Tomorrow To Tomar

Leaving Terra Novas we set off for the city of the Templars.

I didn't know too much about these Templars only recognising the white tabards and red crosses.  I knew they fought in the crusades but I really didn't know how powerful they were.   They were founded by the Pope  as a Catholic Military Order in 1119.   Christians around the world donated funds to them so even though they were called the "Poor Fellow- soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon" they became extremely wealthy owning nearly 1,000 companies and fortifications across Europe. 

When they founded the first form of multinational banking they became even more powerful.  The Pope and Kings began to fear them and they were disbanded and persecuted in the 1300's.

They left behind this beautiful chapel where Henry the navigator was born and studied as a child.   Much of it was destroyed by the great earthquake in the 1700's but it is still a stunning sight.

In its time as a convent over 80 monks lived there.  The cells were positioned in a cross shape.  The monks spent over eight hours each days praying.   I can imagine them walking, praying and singing their voices echoing down the long corridors.

Peniche

When we first went to Australia we were given a posting to Broken Hill.  Naively I said, "Oh is that in the West.  Is it the Western suburbs?  I only ask because we have been teaching in really tough schools in Newcastle and Liverpool and we kind of hoped to get some better schools .  Of course we didn't know that Broken Hill is a remote city 1500km from Sydney and that Newcastle and Liverpool were cities in NSW!

So the guy took pity on us and sent us to a "fishing village" just south of Sydney ... Wollongong!  As soon as we arrived we I knew.  This was no fishing village.  It was a steelworks city.  So started 6 fantastic years of our lives.

Peniche was also not a fishing village.   It felt like the Costa Brava with apartments, long crowded beaches, tourist shops.  Oh! we are so spoiled in Oz.  The cliff walk was fantastic... but then we got the phone call!

Casais Brancos... oops

You know sometimes things go wrong from the very beginning. Its the same with the B&B.  If you stuff up one thing, you stuff up everything.  So we arrived 15 minutes early... I know the French would be horrified but I didn't think the Portuguese would be.  The house though was fantastic!  Tiny but it had everything we wanted.  The house sat alone in the middle of the road with a window which looked out down into the village.

It was cool but we threw open the windows expecting to enjoy the view and the breeze.  Ah yes the breeze.  I was unpacking my bag when I heard a huge crash.  A bottle of beer that we had left on the window sill was blown to the ground sending brown spurts of liquid onto the carpet, curtains and plastic chairs.

The next hour was spent frenetically cleaning... everything.  

It was time to relax and to watch the sunset... wonderful!  

Major events were:

A dog walking down the street. 

Another dog coming and joining the first dog and then they both walked together

A woman walked down the street, looked up at the house opposite and then walked back

A man put his tractor into the garage opposite and then walked home.

That was it!

The next day we set off to Peniche - as we thought a small fishing village.  In the afternoon we were surprised  to get a phone call from Caleb.  Mmmm isn't it the middle of the night there? Panic!  But no there was no problem in Manly.  It was us!  The owner had called to say she had dropped in to clean but we were still there.  We checked out our booking.  Yep she was right .  We had mistakenly only booked one night.  We had to hightail it back and pack.  While Roger packed I made the next booking in the town of the Templars.. .Tomar.

Phew!  Off we went.

A bit tricky finding our way, especially as the Sat Nav wanted to send us to Torres Novas.  Wait a minute, I think that is where I booked.  Jeez have to tell Roger we are going to totally the wrong place.  So we get to the address in Torres Novas.  No one to meet us.  I take a photo of where we are. Oh no I have just taken a photo of the kindergarten and the parents are NOT happy.

Thank goodness our host arrived.

He was So helpful about everything.  He hopped into the car to direct us and then looked embarrassed and pointed to the apartment block next to us and said but we are there. He was totally calm nothing flustered him, the parents, the amount of luggage he had to carry up the stairs to the fifth level and the fact we were only staying one night.

Oh my goodness.. the flat.

