Revealing Braga

25/04/2024

And our wonderful Orchestra….and city….

24/12/2023

Feliz Natal e Boas Festas 🎄

Thank you to everyone who put trust in me this year to look after their pets, or to show them about our beautiful Braga.

May you have as much fun with your family and friends this holiday season as this dear fellow is … 🤩

01/12/2023

Jeepers....how did it get to be December already!
And, as is usual in our Beautiful Braga....there is always something going on!

For you...the links to both the home page, and the program, so that you can plan all your Christmas activities...enjoy....Feliz Natal.

https://braganatal.cm-braga.pt
https://braganatal.cm-braga.pt/PROGRAMAdigital_Natal.pdf

31/10/2023

Olá from my one of my most favourite pastelarias on the eve of Dia De Todos As Santas.

Yum!

And seeing it is a public holiday I might just have two seeing the Cookie Monster is my 2nd favourite Muppet ❤️

05/10/2023

Happy ´Implantação´ de República (Republic Day) from beautiful Braga.

The 5 October 1910 revolution was the overthrow of the centuries-old Portuguese monarchy and its replacement by the first Portuguese Republic. It was the result of a coup d'état organized by the Portuguese Republican Party.

05/09/2023

Free Entry to Museums & Monuments on Sundays and Holidays

How wonderful…..free culture Sunday is back again.

The Portuguese News in English by Jorge Branco, a weekly email of the top news items for the week, informs us that Portuguese residents can once again get free entry to state-run museums, monuments and palaces on the sleepiest day of the week! This includes those of us who hold a Título De Residência.

The Diario de Notícias (DN), one of the oldest printed publications in Portugal reports that admissions to museums, monuments and palaces protected by the State will again become free on Sundays and holidays, and every day for certain ages groups and professions. They write:

”Free access to museums, monuments and palaces in general (and not only on Sundays and holidays) also covers children and young people up to the age of 12, unemployed visitors residing in the European Union, researchers, museology and/or heritage professionals, conservatives and restorers, provided that in the exercise of functions, teachers and students of any degree of higher education, including Senior Universities and accredited vocational training institutions on study visit, and groups with proven economic need."

To find out more please visit the Diario de Notícias web page

https://www.dn.pt/cultura/museus-e-monumentos-gratuitos-ao-domingo-e-feriado-para-residentes-16949394.html?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

01/09/2023

Olá.

I am often accused of having a rather strange and dry sense of humour! Not to worry ... haha. However, I do love my daily cartoons and the odd glass of wine or two.

Where are good places to go for a drink when you are in the centre of town? Are you looking for some new favourite places?

Lets have a look for some when we are wandering about town on your next tour with me.

Saúde
Salud
Cheers
Cin Cin
Sláinte
Prost

01/08/2023

Our beautiful Braga - the third largest city in Portugal and a city of many `ages´. When we look around we see the Pre-Roman (as evidenced by the stone age, iron age and bronze age artifacts found in the city’s museums, and the Celtic hill fort on the outskirts of the city), and of course the Roman remains found throughout Braga. We also see Romanesque, Gothic, Manueline (Arte Manuelina), Baroque, Rococo, Neoclassical, Art Nouveau, Art Deco, Modern and Post-Modern architecture – we have it all here! And did I mention…fancy balconies, fabulous churches and fantastic flowers!

Do you want to see more? I am sure you do :-) Just get in touch with me using Facebook messenger at Nicky Campbell-Allen, or at Revealing Braga.

I am looking forward to meeting you and showing you beautiful…and bountiful…Braga.

16/07/2023

I do love history 🤩 I am sharing this fascinating information for those of you that love history and Portugal too ❤️

CURIOSITIES – WHEN “PORTUGAL” BECOMES AN “ORANGE”

In many languages, the trees - and the fruit itself – are written and/or have a sound very similar to “portugal”. Arabic language is one of them, in Greek, the fruit is known as Πορτοκάλι, “portokalo”, in Turkish also “portokal” for Orange, in Romanian is “portocálâ”, in Bulgarian “portokal’.

Oranges, and all citrus fruits, originated in the Southeast Himalayan foothills, in a region including the eastern area of Assam (India), northern Myanmar and western Yunnan (China).
The sour orange was spread by Moors. The sour orange was not palatable, but was used widely by herbalists to make medicinal syrup. The sweet orange reached Europe through the commercial trade routes established by land and sea.

The Portuguese did bring a delicious variety of the sweet orange to Europe. They were described in 1498 by Vasco da Gama as “very good oranges, much better than those from Portugal”. By 1646 sweet oranges were well known and commonly enjoyed around the Mediterranean.

