Wonders of the orient delight visitors to Portugal’s Buddha Eden

statue of dragon and Buddha — GA statue of the reclining Buddha is one of the most impressive features at Buddha Eden.

Nestled in the rolling hills of western Portugal, about an hour north of Lisbon, is a truly spectacular experience, Europe’s largest Asian garden. The Buddha Eden is a 35-hectare (86-acre) garden of lawns, lakes, and exotic plants. Most impressive of all is the vast collection of statues. These giant statues of the Buddha; seated, standing, or reclining, are scattered throughout the grounds. Armies of terracotta warriors or stone dragons guard them. In the center of the long, narrow lake is a small temple, accessible by a footbridge. The red bridge reminded me of my trip to Vietnam in 2017, when I visited the Ngoc Son Temple on an island in the Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi.

A footbridge leads to the temple in the middle of the lake at Buddha Eden.

The garden was created by José Manuel Rodrigues Berardo, a Portuguese businessman and art collector, who commissioned the statues in response to the destruction, in 2001, of the Buddhas of Bamiyan in Afghanistan. Around six thousand tons of marble and granite were commissioned for the creation of the statues.

African sculptures

Work on the garden began around 2006 and continues to this day. The newer areas feature artworks by contemporary sculptors. There is also a whole area filled with sculptures by African artists from the Shona people of Zimbabwe. Visitors can walk the paths around the gardens or take the little train from near the entrance. It chugs slowly around the grounds at walking pace. Passengers can get off at any one of the three stops to explore and rejoin the train later. The journey takes about 20 minutes.

A hillside at the garden is filled with scuptures by African artists from Zimbabwe.

Buddha Eden is on the grounds of the Bacalõa winery at the Quinta dos Loridos. There is a buffet restaurant and shop near the entrance where visitors can browse and buy wines from seven regions, including Alentejo, Setùbal Peninsula, Bairrada, Dão, and Douro. Entry to the park is seven Euros, and train tickets cost seven euros. The garden is open year-round except for Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.

A giant figure of a man with his head buried in stone is one of many sculptures by contemporary artists at the Buddha Eden garden.

Nearby attractions

I have lived in Portugal for six years and although I had heard of the Buddha Eden garden, I had no idea of how extensive and spectacular it is. Only about a ten-minute drive away is the much better-known medieval walled town of Obidos. You can park outside the town and stroll through its narrow streets, visit its famous book stores, and test your fear of heights as you walk along the ramparts which have no guard rails.

If you have time or are continuing a tour of the area, drive to the coast and visit the town of Peniche. This charming traditional fishing town is home to a 16th-century fort that was built to defend the coast. Peniche is now a popular destination for surfers. You can also take a boat from the Peniche harbor out to the Berlenguas islands, where you can visit a nature reserve and the Fort of São João Batista. The 17th-century fort, according to the guide who showed my friends around it, was built to defend Portugal from the British, the Spanish, and pirates!

The São João Batista is a feature of the Berlengas islands. It is possible to stay overnight at the fort.

Follow my blog to learn more about life in Portugal. Check out my website RosalieRayburn.com. or my author page for news about my Digger Doyle mystery books.

The Aussie tree that swallowed Portugal

A visitor traveling around Portugal may be surprised to see miles and miles of hillsides covered in eucalyptus forests. These trees, native to Australia, are grown for paper and pulp production, oils, resins, and construction.

Companies like Navigator and Renova produce a range of paper products that account for about 1.5 percent of Portugal’s GDP and about 80,000 jobs.

How did they get to Portugal?

Eucalyptus trees were brought to the Iberian Peninsula in the early nineteenth century. They were first planted in 1829 at the Quinta da Formiga in Vila Nova de Gaia, near Porto, according to Biodiversidade.com.pt. However, it was in the 1860s that the Portuguese railway company began large-scale plantations to use the logs for railroad ties (also known as sleepers in British English).

In a countryside characterized by short, steep hills and deep, narrow valleys, growing eucalyptus as a crop makes sense. They grow swiftly, can be harvested within 12 years, and they keep on growing. An area where the trees have been cut will sport new saplings within less than five years. The most prevalent variety is the Eucalyptus globulus or blue gum. Leaves on the very young trees are blue, turning to green as they mature.

Watching the eucalyptus being harvested is fascinating. A huge machine, mounted on tracks like a tank, can move up and down the steep hillsides. Its crane-like boom is equipped with a machine that can cut the tree, strip the leaves, and grabber claws lift and stack the logs. Operating one of these machines is skilled and dangerous work, according to an operator I talked to.

