http://www.knowsleydreamteam.org.uk/spiritofthewolves/web_dev/blog/index.php Copyright 2010, KMBC KMBC en-US SPHPBLOG 0.4.8 http://www.knowsleydreamteam.org.uk/spiritofthewolves/web_dev/blog/index.php?entry=entry070728-132535


We climbed up steep cobbled streets to the 12th century cathedral, which also offered a fantastic view over the city. Then we visited the main train station, which features a famous tiled mosaic in the outer hall, telling the history of transportation.

In the afternoon, we went down to the River Douro, which is at the heart of the city’s rich maritime history. For centuries, trading ships have sailed from here to destinations all over the world, delivering the port wine that has made Porto famous. Grape juice from vineyards further inland is still carried down the river in barrels on the decks of traditional port boats. These can be seen moored beside the river banks and are very elegant, with their long steering rudders trailing behind them.



The brand names of famous companies can be seen on port lodges on the opposite sideof the river. There, they blend and fortify the wine before storing it in cool cellars to mature. Traditionally, port is sipped after a meal, often with cheese.

After lunch, we were all very sad to say goodbye to Dermot, who is staying on in Portugal for a few more weeks and will be going back to Lindoso to work with a group of teenage students at the hostel.

Tim went shopping, but the rest of us took a lovely sunny boat trip up and down the river to see the port boats, the city walls, and the five major bridges that allow cars, trains and pedestrians to cross freely from old Porto on one bank of the Douro to the suburb – once a separate town – of Vila Nova da Gaia the other. This is where the port lodges are situated.



We all said how different it was to our own river Mersey, which has only two very overcrowded tunnels linking Liverpool and the Wirral, plus a single bridge, miles away up at Runcorn & Widnes.

One of Porto’s crossings – the Dom Luis bridge – was designed by an apprentice of Gustav Eiffel, the famous engineer who built the landmark tower in Paris. You can see how alike it is in style! The arched metal bridge sweeps magnificently across the river, carrying two decks of cars and pedestrian pavements … but it does look a bit like something built from a giant Meccano set!



Then it was off to the airport for the flight home. We got there early and had to wait ages to check in.



We were all tired, but happy. We hadn’t actually seen any wolves, but we had got very close to them, and we had learned a lot about their history and how they are protected for the future. We had also enjoyed many opportunities to experience the sights and sounds of Portugal and her friendly people.

We said ‘Hola’ to Liverpool at eleven o’clock at night … in the rain. It was a bit of a shock after the sizzling Portuguese sun. But it was good to be home.

All in all, it was a fantastic expedition and we are glad you have been able to share so much of it with us. You made it all extra special with your enthusiastic messages.

So here is a big ‘CIAO’ and an even bigger ‘OBRIGADA’ from all your wolf-fan friends: Damian, Dermot, Nancy, Tim, Lucia, Elaine, Joe and Alison.
]]> http://www.knowsleydreamteam.org.uk/spiritofthewolves/web_dev/blog/index.php?entry=entry070728-132535 KMBC Sat, 28 Jul 2007 12:25:35 GMT http://www.knowsleydreamteam.org.uk/spiritofthewolves/web_dev/blog/index.php?entry=entry070727-132250
After yesterday’s problems with the equipment, we were very nervous about the morning broadcast, so it was a huge relief that everything worked properly and the live link went according to plan. Big smiles all round!

After a huge breakfast – trying to eat up all the last of the shipping order of food we had brought with us! – we cleaned up the hostel and shoved all our bags into the car once again. As we drove down from mountain country we commented (and not for the first time!) that the roads here are just like roller-coasters, with lots of double bends and steep up and down hills. A couple of us ended up feeling a bit travel sick!

Once on the motorway, we drove quickly back to Vila Praia da Ancora. Maria (the sister of Damian, Dermot & Lucia – who also visited us in Lindoso) was spending her holiday with her husband and daughter in the apartment where Dermot used to live. She had kindly said we could make our final broadcast from there.

And that is when the chaos on the balcony began! Question: How many senior managers does it take to put up an umbrella? Answer: We still don’t know; we never got it quite right!! The sun was absolutely sizzling, so we had repeated goes at putting up a big umbrella to shade Joe as he set up the laptop. We nearly lost the brolly over the edge of the balcony twice, and it must have fallen on Joe’s head about six times before he ended up with it propped against his shoulder! Then there was nowhere to put the webcam, so we ended up taping it to the apartment wall with elastoplast from a first aid kit. Not very high tech, but it worked!