It was like a gay boys apartment in Newtown.  Nothing wrong with that but not what I expected.  Mykola showed us around.  The table was set for dinner, napkins, plates, cutlery.  Note napkins.  He  pointed out the out the high quality fittings including the Italian coffee machine which ground the beans and delivered a hot coffee in seconds.  I was still feeling a bit fragile about all of my stuff ups and so I decided I was NEVER going to use the coffee machine.

So, into the bedroom which looked like a view of night time New York.  The wallpaper was very realistic.   Feeling very disorientated now, I went to sit on the balcony and loved it.  Kids playing football and chassy, women and men chatting so different from the night before.

We  ate well and slept well and the next day set off for Tomar.  You remember the city of the Templars, where we were supposed to be, BUT we were stopped in our tracks.  Two napkins were missing.  What?  We put them in the cupboard so they we wouldn't get them wet or dirty.  We explained.

A 16 Euro fee was added to our bill...What?

One stuff up leads to another I guess.

Oh... they found the napkins... sent us an apology and finally gave us back our $16!

Weird eh?

We were staying in a little village called Casais Brancos in a little house.  On the way I couldn't resist a very local flea market.  I couldn't believe what they were selling... false legs, a statue of the Virgin Mary, a pair of pottery boobs, a picture of the Sacred Heart .. well have a look for yourselves.

Óbidos

Gliding off in our bright red Renault we set off for a booklovers dream town  -  Óbidos.  First stop the "Literary Man"  A small town that decided to go crazy about books...it is incredible.

The hotel exudes books, snug little tables with bookshelves and "help yourself" wine!

Walking down the street was an incredible experience... every shop and even the church had a literary theme.    I loved the book and sardine shop... only in Portugal!

Can't imagine what it would be like during the book festival!  They have a set up a bit like the Globe in London .. I think it would be a hoot, if only I could speak Portuguese. So overtaken by the thought... I had to have a sangria...Saúde

Worst nightmare

Waiting in the queue at Lisbon airport to pick up our brand new Renault when I espied a wallet sitting on the ledge next to the coffee shop.. no one around.  It had everything passport, credit cards and a wad of money.

Took it to the Police station where a white faced Italian guy just about fainted when we walked in and handed it over!  Holy Moses... don't let it happen to me!

What's around the corner?... they found out!

While Roger wandered off to the Maritime museum I explored the Cultural Centre.  Loved this sculpture which celebrated the Portuguese 15th century explorers who set off from Belem to discover sea routes to India, Africa .  


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At times Art makes you feel so small..

Belem Cultural Centre

Ducks in the park

Sometimes just walking through the park... watching ducks... after seeing great art...  is just perfect!

Mr Five Per Cent

Calouste Gulbenkian was an incredible man.  5% was his motto - in other words its better to take a small percentage of a lot of investments than a large percentage of a small investment.  He became the world's richest man.

One of the many things he did was to establish the Gulbenkian museum in Lisboa.   We went there to see the art exhibition....

Loved seeing Rodin ... and discovering Rene Lalique... BUT the most amazing thing was a surprise concert.... The Gulbenkian Orchestra conducted by Lorenzo Viotti and we got tickets... Wowee!

I had never heard of Lorenzo Viotti at 29 year old conductor who is BRILLIANT!  Tchaicovski's 5th at you have never hear it before.  In a theatre that reminded me of Tangle wood... bliss!

Are you like me?

There's nothing I like more than wandering down a street when I don't know where it is going or looking at a menu and not having a clue but ordering anyway.  Lisboa is fantastic for that.  I ducked into a courtyard and found...

Old crumbling houses, smart new ones, old rusty cars, modern offices, cool snack bars and... much more!

FEIRA DA LADRA - Thieves Market

I can't help myself I just love a flea market... It must have been all those Bring and Buy and Jumble Sales that mum took me too.   Actually she was a real whiz and could sell anything.   I can still remember her selling a friend's  coat for 2/6d!  I think that was the end of the friendship.

Feira da Ladra was one of the best...

Fado

Incredible night of music... food... and the odd wine or two.  Amazing to think that this place has been going since the 30's.  Imagine who has sat at these tables or who has sung and played here.