Hyundai logging machine — This track-mounted logging machine, built by Hyundai, can maneuver up and down steep hillsides where the trees are grown.

The business end of the logging machine can cut trees, strip the leaves and stack the logs.

A hillside where the eucalyptus trees have been harvested.

Giant matchsticks

Despite this, the Portuguese, however, have a love-hate relationship with these intruders from down under. Why? Let me count the ways. They are not native to Portugal. They use a lot of water, the plantations have eliminated biodiversity in many areas, and they pose a significant fire risk. Every summer, parts of the country are ravaged by fire, often because the burning eucalyptus bark is blown by the wind and spreads the blaze. An article in the Portugal news dubbed them “giant matchsticks”.

Smoke looms over countryside — Smoke from a wildfire looms over central Portugal. The trees in the foreground are oak, those in the distance are eucalyptus.

Personally, I fall into the I hate eucalyptus category. If I never see another eucalyptus plantation, I would be happy. The endless dark green of the hillsides, the tunnel-like roads that wind through the forests, is depressing to me. However, everyone has their own opinion. I use toilet paper and kitchen paper made by Renova!

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Moving to Portugal popular, but times are changing

Dom Luis Bridge in Porto — These rabelo boats were historically used to transport Port wine barrels on the Douro River from vineyards to Vila Nova de Gaia.

In recent years, Portugal’s low cost of living, visa programs, sunny climate and access to other European countries have made it a sought-after destination for Americans seeking to move abroad. That trend accelerated even before the November 2024 election and a raft of executive actions that have rolled back protections for the LGBTQ and transgender community. Official figures show that the number of Americans living in the southern European country soared from around 3,000 in 2017 to more than 14,000 in 2023.

Reasons people give for making the move include the desire to flee a rising cost of living, political polarization, concerns about access to healthcare, and personal safety.

Portugal certainly meets those expectations. According to Global Citizen Solutions, a company that advises on international relocation, a couple can live comfortably in Portugal on between $2,500-$3,000 per month, outside major cities. The national healthcare system offers low or no-cost care to legal residents. The Global Peace Index ranked Portugal among the top ten safest countries in the world. Portugal is also ranked among the most LGBTQ-friendly. The country approved same-sex marriage in 2010, LGBTQ couples have adoption rights, and there is strong legislation prohibiting discrimination on sexual orientation and gender identity in employment, housing, healthcare, and public services.

Housing costs rising

However, Portugal’s very popularity has led to major changes. House prices have risen steadily in recent years, and will continue to increase because of demand, according to Fortune magazine. Idealista, a major property company in Portugal, reported prices increased by 6.5 percent in the year ending February 2025. Prices are highest in the major cities of Lisbon, Porto, and the southern district of the Algarve. Monthly rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Lisbon center starts at around 600-700 euros ($700-$820), according to Portugalist.com, but they can be tough to find.

House prices are lower in cities like Viana do Castelo, in northern Portugal, Santarem in central Portugal, and Castelo Branco, in the east near the Spanish border. It’s also possible to find much lower prices in country areas, but many properties require significant renovations. Dampness is a big problem in all Portuguese homes.

Visas and a change to residency requirement

There are multiple ways to relocate to Portugal. The D7 visa is available if you have “passive” income such as social security, pension or rental income. Applicants must provide an array of official documents, including proof of income. The VFS Global website, VFSglobal.com explains the process. The Golden Visa program which allowed applicants to obtain residency through investment in property, has been changed. It now requires applicants to invest between 200,000 and 500,000 euros in either a cultural organization or specified funds.

The D8, or “Digital Nomad” visa is available for applicants who can work remotely. Applicants must show proof monthly income of 3,480 euros, or about $4,000.

This year, the Portuguese government approved a major change to the requirements for obtaining Portuguese citizenship. Portugal is a member of the European Union and is covered by the Schengen agreement. This means, Portuguese citizens can travel visa-free and work anywhere within the EU.

Under new rules foreigners will need to complete 10 years of residency in Portugal before applying for citizenship, replacing the previous five-year requirement. The new rules include stricter language requirements, a civic knowledge test and applicants must sign a pledge to uphold the Portuguese constitution. Children born in Portugal to foreign parents are not automatically citizens.

The green and red Portuguese flag explained.

