Almourol Castle

One of the things I love the most about living in Portugal is that you're surrounded by history. Wherever you go, wherever you look, there's always something to catch your gaze. The Castle at Almourol is one such case.

Perched on the summit of a hill on a tiny island in the Tagus, the castle is said to have been built during the Arab Occupation of the Iberian Peninsula in the 8th century AD. It was later conquered by the Christian Kings of our first dinasty in the 12th century and given to the Order of the Knights Templar.

It's a well preserved monument, only accessible by boat, and a site of legend(s). Going there I thought about its age and past and for a split Tesla-moment thought about the fact that maybe this was the first time a Tesla had been there. A castle that saw Crusaders has now seen the top-nodge electric car of the 21st century. No mean feat, huh?

At the National Agriculture Exhibit

Before and besides being a Tesla-wife I am a farmer. Long before I sat in über-modern Tesla Model Ss, tractors were my old-time pals. I still don't see Teslas doing what tractors do... This year I took the Tesla-husband to the Portuguese National Agriculture Exhibit: a monumental exhibition of all things farming-related, from the latest high-tech gizmo for seed sowing to the most traditional wine-making methods. A blast if you're, like me, into this kind of thing. Acres upon acres of pavillions and outdoor exhibitions and shows. And who or what took me there? The Tesla-Creature, who or what else?

Funny thing to go to a place where Tesla ancestors are king, where the old meets the future-forward, where horses and tractors steal the show, and to go there on an all-electric vehicle that tops its generation. I couldn't help think about the coincidence.

At the end of the day, I believe the Tesla-aficionado also enjoyed the experience...
Mr. Elon Musk, I know there's a lot on your plate right now but you know there's this other whole market for which we could use all-electric vehicles?

Cat in the bag

Drums rolling... We proudly present: Shoomy! This one-month old piece of cuteness has just made it to a Tesla-household which, I guess, makes him a Tesla-kitten. He doesn't stay still to have his picture(s) taken but he sure enjoyed exploring in my Tesla-tote. Well... only until he got fed up with it and decided there were better things to do.

Break on through to the other side

When you're in Portugal, the other side implies crossing the Tagus and thus enter the South. We did just that a few days ago and took the Model S south of the north-south divide imposed by the mighty Iberian river. We crossed the Tagus in Lisbon at the 25th April Bridge (that some say looks pretty similar to the Golden Gate in San Francisco). After that, South it is.

We had no particular plans and it was unexpectedly that we found ourselves at the lighthouse in Cape Espichel.

The loneliness of the place was probably what inspired people to build a pilgrimage site there and so, totally out of the blue (for me, at least), there it was: a monastery right next to the lighthouse.

But I mean, when the views are so incredible, it's hardly any wonder that people may feel inclined to contemplation in search of the Divine...

After the radio silence

Yes, it's been a while... A while that took me down to subequatorial geographies and, to the biggest country in South America, a place that I discovered is an incomprehensible no-Tesla zone. What?! How can Brazil be a no-Tesla place?!

Jetlagged and tired after an 11-hour flight where did the Tesla-husband take me to unwind? The sea... The beautiful Atlantic we call home and that soothes our souls.

I think the Model S already knows the road by heart. It's nice to be back...