TRAVEL AND LIFESTYLE DIARIES

I will be temporarily “ off ” from the blog world due to important things that I need to focus on. It is a pity making this decision since I have learned to love blogging and enjoyed meeting and exchanging hellos and ideas with the beautiful people in the blog world. But my time and efforts, previously devoted to this exercise, must be spent efficiently and effectively to new challenges (hint: career). I don't know how long this hiatus will take but I will be back. Cakes and Picnic at the Voorveldse Polder in Utrecht, just fresh from the Portugal beach and culture holiday trip. My sister in law took this foto with their camera and mailed it to us last weekend. I will leave you with some “ quotes ” and the most recent foto of me taken a few days ago during the day when I turned 35 . “ Envy is an insult to oneself ” - Yevgene Yevytushenko, Russian Poet “ Envy is a symptom of lack of appreciation of our own uniqueness and self worth. Each of us has something to g...

Albufeira, a small fortified town existed 2,000 years ago. It was previously called, Baltrum by the Romans. Centuries later, the Moors claimed the area and renamed it to “Al-Buhera”. Trading with North Africa flourished in Al-Buhera under the Moors. In 1250, the christian Knights of Santiago re-conquered the town but failed to maintain its trading port. A succession of earthquakes in the 1700’s destroyed the town. It was only in the 1970’s that Al-Buhera, now Albufeira regained its importance in the industry form of TOURISM. The typical Albufeira whitewashed buildings, a mix of old and new... shot taken from the outskirts of the Centrum, in the upper part where we parked the car. The “Albufeira Old Town and Centrum” is just 3 to 5 minutes drive from our hotel in Praia da Oura. By daytime and also nighttime, the streets leading to the main square are filled with gorgeous shops, cafes, and restaurants. In the evenings, it is transformed into a jovial place, and the main square is crammed...

Loule is a rural administrative town in the mountains of Algarve. The town produces different kinds of tourism souvenirs made out of copperware, cane, wood, and leather. Loule` also has a few castle ruins dating back to the 12th Century. This medieval moorish castle has been virtually destroyed leaving only some of the original walls still standing that are now surrounded by much more modern architecture. A shopping street in Loule town centre. We stopped by a bakery cafe for some coffee and local rice muffins, Bolo de Arroz. A rusted typical Portuguese veranda. Travel Period: June 2005 Destination: Loule (Algarve), Portugal Keep in touch and follow me on Facebook: Travel & Lifestyle Diaries by Dutched Pinay Travels Happy Travels! Enjoy Life =)

Dutchman and I decided that we will pay for a 1 day Lisbon tour than driving ourselves and going through the hassle of parking nightmare, getting lost in the crowded city, and missing the important places to see. We woke up early, we had to be at the pick up place 6:40AM. I let the Dutchman study the map. 6:40AM sharp we were standing in the highway that slices THE STRIP but it looked like it’s not the meeting place. The Dutchman panicked! I grabbed the map, studied it quickly and lectured Dutchman that he missed the first crossing which is before THE STRIP. Ugh, we ran back, as fast as we could muster since it’s a little bit over a 5 minute walk. My mind is running wild, “ Shit I don’t want to miss this Lisbon trip. You Dutchman must drive me there if the bus left us! ” And in the Dutchman’s mind, “ Damn € 90 (US$ 109) down the drain! ” We arrived at the pick up place 6:50AM and true enough, the bus left us. We were sitting in the street pavement arguing like little kids about our pr...

Querenca is a small village. A traditional Algarvian mountain village located in the north of Loule`. The main attraction is its 16th century church on the square. We just quickly passed by here when we were visiting Loule. It is very quiet here. Travel Period: June 2005 Destination: Querenca, Loule (Algarve), Portugal Keep in touch and follow me on Facebook: Travel & Lifestyle Diaries by Dutched Pinay Travels Happy Travels! Enjoy Life =)

Surprising things in Portugal: 1. The Portuguese speak good English. Even the waiters and shop girls will speak English to you which is an amazing thing since if you head eastward to big neighbor, Spain, you won't survive there without mastering a few Spanish phrases. The only Portuguese word I knew was: OBRIGADA/OBRIGADO which means Thank You. 2. They have great coffee. I didn't expect it but the coffee there even in those tiny cafes were pretty good. I was impressed. 3. The region of Algarve is pretty much organized. And clean too. Dutchman noticed it and had to make a remark. Now that is something coming from the obsessive organized Dutch. 4. Everyone thinks I am Portuguese! So naturally they all speak Portuguese to me and I always end up saying, NO I AM NOT PORTUGUESE! They apologize and say they thought I was a local. Though a few Portuguese guys asked me if I am Portuguese or not. They were unsure. Funny. 5. Algarve is windy. Ack, just like Holland, but surely the weat...