A New Allegiance

A Sunset view of the Castle in Penela, Central Portugal, where my parents come from.
OK, so I'm back home, for a week already and still battling to get down to the normal (mundane) things... Horror of horrors I've not even finished unpacking!!!!!!!! My absence is attributed to the fact that I spent a number of weeks in Portugal visiting family and getting to grips with financial and legal stuff that needing attending to. In between we took drives into the country, we visited castles, the coast, and a myriad of other interesting places, granting me ample opportunities to take pictures .....
By my very nature, I am a multi cultural person, of dual nationality - being Portuguese, but born and raised in South Africa, I therefore have always considered myself 100% South African. And yet I found myself loving, no, adoring, Portugal - the scenery, the old buildings, the development that has taken place, my wonderful extended family, the lifestyle, the more relaxed atmosphere, the great food.... and just like that, I now have an allegiance to that country like never before, to the point that I can see myself living there - something which never really occurred to me before......

Ah well, time will tell, but in the meantime, I am definitely making plans to go back soon, to see more sights, to enjoy the people and the great food. And I'll read blogs about people who have made the switch, like Emma of emmashousinportugal.com an Australian lady who took the plunge in a big way!

For now I'll sort through the thousands (literally) of photos and post them on facebook and here so those interested, can enjoy them. Okay, so back to reality and unpacking the suitcase ...

For more pictures on Portugal, see posts on Vintage Rose Studio: click here
For those interested, herwith links to my photo albums on Portugal posted on facebook: Album 1 Album 2 and Album 3
Photo Credit: Gena D Photography