Time to talk of other things ...

Bachalau, the Portuguese fiel amigo Bacalhau com Natas .  source: Portugal the simple life   The Portuguese call codfish a “ fiel amigo ” or faithful friend. This love affair with “ bacalhau ”, as cod is known in Portugal, goes far beyond the wonderful dishes served throughout the country. Bacalhau is a national symbol and metaphor for the Portuguese way of life, where a long history of sacrifices and conquests walk hand in hand. The seas surrounding Portugal are abundant with sardines, but these could not be salted making it hard to store and carry on long voyages.   Codfish, on the other hand, was not found native to the coastline of Portugal and was fished from the distant and dangerous frigid waters of the North Atlantic. The first people to fish for cod were the Vikings , who preserved the fish by letting it dry whole, without gutting, in the open sea air. It was only during the Middle Ages that they began preserving it with salt, which they bought from Portugal...

 Pastel de Nata - Portugal's delectable custard tarts The iconic Pastel de Nata is the Portuguese custard tart that looks like a dainty nest with flaky crusts, a custardy centre, and a mouth-watering caramelized top speckled with dark brown or black spots dusted with cinnamon and occasionally powdered sugar.  The name  Pastéis de Nata is a trademark of  Fábrica de Pastéis de Belém, which owns the original secret recipe, everyone else sells the tarts under the generic name Pastel de Nata . They simply melt in your mouth, providing for a brief moment what heaven feels like!  For the uninitiated: Don’t use a knife and fork. You’re supposed to eat it with your hands preferably with a cup of coffee. So divine, that in 2009 The Guardian listed Pastel de Nata as one of the 50 “best things to eat” in the world. Pastéis de Nata source: Bloomberg The history of the Pastéis de Nata (literally "cream pastries") can be traced back over 300 years to the Jerónimos Monastery...

Azulejos - the captivating white and blue Portuguese hand-painted ceramic tiles  Azulejos in Sintra: Quinta da Regaleira Strolling the streets of Portugal, it’s impossible to miss the Azulejos - striking white and blue ceramic tiles, which are more than just decorative tiles; they represent a rich tapestry of Portuguese heritage and craftsmanship and are as synonymous with Portugal as  Fado and  Bacalhau  codfish. As we shall soon see, the fusion of diverse influences — Islamic, Moorish, Spanish, and Dutch — gave rise to the unique style of Portuguese azulejos, a testament to the cultural exchange and artistic cross-pollination during Portugal's golden age of exploration.  source: VectorStock Called azulejos (from the Arabic word ' al zuleique ', which means “little polished stone”), the tiles were originally brought to Europe by invading Moors in the 13th century. Portuguese azulejo tiles are heavily influenced by arabesques - a style that employs flowing li...

 Calçada Portuguesa: the black and white mosaic art of Portuguese pavement Calçada Portuguesa or mosaic cobblestones in Porto All about Calçada Portuguesa In mid-nineteenth-century Lisbon, a new art form was created, Calçada Portuguesa or simply Calçada ( Pedra Portuguesa in Brazil), which has since become a traditional-style cobblestone pavement, as typical of Lisbon's ' Pastel de Nata ' the beloved local custard tarts, or the charming blue-white ' Azulejos ' hand-painted tiles or the ubiquitous ' Liós ' Stone Monuments made from the local Cretaceous microcrystalline limestone.  The irregularly shaped cobblestones, hewn from either limestone or basalt, in shades of black and white, are painstakingly carved by hand and laid out by the talented hands of ' calceteiros ' or master pavers to form decorative patterns or recreate Portuguese history and art.  Calceteiros,  or master pavers, at work (Source: Internet) The desired pattern is first covered ...

   Yosemite Valley draped in Fall colours We finally made it to Yosemite Valley for an overnight trip, inspired no doubt by the indelible photos of Ansel Adams featured in the National Geographic magazine. With the recent rains and splendid Fall weather, it was everything one could hope for and more ... Yosemite Valley, to me, is always a sunrise, a glitter of green and golden wonder in a vast edifice of stone and space  ~ Ansel Adams Yosemite Valley is a glacial valley in Yosemite National Park located in the western Sierra Nevada mountains of Central California.  Yosemite valley is encased in impressive granite monoliths (Half Dome and El Capitan being the two most iconic) - making for some of the most spectacular and challenging rock climbing faces in the world !! The Valley floor features the gentle Merced river (aka River of Mercy) winding its way through dense pine forests.  Yosemite falls (actually 3 separate falls) drops a total of 2,425 feet (739 m) fro...

    Our pilgrimage walk to Santiago de Compostela via the Portuguese Camino It is your road, and yours alone. Others may walk with you, but no one can walk it for you ~ Rumi In September 2019, four of us undertook the Portuguese Camino (Camino de los Portugueses) pilgrimage covering 115 km from Valença do Minho in Northern Portugal to Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, Spain. This is the last segment of the Portuguese Way (some cover 250km starting at Porto, others cover over 600km starting from Lisbon itself).  The route from Lisbon to Santiago de Compostela has a great historical tradition dating back to the 12th century. Isabel de Portugal made a pilgrimage to Santiago in the 14th century, after the death of Don Dinís.  'Buen Camino'  would become a common greeting among fellow peregrinos . Every once in a while on the Camino de Santiago, remember to stop and enjoy the view. It was one of the more rewarding life experiences, walking on ancient...