Orange belongs in the citrus family, and is extremely rich on vitamin C. Eating citrus fruits (also the lemon) prevent scurvy, which apparently the Portuguese sailors found very early. So when Portuguese sailed around the world, scurvy was always a hazard. Legend tells that they planted orange trees wherever they went so they would have fresh oranges in each port of call, and by doing so introduced the tree and the fruit all around the world. Hence the connection between the fruit and the country.

01/07/2023

Braga dates back more than 2,000 years to when the Roman Emperor Cesar Augustus developed three urban centres in the Iberian peninsula’s northwest region. “Bracara Augusta” – as the city was called in ancient times – was one of them. The city was located on one of the most important Roman roads, via 19 to Olisipo (Lisbon) and was the capital of the Conventus Luridicus, a Roman administrative unit.

Bracara Augusta flourished, and in the 4th Century became the Episcopal See. Following the fall of the Roman Empire in the west, the city became the capital of the Suevian Kingdom, ruled by the Germanic tribe of the Suevi. Despite the barbarian invasions, the city remained a stable religious and cultural center.

During the Middle Ages, the Roman city of Bracara Augusta started to be buried under a new Medieval city. Since the 1970s, the ruins have started to gradually be rediscovered, thanks to systematic interventions in urban areas and to the team of archaeologists based at the University of Minho Archaeological Unit.

Today, Braga thrives, and is the third largest city in Portugal. As you look about you will see traces of the many `ages´ she has gone through – the Pre-Roman (as evidenced by the stone age and iron age artifacts found in the city’s museums, and the Celtic hill fort on the outskirts of the city), and of course the Roman remains found throughout Braga. You will also see Romanesque, Gothic, Manueline (Arte Manuelina), Baroque, Rococo, Neoclassical, Art Nouveau, Art Deco, Modern and Post-Modern architecture – we have it all here!

I feel very lucky to guide visitors and locals alike about this wonderful city. I have made many new friends along the way. Each tour is of two hours duration and will cover the origins of our beautiful city, why Braga is as Braga is today, the rich Roman, religious and architectural features we see all about us, the food and wine choices available here, and places to see and go when you have more time.

Tours are by booking only, so do get in touch.

Thank you to these three lovely families who trusted me to show them Braga over recent months. ♥️♥️♥️

15/05/2023

Boa Tarde everyone.

As part of Braga Romana, Jorge Vilela of Braga Tours will be taking a tour of Roman Braga....and visiting many of the ´secret´ places we often do not get the chance to experience. The tour will be in Portuguese....but I do know lots of you will be able to understand.

The tour is €5 for 2.5 hours and starts at 9.00 at the Turismo. Places are limited so be quick and book your place by sending Jorge an email at [email protected]

Further information can be found at: https://www.bragatours.com/product/a-descoberta-de-bracara-augusta

Jorge Vilela - Braga Romana 2022

01/05/2023

Happy ´Dia do Trabalhador´ and ´May Day´ everyone

As many of you know, I do guided tours of Braga for those of you who live here, those of you who may be considering moving here, or those of you that want to share an experience of Braga with family and\or visitors.

What you may not know, is that I am also lucky enough to be asked to look after these beauties. So….if you are planning some time away from Braga…for a day or a week or so…do get in touch and we can chat about what you need.

Thank you to the owners of these beautiful creatures who have recently trusted me with their pets….and their homes….I am lucky indeed 😍

25/04/2023

Today, Portugal celebrates the Carnation Revolution, a military coup that overthrew the authoritarian Estado Novo regime, on 25th of April 1974.

On the eve of that day, rebel soldiers in the Armed Forces Movement took over a radio station and played Grândola, Vila Morena (a song written and sung by José Afonso), as a signal for distant troops to begin advancing towards Lisbon. Today, Grândola, Vila Morena is a symbol of freedom, peace and democracy.

In the early 1970's, a number of José Afonso's songs were banned by the Estado Novo censors from being publicly played or broadcast, as they were considered to be associated with Communism. "Grândola, Vila Morena" was not one of the banned songs.

The song is a capella, sung in the style of ´cante alentejano´, which tells about the fraternity among the people of Grândola, a town in the Alentejo region of Portugal.

Otelo Saraiva de Carvalho, the chief strategist of the military coup by the Armed Forces Movement (MFA), needed a signal that could be transmitted nationwide via radio to all the military officers of the MFA, to indicate the start of their operation.

After the broadcast, strategic points in Portugal were occupied by the MFA troops. The military coup operation was successful and resulted in the Carnation Revolution, which overthrew the dictatorship of the Estado Novo regime and marked the beginning of the transition to democracy in Portugal.

