Holiday in Northern Portugal

Contacts

Steve & Sian — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:26:05 +0000

We have removed the automatic eMail contact hyperlink on the contacts page as some visitors to the site have had problems contacting us via this link. Sorry for any inconvenience. You can contact us using the numbers and our eMail address on the contacts page.

Regards

Siân

Ryan Air 2010

Steve & Sian — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 11:26:39 +0000

Ryan Air have just released their summer 2010 schedule. They are running flights to Porto from Bristol, Dublin, Liverpool, Birmingham and London. Visit www.ryanair.com for details.

Wireless internet access

Steve & Sian — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 17:10:03 +0000

We now have available free (unsecured) wireless internet access.

New Links Page

Steve & Sian — Fri, 08 May 2009 09:50:20 +0000

We now have a links page. We are currently populating it so don’t forget to keep checking back. I hope it will be of use to you.

Siân

Robin Bovey’s Wood Art

Steve & Sian — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 15:37:54 +0000

As promised I can now share with you some examples of beautiful wood art created by Robin Bovey a great friend of ours and - as you can see from the photos below of a selection of his work - a skilful and original craftsman. Robin works from a small workshop and gallery at the home he shares with Hjordis (whom you met in a previous post). His unique approach to his craft gets its inspiration from nature and some of his personal favourites amongst his turned pieces were fashioned from discarded “scraps” of wood with strange names which he came across upon his travels to Africa and the far east. Robin is a very knowledgeable source on all matters concerning conservation and ecology - both areas in which he has much experience - and is the author of several books on wildlife. When you visit Covas be sure to pop in and see Robin’s work - you are sure of a friendly welcome and a good informative chat.

Siân

A selection of Robin´s turned wooden bowls. Woods used to craft these unique bowls are (L to R and back to front); olive, zebrano, mahogany, jacaranda, oak burr and part of a rotten tree from Maputo.

A beautiful bowl crafted from zebrano wood

Another zebrano wood bowl

Robin's oak burr bowl.

A bowl fashioned from a rotten tree from a street in Maputo - unknown species.

A jacaranda bowl how romantic can it get?

Another jacaranda bowl.

Wow look at what this holly from Covas has become - this is pure Hollywood.

A Few More Things From Hjordis

Steve & Sian — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 09:47:51 +0000

I few weeks ago I wrote a post about our friend Hjordis from Covas and included some of her great photos of the area. Hjordis is now getting quite active with her hand made crafts and I thought I would share with you some of her jewellery ideas. In the photos are some of Hjordis’ hand made earrings - crafted from silver and local stones. The bottle stoppers are a joint venture between Hjordis and her partner Robin (a skilled craftsmen with wood and about whom I will dedicate a post quite soon). I’ve included another of Hjordis’ photos as she never seems to fail to capture the essence.

Siân

Elegant earrings made from silver and local stone.

Cool bottle tops - ever popular.

Having a chat before making their way home.

More examples of hand made earrings.

His and Her’s Mountain Bikes - New for 2009

Steve & Sian — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 15:34:23 +0000

The area around Covas is ideal not only for walking but also for cyclists of all levels of fitness and ability. We are pleased to be able to say that we now have available two Orbea mountain bikes - his and hers - which guests are able to use for a small daily charge (8 Euro/day/bike including protective headwear). So now there is one more way to explore this great part of the world.

Siân

Beautiful photographs of Covas

Steve & Sian — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 12:21:09 +0000

Continuing with my occasional series of posts about life here in Covas and around about I should like to show you some images of Covas captured by our good friend Hjordis. These photo’s taken in 2008 and one as recently as last week really capture the essence of the village. The un - posed naturalness of the subjects and the spontaneous way that Hjordis has instinctively seized the initiative to make the best of a “photo opportunity” are tributes to the residents of this corner of the north of Portugal and to Hjordis talent and obvious love of her subject matter. Hjordis Gudbjornsdottir (originally from Iceland) and her husband Robin - himself a talented craftsman whose work with wood will be the subject of another post quite soon - have lived in Covas for several years. They are presently setting up a mini - gallery and working wood-craft venture in the village. This project is an expression of their admiration for the communities in which they have worked and lived in around the world - most particularly in Africa and the far east - and of what we all agree is an urgent need to sustain and nurture traditional crafts and knowledge. The gallery gives rare focus on the very local, exhibiting the works professional and amateur alike and gives us an opportunity to see at first hand the quality and beauty of African vernacular crafts. As great friends of Robin and Hjordis we are privileged not only to know them but also to experience a variety of Icelandic (mostly fish) delicacies - and corresponding hard liquor. Most of these are truly fantastic whilst some will probably take some getting used to. Add the gallery to the things you might want to see during your visit - its a fifteen minute walk - and experience some Icelandic hospitality. Below a small selection of photos which show some of the scenes and characters you may encounter if you are ever this way (thanks Hjordis for letting me show them).

Siân

A short pause in the working day

What a beautiful smile

This talented musician regularly plays in local bars and restaurantes.

Local bar on an autumn day - note the horses.

Music and masks at a local feast day.

Welcome to the new site

Steve & Sian — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 09:56:33 +0000

Hi and welcome to our squeeky new site. We thought the previous version was a bit static and, having little experience with web design etc. we asked a friend for help. He has set the site up and has gone through the basics with us so we can now manage content. It’s very early days yet but we are in the process of uploading content which we hope will make your your holiday decisions easier and enable you to get the most from your stay in this wonderful area of Northern Portugal. We welcome your comments and should love to try and answer your queries about any aspects of Minho life. Check back and see the site evolve.

Siân