January is off to a Good Start

We had decided to treat ourselves to lunch out on New Years Day at the Lagar da Mesquita, a wonderful restaurant we have frequented a few times over the years.  It’s a renovated olive mill, gorgeous and the food, always sublime.  It turned out to be an excellent decision, a special day for the three of us.

We drove to Mesquita a few minutes early in order to have a little walkabout, specifically, I wanted James to see the outdoor laundry.  Turned into a funny little incident!!!

Marc, for some unknown reason, turned on the tap to see if the water was active. Not only was it active, the hose raised up like a snake and Marc was blasted right in the face with cold water!!! Good thing he could laugh about it.

And speaking of laughing about it!!!!

Our meal, as mentioned was amazing.  We enjoyed a lovely cocktail and relaxed simply taking in the environment.  Marc and James had a roasted tomato soup to start, I skipped a starter, and then our marvelous mains.

I had Iberian Black Porc in a cumin sauce.

Marc devoured his filet mignon.

James was more than just impressed with his rack of lamb. The bones were totally bare once he was done.

Marc was delighted with this choice. Apple, raisin and almond tart with homemade ice cream .

The sounds that James made eating this chocolate mousse were verging on obscene!!

We enjoyed ourselves very much for about two hours.  The owner remembered us and stopped by for a visit and when we left she chased us outside to give us New Year hugs. We’ve told her that we have other friends visiting and we will be back again before long.

Today was a totally different experience.  My neighbour and friend, Harald has been a wealth of information for me regarding the many hikes and walks available, not only in this area but in much of the Algarve and even into Alentejo.  He had invited me to join him in a hike in the mountains above Alportel and I was thrilled to have this opportunity.  Marc and James were both up to a day at home and with a guilt free conscience,  off we headed after breakfast.

We drove for about 45 minutes, high into the mountains and eventually arrived at our destination, the tiny village of  Parises.  To say the views were breathtaking is simply not enough of a description.  I will post several photos, which don’t do it justice but it’s the best I can do.  The trail, which was about 11 kms by the time we finished. We climbed as high as 500 meters, slowly!  Up and down the many ravines, across rivers and streams, through cork, eucalyptus and some pine forests.   I was left speechless at times.

I was quite filled with mixed emotions during this hike as the area had been burned out during one of the big fires in Portugal, 2013 to be precise.  To see some of these majestic corks trees, burned black from the ground up to about 10 – 12 feet and then to see the top of the tree still thriving, it moved me.  I’m so impressed with how resilient Mother Nature and the Portuguese people are.  How they rebuild and move forward despite those kinds of catastrophes.

The beginning of the trail in Parises.

A more recently harvested cork tree, which you can tell from the lovely deep cinnamon colour.

Looking back to where we started.

I decided to take a few photos of the countryside as many people ask me to show the country.

A hill heading down into a ravine, peppered with cork trees.

This resembles heather but I’m not certain it is.

The river stream had flowed over the pathway…..didn’t stop us from getting across. Harald is making a note on his GPD for further reference.

A vista. Look at the majesty of those hills and the valleys.

Another lovely vista.

A sign to a village that no longer exists as it burned out and the buildings long since abandoned.

Medronho trees are all up and down the mountain. Today I tasted one for the first time and I know why they call it a Strawberry Tree.

You can’t just eat one of them when you start!!!

More heather.

The tiny abandoned burnt out village.

These two scorched cork trees looked as if they were protecting this medronho.

In the middle of nowhere, this healthy looking eucalyptus forest. Gorgeous but a nuisance. One of the contributors to the forest fires as they are quite flammable. Sadly they are like a weed and grow quickly.

We had to maneuver through this heavy bamboo grove as the river had once again crossed the path.

We found this marker at the top of the till, in a tiny field, that marked a spot in memory of a young man who had died at the age of 19.

Marker.

Colméias for the abelhas!! Beehives for the bees. See I am learning some Portuguese!!

I can’t wait to head back to this place and explore it, and several of the other nearby trails.  There is another close by that I am hoping to do with Harald in the next little while.

In the meantime, lunch…….what a wonderful experience.    Picture this, sitting at a roadside patio that looks like your family garden.  Birds are so loud that it’s almost deafening.  You’re all alone (well the two of us).  Our food arrives……fabulous jardineira de borrego (basically lamb stew) and you are enjoying it immensely when suddenly, right on the road beside you…….an entire herd of sheep!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I liked this wall beside our patio table.

Our amazing Jardineira de Borrego

I loved this. It is the woman’s homemade piripiri sauce……several types of peppers, garlic and all marinated in whiskey!!!! She warned me to use only a little which I did and what incredible flavour.

We were offered fruta for dessert……quite literally. All from her garden except the bananas.

Our visitors during lunch. The bells and bleating both were pretty special.

Tell me this doesn’t invoke a feeling of tranquility?

Locally harvested cork drying in the sun.

This old abandoned property caught my eye. I can still dream can’t I?

More cork

It was a day I won’t soon forget.   After lunch Harald was chatting with another couple who had arrived and I walked over to where the sheep and one lone goat were, just to enjoy watching them.  I sat in the grass and stayed still and I think curiosity got the best of somebody……..this is without zoom.