Enjoy.....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BmZ9TfB78g

Grândola, Vila Morena
Terra da fraternidade
O povo é quem mais ordena
Dentro de ti, ó cidade
Dentro de ti, ó cidade
O povo é quem mais ordena
Terra da fraternidade
Grândola, Vila Morena
Em cada esquina um amigo
Em cada rosto igualdade
Grândola, Vila Morena
Terra da fraternidade
Terra da fraternidade
Grândola, Vila Morena
Em cada rosto igualdade
O povo é quem mais ordena
À sombra duma azinheira
Que já não sabia a idade
Jurei ter por companheira
Grândola a tua vontade
Grândola a tua vontade
Jurei ter por companheira
À sombra duma azinheira
Que já não sabia a idade

Grandola, Vila Morena
brotherhood land
The people are the ones who order the most
Within you, O city
Within you, O city
The people are the ones who order the most
brotherhood land
Grandola, Vila Morena
In every corner a friend
On every face equality
Grandola, Vila Morena
brotherhood land
brotherhood land
Grandola, Vila Morena
On every face equality
The people are the ones who order the most
In the shade of an holm oak
Who no longer knew the age
I swore to have a companion
Grandola your will
Grandola your will
I swore to have a companion
In the shade of an holm oak
Who no longer knew the age

Thank you to my ´always helpful´ Portuguese friends, and the ´internet´ for this information.

09/04/2023

Feliz Páscoa ❤️

Throughout Portugal on Easter Sunday, people sprinkle flower petals outside their doors to invite their local Priest to enter - to bless their home and the people who live there.

Often those within are elderly and no longer able to make the visit to their local church.

Listen out for the sound of bells ringing in the streets today – they may be visiting near you

01/04/2023

Ola´, meu nome é Nicky

A kiwi (New Zealander) by birth, I first came to Portugal in the early 1990´s. I fell in love with the country, its people and the history. I continued to return to Portugal, until I finally made Braga my permanent home in 2018.

Did I choose Braga? No, she chose me! I came here initially as a student in 2016, thinking that I would be studying and living in Guimarães. I had never heard of Braga! But I decided that if I had loved all the other parts of Portugal that I had seen, then I would definitely love Braga too – I did no research except how to get from Porto Airport to my accommodation!

Did I study history? No, my career was in subjects far removed from history. In fact, I started life as a nurse, became a nurse educator, a business consultant, and lastly a university lecturer. As a student at the Universidade do Minho I was researching Leadership in Engineering, as I was working at a School of Engineering back in New Zealand.

My mum and dad gave me my love for learning, history, and far-flung places. I also had a beautiful cat many years ago that I named Tomar, after using a map of the world to find an interesting name to give him. Little did I know that years later I would visit Tomar many times, and that I would extend my love of history and Portugal even more.

My Portuguese friends taught me much about the history and architecture of Braga, and as I discovered more and more about the city, I conducted more and more research! Revealing Braga started as a result of my love for this country, and for sharing my insights on life in this beautiful city with those of you who live here, may be visiting, or may be considering making Braga your new home.

As I discovered very soon after moving here - there is much to see and learn about Beautiful Braga. Do get in touch.

And....if you are arriving here by train, make sure you go down the escalator before you exit the building….we even had baths and saunas here in pre-Roman times!

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100087338980141

27/03/2023

Wow....Holy Week is almost here....and then....

Orgão Braga – International Organ Festival
28 April -14 May

https://www.festivalorgaobraga.com/ingles

Get ready to attend the 9th edition of `Orgão Braga´.

Braga is well known for its many churches, their magnificent architecture and fabulous organs.

This wonderful festival includes 11 different concerts in 7 of Braga´s beautiful churches.

Come join us and be treated to a feast for the ears and eyes….I am sure your heart will be moved too.

The entrance is free.

15/03/2023

Wow….Braga is preparing itself.

We look forward to seeing you here soon ❤️

03/03/2023

Beautiful Braga

We definitely have lots of churches and shrines, Largo’s and walking streets, cafe’s and bars.

We also have very creative locals.

Always something to see ❤️

28/02/2023

Our Beautiful Sé

´As old as Braga Cathedral´ is the Portuguese expression used to refer to anything of a certain age….and due to the fact that the Sé is older than the country of Portugal.

Known as the Sé, or Igreja de Santa Maria, the Cathedral is dedicated to Mary, the mother of Jesus. It was first consecrated in 1089 - the kingdom of Portugal was founded in 1143.

