Glamping for Foodies: the Vinha da Manta experience
The Vinha da Manta experience starts with the drive there. Skirting Guarda*, you head to the Mondego Valley which hugs the Serra de Estrela mountain (a natural park and the only place you can go skiing in Portugal). Through a few picturesque villages – including Chaos! – that boast a gorgeous view of a dammed (not damned) lake, you then turn towards Faia before finally seeing a sign for Vinha da Manta that takes you up a dirt track lined by old stone walls. Arriving at Vinha da Manta,
Ode to Desnivel
[Inspired primarily by the restaurant Desnivel in San Telmo, Buenos Aires, and Pablo Neruda’s Odes to the onion, tomatoes, and the lemon… ] Your name emerged From Google Maps and the Guide du Routard With such promise We timidly peeked Into what was a nondescript entrance Only to be welcomed By a glorious smell Of roasting meet And the visual delight Of an overloaded grill Right there in the entrance Waiting, beckoning us So we dove in And ordered a few cuts Of red meat Red, like a heart full of love Red, like a rose in bloom Red, like full lips waiting for a kiss So
Lisbon & Surroundings
Highly Recommended: In Lisbon: Food & Drink – Tasca do Esquina, SukhoThai, Red Frog; Visit – Oceanorium Outside Lisbon: Visits – Sintras, Cascais, Obidos, Foz de Arelho The Story: When we landed in Lisbon, our first instinct was to head out of the city to explore surroundings. We stopped in Cascais for lunch, a small town a 30min drive from Lisbon, as quaint and picturesque as I remembered it from back in 2013. The Cascais Citadel houses a high end boutique hotel and a great restaurant Taberna da Praca (they claim