Meet Portugal’s last cowbell makers: Chocalhos Pardalinho
Saving the voice of the fields The Alentejo is a land of slow living, where the beautiful landscape unfolds like a painting. The soundtrack to the ancient olive groves and frozen centennial cork trees is the gentle ding, ding, ding of cowbells. It’s not uncommon to cross paths with a shepherd, letting his flock roam free […]
12 mistakes people making when visiting Portugal
From cultural tips to wearing the wrong shoes to avoiding scams, here are 12 of the biggest mistakes I’ve seen people make while visiting Portugal. Mistake #1: Thinking the bread is free (the bread is never free) The beauty of travel is connecting with other cultures but sometimes those cultures aren’t what we’re expecting. Restaurants […]
Photo Diary: Guide to the traditional costumes of Viana do Castelo & Minho
One of my favourite experiences in Portugal was witnessing the Mordomia Parade where more than 900 women proudly marched by wearing the ornate traditional costumes from their village. While the poster of the festival of d’Agonia, which falls every August, usually features a beautiful young woman wearing the most famous traditional red dress from Viana […]
Romaria d’Agonia: The most beautiful traditional festival in Portugal
If Mattel was to make a Portugal Barbie, the traje de Viana would be the costume. After the train passes Porto the hills turn green and we pass vineyards that line the tracks and corn fields at their peak. Stone towns and cabbage patches zip by as we chug north towards Viana do Castelo, the […]