Like most people, we have done very little travelling this past year. The global pandemic has limited all thoughts of international travel and made domestic excursions more of a calculated risk and logistical challenge. Our family is in the “high risk” category for Covid-19, so, 2020 has been the year we learned how to quarantine as a family rather than travel. Luckily, we have had wonderful memories of past adventures to reflect on. As expected, lockdown has not stopped us from planning future adventures as reflections of Portugal flood our memory. We are dreaming of the day when we can make another trip to Portugal to see more of that beautiful country and perhaps explore it’s neighbor, Spain, while we are in that region. In March of 2019, we attended a wonderful wedding in Colares, a small beach town located in central Portugal. This wine region west of Lisbon emits a sleepy timelessness. It is in the Sintra area, where the affluent families of Portugal used to go to escape the steamy Lisbon summers in their colorful wind-cooled palaces. Portugal was a country wes had never visited before. We enjoyed our time there so much, we can’t wait to go back. If we had the opportunity to go tomorrow, we would pack the essentials and be on our way. While there, we were able to explore the capital city of Lisbon and several smaller towns in the Sintra area along the central coast. Some of our favorite finds were the smaller coastal towns of Cascais and Nazaré, as well as Fátima and the Óbidos castle. I will list some of our trip highlights and recommendations below: Lisbon – A wonderful city for shopping and people watching. Spend some time wandering the old streets of Alfama or catching a gorgeous sunset view in Graca. Don’t miss spending some time in Rossio Square. When you are hungry, try the fish on Rua dos Bacalhoeiros or head over to the Time Out Market to sample everything. There is also a variety of nightlife to experience. Cascais – A coastal resort town known for its wide sandy beaches and busy marina. We enjoyed wonderful seafood, shopping and outdoor cafés. Nazaré – A lovely picturesque oceanfront village that has become one of the most popular seaside resorts in the Silver Coast. It is known for it’s excellent surfing conditions with very high breaking waves. Sintra – The are two sites to see in Sintra. The Pena palace is a castle that stands on the top of a hill in the Sintra Mountains above the town of Sintra, and on a clear day it can be easily seen from Lisbon and much of its metropolitan area. The second is Cabo da Roca. It’s a cape which forms the westernmost point of the Sintra Mountain Range, of mainland Portugal, and of continental Europe. Fátima – A central Portuguese town that’s home to the Sanctuary of Fátima, a Catholic pilgrimage site. Óbidos castle – The castle is one of the best-preserved medieval towns in Portugal, providing a glimpse into the the history of the area. It is located on a hilltop and encircled by a fortified wall. The castle has stood at the top of Obidos hill since the Moors era (8-11th century). In Sintra, we stayed in an lovely oceanfront hotel called the Arribas Sintra Hotel. We also found a wonderful local restaurant, Nortada, where we had our favorite meal of the trip. Nortada, is a fantastic oceanfront seafood haven that only serves the freshest catch. If you have the opportunity, try the octopus! Our overall reflections of Portugal: good food and happy people abound in Portugal. We look forward to the day when we can return with our family. For now, we will keep planning a trip back to this picturesque country. We look forward to enjoying all that the country has to offer from the big cities to the small towns. There is a wide array of activities to experience wherever you go but make sure you leave time to stop for a coffee, pastry (perhaps indulge in a Pastel de Nata) at one of the many outdoor cafés.
How To Decorate Pumpkins with succulents…
These adorable pumpkins were popular last fall. We saw them at farmers markets and local shops. We were given a small palm sized pumpkin that was hollowed out and stuffed with succulents. It was adorable but only lasted for a week or so. We also found a larger pumpkin at a local farmers market that were made by attaching the succulents to a bed of Spanish moss that has been hot glued to the top of the pumpkin. That pumpkin is still intact and continues to have succulents growing on it! We liked this alternative pumpkin so much that we decided to recreate them this season and give to friends as gifts. We were able to grow the pumpkins in our garden, but you can easily find similar ones at your local pumpkin patch. You can also use an artificial pumpkin. Here is a list of items needed to make your succulent pumpkin. Pumpkin with flat top surface and minimal stem Clear Coat Spray (for preserving your pumpkin, if using a real one) Spanish moss (about 1 cup per pumpkin) A variety of succulents (either fresh or artificial) Scissors for cutting up succulents Hot glue gun and glue sticks You can find all of the project needs on our project materials page. Once you have gathered the items needed to create your pumpkin, assembling them is relatively easy. Follow these steps to create your pumpkin: Start by spraying your pumpkin with the clear coat spray to help preserve it if using a real pumpkin. This will help your pumpkin last throughout the season. While waiting for the hairspray to dry completely, prepare your succulents by cleaning the real ones or cutting apart the artificial ones. When the pumpkin is dry, start by spreading a handful of the spanish moss around the top of the pumpkin. Carefully run a bead of hot glue, about an inch from the stem, to secure the moss. Hold the moss in place until the glue cools and the moss is secured. You can always add more glue to reinforce, after all the plants have been assembled Begin by arranging the largest plants on the pumpkin. You will need to move them around until you find an arrangement that you like. Secure each with hot glue. Once the large succulents are in place, begin adding smaller ones to fill in the excess space on the moss. We typically like grouping the plants in odd numbers and allow space to see the moss through the gaps in between plants. Arrange the smaller plants before gluing them to make sure you like to placement. Once you like the arrangement, secure with glue. Remove all visible glue strings. We’re always looking for a thoughtful hostess gift or a special gift that is easy to make. These pumpkins also make beautiful autumn accent pieces. Ours will go on the back porch coffee table, be added to the pumpkin collection on my side entrance and accessorize the fall décor in our family room. With luck, they will be enjoyed by all throughout the season. In addition to home decor, we think these pumpkins, made in a variety of sizes and colors, would be wonderful centerpieces, table toppers and accent décor for a fall wedding or party. They could be added to the bar, placed on tables, and arranged throughout a venue to create a sophisticated uniform theme. How ever you choose to use them, these succulent pumpkins provide long lasting autumn charm.