Neve em Soajo!

Nov 29 - Snow has arrived early in Soajo this year. The north of Portugal was blanketed by the white stuff. Click here to read the article. Click on the album to view in a larger format these photos of the Adrao Mountain taken by Joaquim Neto.

Windmills in Alto Minho at full capacity

Yesterday, Portugal's Economy Minister Manuel Pinho inaugurated what was described as Europe's biggest wind energy park in the northern Alto Minho region of Viana do Castelo. The wind park, named "The Alto Minho I" began generating energy already a year ago, gradually increasing its production to the full capacity Wednesday. The park, which consists of 120 turbines divided between five sub-stations, will produce 530 megawatts annually. This is a mere one percent (1%) of Portugal's energy. Costing 400 million euros ($520 million), it is expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 370,000 tons annually.

During construction, the plans of the wind farm had to be changed in order to protect three wolf dens that were found in the area. The location of a number of wind turbines and energy transport cables were moved away from areas where wolves are active.

For a mere 1% of Portugal's electricity needs the local politicians have allowed the defacement of beautiful landscape that is a national treasure! Our political leaders should be ashamed.

If you think this grotesque raping of the land is bad, stay tuned because more wind parks are coming to Portugal soon, perhaps to a landscape near you.

Portugal’s General Directorate for Energy and Geology said wind power will provide 15 percent of the nation’s electricity by 2010. Currently, wind power represents about 4 percent of Portugal’s electricity, but there are plans in place to increase that in coming years, Publico reported.

Portugal had 1,427 windmills at the end of August 2008, generating 2,672 megawatts at 164 wind parks. In addition, between January and August 2008, licenses were given for 384 megawatts of wind power, and wind power generation is expected to reach 2,800 megawatts by the end of the year.

Portugal also uses hydroelectric power to generate renewable energy, particularly in the north. An estimated 9,653 megawatts of renewable energy is generated at electricity facilities in Portugal. (Source: UPI)

Sabores do Minho - Recipes

For those of us Soajeiros living in the US, Thanksgiving is nearly upon us in two more days. Thanksgiving is a special day of thanks. It is a traditional North American holiday that is a form of harvest festival. The date of the first Thanksgiving celebration is a debated topic though the traditional "first Thanksgiving" is thought to having occurred at the site of Plymouth Plantation in Massachusetts in 1621. In Canada, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the second Monday of October and in the US it is on the fourth Thursday of November. The fact is that virtually all farming societies celebrate harvest time in late fall, including Portugal.

Thanksgiving is a time for friends and family to gather and celebrate and gives thanks for our "harvest." It is a time for good food, wine and lots of good family time. But just because we live in the US does not mean we can't celebrate with traditional Portuguese cooking.

I recommend visiting Sabores do Minho for fantastic traditional recipes of our Minho region of Northern Portugal.

Happy Thanksgiving

Tempo das Castanhas em Soajo

Good times in Soajo. This is the time to eat roasted chestnuts in Soajo. Soajeiros gather to socialize and to enjoy chestnuts which they wash down with a glass or two of local wine ("vinho verde").

Convivio de Soajeiros na casa do povo a comerem castanhas. Bom tempos em Soajo.

(Foto: J. Neto)

Sheep in Soajo

Sheep in Soajo also like to relax after a long day of grazing on the rocky countryside. When I was a boy, daily chores after after school included shepherding our sheep up and down the mountains and roadsides. I hated that solitary job as a boy. Today, I have an entirely different perspective on the calming effects of shepherding.
(Photo by Joaquim Neto)

Joaquim Neto relaxing

In this picture, our blog contributor, Joaquim Neto, is relaxing after picking over a dozen pumpkins.

Alto Minho seduced by Golf

Arcos' government is planning a golf course in Mezio, in the heart of the national park! Don't get me wrong, I love a good game of golf. As a sports fan, and as an avid competitor, I value the importance of exercise and healthy outdoor activities. It is a great way to spend a few hours, outdoors, playing an old game with friends. I have 4 simple reasons why golf in Mezio is problemmatic. 1) It is environmentally destructive. The chemicals used to maintain the manicured fields can kill large numbers of birds and wildlife. 2) Mezio sits on top of the Soajo mountain range and is very windy in the summer and rainy in the fall and winter, making the golf season fairly narrow, and unprofitable. 3) For golf enthusiasts, the Algarve and Cascais/Estoril/Sintra region have far better weather and infrastructure for golf-related tourism. 4) A golf course in Mezio will ruin our natural beauty, which is the main reason why tourists visit Soajo and the national park in the first place. Read more about this topic in the Jornal de Noticias.

"Em Arcos de Valdevez, a autarquia local tem firmado com o grupo "Fortes Holding" um protocolo com vista à criação de uma unidade de hotelaria na sede de concelho, bem como de um "Golf Resort" no Mezio, localidade situada no coração do Parque Nacional da Peneda-Gerês