Hello everyone :)
Continuing this type of travel saga through Portuguese territory.
It's not something i set out to do, but over time and throughout the trips i've taken, all the experience gained in each of the places has fueled curiosity and the expectation of visiting the next place, and now that this came to my mind, it would be a case to think about it more deeply, proposing to travel throughout the national territory and document every corner of this country.
The territory is small when compared to many of the countries around the world, but believe me, there is no lack of interesting places to discover and it could become an interesting project, starting here and who knows how to grow beyond borders.
I would have to rethink the whole approach and layout of the article, incorporating many of those informative aspects that we find in those blogs aimed at travelers.
But in the meantime and in the uncertainty that it will ever materialize, i will summarize these articles for what they have been, a presentation of a routine and punctual experience.
Today we are going to take a trip to a central location, mainly known for the vast surrounding territory and all the activities it offers in the most diverse aspects, with the main highlight being Serra da Freita, where nature is queen and where you can find things as fascinating as the Paiva walkways, which are nothing more than the best-known pedestrian route in Portugal, as well as a countless number of trails that point to the most inhospitable places, crossing several very old villages, some of them already uninhabited, streams, rivers, lakes, waterfalls, even river beaches, viewpoints and of course the UNESCO World Geopark... be interesting, if the location were not the starting point for any of these sites.
Today we are going to take a trip to the beautiful village of Arouca, where peace reigns and where people live with the quality that only a space like this is able to offer.
For those used to a more hectic routine, the impact is immediate and palpable, tranquility hangs in the air.
We parked next to the garden in the city center and right there we could find a shade where we sat down to appreciate who was walking around, children playing in the park and running through the middle of the garden, birds coming down from the top of the trees to probe the ground looking for a possible snack left by someone more distracted, especially near the picnic park, young people practicing sports in a space next door, and groups of older people who went there to meet their friends on the bench to exchange ideas or simply play a card game.
Everyone coexisted peacefully and unhurriedly and we took the opportunity to do the same.
As the village is small and extremely welcoming, all points of interest are just a few meters away from each other and after a few steps, right next door we find a huge and apparently old building, this was the first impression when analyzing the architecture, which came to be verified after some research.
This is the Monastery of Arouca, a space built in the first half of the 10th century for religious purposes, which over time and with the extinction of religious orders ended up being acquired by the Portuguese State and having various uses over the years, housing a Museum of Sacred Art and even the Municipal Library of Arouca, and is currently undergoing some restoration interventions in order to incorporate in this building the most recent hotel project with the aim of providing a new dynamic to the village and a greater offer of accommodation services for those who travel there.
Also nearby and already pointing to the narrow streets that cross the village, we pass by Brandão de Vasconcelos square, a very interesting central place, arranged in the form of an amphitheater, lined with the typical Portuguese pavement, accompanied by pleasant terraces that extend to the outside of the services provided by the small businesses that settled there, with a fountain dating from 1901 and the equally old Capela da Misericórdia as neighbors.
For a moment it feels like we travel back in time.
Of course, even there, time does not stand still and it is necessary to keep up with development, and this is visible when we move a little away from the center and where new constructions begin to emerge in the surroundings.
In the end, it's a successful coexistence between the ancient and the modern, all in very balanced doses.
To finish and to have a more comprehensive view of the space, before leaving, we followed a road that took us to a higher point and from there i launched the Drone to make the last records.
That's it for today, i hope you like the result :)
Photo by
Camera - Canon EOS 600D
Drone - DJI Mini 2
Lens - EFS 18-55mm / 70-300mm
Location - Portugal
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Always remember:
Value your time, because every fraction counts, and the price of anything is the amount of life you trade for it.
May the memories of the travels be eternalized in the photographs, and may the photographs transport us back to the travels ;)