In brief: A local pro tennis tournament proved especially fun as an antidote to all the covid limitations. We returned to Lisbon just in time to attend eight hours of a professional tennis tournament on…
In brief: A surprise weekend brought us together with old friends, opened new sights in the western Algarve, and delivered a homey touch of Nepal. In late March, we enjoyed a kind of homecoming, a…
In brief: São Roque was a shrine honoring a protector, then a heavenly 16th century church. Grand chapels enhanced it over time, but little of its rich history was lost. A pandemic threatens Portugal. People…
In brief: Even in suboptimal conditions, we spied many deer and birds in the wild at Mafra’s Deer Park, a splendid forest haven. The 833 hectares of Tapada de Mafra, ringed by a 21 kilometer…
In brief: Undistracted by the city just across the Tejo river or the busy bridge from it within the marsh, we were diverted instead by all the shore birds and ducks. When not pecking at…
In brief: We couldn’t figure out why we had skipped this engaging museum for so long, with all its old and new displays to learn from. We were glad we didn’t wait longer. It’s not…
In brief: The Sagres' peninsula is exciting to visit because it still feels like that wind-smitten western limit of Europe from which Henry the Navigator launched so many exploratory ships. Sagres, in the west of…
In brief: What could there possibly be to do in an area known for its beaches during a cold wet December week? Quite a lot! People who visit the eastern Algarve sort themselves out by…
In brief: After the quiet of a 20th century villa converted to Ria Formosa reserve and a 2000-year old Roman villa, we find the buzz of a miniature Bethlehem on the first Christmas eve. When…
In brief: Though we didn’t plan to be here for the full year, every season in Lisbon brought its distinctive pleasures. Spring: Smell the Flowers Chaucer would have loved Lisbon at this time of year,…