Walking Down Country Lanes

Most of Portugal is rural, and most of the land is agricultural. Not with the endless soy and corn fields of Nebraska and Illinois, and without the enormous open ranges of the Western States. Most of the land is cultivated in small sections of family farms.

Travel just a few minutes outside greater Lisbon or Porto, or go north of the famed Algarve beaches, and you will find yourself in the countryside. Vineyards, orchards, greenhouses, olive groves, and vegetable plots fill the land between villages and hamlets. Don't be surprised if you share the road with farm vehicles.

In Portugal, the forests of oak, pine, and eucalyptus are agriculture. Yup, they are farmed.

Oak bark is stripped for cork with axes and bark strippers. By hand. Portugal provides half the world's annual corkharvest and most of the world's production of cork bottle stoppers. Read my blog about cork oaks.

Pine trees are harvested mostly for pulp productions, and pine sap is tapped for glues.

Eucalyptus stands are clear-cut for fencing poles as well as paper pulp. The trees rapidly regrow, providing a renewable source for these products.

click on each image for full view

Narrow winding roads cover the hilly landscapes of Portugal. We often take some random road and eventually come around to our planned destination. I like to walk the lanes in our area where I can observe the seasons of grapes, berries, fruit trees, wildflowers, goats and sheep. Occassionally we discover an old farming implement, such as this stone crusher.

Even dirt lanes have street signs carved in marble. Each is about 12x15 inches (30x40 cm). If (when!) you visit us, we will welcome you to our steep lane: Rua do Valigoto, which means Street of the Little Brook. I was told that even the name Valigoto is an old-fashioned word rarely heard anymore. We seem to be drawn to what is old and traditional.

A few more wildflowers in celebration of nature's beauty.

Love from Portugal,

Tim and Penelope