Then Damian stood up on a chair to re-position the satellite phone… and fell right through the seat. The phone slipped over the other side of the balcony wall and was only saved by Damian quickly grabbing the plug and hauling it back. As you can imagine, that really did make us laugh! Luckily, the phone was undamaged – unlike the chair.



Sadly, after all that, the software let us down again! We had a signal, but we could not launch the programmes we needed to get through to all our friends in Knowsley. Joe, Nancy and Damian tried everything possible – with lots of help over the telephone from the CLC team. We even called a helpdesk in America! But we just couldn’t get it to work.



It was a huge disappointment as we had all really looked forward to saying farewell to our junior wolf-watchers and their families. Still, we knew you would have lots of great things to do, even without our broadcast. And, unfortunately, there are lots of IT breakdowns in real life. You just have to work around them.

After a few hours on the beach we drove off again, this time to Porto, which is Portugal’s second most important city. (Outside of Portugal, the city is often called Oporto.) It is an ancient walled seaport with lots of narrow streets overshadowed by tall houses. Our hotel for the night is six floors high, with an amazing staircase that spirals down from top to bottom.



Oh – and you might like to know about a little bit of chaos outside the hotel! The streets really were very steep and bumpy, and the van was pointing uphill when we parked and opened the door to get our bags out. Yes – you guessed it! – the whole lot fell straight out of the back and went all over the road. We laughed so much that we had to sit down on some nearby steps before picking up all the luggage and dragging it inside the hotel.

It was great to get back to a decent shower! We took full advantage of the modern bathroom facilities in our rooms before setting of for a lovely ‘farewell’ meal in a jazz restaurant right on the grand colonial square in the heart of Porto.

]]> http://www.knowsleydreamteam.org.uk/spiritofthewolves/web_dev/blog/index.php?entry=entry070727-132250 KMBC Fri, 27 Jul 2007 12:22:50 GMT http://www.knowsleydreamteam.org.uk/spiritofthewolves/web_dev/blog/index.php?entry=entry070727-092447 The wild wolves of winter
swept through the streets last night. Hate glared
in their eyes like unexploded neon
the wind of their howling a thousand blood-curling moans
the teeth of their hunger endless fields of aching snow.

The wild wolves of winter
welcome nowhere, scratched at doors and windows,
ripped at roofs, tore at chimneys, kept us wide awake,
nervous in our warm, sleep-calling beds.

Then as suddenly
were gone, all was quiet. We turned a last time
in our beds and slept.

The Wild Wolves of Winter

Link: The Wild Wolves of Winter
]]> http://www.knowsleydreamteam.org.uk/spiritofthewolves/web_dev/blog/index.php?entry=entry070727-092447 KMBC Fri, 27 Jul 2007 08:24:47 GMT http://www.knowsleydreamteam.org.uk/spiritofthewolves/web_dev/blog/index.php?entry=entry070726-184723
As you already know, we have had major problems with communications today - which was very disappointing for all of us here as we really missed our daily chat with everyone back in Knowsley. We tried everything to sort out the problems, but with no success. Sorry folks! But we know you had lots of other great stuff to do. Using his Blackberry, Damian managed to send you some email answers to your questions, but here is everything else that happened during our day.

Tim and Joe were first up - before dawn again - and went into the hills to see whether they could spot any wolves. Joe got very excited when through his binoculars he saw a brown animal with four legs, walking up a hillside track. Unfortunately, that turned out to be a cow! Still, it was better than nothing. Tim and Joe went for a long run instead and came back for breakfast absolutely starving.

We soon set off for Lamas de Mouro and the National Park centre.



On arrival, we found they were having a Festival of Grandads - which is a very nice idea. There were hundreds of families there, all with their picnic baskets.

The warden at the centre - Abel - was delighted to be asked to join in our broadcast, and was very disappointed when the uplink did not work. However, he gave us lots of information regarding the three different wolfpacks and their home ranges. The centre works closely with the scientists that study the wolves.

One of the grandads at the festival was very interested in our wolf project. He told us exactly where to find a pack on a nearby mountain, and told us that he had seen one of the wolves recently - in broad daylight. He added that there is a pregnant female in the pack. Because of this, a local construction project had been halted to give the wolves some peace and a better chance to successfully raise their young. Unfortunately, because of the cubs, the site is protected and we could not visit.

