So Many Tails…

Where to begin…? We had the most incredible week in the Alentejo region, which is the south central region of Portugal that stretches all the way from the western (the Atlantic coast) to the eastern (the Spanish border) part of the country.  With the cool places we stayed at, the amazing sites we saw and all the friends we made, it really was the crème de la crème of our little get away trips!

We started our trip at a rural quinta called Verdemar. It was near the small town of Cercal which is close to the Atlantic coast. Verdemar started out as a fairly integral part of a very tiny village called Casa Novas and then it was renovated by Cristina and Nuno over 20 years ago and turned into a really cool quinta.

Bartog lives there and guards his home…he’s a 12 year old Portuguese Podenga dog like our other friend Mel who stayed with us for a week back in April.

 And then there is Bella, who is Bartog’s 2 year old daughter…she loves everyone, especially Tim!

We went on great walks in the countryside with our new friends…they showed us the way so we wouldn’t get lost.

 There were so many cork trees…

 

And cacti…which are an interesting contrast, much like the “beauty and the beast”, with their pretty yellow flowers and very sharp thorns!

 

Verdemar was such a cool place to stay at. It had a kind of main area, where the family shared breakfast and dinners with their two legged guests,

 

 

Mom and dad said they had some great meals there (I won’t bore you by telling you what we ate while they were wined and dined)!

 

Of course there was a pool on their very lovely grounds….

 

And then the place where we stayed, which was called Casa Grande, was really cool!

 

 

The bedroom was very cozy so we could all relax…read a bit (if you are so inclined), snooze and curl up in wherever you want to… 

…notice Smudge in the end table?

We had so much fun playing in the grass…

Smudge in particular liked playing with little Bella…I can’t believe how much they can wrestle!

 

We sure are going to miss Verdemar , Bartog and sweet little Bella!

 

(Thank goodness there is a Bella at home too, although she is quite a bit bigger and blacker, but she’s just as sweet and playful)

While we were staying at Verdemar, we visited the SW part of the Alentejo and Costa Vincentina .

It was fun cuz’ we got to take a long walk on a really cool beach…

 and mom and dad had a great seafood lunch.

 

And then we went to Cabo Sardão, which had amazing cliffs and a cool lighthouse.

There were storks nesting all over the rocks…

After spending 3 days in the SW part of the Alentejo,  we headed east towards the Spanish border. It was a great drive and we saw field after field of sunflowers.

We just had to stop for a wee pose

cuz’ these are mom’s favourite flower!

Then we visited an amazing historical village called Marvão. Marvão was built in the 9th century as a stonghold for the Portuguese to keep the Spanish at bay, since it was only about 20 km to the Spanish border.  Dad fell in love with this village cuz’ he liked the history and the way the castelo and fortress were built.

As you can see, we were pretty high up on the top of a hill, so the view was fantastic!

There were plenty of look out posts so the Portuguese could watch for the Spanish invaders…

and they had some pretty big cisterns to store their water…it was kind of creepy down there and full of bugs, so we asked dad scout it out on our behalf.

There was also a really pretty garden right outside the castelo.

 And there was a big wall that ran around the whole village.

 …with some pretty steep staircases.

So all in all, it was a very pretty little village with windy streets

and lots of watering holes …

  

which was a good thing cuz’ it was scorcher of a day.  In fact, Smudge, mom and I had to rest in the shade a few times while dad did his exploring.  

It was a great day and fun was had by all!

But the best part of our trip was the absolutely amazing Quinta da Saimeira we stayed at for four days. It was nestled in the hills between Marvão and the town of Castelo de Vide.

When we went on our walks to explore the remnants of villagers gone by and other cool stuff on the property, we could see Marvão way up on the hill.  

Not only was the countryside spectacular…

but the woods were also full of fun things to explore…

 and there was a really neat dunking pool!

…ok so maybe it wasn’t intended to be a dunking pool but first Smudge fell in and then I did. Dad had to rescue us both as the sides were too steep for us to climb out on our own. And then dad lost his sunglasses…but don’t worry, he got a rake and retrieved them from amongst all the slime that was at the bottom of the pool.

