CASA DO VALLE

This winter has been extreme all over, in Europe and elsewhere in the world, too. It is rare to watch the news and NOT hear about a calamity somewhere in the world. Last weekend one hour of pouring rain (60 ml) did lots and lots of damage in the Portuguese island of Madeira, over 40 people were killed/missing and lots of villages are still in complete isolation as the roads were washed away. The same weekend I spent Friday and Saturday mornings building sandcastles on the beach with friends' children - in wonderful sunny weather! Saturday night it rained hard here, too, though - and a part of our wall in the bottom of the property gave in to the weight of the wet ground (after a much higher than average rainfall). It rained a lot on and off all Sunday, making the Saturday morning beach outing feel like a distant dream. But then on Monday afternoon our 4-year old guest dipped into the 10º pool - the sun was so inviting again! This February we have had night frost about 5 times....

Tulha's Bar is by far the #1 restaurant of our visitors. It is also one of the restaurants mentioned in many of the guide books. There are many reasons: the service is friendly, menu is typically Portuguese but varied, portions are large, price is accessible - these are a few. And it is also just 10 minutes by foot from Casa do Valle, right in the Historical Center, between the Church and the Tourism Office. Tulha's is one of the restaurants that has been around 'forever'. In the last 20+ years that I have lived here, they have changed cooks only once and the owners and some of the staff have been here all this time. A converted, old grain warehouse, it is small, only 10 tables, and it is always busy. The service is fast and pleasant, there is always a smile and a free glass of Port waiting for you. For those who want to taste the Portuguese culinary specialties like Duck Rice or Cream-baked Cod, this is the place: everyday there is a different specialty on the ...