After a brief visit to the schoolroom at the National Park, we had to set off back to the house at Lindoso because we needed a long time to talk on the telephone to technical advisers back in England about getting the laptop fixed.

Fingers crossed for tomorrow!



It took Nancy and Joe several hours to correct the technical problems and they spent the rest of the afternoon texting the CLC team in Knowsley and making various long-distance phonecalls to software specialists. It was a huge relief to all when they finally regained the connection that had evaded them for 8 hours! So you can imagine how grateful they were to sit down to another delicious evening meal cooked by Lucia.

After dinner Damian, Nancy, Joe, Elaine and Tim headed up into the mountains for a sight-seeing trip to the remote settlement of Ermida.


The white-knuckle ride took them up a narrow single track that stretched upwards towards the summit.



As the bus ascended, the bends got sharper and the drop either side more terrifying. To tackle the blind corners safely it was necessary to ‘beep’ the horn to warn oncoming vehicles of our approach!

The group arrived at a spectacular vantage point that overlooked the villages below and felt like sitting on top of the world.





The vast expanse of blue sky was a treat to behold in this sleepy place where even the moon was patiently waiting to add its special effect onto the night time scenery.



Driving through the tiny streets of Ermida it was easy to sense a community spirit based on reliance and sustainability. Even the mobile shop where the locals bought essential items didn’t seem out of place! Damian chatted to an elderly local man who advised us not to take our bus any further up the mountain as the track was unfit to travel. So the bus was parked by the town’s cemetery and the group continued on foot.



The girls opted for the sensible choice and stayed on the cobbled track while the boys decided to move off the beaten track and take a more direct journey to the top. Communications continued via a pair of Walkie-Talkies that Damian had brought along for the early morning wolf observations. Nancy and Elaine were fortunate to see the simple irrigation system in action as on their ascent they met a lady on crutches removing stones that unblocked water channels to release torrents of stored rain water into gullies that fed the surrounding fields and terraces.









The sun was dropping in the sky as the two teams met back at the rendezvous point so fears of the journey down were surpassed by the breath-taking sunset scenes all around.









The whole of the wolf-team was reunited back at the Association and rounded off the hectic day in a local café-bar for a spot of supper of tostados con queijo y presunto (cheese and ham toasties!)
]]> http://www.knowsleydreamteam.org.uk/spiritofthewolves/web_dev/blog/index.php?entry=entry070726-184723 KMBC Thu, 26 Jul 2007 17:47:23 GMT http://www.knowsleydreamteam.org.uk/spiritofthewolves/web_dev/blog/index.php?entry=entry070726-002346
Abel also explained the seasonal agriculture and the effect it has on life in the region. It is mainly the older people that spend summer tending livestock in the mountains, just had we had seen on Tuesday.

He also explained how the dogs from Castro Laberiero were used as guard dogs againya the wolves. We also saw two female dogs whic we photographed.

Has the park ranger ever had to hand rear a wolf pup?

No he hasn't, but thechnically you could by using bottle milk and weaning it onto fresh meat. However, the problem would be that the cub would become too domesticated and not be able to hunt and be reintegrated back into the pack.

How many wolves are in the Peneda Geres national park?

The estimates place the numbers in the National Park at about 60 in about 6 packs though this may vary according to cross-border movements with Spanish wolves. The good news is that across the whole of the north of Portugal the poulation estimate of about 300 in 1997 remained the same when a census was taken 6 years later in 2003.

How badly injured are the wolves when they attack the dog with the spiked collar?

When we asked Abel at the NP centre this question, he said the purpose of the collar was nor to damage the wolves but to deter them from injuring the dogs because they couldn't get a grip.

How long would a wolf chase its prey for and when would it give up?

There are stories of wolves been able to run for sustained distances of over 20 miles on the flat sometimes in bursts of 25 mph +. However, their usual terrain is much rougher and these speeds are reserved for when they chase fast animals. If there are other prey animals in the area, they would soon give up and chase another animal. Usually, over long distances they when not chasing prey, they average 5 mph.

How do you train the guard dogs?

After they have been weaned at about 8 weeks old, they are kept with the livestock in a corral for 2 to 4 weeks to allow them to get used to each other. Then they are slowly introduced to young livestock. This prevents the young pup nipping and injuring the young stock. Then they are taken to the high grazing pastures where they are provided with a little stone hit until they are fully used to the flock/herd. It then takes a further 12 to 18 months to train them with the flock when they are constantly monitored by the shepherd. During this time thru contact with other dogs and people so it bonds with the flock/herd.

