What a wonderful experience my visit to Firuidas has been. This tiny village in Northern Portugal is located between, Montalegre and Chaves. It has a population of 38, and is home to my Australian friends grandmother.
The entire village is made up of old stone houses, which are mostly occupied by elderly Portuguese woman who dress in black morning their husbands. It is so far removed from the places I have been travelling to over the past few months and is incredibly refreshing. I feel so appreciative to experience this old-fashioned Portuguese way of life. We had dug for potatoes, picked grapes and boysenberries and eaten so much food I feel like I might burst.
Each time a meal is ready, my friends grandmother rings a bell of us all to gather in the kitchen and the spread is amazing. Cured meats, cheese, breads, stews, salads, potatoes and much more… our plates are piled high and we’re encouraged to eat multiple plates full. This is happening multiple times per day and we are having many siesta’s to try and allow our bodies to digest everything.
We did decide one evening to venture over to Chaves which is a town nearby where there was a ‘foam party’ happening that night. That was super fun and kept us out until 5am, with an hours drive back to Firuidas we arrived just in time for a huge breakfast before hitting the road with the rest of the family to travel to Fátima.
Fátima is a central Portuguese town that’s home to the Sanctuary of Fátima, a Catholic pilgrimage site. The Capelinha das Apariçoes marks the spot where the Virgin Mary allegedly appeared in 1917 under a tree in front of 3 children. It is one of most famous Marian shrines in the world.
After spending the night in Nazere we left the rest of the family and drove to Lisbon.