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Summer is festival time in Portugal

August is a popular month for “Festas” in Portugal. Towns and villages all over the country erect lighted decorations, bandstands and mobilize volunteers to provide meals for the hundreds of festival goers who show up to enjoy the good vibes.

Festival season actually begins around the end of May. There are a lot of villages and each one has to get a weekend. Of course sometimes two villages have their event on the same days, but it’s entirely possible to hit more than one Festa on a weekend. The music, feasting and dancing usually continues over two or three nights. Any event in Portugal involves eating. The most popular dish is grilled chicken, “frango assado”. The chicken is spatchcocked then grilled on an outdoor barbecue and served with fries and rice. (Yes, that’s right both fries AND rice. You often see that combination in Portugal.)

When it comes to August, everyone says you need to realize that nothing much happens during this month in Portugal. Stores and restaurants close for a couple of weeks, families go on vacation, and hordes of French tourists arrive.

The French tourists are not really normal tourists. Many of them are the children or grandchildren of Portuguese who went to France years ago to find work. They return to their ancestral villages to see family members and enjoy the summer festivals. Sun-seeking visitors from the UK, Ireland, Holland and Germany also arrive en masse in Portugal during the summer.

Many normal business operations slow down in August. By law, employees in Portugal have a minimum of 22 days of paid leave. The law also prohibits employers from offering employees extra pay to forego paid leave days. (Wouldn’t it be nice if employees in the US had the same benefits.)

Festa poster — A poster advertises a festival in the village of Vale Venteiro, central Portugal.

This year Portugal and most of southern Europe has experience an unusually hot summer. Since June temperatures have regularly been in the high 30sC (90sF.) But that hasn’t stopped the festival fun. Maybe that’s why all the feasting and music starts so late! The music often continues into the wee hours.

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Record heat after wet winter spells major fire risk in Portugal

Sweltering temperatures and an abundance of vegetation fed by a long wet spring have created ideal conditions for the wildfires now plaguing parts of Portugal and other southern European countries. But lessons learned from a deadly fire in 2017 spurred the country to respond more rapidly to send out alerts and to contain the blazes.

The website fogos.pt allows people to locate where the fires are and follow their progress. Another useful resource during fire season is Safe Communities Portugal. The website of this national non-profit organization links to information for all kinds of weather emergencies, crime alerts and even cyber crime.

This summer is different

I’ve spent seven summers in Portugal. Three years ago, in 2022, there was a dry winter and a heatwave in early July. Fires broke out all around my village. The response was swift. Within about 30 minutes of first spotting a plume of smoke in the distance, I heard the drone of planes and helicopters carrying water from a nearby lake to douse the flames. One day there were so many it sounded like a Word War II movie.

However 2025 is by far the hottest summer I’ve experienced. We’ve had temperatures in the mid-to high 30s Celcius (90s in Fahrenheit) with unpleasant regularity since mid-June. This week and next week in my town of Tomar, the thermometer is set to hit 38 C to 40 C or 100 F to 104 F for a couple of days. Luckily, my old stone house in the historic district of Tomar stays bearable with almost no need for air conditioning. I do, however, make sure to keep the shutters closed to keep out the sun during the hottest hours.

Heat Dome

These seemingly endless high temperatures are caused by an area of high pressure, sometimes called a “heat dome”, stalled over southern Europe and North Africa. This weather pattern has followed an unusually wet late winter and spring. This year, it started raining in early January and kept on raining almost daily until mid-May. Needless to say, everything grew like mad. Now, after weeks of dry weather, the weeds and wild grasses have dried up and everything is crunchy underfoot when I take my dog Divina for a walk in the forest. On top of that, much of central and northern Portugal is covered with highly flammable eucalyptus trees grown for paper making.

No surprises then that wildfires are breaking out. In recent days, areas in Northern Portugal have been the worst hit. Hundreds of fire fighters (Bombeiros) have been fighting a fire near the picturesque town of Ponte de Barca.

A helicopter carries a giant bucket filled with water to put out a wildfire.

Follow my blog to learn all about daily life in Portugal. Check out my website, RosalieRayburn.com for the latest on my Digger Doyle Mystery novels.

Tomar: Portugal’s hidden gem celebrates fascinating Knights Templar history

Tomar, the town in central Portugal where I now live, has a rich and historic past. It’s founder, Gualdim Pais, was the grand master of the Order of the Knights Templar in Portugal. Who were the Knights Templar?

