Serra do Gerês - Panorama

Winter imposing itself over the mountains of Gerês.

Serra do Gerês, Portugal

2017, January

Serra do Gerês

The rising Sun, breaching a snow storm to briefly shine over Gerês Mountain Range.

Serra do Gerês, Portugal
2017, January

Foz do Arelho

Foz do Arelho is a small village in the centre region of Portuguese coastline. Here, the high cliffs are interrupted by a sandy beach formed at the mouth of Óbidos Lagoon. In this scenery, I found strong winds, a strong sea and strong sunlight. Winter seems to enjoy adding drama to coastlines.


Caldas da Rainha, Portugal
2014, February

Baía dos Lagosteiros

Lagosteiros bay, with Cabo Espichel as its Southern wall. From this perspective, and forming the cliff’s edge, one can truly grasp Pedra da Mua’s monumental impact on the scenery.

Sesimbra, Portugal
2016, January

Ancient trails - Pedra da Mua

145 million years ago, a band of Sauropods crossed a coastal region of Southern Portugal. Their footprints became impressed in the muddy ground which, by some geological coincidence, dried rapidly and became a quite solid giant slab. In time, and due to the tectonic plates’ movements, the ground arisen to what is now a monumental layered slab, standing at 40º inclination and reaching over 80m above sea level. Impressively, the dinosaur tracks were kept mostly intact through the ages and now stand as a very conveniently displayed geological photograph of ancient and extinct lifeforms. In this photograph (sorry for the low resolution), at least nine tracks are seen. The patterned footprints appear as dotted straight lines diagonally crossing the rock and contrasting with the grey slab as they are filled with vegetation. These can be easily identified in this diagram. Seven are parallel tracks, corresponding to smaller sauropods behaving as a herd, while the remaining 2 correspond to larger sauropods following them. Curiously, the bottom track provides evidence that this dinosaur was… limping. In this area, at least 38 individual tracks have been recognized, including those left by theropods and ornithopods.
In the XV century, a local legend states that a miracle occurred, as the Virgen Mary climbed this rock mounting a mule. Thus the name Pedra da Mua (somewhat translatable to Mule’s Rock) and the sanctuary that has been erected on top of the cliff.

Cabo Espichel, Portugal
2016, January

P.S. Sources for this information can be found in English, Spanish and, specifically for these tracks and highly detailed, in Portuguese.

Drave, God (and Man) forsaken place

Drave is a village stuck in a cove between Freita, Saint Macário and Arada Mountain Ranges. It has been abandoned, years ago. The village blends with the mountains, with its perfectly stacked shale stone houses. Only the church, painted in white, contrasts with the surroundings. Spending time and walking through this village, in a cold and stormy day, is a unique experience. At a glance, it seems that time has stood still. The village still retains its aura of human existence, as common households, farming tools and whine barrels have been left behind. Water still flows through the river mills. Even an old stone press, with its rusting mechanism, seems to be waiting for olives to produce oil once again. Yet, goats graze where people lived and farmed. Silence is interrupted by rotten wood cracking beneath the heavy stone structures. A stone saddle granary has tumbled with the winds. Everywhere, decay has settled. Nature, slow but undeterred, regains its space and claims dominance once again. Moss overlaps stones. Their gaps filled with wild flowers and all sorts of grasses. Even where ceilings have fallen to the ground, trees emerge from within the houses, rising above its walls. Small animals can be seen lurking as its inhabitants. Curiously, the absence of mankind’s permanent presence has led to the emergence of all sorts of life.

Drave é uma aldeia enfiada numa cova entre as Serras de Freita, São Macário e Arada. Abandonada há anos, a aldeia disfarça-se nas montanhas, com as suas casas de xisto, perfeitamente empilhado. Só a igreja, pintada de branco, contrasta com os arredores. Passar algum tempo nesta aldeia, caminhar através dela, é uma experiência única. À primeira vista, parece que o tempo simplesmente parou. A aldeia ainda retém uma aura de presença humana, emanada dos utensílios, ferramentas agrícolas e até barricas de vinho deixadas para trás. A ribeira ainda atravessa os moinhos de água. Até um antigo lagar de pedra, com os seus mecanismos enferrujados, parece apenas aguardar as azeitonas para voltar a produzir azeite. No entanto, as cabras pastam onde as pessoas moravam. O silêncio é interrompido pelo estalar da madeira podre sob o peso das pesadas estruturas de pedra. Um canastro tombou com os ventos. Por todo o lado, a decadência instalou-se. A Natureza, lenta mas implacável, retoma os seus espaços e procura novamente o domínio. O musgo sobrepõe-se à pedra. As flores silvestres e ervas preenchem os espaços. Até onde os tectos desabaram, as árvores emergem por dentro das casas, subindo acima das suas paredes. Pequenos animais podem ser vistos como os novos habitantes desta aldeia. Curiosamente, a ausência permanente da humanidade deu origem à emergência de toda uma nova vida.

Drave, Portugal
2016, Abril

Ribeira de Palhais

Dividing the abandoned Drave’s village in half, Palhais River drops concurrently in waterfalls from the higher altitudes of Saint Macário Mountain Range. At the village’s bottom, it swallows its currents with other rain fed tributaries.
Dividindo a aldeia de Drave a meio, a Ribeira de Palhais caí em cascatas consecutivas, das altas altitudes da Serra de São Macário. Abaixo da aldeia, a sua corrente engrossa com outros tributários derivados das chuvas.

Drave, Portugal
2016, Abril

Horizons

Alvão Mountain Range in the background, with Maroiço Mountain Range in the foreground, framed by Fafe Basto Mountain Range with its Morgair peak to the far right.
Serra do Alvão ao fundo, com a Serra de Maroiço em primeiro plano, enquadrada pela Serra de Fafe Basto com o seu Alto de Morgair à direita.

Serra da Cabreira, Portugal
2016, Novembro

Autochthonous Forest Day

Today, in the Iberian Peninsula, the day of the Autochthonous Forest is celebrated. The Rowan (or mountain-ash) populates European mountains, between 1000m and 2000m of altitude. This is a magnificent specimen that, although small in height, marks the mountain by its fruits colour explosion.

Hoje celebra-se o Dia da Floresta Autóctone na Península Ibérica. A tramazeira é uma espécie verdadeiramente nossa, ocorrendo nas serras entre os 1000m e 2000m de altitude. Este é um exemplar magnífico que, embora de pequeno porte, marca a montanha pela explosão de côr dos seus frutos.

Rowan, tramazeira – Sorbus aucuparia L.

Serra da Cabreira, Portugal
2016, Novembro

Sunbathing

With their bright red, fly agaric mushrooms strongly contrast with the green meadows or the dark soils of the woods.
Com o seu vermelho reluzente, os agários-das-moscas contrastam com o verde dos prados ou os solos escuros dos bosques. Outros nomes comuns para esta espécie são amanita mata-moscas, rosalgar, mata-bois ou frades-de-sapo.

Fly agaric / agários-das-moscas – Amanita muscaria

Serra da Cabreira, Portugal
2016, Novembro