Dom Pedro V
Dom Pedro V who was one of the kings of Portugal is also the eponym of the street in Porto we live in.
We found him also in the Monte Palace Tropical Garden. Not to be confused with the botanical garden.
The display is on the typical Portuguese tiles called Azulejo.
Guess the airport
We were on vacation. When returning we had this view from the balcony. Hint: Not many runways are trapped between the airport building and the mountains.
Check here if your guess was correct.
A bug in the wild
The snack vending machine in office got an update for cashless payment. And it looks like it also needs a software update.
Adventures hike in the neighborhood
We went to the Serra de Midões e de Pias just 20 minutes from home.
and did a relatively short tour mostly along the Rio de Ferreira.
On the komoot map it looked initially like we could cross the river and take shortcut. But it turned out that this is only possible in summer. The river crossings were not possible with the amount of water in the river. So towards the end we had to climb a rather steep path. For the spoiled German member of the Schwarzwaldverein – used to having clear markings and walkable paths everywhere – it was a learning. Nevertheless a nice tour and on the way we found some nice places to rest and with a good view.
Guess the genre
We went to the movie theater and in the middle of the movie – which was after 45 minutes – this
appeared. Last time I have experienced an intermission was between two movies of LOTR.
This time it was a kids movie: Patos! Based on the booking information it was supposed to be the OV but it turned out to be the Portuguese version. Since the ducks did not discuss philosophy we were able to follow anyway and had fun.
While I did not further investigate the real reason for the intermission I believe it is intended as service break for the young audience.
Ovos moles
We tastet the local specialty of Aveiro. Ovos moles. Very sweet.
Aveiro is the “Venice of Portugal” because of it’s canals, bridges and boats.
Instead of locks with names the bridges are decorated with ribbons of friendship.
After 4 weeks of rain we enjoyed the nice weather.
Changes
Climate is changing. That’s not really new. However it was new to me that Portugal has a skiing region. It’s located in the Serra da Estrela. But due to less snow and warmer winters skiing is in decline and lifts are closing.
There is also an active lift which in summer is used by hikers.
And there is political change. The radar towers are remnants of the Cold War. Portuguese Air Force and NATO do not need them any more.
Pontederia crassipes
Another invasive species crossed our way. The common water hyacinth.
Pastel de nata – 1st attempt
Probably the most famous sweet of Portugal: Pastel de Nata.
I’ll need many more attempts.