Monthly Archives: February 2025

Visiting the Fonz

Amanda has told Mirinda how much she loves the west coast of Portugal. She loves it much more than any other part of Portugal, she says. And the other day when we went to Baleal Island, I started to understand … Continue reading

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Enjoying the local food

Mirinda had an allergic reaction last night. She woke up, coughing and sputtering. Fortunately, she had some Clarytin handy. She blamed eating vegan ice cream because, along with the many chemicals in it, there was yellow food dye. We bought … Continue reading

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Bull fighting is uncivilised

In 1836, Queen Maria II of Portugal said that bullfighting was not the sort of thing that civilised people enjoyed, so she banned it. Sadly, her decision was swept aside in 1921. I guess the ordinary folk of Portugal decided … Continue reading

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Another Gary rant

According to our waitress last night, the trains in this part of Portugal are hopeless. She said that, if you have an exam to attend, you are more likely to miss it if you rely on a train to get … Continue reading

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Stone ropes and liquorice

Back in 1159, the Knights Templar were gifted the fiefdom of the Médio Tejo region of central Portugal. The area had once been the Roman town of Sellium. Some time later, it was a Moorish town but then, under the … Continue reading

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All about the rain

We woke to the loud drips of rain this morning. Everywhere was wet, the views were greyish grim and the wind was pretty fierce. It was a big surprise after all the sunshine and blue sky we’ve been subjected to … Continue reading

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Cartaxo day

The closest town to where we’re staying is called Cartaxo. It’s pronounced something like CarToosh, which Mirinda thinks sounds Klingon. It only has a few things of great note, in fact, when I searched for anything to do, I found … Continue reading

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Surfer’s Paradise in Portugal

The house we’re staying in has a few issues. Okay, it’s situated in a lovely spot with great views and, generally, it’s quiet, but there are regular reminders of what’s not so good. Here’s a sunset photo taken from the … Continue reading

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Closed on a Tuesday

My first impressions of Santarém were not good. The traffic was awful, where we parked was ghastly, the narrow streets provided a racetrack for drivers of all sorts, it was very, very smelly with car fumes. As I said, it … Continue reading

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Boredom of the blue

Mirinda has found the most amazing AirBnB property. It’s a few kilometres outside Santarém and is set in the most wonderful countryside. The house was built by the father of Carlos, the man who runs it. The father designed it … Continue reading

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