Medieval Fiesta of Penela

Posted By Castelo Construction Lda in buying property in portugal, How to . . ., Living in Portugal May 25, 2014

We had a very nice afternoon out today enjoying the Medieval Fiesta of Penela. It quite an event with hundreds of local people involved. In the organization and running of this spectacular event.

Held over three days you can pick and choose what to enjoy. The Saturday night choir service was excellent and packed out with people. Today, Sunday after working in the vineyard we came home got cleaned up and headed off for a late 3pm lunch at the fiesta.

Fortunately by that time the crowds had thinned a little and in fact most were watching a humorous play taking part on the castle patio. It a typical take of amorous men getting their comeuppance with lots of slap stick humor the huge crown of people with children loved it.

We paid for our food and picked up our earthenware cups. Took our paper around to the kitchen and received in return a clay jug of very nice read wine. Bread, choritso, large chunks of lamb with Moroccan rice and megas. The eating implements were sticks sharpened to a point and wooden spoons.

Medieval Fiesta of Penela — Very nice lunch washed down with wine

Each dish was served on a rough clay platter and we sat at the heavy wooden tables which were scattered around the patio. In one corner there was a pig being spit roast and beyond that the troupe of touring actors all dressed in costume would come around the people juggling and generally getting people involved.

Later we walked around the stalls and bought some divine chocolate cake and had a couple of earthenware cups of sangria and a chat to some very nice people.

All in all a very good event and a very nice afternoons fun.

Oh yes! Its free!!!!!

Tags Maintaining or increasing your home value in Portugal Medieval Fiesta of Penela portugal rising damp What to look for when buying an old house in Portugal

About Castelo Construction Lda

Castelo Construction Lda are builders in Central Portugal. We have 12 years’ experience of working with and delighting clients in Portugal. Tel 00351 927168247 or kelvin@casteloconstruction.com If you need an English speaking builder for renovation or new build work we will provide free estimates, fixed prices and carry out your work to a very high standard. Many of our clients are not in the country full time so rely on our regular photographic updates and written reports. They are always surprised when they make inspection visits. New Construction and Refurbishment of Portuguese Property It’s exciting for both our team and of course our clients to mark out on the earth the site of a new home. We will have been with them during the design process and have spoken to the architect many times so we will be comfortable with what we are about to do. For many clients, this stage is a little daunting as it’s hard to see without experience just where the house is going to be in relation to other things on the property. Once the foundations are dug out the house normally looks smaller than they thought, As the pillars and foundation wall start to go you get a much better idea of scale. You can see with your mind’s eye the location of the kitchen, bedrooms and so on. Once the walls are up and the first floor is in place the rooms start to looks smaller again (something to do with the light absorbing properties of the bricks) once the walls are plastered the rooms look a lot larger and it starts to feel more like the home our clients imagined building. As the build progresses we are involved with many specialist subcontractors and it is our job the get them on site at the right time so that the trades do not overlap and time is not wasted. Once the roof is on and tiled it is traditional in this area to have a dinner on site. Everyone who is involved in the build is invited to share a suckling pig dinner with local bread, oranges and of course wine. This is a great way for the clients to enjoy some local hospitality and meet the craftsmen who are building their new home. We also invite the near neighbors so that they get a chance to see what’s going on (when the house is at a very basic stage) and it gives our clients a relaxed opportunity to make their acquaintance. As we always accompany our clients to choose, kitchens, tiles, bathroom fittings or whatever they want. We can help with translation and of course negotiation! As the house is coming to completion we always have them professionally cleaned so that when we hand over the keys it feels more like a home than a building site. 2 months after the house is finished we are back to check for any small faults that may need attention and of course we are available to help and advise should that be needed. Central Portugal builders