Here’s the pool that you are supposed to swim in…

We hung out at the pool a lot!

We also hung out a lot on the deck of the little apartment we stayed in, which was called Casa da Figueira.

It was such an amazing deck with the most incredible view, that we had most of our meals out there…

And dad stared getting quite artistic with his photographs.

But who could blame him with sunsets like this…

In case you’re wondering, the rest of our “Casa” was pretty cool too.

And of course the place would not be complete without its own “tail”. This is Splinter who is very friendly and lives there with his two-legged friends. (There used to be two cats who lived there as well, but they are gone to kitty heaven now)

With a place as fantastic as this, I’m sure you can imagine how hard it was to leave it, even for a few hours. But we did manage to go on a couple of excursions, one of which was to this really cool lake and dam.

It sure was a good thing that we went that day cuz’ it was over 31 degrees and we needed to swim!

But since Smudge doesn’t really swim (he only waddles in the water a bit) mom and dad had to make a shady spot for him.

When our four days were up, it sure was hard to leave Quinta da Saimeira…but mom and dad said they will go back when they come to Portugal again (although I doubt I will be with them if it’s just a short vacation cuz’ I don’t like the long plane ride).

At least on the drive back home, we stopped for a picnic lunch in the town of Chamusca, which was right beside the Rio Tejo. So guess what…I got to swim again!

I think this was one of the best vacations I have been on…there were so many different places to explore and Smudge and I got to play and play and play in the big outdoors… to our hearts content!

Of course it’s always nice to get home and enjoy the comforts close to home that one sometimes takes for granted…like a nice cuddle on the couch with my mom.

P.S. Don’t tell Smudge (cuz’ I don’t want to ruin the surprise), but his family will be home within the hour…he’s going to be sooooooooooo happy to see them!!!!

Uma Pausa

I am going to take “uma pausa” (a rest) from the blog this week as we are going on a wee vacation. Tomorrow morning we are heading to the Alentejo, which is in the south-central part of Portugal. This will be our last get away while we are here and I am sure it will be packed full of new adventures!

Not that we really need a big rest or anything cuz’ life here has been pretty relaxing. For example, over the past week we had a very easy pace. It was a long weekend for the Portuguese, but dad had to work, so we only had a “normal” weekend with our own daily adventures.

Like walking along our local beach on the rocky parts and playing in the water…

I think I mentioned before how busy the sandy parts of the beaches are now and they are off limits to us four-legged fellows for the summer. But they sure are colourful with all the different umbrellas and towels.

And at least one of our favourite little café’s (Avencas) along the beach wasn’t too busy so we went there for breakfast.

 

What I mean is that mom and dad had breakfast, while and Smudge and I hung out. I like the sunbeams…

and Smudge likes to lie on dad’s feet! 

After our long walk along the beach, we laid on the grass and rested some more near our pool.

We also visited a very pretty little village called Alhandra, which was on the other side of Lisbon up the Tejo river. It had a really cool walkway and I got to swim lots in the river.

A few of the walkways here in Portugal have these cross-training stations set up along them. It’s a really neat idea, but no one was using them today…

In fact it almost felt like a ghost town on parts of our walk in Ahandra…but it was Sunday and a long weekend after all, so perhaps people were out of town.

The funniest thing we saw was a poop-pit…can you believe that those silly two-legged ones expect us four-legged ones to use this….go figure?!

Well I have to go pack my kibble, toys and blanket…so I will say goodbye for this week.

But here’s one more photo so you don’t forget what I look like over the next week…

Divertimento todos dias

Before I tell you all about the “divertimento todos dias” (fun every day) we had with our friends who came to visit us, I wanted to share two more photos of our friends at the dog park.

This is João and Cookie

And Luisa and Buda

Every time we go to the park we have so much fun…and Smudge particularly likes seeing all his buddies!