If you have ever heard of the Crusades, then the Templars were part of that story. They started in 1119 as an order of warrior monks who protected pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem.

The Templars were similar to other medieval orders such as the Hospitallers who are linked to St. John’s Ambulance services in present-day UK, and the Knights of Malta. Tomar was an important center for the order in medieval Portugal.

Gualdim Pais is credited as the founder of Tomar, which Conde Nast magazine recently featured as a hidden gem of Portugal .

Statue of Tomar founder Gualdim Pais overlooks Christmas decorations in Tomar’s Praça da Republica in December, 2024.

The Templars became so powerful that they fell foul of the influential French king Phillip IV who persuaded Pope Clement V to disband the organization in 1312. In Portugal, the order regrouped as the Order of Christ. The order built the immense Convento de Cristo beside the Templar castle in Tomar. It is now a world heritage site.

Part of the huge Convento de Cristo which is now a Unesco world heritage site in Tomar, central Portugal. I draws tens of thousands of tourists each year,

Annual festival

Medieval dancers, wool spinning demonstrations, Moroccan tent, Camels in part of the animal display for children as part of the Festa dos Templarios.

Tomar celebrates its Templar history with an annual festival in July. The festival features, a banquet in the Convento de Cristo, and a dinner for the regular people, “Jantar do Povo” in the Mata de Sete Montes, a large local park. Dancers, jesters and bagpipe players entertain the diners as they enjoy their meal. The highlight of the festival is a torchlight procession. Modern day “knights” on horseback lead dozens of followers carrying flaming torches on the steep road down from the castle. They stop in the town square, the Praça da Republica for a brief ceremony honoring Gualdim Pais, then continue to the church of Santa Maria das Olivais where Pais is interred.

A group of friends waiting to go to the Jantar Real, or Royal Dinner at the Convento de Cristo during the 2024 Festa dos Templarios in Tomar.

Tourist business impact on small town

Living in a town that lives on its tourist reputation has both positive and negative impacts. In the warmer months, Tomar is teeming with busloads of tourists, you can hear French, Spanish, Italian tourists and American and British English accents. The city sports numerous Air BnB locations and innumerable cafes and restaurants. House prices and rents have soared in recent years as the foreign investors have flocked to the town.

I live on a street that was the center of the old Jewish quarter. It is colloquially known as Rua da Sinagoga. Down my street is the museum of the oldest synagogue in Portugal.

Follow my blog to read more about daily life in Portugal. Visit my website RosalieRayburn.com to read about my Digger Doyle mystery book series.

Author podcast is a new horizon for books

This month I ventured into the world of podcasts with an interview on The Author Show. This is a podcast where authors get to talk about their books. It’s a new way to reach potential readers. For readers, it’s a great way to discover different authors and styles of books. The podcast is accessible on many platforms including: Amazon Music, Apple /Podcast, iHeartRadio, GooglePodcast, Pandora, Podchaser, Soundcloud, Spotify and TuneIn.

The host of this show, Don McCauley, is a marketing expert and he gives his author subjects a lot of help to prepare for the fifteen minute interview. He emailed me a list of suggested questions and invited me to submit up to ten additional questions he could ask during the interview. The aim, he advises, is to grab the listener’s attention with a great hook.

How to do that? Well, you have to know your genre and the specific style of that genre. For example, if it is a mystery, do you have a lot of action? A tough he-man main character? Or a smart sassy female detective? My latest book “Windswept” has the intrepid young reporter Elizabeth “Digger” Doyle.

Political mystery

Here’s how The Author’s Show blurb describes the plot of Windswept. “Investigating the mysterious death of a controversial politician, Digger is thrust into a storm of political intrigue, buried secrets and personal risk.”

The setting of the book is crucial to the plot. “Set against the windswept landscapes of New Mexico, Windswept is a gripping LGBTQ+ political mystery that explores how far people will go to protect power, and what happens when the truth refuses to stay buried.”

Part of a series

Windswept is the third book in my “Digger Doyle Mystery” series. The first book, “The Power of Rain”, weaves political corruption and social activism, the second “The Sunshine Solution” blends investigative journalism, political manipulation and personal stakes. All three books are based on my experience as a journalist with the Albuquerque Journal, largest daily newspaper in New Mexico.

Each book in the series is available in print and ebook form from Amazon, and Kindle, and from Barnes and Noble and local book stores in Albuquerque and Santa Fe.

The three books in my Digger Doyle mystery series.