Fish cakes

Researching Sheffield Fish cakes and thought I should add a couple of recipes....

Here's the delicious Portuguese ...

 BOLINHOS DE BACALHAU

INGREDIENTS

·      1 lb bacalhau (salt cod)

·      1¼ lb potatoes

·      1 onion , finely chopped

·      1 bunch parsley , chopped

·      2 eggs , lightly beaten

·      Salt

·      Vegetable oil (for deep frying)

·      Lime

INSTRUCTIONS

1.  Soak the salt cod in water for at least 24 hours, changing the water 2 to 3 times.

2.  Boil the potatoes with the skin for about 30 to 40 minutes.

3.  Remove them from the pot, let cool, then peel them.

4.  Mash the potatoes with a ricer or a grater, but not with a food processor or blender to maintain a certain consistency.

5.  Remove the cod from the soaking water.

6.  Bring a pot of water to a boil.

7.  Reduce to medium heat and cook the cod for about 8 minutes.

8.  Remove the cod from the pot and let cool for a few minutes.

9.  Remove the skin and bones.

10.     Add the cod to the food processor and pulse a few times to shred into fine pieces.

11.     In a large bowl, add the cod, onion, parsley, mashed potatoes and beaten eggs. Mix thoroughly.

12.     Using two tablespoons, shape the bolinhos into a torpedo or quenelle shape. Alternatively, you can form round balls with wet hands.

13.     Fry the bolinhos for 2 minutes on each side until golden brown.

14.     Drain them on a plate lined with paper towel.

15.     Serve hot with a few wedges of lime.

And Sheffield Fishcakes...

Sheffield is the birthplace of the ‘Yorkshire Fish cake’ – As Paul tells the story...

Yorkshire fishcakes were born in Sheffield (all this is according to my Grandad who passed on many years ago). But he used to tell me stories about the war when i was about 8yrs old (I’m 46 now) so we’re going back awhile, but according to him, in the 2nd world war, all the steel mills and foundries in Sheffield were major suppliers to the British arms industry. Being such an important industrial city it was to be a target by the Germans. To cut a long story short, fish was running low, so a chip shop owner decided to make sure as many customers as possible could have fish. He made a fish and potato sandwich (to replace a full battered fish) which was battered. Also for the people who couldn’t afford this, a potato fritter (just the same but no fish) …but I have been told other stories too, that the idea of fishcakes and potato fritters actually were spin offs from Spam fritters.

So give it a try....

For the Batter

175g plain flour
1/2 tsp salt
125ml water
150ml malt vinegar (sarsons type stuff)

For the Fish Cakes

Some Slices of peeled potato, about 5mm in thickness
Some plain flour
Cod or Haddock, skinned and boned, about 500g
Vegetable oil for deep frying (or a fryer)

Method:

Preheat deep fat fryer to about 190c

For the batter, put the flour and salt in a bowl, and the water and vinegar and whisk up until its smooth.

Now get the potato pieces, and trim your fish to be about the same size. Dip the fish in plain flour and shake off the excess. It needs to fit in between two pieces of potato to make a sandwich. Now you have your potato and fish ‘sandwich’.

Dip the ‘sandwich’ into the batter and then drop it into the hot oil. They usually drop to the bottom. Be careful if you have a basket because the batter can get stuck in it.

Make a few and drop them in as well. After about 5-6 minutes they should be floating. Flip them over and cook the other side for about the same amount of time.

Remove from the fryer and drain on kitchen paper.

Serve with chips – or just eat them as they are.

Yum Yum..

So what's around that corner?

Walking is the best way to discover a city and so that's what we did... inevitably discovering monuments, markets, musicians and THE BEER MUSEUM!

The beer museum incredible beers from around the world.  Gave us a chance to sit in the sun and sample the beer and Bolinhos de Bacalhau

Walked 15,000 steps yesterday... Yum means I can eat lots of this delicious food washed down with vino verde! 

