Traveling to … Loriga // Serra da Estrela

Can you, feel it in the air…a more distinct Hope…the kind of hope and positivity my very soul clings to. Yes our nation can let out a sigh of relief, a big sigh of satisfaction that although there is plenty of work still left to be done to get our country in the right step, our newly elected leaders are that first and crucial step to get us there. So yes, this weekend has been celebratory and in some ways peaceful. And now we must take that hopefulness, that positivity and fuel this week and the next, and all the following weeks after, for us to keep doing what it is needed for have us more kindness, love, joy and justice than ever before!!

Speaking of joy, I may not be fully joyful at the moment, as I’ve been back in the states and not in my little countryside village in Portugal surrounded the quiet beauty of nature. And ohh those devilish memory reminders, yes those on our phones, taking me back to this beautiful early spring-like Saturday. As the delectable scents of comforting chocolate banana bread fill my home and the much needed, and dearly beloved sun, warmed my body — I was transported back to one month ago, to the day in fact, to that lovely October Saturday, much warmer and full of bright green and golden colors as far the eye could see…

…I took one of my favorite scenic drives in the Serra da Estrela, towards Loriga. A road that’s become a sight of comfort; that curvy road that forces you to be present, to glide mindfully along the edges, cautiously never losing sight of the beauty you have now immersed yourself with. The gorgeous sights of mountains and vast green fields that simply take your breath away. Every so often a darling little village nestled within the mountains catches your eye with its warm terra-cotta rook shingles…that is one of the many beautiful things about the Serra da Estrela region, you’re only a short car drive away from having Mother Nature take your breath away, every, single time!

Traveling to ... Loriga :: Serra the Estrela // Portugal || Dreamery Travels

Although traveling is pretty much nonexistent, there were a few stragglers taking advantage with every precaution, like ourselves, and locals now making use of the empty streets — cozying around tables at outdoor cafes to somehow enjoy their weekends with a bit of normalcy. Any other year, the Praia Fluvial de Loriga {the natural spring water beach} would be filled with nature-slow-living-pleasure seeking folk basking under the cool shady trees, enjoying the great majestic beauty of nature, taking in its sights, its fresh scents, its soothing rhythms — to perhaps relax with a picnic or dig into your courageous spirit and brave the frigid mountain waters.

Doesn’t it sound like such a dreamy place?! It is, it really is a treasure! No surprise locals love this gem, but it’s also one of the best nature locations to spend an afternoon in the Serra da Estrela, if you’re new to or traveling the area. It may be saddening to see less people, surrounding cafes and restaurants emptier, or worse closed, it was amazing to see the surrounding landscape and nature without the distraction of people out and about.

Every detail was as beautifully clear as the vast clear blue skies!

We were able to sit and embody this beautiful place in that moment, and now we have this wonderful memory to carry with us whenever a mental escape is needed. After all, that is one of the indescribable beautiful things travel gifts us with right…

Traveling to ... Loriga :: Serra the Estrela // Portugal || Dreamery Travels

Oh the river flowed, rushing downwards, gliding across the granite rock edges; clear as crystal, mesmerizing to say the least. Isn’t it a simple wondrous beauty what Mother Nature can create. Water so pure you can see the earth’s bottom, all the intricate formations and details of the Serra’s varying rocks.

I was enchanted. I wanted to jump into the water and be enveloped with that pureness but alas…the cold was too bitter so me to grapple, perhaps if it had been a very hot day where nothing would feel better . So I gazed….onto the ripples, their sound hypnotizing, their colors captivating. The golden sun warming my toes, its brightness reflecting onto the water, filling the sky with rainbows of light.

Magical. Simply, utterly peacefully, magical.

I made the conscious decision to travel to Portugal because it’s home, of course with elderly and immune compromised family members, I wouldn’t risk it without taking all the levels of precaution beforehand. I also live in the countryside secluded by nature and the people are fewer than there are houses. I felt much safer in Portugal than being here in the US. I also wasn’t intending on going full out traveling and adventuring. Personally I hadn’t really been outside of my house and garden, since this whole thing started and have kept group interactions to a minimum, which mostly were for work.

