Sunday, March 19, 2023

Um desabafo

 Boa tarde


    Embora este seja um blog sobre viagens, é também um blog pessoal, onde eu posso escrever sobre a minha experiência de vida e de viagens, onde posso desabafar quando sinto que algo vai contra aquilo que eu acredito na minha vida profissional e pessoal.

    Aqui vai: na sexta-feira, eu tive a honra de participar em dois eventos, um organizado por mim e meu grupo de colegas, outro realizado por outro grupo de colegas do meu curso.

    O meu evento, que ocorreu de manhã, teve um pequenino hiccup devido ao facto de ter sido ao ar livre e, na sexta-feira, choveu abundantemente mesmo na hora em que estávamos a começar. Mas tudo foi resolvido pois, pensando rápido, e havendo fotografias do espaço onde éramos para ter o evento, levamos o evento para dentro de portas e continuamos virtualmente. E acredito que até correu melhor do que aquilo que esperávamos.

    De tarde, foi a vez do outro evento - um aniversário. 

    Posso dizer que foi básico, com bolo, salgadinhos, bebidas não alcoólicas (refrigerantes), video sobre o aniversariante e discursos improvisados. Faltou velas, cantar os parabéns ao aniversariante com uma música que todos tivéssemos conhecimento, faca para cortar o bolo. Além disso, foram auxiliados por, basicamente, toda a turma pois, pelas aparências, they were in over their heads.

    Mas não é por isto que estou a desabafar pois nós só conseguimos fazer aquilo a que nos propomos. O que me deixou bastante alterada foi o facto de, depois de tudo acabado, houve alguns colegas meus que acharam de "bom tom" criticar pessoas que não conhecem e formadores que lhes são desconhecidos.

    No espaço onde estou a tirar o meu curso, existe uma outra turma a ter outra formação diferente da minha. Eles também foram convidados a participar nos nossos eventos, assim como a direção do centro de formação. Essa turma é constituída por pessoas com as quais já tive outras formações, algumas que estou a conhecer pela primeira vez e formadores que já me deram formação em outras alturas da minha vida. 

    O que fariam vocês se lessem coisas a denegrir essas pessoas, a criticarem sem base, a chamarem de "velhos" devido ao facto de não terem menos de 35 anos? Mas, para mim pior, foi o facto de criticarem um video que a formadora dessa turma fez com os formandos para uma rede social a homenagear o aniversariante e que foi amavelmente disponibilizado durante a festa para ser mostrado à direção. Porquê? Foi assim tão horrível? Fariam elas melhor com o tempo que foi dado à outra turma para o realizar?

    Porquê criticar? Quem ganha com isso? Será que sou eu a única a pensar assim? Tem dias que me dá vontade de dar um murro na mesa e ver se alguém acorda para a vida. Todos precisamos de todos para podermos singrar, nenhuma empresa cresce se não tiver marketing de passa a palavra. E o passa a palavra é extremamente importante para quem está a começar ou está à procura de emprego ou novos clientes. Pois não sabemos se alguém que seja "velho" não terá alguém novo que queira viajar e está à procura de uma agência de viagens, de um freelancer de viagens que lhes seja recomendado, de alguém que venha de algum país lusófono e que queira alguma informação sobre esse país. 

    Sabendo disto, já sabe quem não procurar pois haverá alguém que lhes dirá: não vás por aí pois poderás ser bastante criticado.

    Fazer juízos de valor - é fácil de cair nessa armadilha. Difícil é voltar a conquistar a confiança depois desta ser perdida.

    Desculpem o desabafo mas tinha de tirar isto do meu peito.

    Continuação de bom fim de semana!

    Até breve (com a melhoria do tempo voltarei a fazer as minhas viagens pela minha cidade, pode ser que também consiga sair da minha cidade algumas vezes, esperemos!)!

 

    

    

Conhecendo os encantos da cidade ao Porto ligada




Esta fotografia foi um especial favor num dia tão chuvoso. Mas, quando temos estes pequenos favores, o melhor que podemos, e devemos, fazer é aceitar e deixar a chuva cair.
Fui visitar o Hotel The Yeatman em Vila Nova de Gaia com a turma do CET de Gestão de Turismo da INOVINTER - Porto, com o apoio da nossa mediadora e formadora Célia Soghmahian.
Fomos extremamente bem recebidos pela diretora de F&B, mna. Elisabete, que nos dividiu em 2 grupos para ser mais prático. 
A própria mna. Elisabete foi a cicerone do meu grupo e que boa cicerone nós tivemos.
Só posso falar por mim mas adorei a disponibilidade, a amabilidade e a simpatia para comigo, bem como para com os meus colegas.
Se a mna. Elisabete representa a sua equipa e a organização do Hotel The Yeatman, a classificação deste devia ser superior. 
Muito obrigado por tudo!