Wanderlust

There's nothing quite like landing in a city for the first time.   The bland airports morphs into the clutter and clatter of taxis and shuttle buses.  Wide boulevards narrow into busy streets until inevitably you find yourself blinking- dazed in front of your accommodation whatever it may be.

That's what happened to us, as the Uber disappeared, we found ourselves on a narrow street, cars and trams whizzing behind us and facing us a graffitied, green door.

"What have we done?"

Tentatively we knocked and Sophia's friendly face poked out of the top window..'Hey you must be Roger"  she said.  "Yes" I answered before realising that was not quite what I should have said!

Inside it was just gorgeous.  One room spilling into the next.  A quick explanation of where we were and what was happening and Sophia was gone.  We ducked around the corner to the supermarket and stocked up on the ingredients for a platter... set up the table on the balcony and sat down to enjoy the cheeses and wine left by our host....bliss

Stepping out!

Bought a new phone and found I am very good at taking pictures of my own feet!

Why Southall?

Why Southall?

Ever just got of a train and just walked?  That’s what we did … two stops from Heathrow we found Southall High Street, a wonderful mix of Asian cultures with clothing, gold and take-a-way food outlets.

10 interesting facts 

1.    Southall is Anglo-Saxon for “at the south corner of a wood”

2.    The Manor House on “the Green” was built in 1587.

3.    Located on the Grand Union Canal

4.    Isambard Kingdom Brunel built the Great Western Railway Wharncliffe viaduct here 1856

5.    Centre for brick making, ceramics, soap and the world’s biggest margarine factory!

6.    Film studios were located here and AEC “red” buses built for 50 years

7.    Was a target for V1 flying bombs during WW2 many bomb shelters were built. The one located under Hamborough Primary School survives.

8.    Race riots in the 70’s resulted in the death of Gurdup Singh Chaggar.

9.    Known as “Little India” it has a big Sikh community and Gurdwara Sri temple is largest 

outside Asia.

10.Les Ferdinand played for the local FC, Cleo Lane developed her voice, Hayley Mills lived quietly and Carole Middleton dreamed of being “the Queen’s Mum”.

Southall, on the main line to London and worth a stop.

How could I have left this out???

During the renovations we took time out to revisit the South Coast and had a fantastic time... did I put our trip in the blog?  No.  Why ?  Who knows.

Our friend Janneke is moving to the far South Coast next year and they have bought a wonderful house in Tilba.  She was so generous to go and let us stay there to escape the dust, noise and dirt of the reno.

It was a great spot to explore and to finish off the final draft of "I Can"

The weather was beautiful and we walked,  and cycled and took trips each day.   First stop Tilba itself.  A One-street town with pub, Cheese Factory, coffee shops, book and craft shops.  Really quaint.

It also had a B & B, corner shop, little garage and garrulous owner who spent all the time telling us how successful each of his businesses were ... and then tried to sell them to us!







Love to see what people have for sale on local ads....Food Share?  Reminds me of the days when we would buy in bulk from the wholesale markets and then divi it all up!  My goodness that started well... but you did have to accept whatever anyone bought ... and how many.  I seem to remember getting 10 Kilos of Aubergines for $2!  Sparked some creative recipes.

The area around Tilba is stunning and at this time of year, we really had the place to ourselves.  

Narooma is a typical town with its spread of service shops... fabulous junk/charity shops that had quirky porcelain - great for mosaics... and everything else.   Someone had obviously put their finds to good use and made this for the Tilba Teashop!

The harbour at Narooma had a surprise for us.   Fishermen were cleaning their catch and below them  stingrays, cormorants and pelican squabbled only to flea when seals came in for a feed.

Ruefully we left beautiful Tilba to join up with the cycling group at Shoalhaven Heads.  What a great time.  Loved singing with Judy.

And... the nostalgic trip to Jervis Bay & Greenpatch... spent so many holidays camping there.

Finally time to head home but we had a couple of days on a wonderful horse farm at Woollemia near Huskisson.   Bliss Autumn has finally arrived and we could enjoy the cool weather.