The views from Biscaia

We all recognise stunning views when we see vast expanses of blue and green stretching as far as the eye can see. So worth taking the Model S for a spin on the road from Guincho (surfers' paradise on Earth) to Sintra, so absolutely worth it.

The hazy horizon, the beach in the distance, a far-off cape, the greenery of the mountain meeting the ocean. Divine sight...

Pictures, a pale rendition of the beauty of the landscape.

He had to go to Alcorochel

Roots are roots... His grandfather gave money to build the church tower of his family birth place. He never lived there, the Tesla aficionado, but he had to go because he had to go. There was this sense he had to show me the place and he had to show the place to the Tesla-Creature living with us. We went along.

The place is Alcorochel and I'm guessing the name is some ancient linguistic legacy of the time the Iberian Peninsula was the al-Andaluz after the Moorish Invasions way, way back in the 8th century AD. The village church (seen from a distance) is probably the only landmark worthy of the name in Alcorochel but it makes for a nice Saturday outing if you want to test the impressive range of a Tesla Model S.

I confess I stress over range but looking at my happy face, no one would guess it. And no one would guess it because there simply is little cause for range anxiety when the EV in question is a Model S. Kudos to the brainiacs at Tesla for coming to the aid of a Tesla-wife and developing an EV that has the range of a conventional ICE minus the CO2 emissions!

Sunset in Santa Cruz (Portugal)

Venturing where no Tesla has ventured before, we set off to yet another nearby beach. We are sunset lovers who once drove from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon just to watch the sun go down in fiery glory behind the majestic red cliffs.

In a country facing west to the ocean, we are sure to be treated to some of the most impressive sunsets in the world. To Santa Cruz we went.

Worth every single second despite the crispness of the late afternoon ocean breeze. It's at times like these we cannot help but think that that glorious disc in the sky has always made an impact of awe in our species.

On such a lovely setting, it's also worth noticing the dawn of a new era, one of sun-loving technology so extraordinarily embodied by Tesla, whose symbol I've captured rising over the horizon like some alien spaceship coming to take us over.

Counting my blessings, how could I not be grateful for living in a country of sunset galore and for the privilege of being a first-person witness to the dawn of this new era?

Immensely grateful...

Nowhere

There was a straightfoward intention: to go and have tea in Sintra, that jewel of a town that bewitched Byron and found a pedestal as UNESCO's World Site. But, on taking the road less travelled, one needs to be open to the joys of the ride.

It was Nowhere where we found a river swollen by the rains of the last days. A bridge of manholes added to the sense that the current was strong and the river determined to make its brave way to wherever it wanted to make its brave way. We had no idea where we were.

But, on looking further, we found out that the street leading to the river and the bridge of manholes goes by the extravagant name of Street of the Half Orange. No one can say the Portuguese lack imagination for toponyms!

Eventually we got to Sintra, where the delights of local traditional pastry were waiting for us. We went for the "Travesseiros", literally cushions of puffed pastry with an egg custard filling that are simply to die for...

Utterly impossible to eat just one.

The Sign o' Times...

Respect. Silence has descended and a voice is hushed. In shock for the news and in awe of the man, a Tesla-wife pays her immense respect to a true-born Artist.

Missed. Irreplaceable. RIP.

What happens when I say "Stop!"

It takes one good dose of nerves of steel to be a Tesla-wife. Mid-way on a Saturday drive around the country and I say: "Stop! What lovely scenery". By "lovely" I, of course, imply the lush greenery of the valleys and hills that we watch from a vantage point on a winding road in a high slope. what follows is superbly illustrated below. Keep scrolling down.

 Wind turbines, a Tesla-wife and the Tesla.

Wind turbines, a Tesla-wife and the Tesla.

Wind turbines, a Tesla-wife, no Tesla and a tiny bit of scenery.

Wind turbines, a Tesla-wife, a fragment of the Tesla and some scenery. I sometimes forget that in the scenery versus geek battle, geek gets the upper hand... So much to look at and it's the wind turbines that catch his gaze (those and the Tesla).

The Backyard

They say the best things in life are free and I add they are just around the corner if we just pause to take notice of them. This is just outside our backyard. We hike there all the time and this time we decided to take the Creature as far as the road would allow. It did ok.
Perched on the top of the hill there's this very small chapel that goes by the fitting name of Our Lady of the Hill. Once every May, farmers and locals come on pilgrimage, more for the fun of tradition than anything else. They bring flowers and tractors decked with more flowers, olive and palm tree branches and go out into the fields to collect wheat ears with which to compose lovely bouquets to hang in the house for a whole year. They say it brings prosperity. But we prefer our weekend hikes when we have the fields all to ourselves.

 The views are most bucolic but, hey, this is the great outdoors and quintessential Portuguese countryside. The Model S may be a city slicker but it's getting to know its way around here.

Arriving in Texas

It is big. It is huge. It is beyond hot when we arrive. My brains seem to melt under this heavy-weight, insufferable heat. Cowboy hats: now I get it! They're a vital necessity and not some country music singer's fancy, trademark accessory.

