Winter Morning Clouds Below our Garden

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Oh, the wonderful Pastries and Bread!

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As I have mentioned before, I frequently walk in the mornings with my dog; up and down the hills, into the forest and mountain roads. Recently there has been an extra burden on my walks. It is lent, the 40 days between Carnival and Easter. Tradition says you give up something for those 40 days that is like an addiction. Some people give up coffee, others chocolate or cigarettes. I decided to give up bread and pastries made with white wheat flour. And this is the reason that climbing up the 400 meters to town is now doubly difficult: the bakeries and pastry shops open their doors even before Pandora and I take off from home, so we walk up to town with the irresistible scent of freshly baked goodies lingering over the town center, calling my name - which I am patiently (more and less) ignoring. Sintra is famous for its pastries. The pastries of Piriquita, travesseiros , are famous all over Portugal, and people cue up to buy them to take home by boxes. These long, sugar coded ...
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Markets - great fun and surprising finds

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The Market of São Pedro There are several open-air markets around Sintra that are year-round fun for tourists and locals alike. In the times of closed in shopping centers, markets are great fun, full of exciting sounds and smells that invite us to browse and shop - many times for items we only could find this way. The larger markets, such as São Pedro and Monte Abraão, also have food stalls for a nice, warm lunch, and snack counters with freshly baked traditional pastries. The São Pedro Market in São Pedro de Sintra is held on 2nd and 4th Sundays of each month.  This is a very traditional market with everything you can imagine: food, like freshly baked bread, cheeses, and fruits and veggies; baby animals from birds to puppies; trees and plants; clothes and shoes, even men's suits; baskets, toys, and electronic gadgets, rugs, ... you name it, and most probably you can find it here.  The vendors that sell 'things' at this market are often selling stock with slight defe...
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The beaches of Sintra

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Praia da Ursa (Updated in January 2021)  Sintra is not primarily a beach destination, but it does have some great beaches.  Golden sand, beautiful round stones, and magnificent cliffs.  Surfing, tanning, walking.  Great restaurants, dinosaur footprints, paragliding, and fishing. Attention though - the beaches are Atlantic beaches, so the water is not as warm as the Mediterranean ones in the Algarve - and the waves are stronger and more dangerous as well. The long Atlantic Walk (GR11)   passes on the cliffs over all of these beaches.   I will start from the Southern most beaches and work my way up.  Here is a short 2-minute introduction video to the beaches: Praia da Ursa - (Our cover  foto) The double arches resembled  a bear, giving the beach its name (Ursa=Bear) The southernmost of Sintra beaches got its name from a double arch that used be on the beach resembling a bear sculpted by a giant. The beach is accessible by foot only, o...
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