The Blue Wanderer

13/06/2022

Stayed in a great guesthouse in Foz de Arelho last weekend. Lovely owners, spotless rooms, great swimming pool and outdoor area, very good location, brilliant breakfast and plenty space to park.
Can't recommend it more.

Casa Lagoa. Foz de Arelho. Portugal

07/08/2021

Temporary art installations display in park Tilias in Fundão.
About 10 art works and a lovely terrace in the shade to enjoy them

30/07/2021

New mural in Pero Viseu

15/07/2021

Portugals flamingo kolonie heeft voor het eerst babies hier gekregen

For the first time, a colony of flamingos has successfully nested in the Algarve, with 550 chicks being born in 880 nests.

24/05/2021

Road trip suggestions for Portugal

Portugal's mix of the medieval and the maritime makes it a superb place for a road trip. Short distances mean more time to truly enjoy Portuguese culture.

10/08/2020

If it gets to hot in central Portugal there are always the Serra de Estrella mountains nearby!
If I have to guess I would say we haven't seen temperatures under 35 degrees for about 2 months. Hitting the low 40's on a regular basis.
Yesterday I went up the mountain with a friend. We checked out this river swimming pool this morning. Refreshing water for sure!

Located in Penhas da Saúde across the road from restaurant Veranda de Estrella. Entrance €4,- for the day

29/07/2020

Four orcas spotted off Algarve coast, between Carvoeiro and Ferragudo - Portugal Resident

Wow. Orcas in the Algarve. Wish I was on that boat

Four orcas spotted off Algarve coast, between Carvoeiro and Ferragudo. The group included one adult male, one adult female and two young calves.

08/07/2020

*hotel review*

7 seias marginal in Nazaré, Portugal

On the boulevard in Nazaré so you can't get closer to the beach. A converted large appartement on the 4th floor. A wrap around communual (roof) terrace for enjoying the views. There is a communual kitchen too.
Spacious and clean rooms.
Super bonus: allows dogs!

We paid €40 a night.

06/07/2020

The second and last day of our mini break😁.
It was seriously chilly this morning in Nazaré. Just 20 degrees with fog from the see. After a bit of breakfast on our balcony with ocean view we left our accomodation.
We drove to the part of Nazaré on the top of the cliff. Unfortunatly the little chapel was closed but the view was grand. The legend has it that a hunter on his horse was chasing a deer in the fog. When the deer jumped the cliff the horseman prayed to the lady of Nazareth and his horse came to a magical stand still on the edge of the cliff. The imprint of the hoof in the rock is in the little chapel.
We walked towards a new statue in Nazaré, had a coffee and drove to the charming town Obidos. After a magnificent lunch we drove back home. It was 27 degrees in Obidos and half an hour drive later we hit the 41 degrees. It is hot in Central Portugal!

05/07/2020

Trying to escape the 40+ degrees in our area we headed for the coast.
First stop were the caves of Moeda. Due to covid the caves were closed but the interpretation was open. Lovely staff.
On our last stretch to Nazaré we felt the cool breeze.
What a joy 25 degrees is!
We checked in and had a brilliant Indian lunch.
The North beach is unspoiled and empty as there are no facilities cause it is not suitable for swimming. So many beautiful plants on our walk.
The sunset was lovely and so was our lovely fish dinner.
It was chilly though.🙂 sweaters were needed😁

27/06/2020

Fundão has a new mural! Just behind the market square.
It is to commemorate the 100 the birthday of Amália Rodrigues. A famos fado singer

30/05/2020

It was hot today so we decided to go to the highest mountain of Portugal. I was pretty dissapointed that the roads to the Torre was closed as I wanted to show that area to A.
We decided not to turn around but turn right. Towards Manteigas. Stunning road and a very surprising piece of paradise.
Nestled between rough and rocky mountains is a little green valley. Little streams, lots of trees and shade, picknick benches, bbq facilities and the option to pitch a tent for the night!
Check out Covão d'Ametade!

28/05/2020

A 24 hour flash trip to the West Algarve.

Since 2 weeks we are allowed to travel outside our own district and we had things to sell and things to buy in the Algarve.
It is a 5 hours drive so we arrived at our first destination around 13.00.
Just south of Aljezur. The first windmills were spotted.

The dog needed a run and a dip in the sea so we stopped at Praya Do Amado. A surfers paradise and normaly packed beach this time of year was now deserted and stunning.

We had a lovely prawn lunch in Sagres. The town known for its beer.

In Lagos we checked in at Dona Ana Gardens. Very cute accomodation with a beautiful garden walking distance from the beach. We paid a heavily discounted price. Only €27 a night. The dog was more then welcome and only 2 other rooms were occupied.

We drove to the tip off the cliffs for a quick look and then to Alvor. We were a bit early for our appointment so walked the board walk to let the dog (a portugese water dog) have another swim. We are pretty sure Rio had the best time being back at the beach and swimming his heart out.
We checked the old fishing harbour on our way to a terrace.
The terraces were deserted were they normaly are packed.
After a drink and a snack we went to meet friends for a drink. Nice catching up/meeting them. Talking about acrylic pour painting. One of their beautiful dot paintings came home with us.

The next morning we had a picknick breakfast on a little beach we had to ourselves. Watching people fish and dig out shells.

A good hour was spend in the english supermarket in Portimao.

We ended our trip with lunch in the cute village of ferragudo before starting of on the 5 hour drive to water our vegetable gardens at home.

Lovely little trip it was

27/05/2020

Dona Ana Gardens, Lagos, Algarve.
Beautiful gardens. Great rooms. Nice swimming pool. Close to the beach. Little convenient shop. Private parking.
€27,-!!! A night. (Covid discount)

27/05/2020

Little road trip to the Algarve.
Sneak preview

18/05/2020

That is an awsome set of stairs. I need to go see that!

