Author Archives: admin

Salema and the Algarve

Posted on October 11, 2018 by admin

Culture shock. After days of immersing ourselves in the grand history and culture of Portugal, we headed south to the Algarve, Portugal’s equivalent of the Grand Strand, to explore the southern and western Atlantic coasts at the “end” of Europe. … Continue reading →

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A Few More Cork Studies

Posted on October 10, 2018 by admin

Some images of sobreiros (cork trees) from Évora.

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Évora Megaliths

Posted on October 10, 2018 by admin

Two thousand years before Stonehenge, groups of Neolithic peoples settled the area around Évora and built large stone megaliths that tracked positions of the sun and other celestial objects. Two important sites near Évora stand in the middle of an … Continue reading →

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Évora tem portas também!

Posted on October 9, 2018 by admin

Doors in Coimbra and Évora are distictively narrower than other doors I’ve encountered. My theory is that they didn’t have to move large appliances in and out of their homes in the 12th century, but I need to confirm that.

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Évora

Posted on October 9, 2018 by admin

A three hour drive from Coimbra brought us to the 14th century walled city of Évora, in the heart of cork and pine nut country. Cork trees and pines as far as the eye can see… Évora is a beautiful … Continue reading →

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Azulejos, Coimbra

Posted on October 8, 2018 by admin

A few images of the glorious ceramic tile work that adorns public spaces and private residences throughout Coimbra. Click to enlarge.

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Exploring Coimbra

Posted on October 8, 2018 by admin

We had only one full day in Coimbra, so we wanted to make the most of it. We set out after a small breakfast provided by our hosts and headed downhill to Rio Mondego for some views back across the … Continue reading →

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Mais portas, Coimbra

Posted on October 8, 2018 by admin

Somebody please stop me… (Click to enlarge.)

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Sobreiros

Posted on October 8, 2018 by admin

A small collection of sobreiro (cork tree) photos from the Rio Douro valley. Cork is harvested about every nine years, but it takes twenty five years for a tree to begin to produce cork. They can be productive for 250 … Continue reading →

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Coimbra, Arrival

Posted on October 7, 2018 by admin

We left Quinta do Cachao today and headed out on the three-hour drive to Coimbra, Portugal’s first capital and home to Universidade de Coimbra, founded in 1290 in Lisbon and moved to Coimbra in the 1500s. It’s one of the … Continue reading →

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