Holiday alternatives to rushing about snapping  the lens at a multitude of sights and coming home exhausted or crisping yourself on a crowded beach are many.  Consider taking a vacation where you step beyond your usual parameters, gain new insights, learn new things, meet adifferent  people.

Ever wonder what it is like to milk a goat, drive a tractor, labor on a farm or to work your way around the world?  Wwoof is an organization born in England in the 1970´s which connects hosting farms (mostly organic) with willing helpers.  www.wwoof.org    There are  hosts in about 99 different countries.  The WWoof forum connects willing helpers with the farms.  Farm work varies from selling at the farmer´s market to mucking stalls and the accomadations vary.  We have several friends who worked on  Wwoof  farms and were thrilled with the experience.  Portugal along with quite a list of other countries have their own Wwoof forums.  Check out www.wwoof.pt  and read about a  couples farm-hand adventures on the beautiful Azores Islands.

I´m so impressed with Jean Beliveau who in 2010 began his walk around the planet in honor of the Unesco decade, 2000 – 2010, for a culture of peace and non-viloence for the children of the world .    He is currently on his homestretch, after over 70,ooo km,  49 pairs of shoes and staying with over 1,400 hundreds host families and even as a prison guest in South Africa. He is due to reach Montreal in October. His website www.wwwalk.org is an inspiring photo documentary of  10 years on the road. Ok, so you are not ready to feed the chickens at dawn or have the whole world underfoot, so consider an activity holiday at Colina Flora, the lovely eco-guesthouse located in  the heart of the amazing Sintra Natural Park.   Choose a week of surfing, hiking or participate in a Creative Fullfillment Retreat with several differnt hands artisan taster workshops or a week themed to  book-binding, felting, pottery, quilting etc.   Colina Floras artistic retreats take a holistic approach to recovering your creativity.  Each day is dedicated to a different hands-on taster workshop: felting, book-binding, knitting, collage, decoupage etc. with talented, eperienced instructors.  Yoga, great organic meals, walks in the beautiful countryside, sunshine and beaches, slowing down and fresh air round out the day.   The Creative Fullfillment Retreats are limited to 8 participants.   These retreats are relaxing, reviving, reduce stress and encourage artistic expression which tends to be so neglected in our daily rushed lives.  Colina Flora is a lovely small eco-guesthouse which strives to pamper its guests.  For more information go to www.colinaflora.com

We love Lisbon.  It is a fantastic city with lots to do, beautiful architecture, lovely parks, and great museums.  We go there  frequently and always discover something worth sharing.

On a recent rainy day, we decided to visit the LX factory.  We had read several discriptions of it, including a recent write-up in the New York Times. This is a hugh abandoned factory complex that is now occupied by many shops, restaurants, art galleries and offices.  The factory complex is slated to be torn down sooner or later.  So there is no refurbishing of the buildings going on.  Businesses have established themselves within the antiquated, down at the heels  factory and so the atmosphere is super cool and funky.  This place probably draws a younger crowd, but we, 50 plusers, greatly enjoyed exploring  and appreciated what it has to offer.   On the first floor  the smells of  chocolate lured us to the Landeau chocolate cake shop.  We watched the cakes being pulled out of the oven – what a  heavenly treat -  and voted by Timeout magazine to be the best chocolate cake in Lisbon.  www.landeau.pt

The Lerdevagar (Readslowly) bookstore is a haven for book lovers.  The  shop rises up over several levels admidst  vintage printing presses.  The vast selection of new and used books are mostly in Portuguese, but English and lots of French books are part of the mix.  Comfortable armchairs, rythmic background music and a cafe invite  shoppers to linger.  The Store also hosts avantgard concerts and art exhibits.www.lerdevagar.com 

Across the courtyard is the Organii organic cosmetic shop.  I spent a long time sampling their great product line and admiring the shops sleek design, lovely logo and packaging.  They even sell Badger Balm organic line of ointments and lipbalm, a favorite of ours, made in New Hampshire, USA, with a base of organic olive oil.  www.badgerbalm.com

Several of the restaurants were open and we chose lunch at the Cantina.  Quirky design meets cozy comfort.  A great place to meet with friends and enjoy delicious food.  We found some interesting interior design shops, boutiques large and small and on our way out enjoyed yummy Gelato from a tiny shop in the complex and  oops, I’ve forgotten the name!!