What I was intending to do, was relax, find comfort and balance in the place that always grounds me, and makes my heart feel at home. My intention was to simply be with my family whom I missed dearly, and nature, whom I also missed dearly, as much as possible.

I feel very lucky to call Serra da Estrela home, a stunning mountainous region, where there is always somewhere new to explore, something new or historically old to discover, see and experience. I’ve grown up here and have not seen nearly as much as there is to in our region. And Loriga is a highly recommended stop on your tour of Portugal!!

Traveling to ... Loriga :: Serra the Estrela // Portugal || Dreamery Travels

After years of saying oh next week we’ll go to Loriga, oh don’t worry we’ll make it there the next hot day this week …. well today was finally the day I took the short drive and felt utterly at peace.

Oh that simple but blissful pleasure. The kind I personally need in my life more than I have now. And those simple pleasures I think so many of us, especially now, know we need that we did before 😉 …would ever take for granted!

Whenever I look back at these photographs, onto mother nature’s beauty and the memory of the moments shared with my cousin this afternoon, they soothe me. They breathe new life into me, particularly on the creative front as of late.

It’s no wonder Loriga is, and has been for the last several years, one of the most beautiful Praia Fluvials {river beaches} of Serra da Estrela and Portugal. Are you surprised it’s quietly known as little “Switzerland”. I figure Swiss immigrants may have left their mark with this one. I haven’t been to Switzerland yet, but I would assume Loriga does resembles parts of its mountainous beauty with our own mountains that surround, like the Penha dos Abutres and Penha do Gato, and the gushing rivers de Loriga and de S. Bento that come together to form this natural gem nestled within the Mountanhas Serrana “Serra Mountains”…..

and into the Forest I go,

to lose my mind

and find my soul

– John Muir

Traveling to ... Loriga :: Serra the Estrela // Portugal || Dreamery Travels

Traveling to ... Loriga :: Serra da Estrela // Portugal || Dreamery Travels

Traveling to ... Loriga :: Serra the Estrela // Portugal || Dreamery Travels

If you’re planning on staying and seeing the natural beauty of the Serra da Estrela for a few days, which I highly recommend you do, a day is not nearly enough — especially if you’re fond of good cheese and wine, as I suspect you are. I suggest finding accommodations in one of the few gorgeous and modern eco-friendly mountain hotels such as the Casa do São Lourenço or Aqua Village {which offer amazing spa and massage treatments, plus they are great places to lounge in the middle of nature’s beauty on an afternoon} or perhaps stay in one of the many quaint and darling countryside AirBnBs available in surrounding Natural Park villages, like Manteigas, or Seia.

And as most do whenever they are in the area visiting, Loriga is located about 16 miles, like a 30 minute drive, from the Torre — the highest point of mainland Portugal, and second highest after Mount Pico in Açores. The Torre is perhaps the most visited location in the Serra da Estrela. And in my opinion a bit of an overrated attraction compared to the many natural sights and locations in all of the Serra region that offer open space and areas to explore. Ahhh but the drive to the Torre, now that is worth it!!

You will see such amazing sights of the Serra landscapes as you make your way to the top, and then back to the bottom. It’s a drive that should be done slow, it’s highly curvy and often without guardrails. Ohhh what but a thrill to be riding along the side of the edge of the mountain…I love it!! {I certainly suggest you get yourself someone who is a comfortable driver on these types of roads to join your adventure 😉

Traveling to ... Loriga :: Serra the Estrela // Portugal || Dreamery Travels

it is in the still silence

of nature

where one will find

true bliss

– j.j.c

Even now as time continues to pass, the number days growing with each new sunset and sunrise, this afternoon fades more into the distance. Into a mere collection of memories from this year, of this beautiful time in Portugal. And as the distance between this moment in time and the present grows, I continue to find comfort and pleasure in sitting on my meditation reading nook, looking back on these photographs and videos, and truthfully all the others taken during my multiples times in Portugal, soaking in all the Serra beauty! Snippets of a memory, a short gorgeous afternoon that always makes me smile, that soothes and makes me feel ever so calm.

And I hope that whenever you look at these photographs and read about my lovely memory

from this gorgeous Loriga afternoon, that it also soothes, inspires and calms you as it does for me….