I spent Sunday exploring Santiago do Cacem and environs. I began in the oldest district, downslope from the castelo, and almost immediately I heard music. I assumed it was a radio, but when I rounded a corner I was swept up in a Palm Sunday procession. There were about 150 people of all ages walking […]
Santiago do Cacem
I arrived in Santiago do Cacem at noon to a celebration party at the local tourism bureau. I was just looking for a map, but was handed a glass of wine, some savoury cheeses and cured meats, and Alcomonias cake! Alcomonias is Arabic in origin and contains pine nuts, a pinch of cumin, flour and […]
Calçada and the Portuguese Blues
I spent my first two days in Portugal exploring Lisboa (Lisbon). Somehow, despite being a city of three million people, Lisboa has the feel of a smallish town. Narrow winding streets. Stuccoed three-storey buildings of soft yellow and pink, upper balconies hung with laundry. Locals smoking on doorsteps and calling to their neighbours from open […]