Portugal has many well kept secrets awaiting  discovery.  We are thrilled to be meeting amazing, as yet little known, designers/artisans in various parts of this wonderful country.  For example:  We love these creative, limited edition handbags which Filipa Brita Abru makes in her studio in Vila Nova de Milfontes (a wonderful seaside town with lots of ambiance and a great beach in the Alentejo). She has an expressive mode of incorporating quality  leathers and various types of  fabrics.  This one is from a recent line: Japonesa

View more of her work on her blog  www.ecoplum.blogspot.com   (Not to be confused with the Ecoplum shop in NYC)

Her bags are  well made with lots of inner pocket space.  And I love this one, leather, hide and herringbone fabric,  eventhough I´m a vegetarian!!

We are fans of  design hotels.  Our favorites in Portugal are:  The lovely, intimate Albergaria do Calvario in Evora  www.albergariadocalvario.com .  The owners love modern design and  support local artists.  They are transforming this former 16th century olive mill, in the heart of the  walled historic district,  bit by bit, into a stunning, charming and special hotel.  Their lavish breakfast  made of organic and locally sourced ingredients is fantastic. 

And then there is the magnificent Quinta da Romaneira www.quintadaromaneira.pt  in the beautiful Douro Valley in northern Portugal.  The Douro Valley is amazing wine country and classified by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.  The  Romaneira is amidst the vineyards above the Douro river.  This hotel is a designer´s delight,  decorated in a quirky Mediterranean  style – comfortably elegant, modern with vintage finds and antiques.  There is a spa, indoor and outdoor pools, hamman and wonderful restaurant.  Staying here is a luxurious indulgence. Definitely a place to dream about!!

 We love to travel, despite a limited budget, so we seek out interesting, comfortable and affordable guesthouses/B&Bs. Quality B&Bs often offer many of the amenities and good design comparable to top hotels at a fraction of the price.  Frequently the owners live on site, love being innkeepers and strive to enhance their guests vacation by pampering them.  

The tradition of bed and breakfast style lodgings goes back centuries.  In rural areas, where  public inns were not available, travelers could seek out a family with space to spare and a hot meal for a small charge.  Twenty-first century B&Bs/guesthouses retain this  hospitality in a warm, friendly setting which  include catering  creature comforts,  tasty breakfasts, and are dedicated to the well-being of their guests at a fraction of the cost of quality hotels.  B&Bs are often considered to be retreats from the craziness of the fast life and places to comfortably hang your hat and stay a while.  Many innkeepers have created unique environments which endorse cocooning at its best – born of the owners desire to dedicate their lives to the care and relaxation of their guests. B&Bs have sprung up in protected areas such as national parks and nature reserves where strict building  regulations prohibit large hotel chains from moving in.                                                                              

 In Portugal B&Bs can be found in country mansions, castles, ancient farmhouses, city apartments, stately villas etc..  Feel like home at Zuzabed www.zuzabed.com in the center of Lisbon.  The owner has turned his apartment into what he wished to have found on his many travels.

Find tranquility, reenergize and delight in the incredible beauty of the Sintra Natural Park at Colina Flora www.colinaflora.com.  Colina Flora is a small, yet lovely, eco-friendly country guesthouse with spacious, comfortable rooms and ocean views.  Its rural location, in the heart of the Sintra hills, enables guests to hike for days in the Serra da Sintra´s  hilly forests and along coastal paths or wander down to the several beautiful beaches.  It is a 15 minute drive to historic Sintra and Cascais and just 35 minutes to downtown Lisbon.  Surfing,cycling, hiking, golf, horseback riding, art and music festivals, wine-tours, yoga and specially themed workshops are some of the vast activity possiblities of this truely special area.  As one of Colina Flora´s owners, I´m not very objective.  So consider checking out our past guests reviews on www.tripadvisor.com or www.bedandbreakfast.com.  Then consider indulging yourself, come visit and fall in love with Portugal, especially the Serra da Sintra. www.sintratourism.com

This morning´s sunshine and mild temperature (16 degrees C circa 60 degrees F) was perfect for our 3 hour hike in the beautiful Park of Pena. The well groomed paths of this circa 85 HA Park  lie within the amazing, circa 14,000 Ha vast,  Sintra-Cascais Natural Park (which I´ve mentioned in an earlier post).  Unesco has designated  the entire park as Cultural Landscape, World  Heritage Site. The unique  multitude of micro climates foster the growth of many rare flora and fauna, forests and the geological rock formations are incredible.

The Park de Pena is set in this area of rare beauty which King Don Fernando II, the artist king, transformed, during the 19th century while he was renovating the  Pena Palace -another must see,  from a barren hillside into an arboretum which is planted with trees collected from around the planet.  This beautiful park is dotted with small lakes, grottos,wildflower gardens,sculptures, fountains, follies, chapels and vistas.  Several trails wind up the park´s hillside to the highest point of the Sintra Hills (529 m), the Cruz Alta, a breathtaking 360 degree vista where a hugh stone cross was erected in the 16th century.    The trails are moderately strenuous and there are many spots to take a breather, relax and marvel.  One of the small lakes is  home to a  graceful, enchanting black swan with lots of black ruffled feathers, one white feather and a bright red beak.( While admiring this beautiful creature, I felt my creative juices wanting to get me home to the studio and design a homage to this black swan!)  The walkways are in excellent condition and wide enough to be easily wheelchair accessible.

