Palacio de Seteais, Sintra

"And what's this palace over here?" I asked our driver as we turned into the long driveway, our car heading towards what looked like another important Sintra landmark. He had been pointing out all the palaces we were passing, all of them glowing beautifully in the night.

"This?  This is your hotel!"
"Whaaat? No seriously... what is this place?"
"It is true! This is your hotel! Very beautiful and very quiet."

Balesin: Your Private Island

"What are you doing Friday--do you want to go to Balesin? There's one more seat on the plane," my friend Joanna texted me. Are you kidding? Of course I want to go to Balesin. The first and last time I was there was as a kid, ten thousand years ago, when it was still owned by the Tordesillas family and only a few people knew about the island.

Hotel Britania, Lisbon

 

I'd never been to Lisbon before this trip, but it seems I was lucky with my choice of hotel. The Britania is just the right type of boutique hotel I appreciate-- small and intimate, uniquely designed, has a a historic background,  and is perfectly located. As I said, I was lucky--I didn't see this review until after our stay.

Lisbon's Flea Market

We were able to catch the Feira da Ladra, or Thieves' Market, on our last day in Lisbon. Just like in any other flea market, there's lots of junk, cheap souvenirs and clothes. But there are also wonderful antiques, old books, prints and ceramics. In Lisbon's flea market, the most exciting thing for me are the azulejos (pronounced azoo-leh-zhos)-- the handpainted tiles that are used extensively in Portuguese buildings and interiors.

Timely Reminder

Nothing better than a strong visual to remind us that time is precious. Once it passes, it's gone, shredded forever.

Albufeira Oceanview

The view of the Atlantic ocean from the cliffs of the Albufeira is impressive. These are the grounds of the Sheraton Algarve Hotel, which is part of the Pine Cliff Resort--a hotel and timeshare property in the Albufeira, south of Portugal.

Cataplana in the Algarve

 

Cataplana  is a word that can can refer to a recipe, or to the copper pot in which this recipe is cooked. It's famous and typical in the Algarve or the southernmost region of Portugal. I thought it was similar to a zarzuela de mariscos, but then chef Fernando Fonseca, of the Restaurante Santa Eulalia, immediately said "noooooo, definitely not!"

Christmas Chaos

 Christmas 2008. The year we were moving house.

I was too dizzy to have a proper Christmas tree. See that palmera with balls behind?

The last three weeks has been a blur, with all the Christmas preparations going on (hence the lack of posts)  Christmas in Manila takes on a different level--it's a mixture of excitement, mayhem, stress, and warm fuzzy feelings.  Just last night I got together with yet another group of friends. People I don't see throughout the year, but on Christmas, when everybody is home for the holidays, we make a special effort to have a Christmas meal together. Then we always wonder why we don't see each other more often.