Easter Anticipated

A short breakaway to Trás-os-Montes

By Rod Loboz

March 3^rd, 2024

It had been a while since I had the time to take out my camera to take some photos. The chance came on the weekend before Easter. I was due to work on the Easter weekend and so we decided to head up to the north of Portugal for a short breakaway from the city. It’s a mere 5 to 6 hour trip by coach and you find yourself in a reality that’s opposite to the one of Lisbon. Here the mountainous region and the rigorous winters and hot summers have shaped a kind of people that are resilient, often taciturn but generally hardworking and honest.

We took a short road trip to Alto do Rabagão Dam and drove up the surrounding mountains for a gorgeous view of the lake formed by the reservoir of the dam (the cover photo). It was a sunny day and we relaxed under the sun a bit near the lake. We then drove past Montalegre and headed to the border to double back to Vidago via Spain. The Spanish towns and landscapes across the border were not as interesting as the ones in Trás-os-Montes.

Wood-fire baked pizza

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When Natalie saw we had a wood-fired oven she decided that she had to have a go at using it to make pizza. For me it was a great opportunity not only to taste wonderful traditional Italian pizza but also to capture this artful and timeless process in some lovely photographs. She made the dough on the night before, a skillful process in itself. Then early in the following morning Natalie started preparing he tomato sauce and all of the various toppings to use. After struggling a bit to get the fire in the oven going, she started shaping the individual pizzas and putting them inside the oven to bake. It’s hard work but everyone seemed to agree that it paid off because the pizzas were crispy and delicious.

kogi

Kogi, the german shorthaired pointer, just turned 12 months old. For his birthday, he received a massive bone to chew on and got to frolic in a local stream.