How are wolves different from foxes and coyotes?

Foxes are smaller in size, hunt small prey and may scavenge and live in a small family group. They are adapted to living in the vicinity of humans and are considered by some as pests. Coyotes are more dog-like and found in North America, particular on prairies where they also hunt in packs at night but are major scavengers frequently been found at the site of kills made by other predators.
]]> http://www.knowsleydreamteam.org.uk/spiritofthewolves/web_dev/blog/index.php?entry=entry070726-002346 KMBC Wed, 25 Jul 2007 23:23:46 GMT http://www.knowsleydreamteam.org.uk/spiritofthewolves/web_dev/blog/index.php?entry=entry070725-012304




Unfortunately, we didn’t hear or see any sign of the wolves … but, as Damian said, that doesn’t mean that they were not there. We just didn’t see them. Their territory is vast – hundreds of acres – and the wolves are about the size of an Alsatian dog, so there must be a lot of luck involved in seeing them.

A few hours later, back at the hostel, we discovered today’s question: How many senior managers does it take to dispose of two bags of rubbish? Answer: Actually, only one. But you’d have thought it took more than eight as we were all giving ‘helpful’ advice. All we needed to do was to get two bags of rubbish up to the bins at the end of the road, and it was on our way. As usual, everybody wanted to do the job differently. In the end, Tim did it … his way!

By eleven am the whole group was on the road again, heading for the Equestrian Centre at Mezio. Six people had agreed to go trekking whilst the rest of the group visited the town of Arcos de Valdevez. The riders – Alison, Nancy, Lucia, Maria, Dermot, and Tim – quickly clambered on to the lovely brown ponies they were going to ride and the guides from the Centre led the way into the forest.



It was actually a very challenging ride, over ruts and stony tracks and across hillsides strewn with boulders. The riders quickly found out that they had to pay close attention to the paths the ponies were following, because there was always the risk of a slip or a trip as the mounts climbed up slippery slopes and down into little rivers. However, the ponies were sweet and gentle and the riders soon learned to cling on tightly with their legs.



Lucia turned out to be a very experienced rider as she had worked with horses during her career in the circus. The other group members were grateful for her good advice, especially as the Centre guides spoke very little English. The very enjoyable 3-hour trek went all the way up to the top of the mountain, where a watcher in a tower was carefully scanning the surrounding area for any signs of smoke or flames that could mean another forest fire had begun. The sun was very hot and even a small fire could have spread very quickly. Luckily, today, all was well. After the long, hot ride it was great to see the Centre again – with the other group returned from their trip and waiting with cold drinks.




The second group had been to Arcos de Valdevez, which is a lovely little town with a beautiful church



situated in a central square that also contains an unusual water fountain clock.



The local people know the time by looking at the fountain which gradually moves around the roman numerals.

On the way back everyone visited Ermelo which is the most delightful little village situated on the Rio Lima



Many of the ancient stone buildings are dilapidated, but several are being renovated.



The area is renowned for the quality of its oranges, which are used for making marmalade. They could be seen growing on the trees throughout the village and created a lovely sweet aroma in the air.

Everyone was really tired after the dawn stakeout and pony trekking and several people were asleep as we drove back to the hostel.

PS: Here are the pictures of the drums that Alison spoke about on today’s broadcast. They are set out on the inside balcony at the hostel. They have been laid on their sides, and the tops have been filled with water to soak the leather skins. When they are later dried out in the sun, the skins will shrink and tighten up, giving a much better sound. There will soon be a summer festival here at Lindoso and the local drum band will need all the instruments sounding at their best.





]]> http://www.knowsleydreamteam.org.uk/spiritofthewolves/web_dev/blog/index.php?entry=entry070725-012304 KMBC Wed, 25 Jul 2007 00:23:04 GMT http://www.knowsleydreamteam.org.uk/spiritofthewolves/web_dev/blog/index.php?entry=entry070724-234820
We set off for the day at about 9.00 and drove over a huge dam and reservoir at Lindoso Central Alto.



It keeps all the local homes supplied with water. There is also a hydro-electric plant that generates water by tapping into the energy of water flowing out of the reservoir at high pressure. Some of you may already know that this is a very ‘green’ way of producing energy for our homes. Water is even more important in a hot country, and most of the fields here are criss-crossed with little irrigation channels that bring the precious liquid to the crops and flowers.