You can also buy my books through my website, RosalieRayburn.com

Why it’s useful to speak Portuguese, and how to learn

Being able to speak Portuguese, even a few words, is a huge advantage for anyone planning to move to this lovely country. Yes, many Portuguese people, especially those under 40, speak very good English. They are ready to help you even if you start off speaking to them in their own language. But they are usually delighted when you show that you’ve made the effort to learn and they will often compliment you on your halting sentences.

Portugal is becoming a popular potential retirement destination for an increasing number of people from the US. If you are one of those considering a move, it is worth making a scouting trip to explore different parts of the country and get a feel for life here. It is also very valuable to familiarize yourself with the language before you come.

That said, if your pronunciation is off you may get blank stares even though you think you have said the word correctly. It’s worth mentioning that there is a big distinction between the Portuguese spoken in Portugal and that spoken in Brazil. Think about the variations between the English spoken in the UK, the United States and Australia. Or the Spanish spoken in Spain versus that used in Cuba, Mexico or Argentina.

Online language learning options

There are several online options to learn Portuguese. I followed an online course offered by Babbel.com. It was simple, practical and fun. The monthly subscription is currently $17.95. A longterm commitment brings down the price; for example six-month subscription costs $13.45 per month, a 12-months subscription is $8.95. Duolingo as an app you can use on your mobile phone with a free option. It gradually builds your vocabulary and grammatical skills. It also nags you daily to keep going. Babbel and Duolingo only offer the Brazilian version, but I still found them useful. After all, Portugal still has close ties with its former colony Brazil. There are hundreds of thousands of Brazilians now living in Portugal.

There are options for learning European Portuguese too. You can try the app Memrise, which does have a limited free version. There is also PracticePortuguese where you can listen to short conversations. If you subscribe, you can follow along with the text. The idea was developed by a Portuguese guy and his Canadian partner. It has useful information on the nitty gritty stuff like verbs as well. PortuguesewithLeo is a fun alternative available on YouTube. If you do move to Portugal, in most towns there are opportunities to take Portuguese classes at a local secondary school (high school) for a very nominal sum, maybe 8 euros (less than $10.)

Lost in translation?

There are of course a lot of Portuguese people who do not speak English. Some people use Google Translate to help them communicate in those situations. However, it’s not always foolproof. I know one woman who somehow managed to ask a very formal Portuguese man she met at a grand country hotel if he would marry her! Luckily he had a sense of humor. I have found the app Deepl to be very helpful when I need to translate a sentence quickly.

A couple of words and phrases that will stand you in good stead. “Casa de Banho” pronounced “cah-zah de bahnyo” means bathroom. A conta “ah cawn-tah” means the bill at a restaurant. Cerveja “ser-vay-zhya” means beer. Thank you is “Obrigado” for a man, “Obrigada” for a woman. “Bom dia” is good morning, “boa tarde” is good afternoon. So, good luck, or boa sorte, with learning Portuguese.

Subscribe to my blog to learn more about daily life in Portugal. Check my website RosalieRayburn.com for news about my Digger Doyle mystery series.

Cristo Rei statue overlooks city of Lisbon — The Cristo Rei statue overlooks the Tejo river in Lisbon

Portugal Celebrates its freedom

A carnation decorates the civic building in Grandola — A carnation decorates the municipal building in Grandola. The flower was the symbol of the 1974 peaceful revolution that ended 42 years of dictatorship.

Today, April 25, is a historic date in Portugal. Fifty-one years ago, the ‘Carnation Revolution’ ended the decades long dictatorship under António de Oliveira Salazar. Last year, when Portugal commemorated the fiftieth anniversary of the revolution, tens of thousands of people gathered to celebrate in Lisbon’s Avenida de Liberdade. This year will be a quieter affair, but it is still a public holiday. The main square in my town of Tomar will be filled with stands selling food and drinks, there will be music and song.

Flower power

The revolution was plotted and carried out by a group of young army captains. Disenchanted by having to fight in bloody wars in Portugal’s colonies of Angola and Mozambique and the repression at home, the captains plotted in secret. The signal to start the coup was the song “Grandola Vila Morena”, played on the radio.

A few hours after the tanks rolled into Lisbon streets, Salazar’s successor, Marcelo Caetano, peacefully relinquished power. Out on the streets, women from a flower shop placed carnations in the barrels of the soldier’s guns. Hence the name, Carnation Revolution.

