There is a store in Braga’s city center that is a mystery to me, and I’m determined to solve it. Here’s a picture from across the street: When you’re in a new place, the strangeness of EVERYTHING blurs together at first. Every building is equally new and inexplicable. Then as you walk around and get…
We just ended our third heat wave, if I’m counting correctly. Europe’s been hit hard this year. Actually, it seems like we say that every year: “Europe has hit new heat records.” Braga is fortunate in many ways, it doesn’t seem to get as hot as in many other places. When Paris was hitting an…
This is the third post of a series of 12, where I show the changing look of the Jardim de Santa Barbara over a year. I’m a day late with this picture because yesterday afternoon, when I would normally go to take it, was 36C/97F and I Just. Could. Not. Leave the apartment. So I…
It is time for yet another party in Braga! The Festa de São João is the city’s biggest and oldest annual street party. For a week leading up to St. John’s Day (June 24th), the historical city center is subject to a brilliant array of fun that blends Catholic traditions with pre-Christian midsummer customs like…
Part 2 – Lagos This posting will have a LOT of pictures of food and cliffs, because Lagos was rainy except for the last day. WednesdayLate Wednesday morning we caught a Flixbus from Tavira to Lagos, about a three-hour ride. We got into Lagos about 4pm, and started the walk to our next hotel, about…
In March we were getting a bit antsy with the all the Braga rain and wanted to travel a bit, but Marty was still “under Portuguese house arrest” (waiting for his AIMA appointment). So we figured it was as good a time as any to head on down to the Algarve, since I knew it…
Cost: 70€, lunch for twoRating: 5 stars After exploring the Cacela Velha estuary in the hot sun, we retreated from the Algarve’s sharp blue sky to the only game in town, Casa Azul. We were expecting basic nourishment from their one restaurant, but it turned into a lovely celebration of the Portuguese midday meal. The…
Cost: 60€, dinner for twoRating: 5 stars Sometimes, in Portugal, we’re just looking for a place that’s open, because we still eat dinner much earlier than Europeans. But other times, what we find is a memorable seafood meal that has us pinching ourselves and asking “How did we luck into this?” A Tasca is a…
This is the second post of a series of 12, where I show the changing look of the Jardim de Santa Barbara over a year. The garden appears to be in transition this month. There are still some roses but many are near the end. The bed of marigolds on the right has been replanted…
It’s time for a Roman wedding! Again, this will be mostly pictures. I have some wrap-up thoughts at the end about Braga Romana 2026 as a whole. Here is a still of the procession across the square. The bride is in the orange veil to the left. And because it’s difficult to capture the fun…