The first stop of the day was in Soajo, where there is an amazing collection of ancient espigueros.



We made our broadcast to you from there, and we hope you enjoyed the views of the espigueros and the hills behind them. There are some great photos of the broadcast.



It was lovely to hear your voices and, once again, the questions showed you are really getting into your wolf studies – which made us all very pleased.

After the broadcast, we popped into a local café for coffee and cakes. We seem to be eating and drinking our way round Portugal – it’s a real treat. Then we drove on to the Peneda Geres national park and into real wolf territory above Mezio. It was exciting to see a tiny wolf printed onto the map in the bit we were planning on exploring. We all hoped we would find some signs of wolves – pawprints, or bones from prey animals, perhaps.

We spent almost five hours walking a beautiful route around part of the park. There were amazing views of hills and mountains, with more of the dramatic rock formations we see so much of around here. We even had a very enjoyable picnic. Food again!



The mountain sides are very green with many different kinds of trees, bushes and flowers – lovely. However, much of the greenery is very young and new, having only grown in after some very nasty forest fires. We saw a lot of fire damage over the landscape, and Dermot tells us that the hills were red with fire for several days during the hot season last year.





Forest fires, are a terrifying and destructive phenomenon that affect many hot countries every year. In Portugal, only two years ago, they had to declare a national state of emergency because of vast forest fires affecting much of the country. The President appealed for international aid to rescue people in danger, and to try and protect their homes and their farmland. We can all remember some very upsetting footage in the news, showing crying people running away from burning buildings. Perhaps you could do some research into this and try to find out how it started? It must have affected the wolves, too, as the burn scars run deep into their hunting grounds.

We didn’t see any wolves, which was a shame – but we hadn’t really expected them to come out in the heat of the day. We did, however, see their prey animals. There were flocks of sheep, goats, horses and cows all over the hillsides.



Amazingly, we saw only one shepherdess with her dog, and all the other animals seemed to be completely untended. That is despite the presence of many abrigos – summer time shelters for shepherds when they take their flocks of animals up the hillsides to find the rich new pastures.

The untended animals would make rich picking for the wolves! We did find the skull of a large animal – a horse, Damian thinks – that might have been killed by wolves, or eaten by them if they found it already dead.



Damian, Tim and Joe also found what they think might be an old wolf lair, but it hasn’t been used for several years. It’s amazing to think that a wolf family may have lived here once.



Tomorrow and/or the next day, we are hoping to get out before dawn and watch out in the likely places for wolves. Wouldn’t it be great if we saw some?!?!

You’ll be glad to hear that we pretty much had a chaos-free day today. We did have a brief disagreement about the best way back to the car from the mountain top. We decided to split up and head back to the car in two different ways, five people one way and three the other … and ended up arriving back at exactly the same time. That made us laugh! One group of us saw a glossy black slow worm – which looks like a snake, but is actually a kind of legless lizard.



The other group saw a lizard.



This evening, Damian\Dermot\Lucia’s sister has arrived for the evening with her husband and daughter, so we have guests for dinner and Lucia has cooked a lovely risotto. Alison is typing this blog as the sun sets behind the nearby hills, Damian is preparing his podcast for the morning, and Joe and Nancy are waiting to do their work on the presentation. It has been another fabulous day, and we really do feel we are getting closer to the wonderful wolves of the Peneda Geres area. Tomorrow, we are making a trek on horseback
]]> http://www.knowsleydreamteam.org.uk/spiritofthewolves/web_dev/blog/index.php?entry=entry070724-234820 KMBC Tue, 24 Jul 2007 22:48:20 GMT http://www.knowsleydreamteam.org.uk/spiritofthewolves/web_dev/blog/index.php?entry=entry070723-001608
Alison was the first to brave the shower. (But we mean a pipe sticking out of the wall!) The water was hot, at least! Breakfast consisted of cereal, fruit juice and pain-au-chocolat, followed by a cup of tea. Then it was exciting to be getting ready for the first broadcast. We took quite a while to set up the equipment in order to do the live broadcast but it was great to see Mo with his shotgun and cartridges.



After we had spoken to all of you, we set off up Mount Louraica – in Serra Amerala province – accompanied by Mo.



This is wolf territory, and Mo was going to show us the fojo (wolf trap) built by local people long ago.