The first foto was a special favour on a rainy day. But, when we get these small favours, we accept them and accept the falling rain.
I went on a visit to Hotel The Yeatman along with my colleagues from the CET Gestão de Turismo from INOVINTER - Porto, with the support of our mediator and teacher, mrs. Célia Soghmahian.
We were welcomed by Ms. Elisabete, director of F&B, that divided our class into two groups. She was our guide through the Hotel and a very excelent guide, showing us the most exquisite room they have, some places worth visiting but also some secrets of the Hotel itself.
I can only speak for myself on this blog, but I can assure you, she was very kind, warm and available to us all.
If Ms. Elisabete represents the Yeatman Hotel, then the Hotel has the rank they deserve.
Thank you for all you've done for us and for the extraordinary visit. 

Monday, March 6, 2023

Route to Pinhel - Day 2

 

    Day 2 (two) 


  Pinhel Map  

    Let's get out of Pinhel to find some places worth knowing.


Itinerary of visit from Pinhel - Day 2

 

    We are heading to Vila Nova de Foz Côa to see the rock carvings that were found in this area. The Côa's Valley Archaelogical Park is a stop to take to know about this important place of Portugal's history.

Rock cravings in Foz Côa



    Let's continue our travellings to Figueira de Castelo Rodrigo with its castle and city center full of history and charm.

Figueira de Castelo Rodrigo



    Next stop will be Almeida, a fortified village with its star-shaped walls, a stronghold of resistance during the french invasions. 

Almeida

    Must see: the former barracks, now a modern hotel, the King's riding arena with its horses and carriages. Side note: try going during the summer or when the day is not windy because the wind in Almeida is very strong.

    Let's rest and have lunch at "O Caçador", a tipical and very well-known restaurant in Almeida with delicious dishes spanning from fish, like roasted cod, to meat, grilled veal, ending on the deserts, sweet rice. A very nice place to rest a bit and regain strengh to the rest of our tour.

    The next leg in this itinerary in Guarda, the entry way to Serra da Estrela.

    The highest city of Portugal, Guarda is also known as the city of 5 F's - Forte (Strong), Farta (Full), Fria (Cold), Fiel (Loyal), Formosa (Beautiful).
    
Cathedral of Guarda

    There is a lot to see in this city and also some walking to do. You can start at the top of the city, near the Cathedral of Guarda with the Statue of D. Sancho I, the second king of Portugal, and the one that gave Carta de Foral (
diploma granted by the king to a settlement, defining the norms that govern the relations of the inhabitants among themselves and between them and the king, in addition to regulating taxes, tolls, fees or fines and establishing protection rights and military obligations).
    
    Visit the Cathedral with its altarpiece, a true masterpiece of the renaissance sculpture era.
    
    Going down through the narrow and charming streets, you will arrive at Mercy Church, another place worth visiting.

    After this small visit, let's head to the highest point in Continental Portugal - Serra da Estrela. Through the trip there are some places worth a stop: Covão d'Ametade, Lagoa Comprida, Our Lady of Boa Estrela.

Our Lady of Boa Estrela



    When you reach the top, take a look around at the scenary and enjoy the small shopping center to buy a cheese to snack afterwards.

Serra da Estrela


    Hope you have a good stay and enjoy this itinerary. 

See you next time! 

Route to Pinhel - Day 1


2 days in Pinhel

    Let's start with going to Pinhel. There are various ways to get to Pinhel. But I'm only going to give two ways: one from Porto and another from Lisbon. Both of them are with highway and there will be tolls.

Porto - Pinhel

Lisboa Pinhel

    Once in Pinhel, we will stay in Casa da Praça - Guest House (Prices range 60€ to 70€, according to the time of year), a very comfortable and central place with very good reviews.


Pinhel Map


Day 1 (one)

Postcard - Pinhel

    On our first day, we will stay in Pinhel and will discover all the places there is to see in this beautiful city.

    One thing one can do is take a walk on the city walls to have a panoramic view of the city and its surroundings. Once we are already on the wall, we will stop at the towers and search for the entrance to each one of them.

The two towers


    Continuing, we will get to the clock tower with a windmill at its top with another great view of the city hall.

Clock tower

    Continuing down, we will find the city hall with its coat of arms. To the left of city hall, there is the tourism information post with the endogenous products office, a showing of the existing products in this region where you can see and buy them, if you desire.

    In this square, where Casa da Praça lies, there is also a statue of Camilo Castelo Branco, the pillory and Mercy Church, dated from the XVI century.

City hall with cyber fountain

     Continuing down the street, you will find some remains of manuelino style windows on the walls of some buildinds, remains of the period. 

    As you head down through the narrow streets of this small town, there is always something to discover.

