Portugal: Quarteira Dinner Feb 24

 24 Feb: Salmora Restaurant in Quarteira

Imagine a frustrating day during which you are confined to a small, stuffy apartment because of bad weather or other circumstances and you have nothing in the fridge for dinner. And, with no enthusiasm whatever, expecting displeasure and discomfort, you drag your discouraged self out into the wet, freezing night willing to settle for just a minimally satisfying meal to get you through the night. And you happen upon a gem of a refuge so warm looking, so attractive, so inviting that without discussion, without hesitation, you and your spouse walk into the place as though it were your intention all along.

Salmora Restaurant in Quarteira, Portugal

And you are greeted by a welcoming, gracious, charming waiter who it appears has been waiting only for you on this night--who makes you feel that you are the only people on the planet who matter at this particular time. And he seats you at the optimal spot in the place where you can watch the chefs and kitchen staff perform their art expressly for you. 

And your waiter, now your best friend at least for this evening, goes through a tapas type menu explaining in excellent English the preparation and details of every item that would be of interest to you. He, in this case Luis, gives you all the time you need, answers all your questions, ascertains your special dietary needs: no gluten please, no garlic, no beef, etc. and helps you make the perfect selections.

And the dishes come to the table in short order, savory, hot, perfectly presented. In Mary Lou's case, Bacalhau a Bras, dried, salted codfish rehydrated in a delicious fish broth, thickened with egg and covered with the thinest possible string sized potato strips so that you get the creamy softness of the fish and egg with just a bit of crunch from the potatoes. In my case, sauteed prawns in lemon grass, onion, and fish broth absent the garlic and spicy peppers that spoil every dish for me. 

Oh my! This day was salvaged just by overcoming the lethargy that kept us indoors on this  inclement day and pushing ourselves out the door not knowing exactly what we might encounter. 

Portugal is a wonderland. The food, the people, the ocean coves, the wine country.

The Salmora, find it when you visit Quarteira.

Portugal: Obidos

 19 Feb

A couple of hours north of Lisbon just inland from the Silver Coast in a portion of the country marked by hills and valleys is Obidos. Anthropologists and Archeologists tell us that evidence exists here for human habitation since the late Paleolithic Period. Groups that dominated the settlement include Phoenicians, Moors, Visigoths, Celts, and of course, Romans. Church and military influence remains clear in the fortress walls and religious structures and icons.

Check out this image of a family of buskers who performed for tourist coins within a cove near the entrance to one of the courtyards. I can't make the audio work here, but Mary Lou has posted the vid on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/4661molinaro/

Non ti scordar di me . . . 

Shops, restaurants, even hotels with incredibly vivid colors: blues, reds, greens line the narrow, cobblestone streets that wind up the hillside. Be prepared for walking inclines up and down.

Wear comfortable, quality walking/hiking shoes.

We had a brief sit down in a small organic espresso/pastry/sandwich shop, The Avocado, and added some tourist watching to the day's experience. 

Sao Martinho do Porto/ Nazare

 

17 Feb

We left Quarteira early for the drive up the coast to our first stop, Sao Martinho do Porto along the silver coast where we (I) enjoyed a freshly baked pastel de nata, egg custard tart, along with our espresso. We had a lovely chat with a very helpful local resident, a Brit.

In the afternoon, we continued on to Nazare, where thanks to the recommendation of the hotel clerk, we enjoyed an incredible meal at a nearly empty restaurant.

Sao Martinho do Porto

Double cove makes the small marina here very calm. It's in the shape of a shell fish

What an incredible little town in the Silver Coast area of Portugal. Such calm waters in the twice-protected little marina. Historically, a ship building and fishing village, the cove here is scallop-shaped and has a restricted, very small opening to the open sea.

We met a Brit who is a resident in a nearby town. He has resided in this area for 16 years and states that he is unlikely to leave. Educated in England as a geologist/engineer, he has lived in South America, South Africa, Uzbekistan, the middle east, and all over western Europe. We had an enjoyable visit before leaving for Nazare.

Nazare

Nazare retains the remnants of a thousand + year religious tradition that today includes several festivals, processions, and pageants. Most recently, it has become a large wave surfing attraction thanks to the underwater Nazare Canyon producing occasional waves in excess of 80 feet measured from shoulder to peak. It has become a required spot for aspiring big wave, name-building surfers. When the big waves come, videographers and still photographers pack a vantage point, Fort Sao Miguel Arcanjo, high up on a cliff overlooking the surf, where they capture and publish accounts of record breaking rides.

Do you like seafood? Enjoy picking through shell fish and fin fish and potatoes in a light, peppery broth? Call it out with me, now: Cataplana. Oh yes! Order it anywhere in Portugal. In the town of Nazare, visit the Mar Bravo restaurant and git ya some there. Finish off the meal with the most incredible chocolate mousse, so soft, so smooth. And add a sweet, syrupy liqueur called Ginjinah, or play it safe with a Porto. Why not?

Big wave pioneers have popularized Nazare in recent years making it a required stop in the surfing world. (Photo courtesy of Wikipedia)

Portugal: Quarteira Food

 

Crepes and Espresso are very near a requirement, at least weekly, right?

12 Feb

We walked along the marina in Quarteira today to take a break from driving. Happened by one of the gelado/creperie shops and were driven by some irresistible force that nearly jerked me off my feet pulling me into a chair where, embarrassed, and not wanting to offend, I felt compelled to order at least this. I agreed to the addition of the strawberries for the health benefits.