The Sé is Portugal’s oldest cathedral, and occupies a position in the exact center of the medieval city. It is the site of some of the most important religious figures, and some of the greatest artists of the Romanesque, Middle Ages, Renaissance, Baroque, Manueline, and Rococo periods.

Portugal also has a certain light quality - especially at night. The sky takes on a hue that I refer to as ´Portuguese Blue´. It is a color that is not always easy to capture in a photo….but you know it when you see it. This changing light quality plays upon the features of the cathedral - shadowing some parts, highlighting others.

During a city tour you will learn about this magnificent and important building….and why it appears to have ´crowns´.

Do get in touch to arrange a tour date and time that best suits you…..even if you have not arrived in Portugal yet, it is still possible to make a booking.

I look forward to meeting you and to ´revealing Braga´.

21/02/2023

Wow.....the full programme is now available....check it out….make your plans….and I look forward to seeing you here

https://semanasantabraga.com/en/

01/02/2023

Do you love wine?
Do you love history?
Do you love architecture?

Here in Braga we have some of the best kept `secret’ places in the country.

When you book one of my city tours I will take you inside this stunning building. You will learn about its history and discover a new bar to visit - one where you will be able to relax and enjoy a fine wine - all the while soaking in the ambience of the cloister gardens of Braga´s original hospital.

Just message me to book a day that best suits you.

See you soon

24/01/2023

Up Coming Festivals:

Wow…what wonderful weather we are having this week…spring is definitely in the air and it is a great time to be out and about and learning more about our beautiful city. I am available for tours and to answer your questions about life here….just message me to arrange a time that suits.

If you are not here already, but are planning your visit…here are some key festivals that should be added to the calendar…I am sure you will want to participate in these wonderful events.

I will let you know more about each of the festivals over the coming months, and look forward to seeing you in Braga.

Semana Santa e Páscoa 2023 (Easter)
Holy Week will begin on Sunday April 2 until Saturday April 8
Easter Sunday is on 9th April 2023
https://semanasantabraga.com

Orgão Braga – International Organ Festival
28 April -14 May – 9th edition
https://www.festivalorgaobraga.com

Braga Romana – Reviver Bracara Augusta
17 - 21 May – 19th Edition
https://bragaromana.cm-braga.pt

Dia de São João e Festa de São João de Braga
24 June
https://www.saojoaobraga.pt

22/12/2022

Boas Festas e Feliz Natal

Thank you everyone for your support and encouragement during my first year in business as ´Revealing Braga´ - it really has been very much appreciated.

Thank you to those I have shared Beautiful Braga with….I certainly got to make many new friends, met a lot of people from all parts of the world, and learnt even more about this wonderful city along the way.

Thank you also to all you pet owners (and plant owners), who allowed me into your homes to care for your precious ones – I have really enjoyed taking caring of each one of them for you.

And….2023 is on its way….I look forward to making more new friends, meeting more people from the far flung reaches of the globe, caring for your pets once again, keeping your plants well-watered, and to finding new places that may interest you all.

Do keep your eyes out early in the new year, as I shall be posting some tentative dates for events happening in Braga during 2023 that you may want to consider in your planning - and add to your diaries.

Beijinhos e abracos

05/12/2022

Today, in Braga, we celebrate the life of São Geraldo with his chapel being decorated with fresh fruits in honor of the miracle attributed to him.

Sâo Geraldo was Archbishop Primate of Braga (1096-1108) and he is the patron saint of the city. He was elected Bishop of Braga, and carried out a set of reforms at the ecclesiastical, moral and administrative levels.

Several miracles are attributed to São Geraldo - the most popular, the "Miracle of Fruit". According to legend, he was very ill during a visit he was making during the winter. From his bed, he insistently asked to be bought fruit juice from the trees in the garden where he was staying. His servants went and found nothing. He asked for a second time - nothing but snow covered the ground. For a third time, he asks the servants to return to the backyard - to their amazement, the trees were loaded with fruit – a miracle had happened!

He died on December 5, 1108 and is buried in the Chapel named after him. The legend of the fruit is recreated annually on the day his death is marked – with the chapel, being lavishly ornamented with fresh fruit. This is one of the most original traditions of the city of Braga. In the 15th century, the Chapel was dedicated to him and his remains were buried in the main altarpiece. The chapel has been the subject of several restorations over the centuries. It is decorated in Baroque carving and the tiles on the side walls narrate scenes from his life.

To find the chapel, walk down Rua do Souto, take the steps at the side of Igreja da Misericordia de Braga and look to the left – the doors will be open for you to visit - daily for the next week.

Enjoy ❤️🤩❤️