Batalha Monastery including the unfinished chapels
The Monastery Of Batalha (literally the Monastery of the Battle) is a Dominican Convent which was originally and officially known as The Monastery of Saint Mary of the Victory. It …
Alcobaca Monastery – resting place of the corpse Queen
We’ve seen a lot of big buildings in Portugal so far and the Alcobaca Monastery was not to be outdone. There is a very special reason to visit this monastery, …
The oldest cloister in the world at Moissac
Moissac is an unremarkable small town bordering the Tarn river in the Occitanie region of Southern France. It has a single claim to fame that makes it worthwhile to travel …
The sun returns in Gijon
It’s been 24 days since we had a day that was sunny AND warm. What’s wrong with that? What a terrible summer we’ve had! We arrived in Alcobaca and it …
Bom Jesus do Monte and all those stairs
It was just a quick day trip today as we were not going to stay overnight. Oh no, not another monastery! Yes, another religious site but this time something quite …
Guimaraes Castle and Palace
We decided to go to Guimaraes for two main reasons. One, because it had a castle to see (and we love a good castle) and two, that castle was voted …
Free camping at Alcobaca with electricity!
This was a superb Free Aire where Alcobaca’s local Camping and Caravan club provided a great place for visitors to the city to park up. It’s right in the centre …
Nazare- Surfers paradise!?
Some of the biggest waves in the world regularly turn up at Praia do Norte, Nazare, Portugal. We recently visited in early June 2019 when we spotted a wave that …
Mafra National Palace and Library
The Palace of Mafra, which also served as a Franciscan Friary, was built for the Queen of Portugal. The king promised to have a convent built for his wife if …
Our stats and expenses for June 2019
June was strange. We spent much of the time in Portugal and also in the north of Spain but despite what should have been summer, it really wasn’t. Early in …