That evening, Mary Lou found a restaurant on line that specializes in suckling pig. After a nanosecond of consideration, we decided to try it out. Oh yes, it was the right call. Flavorful, tender, moist, perfect. Just as we remember it from a similar experience in Madrid a decade or so ago. The house red was just right, the rice perfectly cooked, the salad delightfully tangy, the waiter attentive and amusing, the decor old world. 

It was a relaxing, satisfying day with the added benefit of a culinary adventure.

Hardly does it justice. The platter contained several more fuller pieces with slices of orange for color.

Portugal: Lagos

Beach at Lagos, Portugal

When you visit Portugal, as you must, plan a day in Lagos. Sandy beaches, of course, but also steep cliffs, outcroppings, and caves of sandstone so soft and unstable that warning signs alerting you to the likelihood of erosion and collapse abound. Heed them, tread carefully, stay alert. Avoid the ledges and assume you will suffer terribly when you fall. 

Lagos is in that part of the Algarve where the Bensafrim River meets the Atlantic Ocean. It was a major shipping port well before the days of Henry the Navigator, 1394 -1460. 

On our visit the weather was mild, the water calm and incredibly turquoise, and visibility was excellent. Intrepid young people plied the water on kayaks, standup paddle boards, and those paddle boards with sails (what do you call those things?) The water was dotted with water craft of all shapes and sizes. 

This is the off season, so we had no trouble parking or getting seated at a charming little restaurant where we enjoyed a high quality lunch at reasonable prices. We understand that during the high season the resident population and tourists swell the place substantially. I would think so. 

Short cruises from Portimao and Alvor operate daily during the season, sporadically during the off season. Book one.

It's farther down that it looks

 

This one you walk through, others you sail through

Portugal: Cascais 08 Feb 22

The Marina at Cascais

     

Cascais (cash-kice) is a fishing/seaport tourist destination so close to Lisboa that it may as well be considered a suburb. We spent two days there at a beautiful hotel, the Grand Real Villa Italia. I could add numerous superlatives about the location, the accommodations, and of course, the food; but why?--you can easily imagine it all if you remember truly idyllic scenes in movies during which you wished you were there.

We strolled more than 10,000 strides, or whatever it is that Fitbit measures, each day according to ML's wristband. Given the soreness of my back, legs, and other joints and appendages, I am confident in her declaration.

This was ML's third visit there, my second. We would have no hesitation about taking each and everyone of y'all there (or, is it supposed to be "all y'all"? I don't speak Texican as well as I used to).

Portugal: Portimao/Alvor

5 Feb 2022

Late breakfast in the apartment in Quarteira -- Shocking, right? Arrived Portimao, a nearby port city, around 1100 hrs. Saw several of the most incredibly slick, sleek, skinny-ass kayaks on the water transporting mostly very young happy persons shouting, singing, flirting, laughing.

Enjoyed espresso, of course, and pastel de nata (so sweet, so custardy, so ubiquitous in Portugal, clearly a national treasure). We strolled along the docks and side streets and hills among incredibly old and modern buildings. We really liked the look and feel of this place. So much more to explore and enjoy within the Algarve and the Silver Coast.  

Alvor 

Alvor is a civil parish (frequesia) in the municipality of Portimao. It's about a 10-minute drive from Portimao, very small with mostly stark white buildings of condominiums, apartments, villas, and retail businesses. Many of the residences overlook an incredibly scenic inland waterway connecting boaters to the open sea. Kiosks, mostly shuttered during the off-season, house businesses conducting water tours. There is one we'd like to try from Alvor to Lagos, perhaps in late March before we return to the States.

Here we had an early seafood dinner, mine was octopus, ML stuck with Salmon. Was there wine? There may have been. 

Portugal: Lisbon/Quarteira

4 Feb 2022

We arrived in Lisbon a few days ago -- you will never find precision in my accounts, don't ask for it. I think we got past jet lag yesterday, or maybe the day before that. We recommend you save some extra money as you plan your trip here for the business class update that is so worth the expense.

Two nights in Lisbon: Sightseeing. Eating. Walking, 7 miles one day according to ML's Fitbit. A tuk-tuk tour with our driver/guide, Carlos, pointing out the important spots. Enjoyed the most incredible meals of fish, potatoes, greens, and maybe a glass or two of wine (important to hydrate, doncha' know?)

We rented a car for the trip to Quarteira in the Algarve. It's a beautiful coastal town with a marina berthing very high-end sea going vessels of various sizes with one, two, and three hulls, incredible shapes and colors. It's a bit touristy here but not at all crowded in this the off-season. More fish lunches and dinners and maybe another glass or two of wine. We are told that the population expands to about 10 times its current number beginning in late March.

For our entire two-month stay here, we rented a very nice small apartment in Quarteira from a lovely couple, Mauricio, an Italian, and Orianna, a Colombian. We communicated in English and very basic Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese. Well, to even use the term basic is to overstate the case, but I keep trying. I think they were amused.

Yesterday, we drove a few kilometers to a rustic town called Tavira, still in the Algarve, and then to Faro, another small coastal town nearby, where we enjoyed; you guessed it, fish, veggies, and maybe another glass or two of wine (see a pattern here?) I'm sure there are some charming parts to Faro; we just did not encounter them.

Today we lunched with a charming Scottish couple, the Ellis's, friends of our friend Sharon from Dallas, who made the introduction for us. The Ellis's live in a beautiful golf resort and have lived in Portugal for the last twenty years, or so. We enjoyed a delicious meal of . . . well, you know. What a gracious couple. We'll be seeing more of them.

I'll add some photos in future posts. For now, I'll keep it brief, sparse, sparing. 

Ciao.