    You will reach Fighters of the Great War Street and will see the Monument to the Fallen in the Great War in front of the Cultural house, worth of a visit. 

    Now, let's go to one of the greenest areas of this town - Trincheira Garden. As a feature, it has a Bombarda, piece of artillary from the XV century, which is housed in this garden. There is also the Lover's Fountain and an aromatic wall where you can find various aromatic plants. You can also find some rosemary in the garden as well as medronho, a fruit that grows on trees and it is said that, if you eat a lot of it, you will find yourself as if you are drunk.

Bombarda in Trincheira Garden

    From there you can see the outdoor pools of Pinhel where, in the summer, most of the inhabitants go there to have some leisure time.

    Leaving Trincheira, you will find yourself in the newest part of town, near the courthouse.

    In this newest part, I like to find all the different roundabouts that exist here in Pinhel. They all have different decorations and names, for example, you have the Women's Day roundabout, the Lollipops roundabout. Have fun discovering them all.

    Take a break from all the sightseeing in Pinhel and rest for the next day.



Friday, March 3, 2023

Gastronomy of Pinhel

 Time to talk about food in Pinhel


    Of course, we can't talk about any city of Portugal without talking about its gastronomy.

    All good things in life begin with food. Either savory or sweet, we, humans, need to eat to keep moving. And, when you get to the interior of Portugal, mostly up from the river Tejo, you need warm, comforting food to keep you warm through the winter months because it is too cold to go out. (side note: last time I was in Pinhel, I had to keep my car warm with a blanket!!!, no kinding)

    This region has a lot of very delicious dishes and pastries. But the most known delicacy in this region is Serra da Estrela's cheese.

    Made by Sheeps' milk, it is the most known cheese from Portugal, It is known to be smelly, soft, you can spread it on toasts. It is delicious.

Serra da Estrela Cheese



    Some other delicacies that you need to taste in this area are grilled boar with garlic and olive oil, roasted lamb with potatoes, the sausages, typical of this region, and one in particular - "Bucho", the pig's bladder, filled with other parts of that same pig like ribs, ear, meat already marinated and cooked; it is, then, left to dry as all sausages. After that, you must cook it in an iron pan, wrapped with a linen cloth for about 3 hours. It is served with boiled potatos and "grelos à pobre" (pauper geens - greens boiled with potatos and then stir fried in olive oil).


    Another dish that is very goog in this region is Lagarada, roasted cod covered with hot olive oil and garlic.You just need to search very well the right place to eat these exquisite dishes.

    Also, as many regions in Portugal, the pastries are present at the table in this area. 
       

    You have Coscorões (a puffed fried pastry covered with sugar and cinnamon), Sweet Rice, and other sweets that agree with the most critical of the bunch.  

    There is also Cavacas de Pinhel, a conventual pastry made with flour, vanilla, vegetable fat, eggs and sugar. They are put in cupcake pans and cooked in the oven. After rising, they take the sape of a flower and are smeared with eggwhites with pastry sugar.


 
Is your mouth already watering?

    You can help the food go down with the wine from this region.

    Pinhel was named one of the most rich regions in wine. You have red wine (grape castes of Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz and Touriga Nacional) and white wine (grape castes Syra). These wines have won some international awards against others already well-known in the world.

 
Life is good, but wine is better. (Fernando Pessoa)


    This is it for now.

    Next time, I will tell you how to get there. where to stay, what to visit and where to eat.

    See you next time!!!




The last time I went to to Pinhel

Geada / Snow - Pinhel

Natal / Christmas - Pinhel




 
Winter rose - Pinhel

The last time I went to Pinhel


    One of the cities I like a lot in Portugal is Pinhel, in Guarda district, near Serra da Estrela mountain.

    It's a quiet city, with monuments that date back to Roman Era.

    It takes about 2h30m to get there by car, if you take the highway (about 230Km).

    But when you begin to get close to it, you feel the difference between the coast and the interior of Portugal - the calm, the different smells, the low traffic, the fields of wheat, of olives, the granite you see as you go through the land.

    It's a relaxing voyage, either you're driving or just envoying the views.

    As you approche the city, you see it's imposing towers from the distance and know that there is a lot of history there.

    Here is a short video about Pinhel and some of its monuments and history.

https://youtu.be/bVXRx0tIxcw

    

Hi, Folks!!!

Fountain in Porto. Where? For me to know and you to find out.

 

Hello, My friends!


    After a long time away from my travels, I'm back "in the sattle".

    Begining all over again, this photo is of one of many fountains that can be found throughout the city of Porto.

    Porto, being a town dedicated to commerce always had a very close relation with water - wether it's the sea or Douro river.

    We can find many fountains scattered through the city and, also, in a park near the city center called Jardim das Águas.

    But I'll leave that for another time.

    
    It's good to be back showing the beauty of Portugal.