We cross the state border coming from Louisiana and the change is immediate. Gone is the bayou, the stifling humidity, the sense of being in true Dixie. Now it's the lone star, the desert-like heat. Most unexpectedly the ever-present "Watch for gators" signs that have been a constant presence since Florida, through Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana give way to a more frightening "Watch for snakes". It does make me uneasy to think about biting crawlies lurking in the grass.

But it's the great state of Texas and I couldn't be happier. It's the entire imagery of Texas that comes to mind once you find yourself crossing the border. It's Ewing-Dallas, the desert, the oil industry, the frontier, cowboys and saloons. And, of course, with such grim warning as the "Watch for snakes" sign, it's rattlesnakes that take up the imagery. Texas, indeed. And the self-evident notion that "everything is bigger in Texas" as the proud motto goes.

As soon as we get to Houston, what's the very first stop?

See what the trials and tribulations of a tesla-wife entail?

Kingdom by the Sea

We don't quite live in a kingdom. It's more of a republic but, let's face it, "Republic by the Sea" does not have half the allure of kingdom and "republicdom" was pushing the envelope far beyond literary elegance. Besides, not that I like Edgar Allen Poe particularly but I have a crush on Paul Theroux. It was his Kingdom by the Sea (1983) which once led me to experience the coasts of Britain only to be assured that the Portuguese coastline is more impressive, more diverse and way less invaded by those infamous boardwalks that really kill the joys of the sea and the beach.

So maybe we don't live in a kingdom by the sea but we definitely live in a kingdom of the sea. The sea is our passion, our essence and our History. The sea is Summer, freedom and contemplation. The sea is and has always been our manifest destiny. With this thought in mind, why not introduce the Model S to the sea? And the sea to the this high-tech land Creature?

For its maiden voyage to the sea, we decided to take the Model S to a beach nearby. The day was beckoning and the beach deserted. Heaven.

It is called Praia Azul, Blue Beach, an apt, beffiting designation although, by the silvery reflexes on the water, one might also appropriately call it Beach of Silver. And the sunset... I leave the words for you.

The windmills of the gods meet the Model S

Up on the wuthering heights, we found the windmills. Freezing cold piercing through your every layer of clothing. But what's that to stop you when you meet the gods of wind, of invention and of tech?

First, there came the gods of wind, Atlantic, fierce and powerful. But the gods of invention harnessed and tamed them and windmills were born to help Man on the path to survival and progress.

When survival and progress were a given, the gods of tech made their way to the wuthering heights and wind turbines started to dot the land in Man's quest for energy, clean, affordable, modern energy. We took the Tesla Model S to meet the gods.

A befitting acquaintace: the super modern EV meeting the super modern wind turbines and their ancestors and all this just outside our house. How cool is that?

For your better judgement, here the gods of past and present-future: the quaint, old windmill and the blasting wind turbine.

Where did we take EV-Sales?

I might be getting a tad repetitive here but... EV-Sales came to visit and we took the Tesla and them to? Right, the forts! We just can't help it, the views are gorgeous and we want to share our little corner of the world (it's the generosity in us).

But let me tell you, EV-Sales were brave! Boy, were they! The weather powers above conspired against us and the day was windy, chilly and bleak. Still, nothing that deterred EV aficionados and a Tesla-wife from facing the elements with a smile on their faces.

We even have Zé Pontes and Dulce to thank for taking us the rare couple picture. O, and guess what is complementing this yours truly Tesla-wife's outfit? My fabulastic Tesla tote, the Aurland tote I got as a Christmas present when the Model S arrived. Doesn't it suit me just fine?

Still at the Forts

Climbing up to the Forts surrounding the valley is not just being met by gorgeous, insanely beautiful landscapes. It is also diving deep into the history of a country with the oldest established borders in Europe, a country which, not used to invasions, still resents what the armies of Napoleon did in the early 1800s.

For me, in particular, going up to the Forts is remembering the trials and tribulations faced by my family when their farm was invaded and they had to seek refuge behind the moats of the Forts (more about it in Eu, do Nada/I, from Nothing).

For my Tesla-husband it is the thrill of taking the Creature out, having a close encounter with History and a closer one with Nature and all this a stone's throw away from home.

Most fortunately, my family survived so that I could tell the (hi)story and play the merry tourist and Tesla-wife at a place that saw the Napoleonic Army defeated and the preservation of Portuguese nationality and independence. I call this a very enjoyful outing.

At Sparkle Target

My ICE set of wheels got serviced at Sparkle Target where, as it happens, the owners are super fans of Teslas. Little did they know I am the infamous Tesla-wife of the bloke who owns the only Model S for miles and miles around.

Shock and awe! What?! Yes! So, we treated them to a little Tesla demo and drove by to introduce the Creature to them. Always a highlight when we show people there's no engine to this Babe!

Ironic as it gets the Tesla Creature found its way into the barricade of ICE (you know the lingo, right? Internal Combustion Engine) in clear proof we can be pretty ecumenic.

To the folks at Sparkle Target: it was a joy! Thanks for the welcome!