Wow Guide Portugal - Elise Slotte

19/12/2024

Pick up at Hotel Albatroz

16/12/2024

If you don’t already follows Julie Dawn Fox in Portugal you should definitely start!
She has so much knowledge and shares plenty of very interesting and useful information.
She can also help you to create the perfect plan for you trip to discover Portugal.

The quiet village of Penha Garcia straddles a rocky cliff which commands sweeping views over the neighboring plains in the southeast part of Central Portugal. The surrounding rock formations are one of the geological highlights within the NaturTejo Geopark, notably the trilobite fossils that are sca...

15/12/2024

This is a very beautiful and interesting place! If you don’t like to drive high up on mountain roads, I’m happy to take you😊. 1 hour south of Lisbon.

The Arrábida Natural Park in Portugal is home to the Convento da Arrábida, a monastery founded in the 16th century by Friar Martinho de Santa Maria. Nestled in the hills, it was originally a place for contemplation and retreat for the Franciscan friars. The monastery complex includes chapels, cells, and a small church, offering a glimpse into the monastic life of the time. The serene and picturesque surroundings of the park made it an ideal location for reflection and spiritual retreat.

The ”towers”, the small buildings are known as hermitages. They were indeed connected to the monastery and were used by the friars for solitary meditation and prayer. Each hermitage provided a quiet, secluded space for the friars to retreat to, allowing them to focus on their spiritual practices.

The three crosses on the hills near the monastery are known as the “Cruzes da Arrábida.” They symbolize the three crosses of Calvary, representing the crucifixion of Jesus and the two thieves. These crosses were placed there by the Franciscan friars as a devotional and meditative site. They serve as a reminder of the passion of Christ and are often visited by pilgrims and visitors to the park.

The exact year the crosses were placed isn’t clearly documented, but they are believed to have been erected in the 16th century by the Franciscan friars of the monastery. The placement of the crosses on the hills was intended to create a spiritual landscape that reflected the Christian tradition of the Stations of the Cross.

The Convento da Arrábida is no longer used as a monastery. Today, it serves as a cultural and historical site. The Fundação Oriente manages the complex and occasionally uses it for cultural events, exhibitions, and retreats. Visitors can explore the monastery’s rich history and enjoy the tranquil surroundings of Arrábida Natural Park.

13/12/2024

Had to stop on my way home from a meeting today. Such a beautiful sunset close to Vila Nova de Milfontes.

06/12/2024

Christmas in Alcacer do Sal.
This is a very nice area to live in. Beautiful small town with ”everything you need”. 1 hour drive to Lisbon. 30 min drive to the amazing beaches south of Comporta. 1,5 hour drive to the Algarve.
If you’re looking for an investment in an upcoming area, this is where to look!

02/12/2024

I’m not only a guide…I’m also a leadership, business and organization developer.
Listen to our live podd tomorrow about communicating with humans. Not as easy as it sounds🤩.

www.evolspiration.com

SalesTV.live is something special. Each week we talk about the news of the day, business or otherwise. We often address topics like Social Selling, Social Enablement, Digital Transformation, and Change Management. Guests and audience participation are a large part of our show and a large part of wha...

28/11/2024

📣 𝗡𝗼𝘁í𝗰𝗶𝗮 𝗱𝗲 ú𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗮 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗮 | 𝗔𝗟𝗚𝗔𝗥𝗩𝗘 𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗶𝘁𝗼 𝗠𝗲𝗹𝗵𝗼𝗿 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗼 𝗱𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗮 𝗱𝗼 𝗠𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗼
O acaba de conquistar pela terceira vez o título de 𝗠𝗲𝗹𝗵𝗼𝗿 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗼 𝗱𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗮 𝗱𝗼 𝗠𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗼 nos World Travel Awards. Numa categoria com 23 nomeados, a região sagrou-se a grande vencedora. O 𝗽𝗿é𝗺𝗶𝗼 𝗾𝘂𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗲 𝗮 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘇𝗮 𝗲 𝗮 𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗱𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗮 𝗮𝗹𝗴𝗮𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗮 foi entregue durante a cerimónia dos World Travel Awards, que decorreu este domingo na Madeira. 🤩🤩

27/11/2024

Do you like to be in control of time and plan your day in detail? Well…relax! You’re in Portugal!

As a very well organized and always in time Swede, I had a bit of a struggle my first months in Portugal. I almost got crazy before I realized that this is a slooow country and I need to change my mindset.
Waiting in line, slow traffic, people who’s showing up late, wait for the food at the restaurant, not getting any information why the train is late……you can choose to be annoyed and waste your energy on anger. Or, you can choose to accept that this is a country where stress is not “the norm”. People don’t stress if they don’t absolutely have to. Full stop.

Relax, have a coffee, answer some emails, enjoy the view or just meditate for 5 minutes.
It’s not the end of the world!
Always include air in your schedules and never plan for “just a 5 min stop”…that will not happen! 5 “Swedish” minutes are 15 Portuguese.

And remember; if a Portuguese person moves to a country with more stress, he will feel the same need of adaptation. And we would tell him to adapt or live somewhere else, right?
We are guests in this wonderful country and getting to know the culture is one of the most interesting parts of moving abroad. Embrace and be happy!

(And yes, of course I can still have moments where I just want to scream to people to hurry up🤣…. Portugal is not perfect and neither am I, but my life here is as perfect as I can make it🙏☀️❤️💃🏼)

18/11/2024

Tavira, Barril and Manta Rota🙏

08/11/2024

I am specialized in accessible tourism and this week I am setting up a special tour for a blind person in Sintra with visits to some of the parks. As a tour guide, I need to be able to purchase tickets in advance to make sure we can get in when we need.
In the professional portal where guides buy tickets, it’s impossible to buy the tickets for disabled with the reduced price. It’s also impossible to buy tickets for people over 65 years old.
I have spent all day trying to purchase the tickets by email but they don’t trust that my client is blind. They need me to ask her for a document proving that she has a limited eyesight. Same if ai have a client in wheelchair, they need to prove they are disabled, otherwise I am not allowed to purchase tickets in advance.

This is an absolutely outrageous way of treating people and it makes it impossible for me to take my clients to Sintra. I would never humiliate my clients by asking them for a proof of not being scammers. How the management of Sintra Parques can have this policy at the same time as they are bragging on their website about how wonderful service they have for disabled people, is hard to understand.

And obviously, they don’t want people over 65 to go to Sintra with a tour guide. If they do, they get punished with paying full price instead of getting the discount.

From now on, I am not anymore going to offer any tours to Sintra. They are a disgrace if this country.
And assuming that all professional guides are scammers, trying to smuggle in people with the wrong ticket?
What is wrong with you??

06/11/2024

Who ever wins the election today, there are many Americans waiting in the starting blocks to get out of there😅.
Portugal is not perfect but a wonderful country and there is a place to find for every lifestyle and budget.
This is also a very diverse country so many factors to consider when you choose location for the next chapter in life.
Climate, nature, city life, budget and much more.
I’m happy to help you finding the perfect one based on your personal wishes and needs.
Welcome to Portugal!
www.wowguideportugal.com

24/10/2024

If you are interested of history and wants to understand the Algarve better, I can highly recommend this website.
And if you don’t think you are interested, read anyway and you may be surprised😁

A site promoting Portuguese history