What did the revolution achieve? The ‘Estado Novo’ that Salazar created in 1932 was a time of secret police and political prisons. A time when neighbors informed on neighbors. People were forbidden to gather in public. Women were not allowed to work outside the home, travel, or even open their own mail without their husband’s permission. Salazar discouraged modernization. Instead, he encouraged the people to uphold the old ways. Thus, the Portugal of 1974 was a desperately poor, backward country.

Historic photo of crowds in Lisbon on April 25, 1974, celebrating the end of the dictatorship.

Facismo Nunca Mais

People who packed the streets last year shouted the slogan, “Fascismo Nunca Mais”, no more fascism. Although historians say Salazar was not a fascist, he was an ultra-rightwing authoritarian who used his secret police (PIDE) against political opponents.

The poet Sophia de Mello Andresen, wrote a poem that captured the elation of the first days of freedom. “Esta e a madrugada que eu esperava”. Roughly translated, it means, this is the dawn that I longed for. She continues, saying that it was like emerging to a brand new day free from night and silence.

Shifting winds

Fifty years later, the political climate in Portugal is changing. The far-right “Chega” party has gained ground since it was founded in 2019. Many were stunned when Chega won 18 percent of the votes cast in a national election held in March 2024. In this, Portugal was like several other countries in Europe, including France, Germany and the Netherlands, which have seen a surge in support for right-wing parties.

However, Chega did not perform as well in the European parliament elections in June 2024. Polls in advance of a snap election called for May 18, show Chega’s support has continued to slip. So the future is unclear.

A band plays the song “Grandola Vila Morena” in Grandola, Portugal, on the fiftieth anniversary of the Carnation Revolution. The song, played on the radio was the signal for the troops to begin the coup to overthrow the dictatorship.

Follow my blog to learn more about daily life in Portugal. Check out my website RosalieRayburn.com to read about my Digger Doyle Mystery novels.

Tomar: small town charm in Portugal

Tomar’s historic Templar castle is lit up at night

I see a lot of social media posts by Americans saying they want to move to Portugal. What are they looking for? Well, at the moment, it seems like they are looking to escape an increasingly scary political situation in the US.

Every time I hear this, I ask them: what kind of life are you looking for?

Me? I was looking for community. Moving to a small town in Portugal gave me the opportunity to make connections with my neighbors, with the people in the tiny stores and restaurants, with the familiar faces I see on the streets each day. I see them on the street because I am walking. In the US, I was always driving in my car.

I moved to Portugal in 2019, lived in a tiny village for five years and now live in the historic town of Tomar, founded 1160. Every day, I run into people I have come to know during my time here. Exchanging a “bom dia”, “boa tarde” or “boa noite”, depending on the time of day, gives me a great sense of belonging.

City girl visits Tomar

This weekend, a British friend who lives in the Lisbon area, came to visit. She had never been to Tomar before. The train journey from the Santa Apolonia station in Lisbon to Tomar takes about two hours. It is a regional train which stops every 10 kilometers. About 30 minutes before the end of the journey, in a town called “Entroncamento”, the line branches off. The main line continues north, the branch line goes to Tomar, the final stop.

If you get in the wrong car (carriage) in Lisbon, you can find yourself stranded in Entroncamento, because only the first three cars of the train continue to Tomar. One friend who visited in 2022 actually got stranded in Entroncamento, because she was in the wrong carriage.

What’s in a town?

Coming from the hustle and bustle of Lisbon, my friend found Tomar very quiet. But that is its charm. The old part of town, where I live, is a network of tiny, cobbled streets where people chat in doorways. It has dozens of cafes and restaurants where people enjoy coffee morning, afternoon and evening.

Mostly it is known for its stunning Templar castle and the associated Convento de Cristo, a UNESCO world heritage site which draw tens of thousands of tourists each year.

Rosalie (left) and friend Ginny, pose with a man dressed as a Templar knight at the gate of the castle in Tomar.

Unfortunately, this being March, the weather did not cooperate for my friend’s visit. A major depression called “Jana” was predicted to affect the country over the weekend, bringing heavy rain, gusty winds and dangerous waves. We saw everything but the waves. Luckily, we had umbrellas!

However, one thing my friend enjoyed during her stay, was my supply of British PT Tips tea bags. Knowing how hard it is to get good quality tea here in Portugal, an English friend brought me a bag of 1,100 tea bags last year. Despite my daily cuppa habit, I still have several hundred left.

Hallelujah! It’s raining tea bags in Tomar.

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