This week’s Photography Friday, gives you a peek at our travels as we continue our passage to our Christmas destination with our friends. In a week where I thought there would not be much to share, I have been surprised by how many shots I managed to pick up.

Messejane, Alentejo

One of our go to places when we’re visiting our lovely friends, Anna and Roger, who live just north of Ourique, is a great little Aire/Campsite in a village called Messejane. For just €9 a night, we get a great spot with hook up and an authentic village that is just great to wander round. With chimney pots, so unique to Portugal, small bursts of colour here and there and roof lines and windows that give you an insight into a Portuguese world.

Christmas with a cultural burst of joy

Having an invitation to join our Swedish friends who call Portugal their forever home, was an opportunity we couldn’t miss. We agreed on a Swedish Christmas Eve, which is of course when all Europeans celebrate, and then an English Christmas Day. It was fabulous to share cultural differences and immerse ourselves in a new traditions, sharing stories of our childhood. Here are just a few images of our days with our friends, although I will be doing a dedicated post on our unique Christmas celebrations.

Algarve Serra mountains and the Route of the Lynx

An area of the popular south coast of Portugal, that so few people visit for the lure of the beaches and warmth, lies the Algarve Serra mountains. This isolated region of Portugal is quiet, remote and beautiful. With a curvaceous landscape it is a delight to drive with endless empty roads. And embedded in its heart is the endangered species, the Iberian Lynx. The Route of the Lynx is a 17km walk through the forests of the Serra and the reservoirs that pepper this region. Whilst the numbers of Lynx in the seventies had dwindled to under 300, with a collaborative programme between Spain and Portugal, there is now a breeding and release programme and the numbers are now on the increase. The latest statistics are that there are around 2000 now in this area. And as I took a walk from our off-grid spot for the night, evidence of wild lynx are abound with scats littering the ground and paw prints embedded in muddy soil. It was lovely to know that they walked these paths, albeit they are illusive most of the time.

I hope you enjoyed a peek into our travels this week. /K