“Hippo! Hippo!” Whenever Ana, the HippoTrip ‘animator’, yelled this, our job was to raise our hands and whoop with excitement. We were on board Alegria, one of HippoTrip’s brightly painted amphibious vehicles, about to tour the city of Lisbon. Reserve now and pay later for this 90min Amphibious Sightseeing Tour. The HippoTrip experience IRead More →
For my Lisbon cooking class the chef, Patrícia, gave me the choice between learning how to make a bacalhau (salted cod) dish or polvo à lagareiro (baked octopus). The decision was easy. Bacalhau may have been first choice for many Portuguese people but I’ve been in love with octopus ever since I movedRead More →
Windmills line the hilltops in certain parts of Portugal, especially the Montejunto mountains near Lisbon. Sadly, most have been abandoned and are gradually decaying. Some, however, have been painstakingly restored and not only produce flour using traditional methods, they also host bread workshops and even wine tasting sessions. Moinho deRead More →
When Célia Pedroso, co-author of Eat Portugal, invited me to join one of her Culinary Backstreets Lisbon food tours, I jumped at the chance. As well as being a well-established foodie, she knows the city intimately so who better to lead the way to Lisbon’s gastronomic highlights? Over the course of sixRead More →
The small town of Freixo de Espada à Cinta sits just before the River Douro leaves the confines of the International Douro Natural park to begin its journey through the demarcated Alto Douro wine region. If you’re in the area, here’s what to expect from a visit to the townRead More →
The Portuguese countryside is speckled with historical villages but Monsanto holds the title of “Most Portuguese Village in Portugal”. Although I’m sure the people of Monsanto in Central Portugal are proud of this accolade, I don’t really understand why their village won it. Far from being quintessentially Portuguese, it’s oneRead More →
Having sampled some of the walking trails along the Alentejo coast, I’m now completely hooked on the area. The craggy landscape is relatively untouched, punctuated here and there by beautiful beaches and small towns, such as Vila Nova de Milfontes, Porto Covo and Odeceixe. Although I didn’t have time toRead More →
Most Douro river cruises concentrate on the stretch between Porto and Régua, Pinhão, or Barca d’Alva. Although the contours and lines of the Douro wine region, I wanted to see the natural park’s rugged, rocky landscape on an International Douro river cruise. With Las Arribas del Duero of Spain on one side andRead More →
I get a kick out of compiling (and reviewing) my annual wish list of places I’d like to visit in Portugal over the coming year. It’s becoming something of a ritual and helps me to get organised; my agenda is fast filling up. Some of these destinations and activities are definites, others areRead More →
