The Malta Independent on Sunday
A holiday in cooler climes
An invitation from my young one and husband to spend a month with them in the countryside of Portugal seemed like an excellent idea. I have visited Portugal at least five times and have seen the important sights over the years. This time we were not staying in Lisbon or Porto but in the countryside.
This is just what I needed. Somewhere quiet, where I could breathe fresh air - far away from cranes and soulless blocks of flats and above all, noise, especially loud music.
We drove from the airport to a big bungalow in the countryside with trees and shrubs as far as the eye could see. There was the occasional farm painted in a bright colour with its tiled roof, looking neat but far far away. I saw cork trees for the first time. Portugal is a big exporter of cork. No, they do not grow on trees.
I was so happy that the temperature was around 23C but sunny. We slept with a light duvet and I managed to track down the only hotwater bottle in the place and held on to it tightly.
Meals were mostly eaten al fresco under an umbrella if the sun was too hot at lunchtime, and with a cardigan on chilly evenings. There was complete privacy. We enjoyed pastoral surroundings which were Instagram worthy all day long.
We invited the occasional relative or friend to join us and to catch up with each other’s news.
My two grandchildren spent the day exploring, making bows and arrows with the bamboo and hiding and arguing in the hideouts they had created. Occasionally they picked blackcurrents, washed them and brought us a plateful.
How could I not enjoy the mile upon mile of beautiful untouched nature. It felt a world away from everywhere.
We popped into Lisbon a few times just to refresh our memory of it or on some small errand. Trees everywhere provide shade. The city is impeccable.
Manfra which is nearer to where we were living, enjoys world heritage status. It’s cathedral and palace, once the hunting lodge of kings, are imposing and dominate the town.
There was a bread festival in the gardens nearby but no dogs were allowed so we went the following day without the dog. We sat on long tables after we queued for food. Nothing special but it was clean and orderly and no loud music.
I’ve had plenty of the famous Pasetéis de Nata over the years. They are found in every little coffee shop and tourist enclave. But my darlings insisted the best are to be found at the factory of Manteigaria where you can watch them being made. I’ve eaten many of these custard tarts but here, because
they come straight out of the factory and served at their café they were really special.
Manteigaria have several outlets in Lisbon and Porto and even one in Paris.
Exposed to the Atlantic Ocean yet close to the Mediterranean, formerly part of Spain and like her once dominated by the Arabs, this is mirrored in Portugal’s cuisine.
The great feature of Portuguese cookery is its emphasis on fish of every kind, fresh and salted and on shell fish, including oysters those delicious green “Portugaises” are also exported.
Pork is a favourite and ordering suckling pig if you have a large family gathering is normal and makes a delicious meal.
Bachalau is everywhere, packed in every way possible. Since I last visited there are now frozen bachalau dishes available.
When it comes to cakes, on the whole the choice is disappointing, apart from the custard tarts. They all seem too yellow, as if colouring is used to make them look more gay. We did discover the most delicious Danish pastries in the food hall of CaisCais
shopping mall. The baker was generous with his chocolate. I wish Maltese bakers would learn that many of us would rather pay a little more but for a better product. The baker was a French woman but I have forgotten the name. It was definitely the pastry I enjoyed most during my long stay.
Surfing in Portugal is ‘big’. We had to drive quite a while away to Ribeira D’Ilhas, a diving centre at Ericeira for the children’s surfing lessons. They loved every minute of it. Sometimes the only lessons available were early but they made the effort.
At first I was alarmed thinking there were going to be the kind of waves one sees on the screen in places like California. But it is all organised and age and experience appropriate. You watch these young children, carrying their surf board. They are quite fearless. They like what they are doing.
Definitely no dogs allowed on the beach. The café /restaurant was always full. Parents waiting their children’s turn; grownups enjoying a coffee after surfing. You see all sorts. Fat people parading with few clothes without feeling the slightest bit selfconscious; the old on deckchairs enjoying coffee or a cold drink in the fresh air, often with a dog by their side as they watch the world go by. Interesting scenery but you cannot swim in that cold Atlantic. Surfers wear wet suits. There is a great deal of space and all so uncrowded. It is a pleasant ambience.
The Portuguese are not the jolliest of people. They seem to rarely smile and always to be sober, very different to their Spanish neighbours. They are also not noisy at all which is such
a relief.
A visit to the main Science and Technology centre in the eastern borough of Lisbon was a huge success. Host to the Pavilion of Knowledge was the Robot, Viva. It was interesting with a lot of running around looking for them while they experimented and climbed here there and everywhere as I tried to keep calm. One visit is not enough as there is so much to do and see.
In Lisbon and we watched the Changing of the Guard at Belém Palace similar to those seen elsewhere. The mounted troopers looked smart on their white stallions. The crowd watched quietly on this lovely sunny but not hot day. Once over we followed it with lunch at a restaurant where dogs were allowed. A relative refuses to be separated from his French bulldog but not all restaurants allow dogs and quite rightly. We had forgotten the waterbowl in the car so someone went to collect it and everyone was happy.
When I returned to stifling Malta I did not feel as if I needed another holiday. I had done things at my own pace and enjoyed it all. Being with my loved ones and sharing the experiences was what made it all worthwhile.
I have no illusions about the future, if you can call it that. All we can do is make the best of the present.
I come back to a new crane opposite. The last one remained in place for seven years. The destruction continues. I wonder how many houses were destroyed two streets away this time. I’ve ceased to care.