The latest in our series of guides to the best souvenirs to buy around the world, here we are sharing some of the best ideas for souvenirs to buy in Portugal. From traditional tiles and jewellery to classic food and drink items like tinned sardines and egg custard tarts, there are plenty of ideas to ... Read more »
I love discovering specialist food and drink products during my travels, so my visit to Herdade de São Miguel in Alentejo, Portugal was an eye opener. It was at the winery’s modernist head quarters on its Pimenta estate that I first learned about the renaissance of vinho de talha. I have already shared the story ... Read more »
“Seek out some retired and old-world spot, far from the madding crowd, and dream away a sunny week among its drowsy lanes – some half-forgotten nook, hidden away by the fairies, out of reach of the noisy world – some quaint-perched eyrie on the cliffs of Time, from whence the surging waves of the nineteenth ... Read more »
“Now more than ever do I realize that I will never be content with a sedentary life, that I will always be haunted by thoughts of a sun-drenched elsewhere.” ~ Isabelle Eberhardt In my everyday home life I’m a very sedentary soul. Of course I go places, my current daily work commute between North London and ... Read more »
‘Ask any Portuguese and they’ll agree – Alentejo is the gastronomic soul of Portugal!‘ So said our guide Ruben as we set off on our taster tour of the region. But since he’s also the Communication Manager for the region’s tourism promotion agency, I took his words with a pinch of salt, categorising them as ... Read more »
“For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return.” ~ Leonardo da Vinci Regular readers will know – even though we’re often told that travel is about the journey not the destination – that I’m not ... Read more »
Did you know that Portugal is the world’s largest producer of cork? Half of the world’s cork is produced here, much of that within the Alentejo region, which I explored recently. Cork is grown and harvested across the Alentejo, well suited to the hot and dry climate. Most of the processing happens in Azaruja, ... Read more »
Portugal’s second largest city after Lisbon and one of Europe’s oldest, Porto sits astride the mouth of Douro River, where it spills out into the North Atlantic Sea. Like nearby Braga, which I wrote about recently, Porto and its surrounding area have a fascinating and diverse history that stretches back to 300 BC. A great ... Read more »
Have you heard of Braga in Northern Portugal? I confess I hadn’t until I was invited to visit the area recently. I quickly learned that Braga is the oldest city in Portugal and has a very long and fascinating history which is still very much in evidence today. Braga (together with nearby Guimarães and Tenões) ... Read more »
The Place of Onions, in old Lille. After last night’s rainstorm the intense sticky heat has broken and today is cool, breezy, fresh… I love it! A drop of… [more]
We went to Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire at The Void this morning, an amazing VR experience where we got to be Rebel Alliance members going undercover as… [more]