Silver Coast Blog
It's been almost three years that we came to live in central Portugal (Costa de Prata). For us, this region was a conscious decision because there is so much to see and do. But after three years we still have not seen everything.
Our neighbour Bob, Englishman of origin, lives with his wife Sue here for over 7 years. He regularly walks along our house with his three dogs. We call the dogs the Three Musketeers because it shows a real team, one for all, all for one. Earlier, the neighbour told us that he regularly went with the dogs to São Pedro de Moel, half an hour from our house. Halfway through the seven kilometer long road you turn to the right towards Ponta Nova. We of course had already seen this sign a several times, but never went that road. So on a beautiful Saturday afternoon where we wanted to combine sportiness with pleasure, we took our running shoes and headed for Ponta Nova.
And it's really great. A wonderful beautiful forest where you can drive or walk through. When you completely ends the way, you arrive at the beach with a small beach bar where you can eat or drink
RailAway
One evening we saw a TV program called RailAway following a train journey though Portugal. The next three evenings they showed the train journey from Porto to Lisbon, through the Alentejo and Evora and from Castelo Branco to Gouveia, finally back to Entroncamento station where the Railway Museum is located.
This museum was already on our to-do list for after the season, so ..... on a cold but sunny November day we went to Entroncamento, accompanied by our neighbour Bob Scott. Bob worked in the automotive industry prior to his retirement so technology is really his ‘thing’, consequently we learned quite a bit more about car and train technology.
Reception at the Railway Museum gave us a warm welcome and an explanation about the history and construction of the museum. The Receptionist wanted toknow how we found out about the museum and where we came from. We had seen it on Facebook and a leaflet but also through the TV program. He found the latter interesting and we told him there was a possibility of watching the program again through ‘Uitzending gemist’. We then started our journey through the museum.
In the first part of the Museum there are displays of scale model trains, an old-fashioned ticket machine, train timetables with arrival and departure times and various tools for working on the track. There is a real office of a platform master and even an infirmary for travellers who need it.
After this we came out onto the 'marshalling yard' and crossed over the rails to the trains which are partly outside and partly in the old railway buildings. Outdoors we were amazed particularly by the well-maintained steam locomotives. The refurbishing and maintenance of all the trains is done by a large group of volunteers.The museum houses a 160-year-old cultural heritage display with around 36,000 objects, large and small, from the early days of the steam locomotive to the railways of the future. This is truly a centre of knowledge on the historical and technological role of rail transport in Portugal. It is open to the general public and continues to evolve to meet the needs and expectations of the visitor . As far as we are concerned, they have certainly succeeded.
The motto of the employees and volunteers: This museum is for you. This museum is for everyone. Discover a museum that brings past and present together.
The Railway Museum is situated in the Entroncamento Railway Complex, in an area of 4.5 hectares with 19 railway lines.
www.fmnf.pt
Portuguese people love everything that comes from the sea. Not only fresh, but also dried, like bacalhau, or canned, like sardines.
If you ever visited a Portuguese supermarket you probably have seen the large amount of canned fish and seafood.
Once there were hundreds of canning factories in Portugal, where fresh fish was canned. Now there are not many left, but the work often has not changed. There are some factories where everything is still done by hand, they don't use machines. Well, ok, there are 3 large machines: to cook the fish, to put the lids on the cans, and to sterilize the cans. Many generations of mostly women have been doing this work for decades. Some pieces of vegetable in the can? It's done by hand. Cutting off the sardine's tail to fit the can? Done by hand. Fill the cans with oil or sauce? Done by hand. Wrapping the cans in a piece of paper? Done by hand. And they do it very quickly!
And really, you can taste it. It's a labour of love. And also because the fish is cooked before canning it. The factories that use a fully automated process cook the fish after canning it, which means the liquids and oil stay in the can. And that gives the fish a totally different, a not very nice, taste.
In this video you can see the process at Conservas Pinhais: https://youtu.be/jpTwHAt0Zxw
Not only sardines are canned, but also tuna, bacalhau, squid, clams: you name it and they can it.
Some factories even have their own shops throughout the country, where you can buy all the canned goodness. If you visit Óbidos, you really want to visit the Comur (Conservas de Murtosa) shop. It's beautifully decorated, loaded with beautiful cans. They even sell cans with years printed on them, they make a nice birthday gift for someone (or for yourself).
And don't worry, the cans are not that old, it really is fresh produce.
If you've ever been to Portugal, you surely noticed the fact that in all the souvenir shops you can buy a (usually black) rooster with an exuberant red crest and cheerful eyes. This is the rooster from Barcelos. What's the story of that rooster?
Centuries ago, a pilgrim was on his way to Santiago de Compostela, and he made a stop in the town of Barcelos, in Northern Portugal. There had just been a case of theft in Barcelos, and the people were eagerly looking for a culprit. No one believed that the man was an innocent pilgrim, and he was found guilty of the theft. His punishment was harsh: he would be hanged.
However, the man insisted that he was innocent, and asked if he could speak to the judge. That was allowed. He was taken to the judge's house. The judge was just sitting at the table with some friends, about to eat a nice grilled rooster. The man again pleaded for his innocence, but the judge did not believe him and insisted on his conviction.
The condemned then pointed to the grilled rooster on the judge's plate, and predicted that the animal would crow as proof of his innocence. Of course no one believed that. T
he man was taken to the gallows, and just as the rope was tied around his neck and they were about to hang him, to everyone’s amazement the grilled rooster began to crow. The judge declared the convicted innocent after all, and the man was released.
The man continued his journey to Santiago de Compostela, returning a few years later to Barcelos, where he erected a monument in honor of Santiago and the Blessed Virgin.
The Galo de Barcelos, as the rooster is called in Portuguese, therefore symbolizes a lot of luck!
This stained glass Galo de Barcelos is a decoration in one of the Casas Fruta houses, made by Iris Franken
In Alcobaça there’s a great shop: Granja de Cister. It means something like ‘small monastry farm’.
The goal of the shop is to promote local products, and it’s part of the Cooperativa Agrícola (agricultural cooperation) of Alcobaça.
You can buy lots of things here: vegetables, fruit, dairy, meat, bread, cookies, wine, and much more. But also things like bags and textiles. And everything is produced locally.
Besides that, the shop is just lovely, everything is displayed beautifully, a pleasure to see. There is also a nice cafe where you can enjoy a coffee with pastry, or a sandwich.
You can go here for your regular shopping, but it’s also a great place if you’re looking for presents or souvenirs. Isn’t it lovely to enjoy al those jummy Portuguese products after your holiday?
Granja de Cister has a website.
Be free to use the information on this web site but always place a link to the source: https://costadeprata.info- Do you have an interesting article, blog or do you have a suggestion? Send us a message