So here I am to finally wish you a Merry Christmas.

I had hoped I could should you some Christmas lights, but this year there are none to be found in Leiria. There was however a very sunny day this week.

And a fluffy kitten.

Some rice pudding in the making.

Coscorões - recipe to come.

And Bolo Rei!

Have a good Christmas.

Continuing with the vacation segment, close to Leiria we have plenty of beaches to choose from. For some reason, many of my friends and family spent their childhood summers at Pedrogão. The beach isn’t particularly beautiful when compared with other beaches in the region, and the weather and the sea are extremely unpredictable. However, there’s plenty of sand, good fresh fish and when the weather is nice, you kind of forget how bad it was just the day before. I guess that’s why we keep coming back. With that in mind, this is the weather that greeted us:

And then when you least expect it, and are about to give up, this happens:

Several restaurants/cafes serve snails and these snails were out of this world! Incredibly well seasoned. 

Eating grilled fish caught nearby is another luxury one can experience in Pedrogão, especially when you consider the view from some of the restaurants.

Bread, cheese and olives for appetizers, and white wine to go with the fish that followed.

Grilled sardines!

And grilled squid!

And the typical post dinner walk. 

Fun times.

I’ve been absent for a couple of weeks but for good reason. I went to Portugal on vacation and, as always, it takes me a while to want to post afterwards. But here it is. 

We grew up in Leiria, but ever since we moved to Denmark, we kind of treat it like we’re tourists. A lot of walking around and a lot of photos. Leiria is especially known for its food, so I decided to document some of the stuff that I ate there, as well as the beautiful surroundings.  

Leiria’s castle from the 12th Century.

 

A new restaurant in Leiria downtown, made to look like an old tavern.

An assortment of appetizers that included: olive oil, tuna dip, seasoned olives, grilled cod fish, octopus salad and cowpea salad.

Good beer.

Fritada (but they used pieces of pork with the bone) and migas. 

Dried and salted codfish (bacalhau) and punched potatoes.

Nearby you can find amazing Italian ice cream.

And downtown Leiria.

And in one of those tiny streets, you can get some Brisas do Lis, a dessert you can only find in Leiria.

And of course, an obligatory photo of Pantufa.

This post was way too big so I’ll continue tomorrow with the beach portion. :)