CASA DO VALLE

When the sun rises over the mountain, it hits the higher tree tops first. As the slight breeze moves the leaves, it makes the sun dance on them, giving it a magic glow. The roads are curvy, so the view changes continuously, the sun comes from different angles and paints the scenery in different shades of green. In a situation like this, it is wonderful to take a morning walk - very few people on the move, clean, fresh mountain air. Whether alone or accompanied, it is a great start for the day. We are happy to lend you one of our several pairs of the walking sticks so you don't have to pack your own. And those who don't want to go for the exercise, just to enjoy the morning, will be happy to know that the bakery in the historical center opens before 7 am... I went for a walk recently with a friend, her with the Nordic walking sticks, me with a dog. And there was plenty of space for all of us! These pictures are from the end of July, at 7am.

A little over a week ago a Finnish client of ours rescued this beautiful butterfly from our swimming pool. It was absolutely stunning but shivering and struggling to move a bit. We had another couple visiting from Belgium at the time and by luck they were biologists! So they knew exactly what to do, what type of flower the butterfly could reach to eat from, to regain forces. In fact they were very patient finding a flower where they could leave it to nurse itself back to strength! They also searched the net to show me what type it was and so I found out its latin name. (In Finnish, it belongs to the sail-butterfly family). If you click to enlarge the picture with the flower, you can see how it was hanging on to the flower with its dear life, exhausted. This was the first time I had seen one of these butterflies around here - and today I saw yet another, close to the pool in the plum tree - then flying towards the dog pen - exactly where we had finally left the rescued butterfly...

Yesterday a client asked me when the famous second spring of Sintra that she so much has heard of is. It was the day when I noticed the beautiful roses opening again by the pool. This morning as I took the dogs out early I started cleaning the agapantos, pulling out the already whitish tall flowers; and noticed the dozens of new flowers shooting up. And just a few days ago the palm tree set its flower free, dropping the protective cover from the trunk. We are getting our second set of fruits, too - after a few weeks of nearly no fresh fruits from our garden: pears and apples are getting ready, and some passion fruits, too. The weather has been over 30 degrees, with very little wind. The pool is warm and very popular, especially after 4 or 5 pm after a day of castle-visiting. The streets are full of cars and parking is nearly impossible. Every day people ring the doorbell to ask if there are free rooms. So that would say summer is at its best - but there is definitely spring in...

'Great - A wonderful massage in the breeze with the birds chirping away!' This is a comment of one of our clients after a massage at Casa do Valle. We have started to work together with different masseuse - one who does the classical muscle massage, a 50-minute full body massage or a hot-stone massage. Also, a place in Sintra (Art of Living) that does Tui Na, Seitai, Acupuncture, Yoga, Reiki, ... Many things for the well-being and relaxation of the clients. The massages can be done at the center in Sintra, in the guest-rooms or, when weather allows, in the garden. Prices are very accessible, 40-50 euros for 1 hour, and should be reserved in advance.