St. Dom Year End Luncheon,

Adeus, to all.
Thanks for the memories, the opportunity, the learning.
Send my love to the kids at St. Dominic's.
Hugs all around.
Bejinhos,
Linda O

Below is a link to the table shots I took at lunch. http://picasaweb.google.com/odelind/YearEndBlog2009?authkey=Gv1sRgCJ3uuP3xnoqV-AE&feat=directlink

If you haven't seen my blog before, enjoy the other slideshows too.Scroll all the way to the bottom. Click on a picture to see it bigger.

The one sure thing about Portugal is that it's breathtakingly beautiful.

Cascais Treasure Hunt

Odd building, measures the sea


Your picture here!


Hidden Cascais church


Exquiste Cascais tiles.


Awesome Magnolia tree.


An easy one.


This one is hard. Think wind.


This could be many places. Hint near a small park.


One of my favorite houses.

I have lived in Cascais for 7 months. Curly and I walk every evening. We amble through the streets, to the ocean , or to town. There are so many lovely spots and attractions for the eyes. I have photographed some of my favorites. I’ve left out most of the common ones, the Guimares House, the lighthouse, the statue of the women on the prow, and the statue of the fisherman. The fort is glorious to walk around, day or night. The bay glistens. But I wanted to give Serene something special. She will be wandering around while I’m at work. In honor of Serene’s 59th birthday, here is a Cascais Treasure Hunt. I can’t believe we are that old! We are still able to walk, be uplifted by the beauty around us and discover new treasures all the time. Enjoy Sis! Happy Birthday. Enjoy some of my favorite sites in Cascais. It is enchanting here.

Madeira Mid Term Break

I took off for a week of rest, work has been stressful. I treated myself to a package of five days in Madeira. Madeira is closer to Morocco than Portugal, 600kms from Morocco in the Atlantic Ocean. It is not very big, but it is beautiful and diverse. The main city is Funchal. I stayed in the Lido, the hotel area, with a beautiful sea view, about a mile from town. The lido has great walking and restaurants and gazing at the other hotels.
The town is very tourist oriented. It is a vacation spot for northern Europeans etal. Beautiful embrodiery, Madeira wine
First day I explored town. Next day, I took the cable car up the mountain. Had a delightful lunch and took the tobaggon ride and walked down. They have baskets on runners to take you down the mountain.
The next day I rented a car and explored the western side of the island, Porto Moniz, Sao Vicente and a lighthouse.

The next day I went to the east side of the island, it was amazing the difference in temperature from the ity to the top.
It went from 22 to 9 celsius. In the afternoon, I cruised on a replica of the Santa Maria.

Friday I shopped some more and headed home. A delightful vacation spot, I would like to go again, they have many walking paths throught the mountains, following the irrigation system, called levadas. Walk in the morning, swim in the afternoon, rest and eat.

August 2008

I finished my first school year abroad. I'm still loving Portugal. Summer is beautiful here, blue skies, warm days, cools nights. Lots of wind, that make it different than So. Cal. The beaches are crowded on weekends but still manageable. Lots of activities, outdoor concerts.

I moved this summer to a charming apartment in Cascais, the Laguna Beach of Portugal. I call it my villa. My apt is has 3 bedrooms, an office space, a dining room, and a great yard. Curly can go in and out all day. It has a lemon and orange tree and a garden filled with surprises, roses,l hydrangea and hibiscus. I'm about a 15 minute walk to the train station, 45 minutes into Lisbon. I'm 15 minutes from the beach, many beaches or downtown. Cascais is bustling and adorable.


It has everything you could want, high end shopping, Hugo Boss, Max Mara and many more. It has low end shopping, Chinese stores, mercados, Jumbo. It has ethnic restaurants, Indian, Italian, Thai and McDonald's.
It's sites include a fort, museums and parks. The magical town of Sintra is 20 minutes away by car.


Life has settled down into a working routine except that I get wonderful holidays. Mid term break is next week and I'm off to Madeira.

Friends, you are welcome to visit. I can't be your tour guide, I'm working and off on holidays. You need to be somewhat self sufficient but I have plenty of room, maps and information galore. English is widely spoken.


I'm more and more comfortable here. I love Portugal. The people are warm and helpful if somewhat reserved. The land is beautiful with many, many magnificent sites to see.
Check it out!

July 2008 North

July 16th
Set off at noon, heading for Belmonte. Took the Hwy, listening to Janet Evanovich's "Twelve Sharp". Weird to listen to the street smart, Philadelphian, Stephanie Plum while driving through Portugal. Spent the night in Corvilha, Corvilla Jardim with A/C on the public garden square The pousada in Belmonte wouldn't let the dog stay the night, neither did the Belsol hotel.



July 17th

Went to the Jewish quarter and synagogue in Belmonte, the men were so proud of their beautifully redone shul. One of them watched Curly so I could go inside. Then Curly and I traveled to Almeida, an interesting town/fort in the shape of a star. Had lunch outside the town, then six hours to Geres, beautiful country but very hot. Night at Quinta de Gestacos, no a/c. Slept okay with a fan. Beautiful view from here, peaceful morning except for the granchildren running around the pool. On to explore

Aveiro March 22, 2008

The Venice of Portugal? It is soooooo NOT, right Ms. Epstein. It has its own charm! The hospitality is some of the best in Portugal. The pastries of course are to die for. It that an adjective, to die for? We went on a boat ride, 11,000 acres of salt flats, pyramids of salt bring some resonance, calm, warmth? A university town too, art and music, two libraries. Best Western a name to rely on here too. A great value and we shopped around. Charming streets, great shopping, lunch stop on my next trip to Porto.

Porto

Porto- bustling and beautiful -Buildings with majesty and character. It is holy week, Easter is on Sunday, lots of people are on holiday. Not many rooms available, finally we got a large room with three single beds. Great location, light, airy, Hotel Imperial. I took an early morning walk, watched the sunrise over the Douro. We toured Sandeman port house. I'm learning more all the time, aguardente, fine water. Then we headed off for Pinhao. A small quinta,farm/winery. What was supposed to be a four hour ride turned into 8. The first six hours were beautiful, the last two were work. The marvel of crossing the Douro grew then. There were some highlights. We watched the moonrise. When we arrived in town, I stopped to call the quinta for directions. It was Good Friday. Suddenly coming toward us was a procession led by priests. The car was surrounded by people as Sheila and I sat inside. They passed by. Later, after a bite to eat, they were still going and bowed in front of our car, one of the stations of the cross. We arrived at the quinta for a warm welcome and cozy room by the river. The next morning, I toured the winery/port house and we headed out, back to the ocean.