and azure-winged magpies serenaded us over breakfast under a grape covered arbour; […]
Coimbra
Nun’s bellies and batty books, 72 hours in Coimbra
Despite stifling temperatures and the smell of a country burning was on the breeze, stepping off the train at Coimbra’s city centre train station was like a breath of fresh air. […]