From the Park de  Pena there are  several wooded trails which lead to other interesting historic sites sites.  The closest is the Castelo dos Mouros, an interesting 8th century Moorish Fortress with chapel and wonderful vistas. 

A longer hike or bike ride through the woods lead to the Convento Dos Capuchos.  This remote 16th century monastery, with it’s collection of stone-hewn, austere monk´s cells,  offers breathtaking views of the coast.  

The park of Montserrat with its 19th century, newly renovated,  palace is  perched high in the hills above Sintra.  It is easily accessible by car or public bus.   This park is wildly romantic with sub-tropical foliage and paths that meander past ponds, chapels and ruins.  Lord Byron loved it here.   Sir Francis Cooke purchased the estate in 1856 and planted the many various  trees which he collected from around the globe including the now giant Metrosideros (the Australian Christmas tree) which is covered in  red flowers in during the month of July.  www.amigosdemonserrate.com

Visible from Guincho beach, towering amidst the Sintra hills, is Peniha Monastery .  This 490 m (circa 1600 ft) high peak where the Peniha chapel was erected in the 17th century affords glorious views of the coastline and Lisbon´s skyline.  There are many trails that lead into the wooded hills around  Peniha. Several rest-areas with picnic tables near water fountains, tucked under sheltering canopies of trees,  invite hikers to spend entire days   exploring the unique landscape of the Serra de Sintra and its intriguing historical sites.  More information at www.parquesdesintra.pt

All of these locations can be easily reached on foot, bicycle or car from Colina Flora Guesthouse.  We offer free shuttle service as part of our hiking package deals to our hiking guests.  We also offer personal hiking/biking guides for individualized treks.  Check out our website www.colinaflora.com for more details.

Portugal´s temperate climate sustains the growth of an abundant variety of year round fruits and vegetables - paradise for vegetarians!!

The Portuguese organic food movement is growing fast, due to increased interest in health issues, with small organic food cooperatives and organic farmer´s markets opening around the country.  Currently about 200,ooo HA are being farmed organically in Portugal.  www.agrobio.pt is the place to go for information regarding location of farmer´s markets and in depth information on the status of organic agriculture in Portugal.

Quinta Sete Nomes is a fantastic small organic food cooperative in Colares.  Isabel, the dedicated founder and manager, greets everyone with a hug, and works 7 days  a week to insure that its 600 members have access to a large variety of organic produce and other organic supplies. She also organizes week-end workshops in Permaculture, raw cooking, healing plants etc.  Though it is a member supported cooperative, thriving with over 600 supporters, local visitors are  always welcome to shop.  www.quinta7nomes.com

Vegetarian restaurants are easily found in larger cities.  It might be a challenge to find vegetarian restaurants in more rural locations.  And many of my vegetarian friends now include fish in their diets when eating out.  But my experience is that most country restaurants offer a good mixed salad,  bread and cheese.  

These are  our favorite vegetarian restaurants in Lisbon:  Terra, located in the beautiful Principe Real area, serves a large buffet with a decent set price for lunch and dinner, great deserts and organic wines. www.terra.vg

Stephens Cru Bar is not vegetarian per se, but as a raw food restaurant always has interesting selections for vegetarians.  It´s pleasing  contemporary decor and great cocktails makes it worth the visit. www.stephenscrubar.vom  

Our two most favorite eateries are Quinoa www.quinoa.com.pt: a  beautiful cafe style restaurant which strives to cook/bake with 100% organic.  Its lovely ambiance is perfect any time of the day, but most enjoyable for an enjoyable evening out with good food, fine regional wines and cheerful company.  They also have a bakery and gourmet shop .

The cafe at Miosotis natural food supermarket www.biomiosotis.com , located near the  wonderful Gulbenkian museum,  www.museu.gulbenkian.com,  is a simple space which serves wonderful lunches, with a daily changing seasonal menu special at great prices,6 days per week.  We love the Miosotis supermarket, which judged by the constant crowd of shoppers, is one of most popular, well stocked organic and affordable supermarkets in Lisbon.

Colina  Flora B&B, run by two organic foodies,  serves breakfast, afternoon tea and vegetarian dinners upon request.  We are always glad to share our latest  foodie discoveries and favorite haunts.