Where we live. In the foothills of this beauty.

A couple of beautiful videos below I saw this week, of our local Serra da Estrela mountain range, just 50 kms north east of us as the crow flies. We're in the foothills of the tallest mountain in continental Portugal, 2kms above sea level at its highest point (on top of a 7m stone obelisk as it's officially only 1993m high without that stone!).

The big river Zêzere where we take our guests every week for a wild swim and mud bath, actually originates up in these mountains. We've been as a family up there a few times over the last 8 years. Always so very majestic, with breathtaking views and crystal clean air.

Hikes for miles in all directions too. Well worth a visit before or after a retreat with us.

The beauty of May in the Forest

Spring here in central Portugal is, by far, our favourite season. Warm and sunny already well into the mid 30 degree heat, cool in the evenings and mornings, with the heavy rain showers back in April, as always, precipitating such a splendid show of flowers, roses and colour everywhere. We love it. It's divine. 

We just uploaded to our Facebook page some of our favourite guests' photos of their retreats here since March.  A few on the blog today but do take a browse if you can. There are some stunners.  

To help us capture the lushness of the landscape at this time of year, tomorrow a film crew arrive with a drone! They came last week to do some light testing and flight path work, and it was so bizarre to have a noisy little machine flying around the place.  Like a wee invasion from the civilized technological world far far away.  But we think it's the best way to film the valley and buildings here so it's happening tomorrow and Friday. Gulp!

  

On a personal note, although it's been wonderful to have so many more lovely people retreat with us again this year, Vonetta and I are missing our children terribly during the week days. Eloise is in Lisbon at art school and Josh finishing off his schooling in Castelo Branco. They’re both healthy and happy but we wish we could all still be together.  Summer is here soon and they’ll be home for a while. ;)

As if I hadn't already realized that they’re both all grown up and flying the nest in search of their own independent adventures, the arrival of tattoos kind of visualized it for me. You won't believe how many times I've said I'm getting a Tat but always chickened out.  Not our two though!  They beat me to it.  Maybe encouraged a little by the fact that where Eloise stays in Campo Pequeno, a new tattoo bar opened up last month beneath the flat! 

I’ll leave you with links to two videos of our new Tipi going up a couple of weeks ago. (Videos will appear here soon when I work out how to embed from FB!) Big thanks to our dear friends Ian and Merle from Hummingbird Tipis and Scorp for carrying it over in 3 suitcases on an airplane and putting it up for us. It's resplendent. 

Tipi poles go up 
Tipi is built

Paz e amor,
Andrew