The amazing staircase of Varosa dam in Portugal

27/02/2020

What a stunning location! What a great view!
Lovely food. Lovely people.
Adore our room with a balcony and a view that can't be beat. Look at our room on the hill.

25/02/2020

*72 on Kloof street Apartment, Cape Town. South Africa *
Review.

Perfectly located in the most appealing part of Cape Town.
Beautifully decorated self catering apartment with a lovely view on signal hill. As often self catering stops more or less with making your breakfast or a soup. But the kitchenette was cleverly hidden giving the room a hotel feeling.
Big plus is the secure private parking with your own dedicated spot

€48,- a night

21/02/2020

My travel life changed a lot after reumatoid arthritis hit me in 2017.
2004 till 2017 I was on the road most of the time. Traveling, guiding, working. Multiple countries a year.

And then it stopped. I did my last tours in Southern Africa in October 2017. And had to come to the conclusion that I physically could no longer do these trips😐.
I even cancelled city trips with friends.
Yes, I moved to Portugal and have done a few day trips and even a weekend away! Yes, I have driven through Spain, France and Belgium.
But a holiday? Not work but fun? Discovering a new place? The last time was January 2017😲😲

So....I am very thrilled that I found someone who is willing to join me on a trip to South Africa. Who will drive when I am to tired. Who promissed to cook if another headache is killing me. Who will open the hotel door (my hands struggle with keys in doors) and carry my bag if needed.
I am counting down. 3 more nights before my flight to Cape Town.

17/01/2020

Drove 8 hours today and now I am in a small village called Orbec (France). Ofcourse I had to do a small discovery walk.
Cute town!

11/01/2020

San Sebastian, Spain in the early morning. A quick sightseeing in Meung sur Loire, France in the late afternoon.
Roadtrip

24/12/2019

Hotel review.

Boutique a Esplanada in Castelo Branco, Portugal is a great value hotel. Great central location. Super comfortable and clean rooms. I will definitely be back

We paid €43,- for a large room with balcony but their downstairs rooms are €36,- a night (december prices)

https://boutique-a-esplanada.negocio.site/?utm_source=gmb&utm_medium=referral

19/11/2019

Random November.
I have spend 3 winters in Finnish Lapland. I loved going on snowshoe hikes

17/11/2019

Random November.
Somewhere in north Queensland, Australia. Where a kasuari crossing sign and a speedbump sign meet a creative person😂😂

16/11/2019

Randon November.
Eating a saté in the streets of yogjakarta, Indonesia.
Street food is one of the highlights of travelling.
Probably in 2005

15/11/2019

We were in Pamukkale, Turkey in the low season. The restaurant of the hotel was closed so we got invited to the home of the owner for dinner. Grandpa wanted to read the lonely planet.

14/11/2019

Random November.

Feeding ostriches in South Africa. My first time in Africa in 2003.
This picture is pre-digital camera era🙂

13/11/2019

Random November.
I have not much to post as travelling has come to a bit of a stop. Was nostalgic today and while scrolling through my travel pictures I came up with a challenge for myself.
I am going to post random pictures of my travels. I do a blind scroll and pick a picture that is not the most intresting or beautiful but one that is surprising or daily life. So not the highlight or the most beautiful.
.

Kitten at the fishmarket in Bandar Seri Bagawan, Brunei.

11/11/2019

I fu***ng love science

Isn't this great?

Check out this incredible footage of a beluga whale playing rugby in the Arctic Ocean.

As lovely as this seems, please remember to never approach wild animals. Contact like this with humans can only hurt them. Please read our article here for more information on this whale: http://bit.ly/2rzzMfj

This footage was captured by crewmembers of the South African Gemini boat.

06/09/2019

Things to see in Amersfoort | Velvet Escape

My hometown 💙

Amersfoort is a medieval city in the Netherlands. Located less than an hour away from Amsterdam, there are many things to see in Amersfoort.

04/09/2019

United Airlines is bringing back Stroopwafels as an onboard snack option this year after popular demand

Because stroopwafels are the best!

The popular Dutch wafer cookies are filled with caramel and traditionally are served over a cup of coffee.

29/08/2019

BBC Comedy

Anyone who has been to Zimbabwe with me?
Look it is Ian! Did anyone of you got to take his front seat?

Hands up who wants to do THIS 👇

BBC Two

17/08/2019

There are multiple fiestas to go to every weekend in the summer. And this weekend my village (Pero Viseu) is transformed. Doors that are closed all year open up. Garages turn into restaurants. Living rooms into bars.
Behind one door is a shop and bar from a longggg time ago that is kept like a museum. It only opens its doors once a year now.
Stepping back in time....

03/08/2019

The sea is 2.5 hours drive away but who cares when there are river beaches every where? In central Portugal you go to a river to cool down. Let me show you the ones I have near me.

23/07/2019

Just some pictures from a 5 day fiesta in central Portugal. As I was a stall holder I did not get to see much so you have to imagine all the music on the podia and fireworks yourself😎

12/07/2019

As it was going to be around the 40 degrees yesterday we decided to go up Portugals highest mountain. It was a lovely, refreshing 27 up there. We stopped at the glacier valley and the statue of the lady. Dipped my feet into a chrystal clear stream to cool off. After the lunch on the top we drove back down. Climbed a hill through bushes to get to the top (no paths) and the view point.
The late afternoon was spend in Covilha beach swimmingpool (with waves!).
After dinner we did the mural walk and I found two of the latest aditions.
Great day!