A New Holiday Home at Quinta Do Sobral!

A new holiday home is under construction at our country estate. It is likely to be available from April 2011 on! As with Casa Brigitte, it is a matter of reconstruction. It will be larger than the former house: 2 floors, the ground floor with 1 bedroom, bathroom, spacious living/sitting room and open kitchen. First floor: 2 bedrooms and one more bathroom. Everything very comfortable, with central heating in winter and air conditioning in summer. The house is suitable for disabled people as well. And we are lucky to receive 40 % funds from the European Union, from the Portuguese PRODER program for delvelopment of the rural areas. One more success for the Rural Tourism.

Grape Harvest

As we use only a small amount of the grapes to prepare our own wine, we have a lot to offer for sale. Our clients come with their helpers and accomplish their own harvest. And when the work is done, we all have a fantastic Portuguese sardine party together.

Kittens

At any time you may have a pleasant surprise: one day our cat Garrida had a bad injury and needed treatment in the animals' hospital. Bernhard took her to Penela, and while he was waiting for the doctor to finish his work, 2 kittens approached trying to attract his attention. One even clung to his pullover using its little claws and teeth. Yes, the doctor explained, we care for them, but they really need a proper home. Bernhard liked the little ones, so he called Brigitte and asked: "what do you think about this?" As we wanted to have more cats since our Zarca had disappeared in May, we decided to adopt them both. Only 5 weeks old and without mum, we did not have the heart to separate them.
So we have 2 mor cats: Minka (photos on the left) and Loni (on the right).
They seem to be happy: they eat a lot, play around, always waiting for us to make time for them.
And Bernhard already prepared the long ladder to help them get down the trees they will climb without knowing how to descend...

Summer Flowers

These flowers exist here in a wide variety of colours - they really contribute to a colourful Mediterranean summer.

Tessa, our little dog

Now Tessa is 5 months old. She is always pleased to meet our guests. She is everybody's darling. Especially the children love to play with her. This 6-year-old Danish boy, Theodor, even bought dog-biscuits for her.

Water-lilies

Our Solar has a really nice interior garden - like the Romans had in ancient times. And now the water-lilies are in bloom!

Citrus Blossoms: the scent of early Mediterranean summer

Orange trees produce a wealth of blossoms



Tangerine blossoms: slender and tender


Lemon: with a trace of violet



Last not least: grapefruit