Speaking of buddies, mom and dad’s good friends Krys and Les came to visit us. These are the friends that mom and dad went to Morocco with in 2008. We often visit them at their amazing “homestead” in Golden, B.C. They have sooooooo much space and they are nestled in the beautiful Rocky Mountains. I love going to their place cuz’ I get to explore lots and there are so many cool smells. But I miss Rain, their four-legged companion, who used to show me around the place. (Rain has gone to doggy heaven, but I bet he is having fun in the never ending pastures there).

Of course one of the first things we did was take them to our local little beach for dinner…it has become quite customary for us to take our guests there and the Sangria is great too (so mom tells me)!

I made a new friend there as well. I liked the little girl cuz’ she cuddled me, but the little boy was a bit nasty as he tried to kick me (watch out for him when he grows up)!

Our friend Cristina took them on a tour of Lisboa (and yes, you guessed it, Smudge and I stayed home). They visited Castelo de S Jorge, which is on a hill in the middle of the historic part of Lisboa.

 

It’s quite the view from way up there!

And then they went to this amazing little place for lunch which was across the Ponte (bridge) de 25 de Abril . They would never have found this little gem of a restaurant without Cristina. They told me lunch was great and it was a particularly fun adventure when the sky opened up and poured cats and dogs on them (not literally of course as that wouldn’t be good for the cats and dogs).

It was great that Dad could take a few vacation days so we went up north with our friends. First we stopped in Guimaraes, which is an amazing historical town where the first king of Portugal resided…we didn’t meet him though cuz’ he was longggggggg gone! It was sure a cool town with a lot of churches, cathedrals and other religious stuff.

But of course we took time for a wee water and beer break.

  And what BIG beers they were!

We stayed two nights at Casal da Batoca, which was in Fafe (just 70 km NE of o Porto). It was another amazing gem that Blue Paradise arranged for us. Just take a look at this place…first the entranceway into the property…

and then the beautiful grounds.

There was a pool (and tennis courts)…

And there was a big building where the meals were served. Our apartment was attached to this…on the left side, but more about that in a minute.

Above the dining area was a cool recreation room …

Our place was called the hayloft and it was the most amazing apartment!

In addition to the two painstakingly refurbished family (or great rooms)…

there were two bedrooms with attached (modern) bathrooms …

 

and a very modern and functional kitchen.

But the piece de résistance (or the icing on the cake, so to speak) was the fabulous deck…where we spent most of our time together.

It was particularly good for Smudge and me cuz’ we could lie out there (and nap or watch the world go by) while the two-legged ones went for breakfast or dinner next door.

I really can’t say enough about this place cuz’ it had something for everyone and we all loved it!

While we were up north, we visited the lovely city of Braga, which was an interesting combination of old and new.

With all of our walking about, we took plenty of time to rest in the shade…

Then we visited the neat town of Barcelos. It had a river running through it so I got to go for a swim!

And after lunch, we walked through a pretty park and rose garden.

On the drive back to Lisboa, we stopped at a small village called Esmoriz. It had a cool walkway that was made of huge rocks….I wonder how they got them all to fit into place, not to mention how they ever moved them there in the first place.

There was a neat beach there and a lot of people were surfing.

When we were back home dad took Krys and Les up the west coast to see Guincho, Sintra, Azenhas da Mar and the beautiful coastline, which are some of our favorite places here in Portugal. (Mom stayed home with us cuz’ she had homework to catch up on and I asked her to help me with my blog)

On their little outing they stopped for lunch at this cool beach called S. Juliao…

 

And then in the evening mom, dad and Cristina took Krys and Les to a Fado house where they had dinner with Fado (jantares com Fado). They looked like they had a lot of fun…

And they said that all the Fado singers were really good that night.

 The gal singing is the one who is advertised on the poster…

Of course Krys and Les’ visit would not be complete without seeing the very crowded beaches…

 and going to a futebol game…

 

Dad and Les went to this very important national game with our friend João and his daughters…Portugal won of course!

Regrettably…Krys and Les’ visit was coming to an end so mom and dad took them to Gordinni’s, which is one of their favorite restaurants that looks over the water.

