Travels in the 2nd half

The Ferreira River Valley   Ferreira do Zêzere is a wonderful small town in the center of Portugal, however, it is not a tourism center. Having the chance to spend two weeks there on an artist’s residency allowed me to explore some of the local sights and events that someone just passing through might miss. Market Days   Ferreira do Zêzere has market days twice every week, on Mondays and Saturdays. Both days offer a choice of local food, fruit and vegetables, meat, and fish. On Mondays the market expands to include home goods. These can include cooking utensils and ceramic dishes, hardware fixtures, and other necessities.   Music Festivals   Amigos das Concertinas A.C.D.R. Chã0 da Serra Ferreira Do Zêzere hosts several music festivals every year, but the biggest one happens in August. This festival celebrates both local folk traditions and some major Portuguese pop-stars. For three days, the plaza in front of the town’s market is transformed into a performance space....

City Hall   When I travel, I enjoy getting away from the major tourist attractions, to visit small towns, and explore how people live. This summer I had the chance to visit the town of Ferreira do Zêzere, in Portugal. In fact, I spent two weeks in this lovely town, and had the opportunity to delve deeply into life there.     Ferreira do Zêzere is a small town in the center of Portugal. It was founded in the 13th century by Pedro Ferreira. Today, the area is home to Portugal’s second largest producer of eggs, and all of the support industries for those farms. This provides residents with steady jobs, and keeps the area’s economy bustling.   As always, I am fascinated by the architecture of a place. The ways in which a town develops and grows. How has housing changed over the years. I love the mix of old and new buildings.   Like many small towns, Ferreira do Zêzere has the usual mix of municipal buildings - city hall, theater, fire station. Unlike many small town...

  The old city of Tomar, Portugal, is old. It was founded in 1160 by Gualdim Pais, the Grand master of the Knights Templar in Portugal. The city played a key role in fighting invasions by the Moors, especially in 1190.   As in much of the Iberian Peninsula, the houses here are painted white to help ward off the heat of the day. Walking through the streets of Tomar is much the same today as it has been for centuries. The buildings present unadorned walls to the street, but evidence of courtyards and the interior life can be seen, if you know where to look.   In the center of town is the Praça da República, its main plaza Here you will find City Hall, the church of St. John the Baptist, and a statue of Gualdim Pais.   Tomar sits along the Nabão River. Towards the northern part of the old city, the Parque do Mouchão offers a literal island of green in the middle of the river. The park sits among several dams that help control the flow of water and direct some of that fl...