I sure am going to miss my good buddies…

but see you back in Golden!!!

Familia parte duas….

I’m still a bit behind on my blog so I better catch up with “familia parte duas”, which is part two of our two weeks of family visiting. After returning from their two day adventure in Porto, Auntie Nat and cousin Bennet only had two days left of their stay in Portugal so we had to make the most of it! On one day, mom, dad and Crisitina took them all on a mini tour of Lisboa. As you can expect, Smudge and I stayed home (once again), but it really was for the best as it was a smokin’ hot day and we had more fun resting on the couch.

I think my cousin Bennet enjoyed Lisboa though…starting with his morning coffee with a local (albeit historic) poet…

 

Going up a cool elevator to see Lisboa from above…

 

And then visiting the ruins he saw from below…

 

Of course there was lots of walking involved…

 and some icecream.

A few monuments and photographic moments thrown in for good measure…

 

 

And the ever important beverage break…

With the grand finale being a pretty cool tram ride!

So all in all, I think it was a pretty full day for them, but they didn’t stop there cuz’ after taking Smudge and me for a nice long walk, they headed out for the evening for dinner and to enjoy some Fado singing.

 

Auntie Nat and Bennet’s last day in Portugal was also a day full of adventure that started with dad, cousin Brenda, Smudge and I going to Belem for a Starbuck coffee (which is one of dad’s favorite coffee placess).

Smudge and I are getting so comfortable being on the train that we just lay back and relax (with Smudge resting on dad’s feet of course cuz’ they are much softer than the floor of the train).

After Belem, we all headed in the car to Lagoa Albufeira, which is this cool lagoon and beach just south of Lisboa.

 

It was so much fun there cuz’ I got to swim in the lagoon and dad and I walked along the beach.

I think Auntie Nat and Bennet enjoyed the water a lot….

and we all relaxed on the beach for a bit since we had been having  such busy days.

Look closely and you will see Smudge laying under the umbrella since he doesn’t like to lay in the sun much, but not me, I like the full on sun AND I was pretty tuckered from all my swimming!

I think Bennet liked laying in the sun too.

For their last dinner here, they went to a local restaurant and celebrated three birthdays: Auntie Nat’s was in April, dad’s was in May and cousin Bennet’s was coming up in June. They said it was a lot of fun, but how would I know since (once again) Smudge and I stayed home and ate kibble!!!

In spite of being left home from time to time, I sure enjoyed having my Auntie Nat and cousin Bennet visiting cuz’ Bennet and I share each other’s clothes and can really groove together…

I know mom really loved having her sister here too,

and it was such an amazing bonus that cousin Brenda could join in the mix while Nat and Bennet were here!

But hold on…that’s not the end of “familia em Portugal” (family in Portugal) cuz’ cousin Brenda still had four days left  and we sure made the most of it! Unfortunately dad missed out on the fun cuz’ he had to go to London for work again.

First we had breakfast at our local beach and explored the pools left behind when the tide goes out…

Then mom and cousin Brenda visited the “Parque e Palacio de Monserrate” (this time Smudge and I were happy to stay home and nap since we had such a busy morning). Mom told me all about the “gi-normous trees” they saw there!

On Brenda’s second last day, we  jumped in the car and drove to Mafra and Ericeira with Cristina. Mafra was boring as far as I was concerned (cuz’ Smudge and I stayed in the car while THEY visited a convent and palace), but mom and Brenda sure thought it was cool.

I really liked Ericeira though cuz’ we got to explore a cool beach nearby called Ribeira d’ilhas. It had a fresh water stream which was great for a wee drink or two.

We also got to hang out with them while they had lunch at the beach…

…and we got to walk with them around the cool village of Ericeira!

Sadly…cousin Brenda’s visit came to an end. We spent her last day walking along the seawall just enjoying being outside and appreciating the natural beauty of Portugal.

She had her last Sangria at Pedra do Sal…while she witnessed her final Portuguese sunset (for now)!

“Adeus minha familia” (goodbye my family)…thank you for visiting and see you back home!