The mountain is 1,361 metres high and we drove almost to the top before leaving the minibus to scramble down the far side of the mountain to reach the base of the fojo, which was partly hidden by low cloud today.. It is 30 years since a wolf was killed there, but the wall could clearly be seen on the mountainside. It prevented the wolves from escaping and allowed the villagers to drive them towards the pit at the bottom where they could be slaughtered.

We made our way back to the hostel for a late lunch and a good rest before setting off at 5.30pm to pick Mo up again. This time, we headed in the opposite direction to Serra da Peneda and stopped in the village of Senora da Peneda.



There we looked to look at another highly ornate church – attached to a monastery this time.



Tim & Joe had been sitting in the car for a long time and couldn’t resist racing each other up the steps. It was funny to watch them crossing over on the landings as they ran from opposite sides. Joe won, by the way.
From there we went to Castro Laboreira and then headed towards the border with Spain, where we encountered an unusual roadblock!



Question: How many senior managers does it take to move a dog out of the middle of the road? Answer: More than eight, it would seem, as the dog carried on scratching and refused to move! Unlike the eight of us, who leapt back in the minibus when a much bigger dog appeared, wearing a spiked collar. That was especially interesting, as we knew the local story that the dogs with spiked collars are specially trained to protect livestock from wolves. The spikes prevent the wolves from grabbing the dogs by the throat if it comes down to a fight.



Apart from that, we wondered if both of these dogs were actually the border patrol, as shortly afterwards, we crossed the frontier. We immediately noticed the improved quality of Spanish roads. Spain entered the EU quite some time before Portugal and has obviously benefited from the funding.

After dropping Mo at home we headed back to the hostel. The first thing we did was to check the computer to pick up your messages and photos. It was great to hear from our friends in Knowsley, and we thought there were some great questions. Your models were very impressive – especially to Dermot, who is a professional artist. (Listen to Damian’s podcast on Tuesday for more details.)

Finally, at the end of a long day, we headed back to the hostel again. We have included various pictures of some of the day’s interesting sights. We hope you enjoy them. Late at night, we cooked dinner and prepared for the next day’s broadcasts.













]]> http://www.knowsleydreamteam.org.uk/spiritofthewolves/web_dev/blog/index.php?entry=entry070723-001608 KMBC Sun, 22 Jul 2007 23:16:08 GMT http://www.knowsleydreamteam.org.uk/spiritofthewolves/web_dev/blog/index.php?entry=entry070722-011016
On the way, we stopped in Ponte de Lima to see the bridges across the Rio Lima. One of them is medieval





but the other dates right back to Roman times



and there is famous story about the importance of a brave act by a centurion called Decimus Junius Brutus who was leading soldiers to invade Iberia – or Spain & Portugal, as we now say. The story goes that Decimus and his men marched to the banks of the Lima but were too frightened to cross. They were very superstitious and they were afraid it might be the legendary River Styx – the river of death at the borders of Hades. They thought they would become lost souls, unable to recognise their friends or to return to their own world. The army absolutely refused to venture into the water, so brave Decimus took the risk of wading in. He got safely to the other side of the river and called out to his men, proving that he was safe and well. They followed him onwards, playing an important part in their war. Nancy took a photo of the beautiful ceramic mural on the main street that depicts this story. Nowadays, the course of the river has changed, so the bridge just goes over grass.

The countryside changed as we drove on. We travelled around lots of bends in the road, and up and down hillsides. There were dark green tree-covered mountains, dotted with orange-roofed houses across the lower slopes. All around, there were crops of grapes and maize growing. Finally we arrived in Lindoso and went to the home of Dermot’s old friend Americo Gonzales Merinho - whose nickname is Mo. (Much easier to say!). Mo was delighted to see Dermott and Damian again, and we all received a warm welcome. Mo immediately poured us all a glass of the wine he and his wife make themselves from the grapes they grow all around their house. Delicious! Mo used to be a hunter as well as a farmer, and he knows all about the wolves around here. In fact, he tells stories of how some of his livestock were killed by wolves. In the photo, Mo – in the yellow top – and his friend Manuel are receiving their Spirit of the Wolves teeshirts.



Our home for the next few days is the ‘Association’ building owned by the local farmers’ cooperative.



It is a cross between a youth hostel, a social centre, a library, and a café-bar. This is where today’s chaos began. For a start, it was locked! We could get into the ground floor social space … but not into the bedrooms or bathrooms. Not only that – it was gruesomely grubby. Elaine began by scrubbing every inch of the kitchen before we could even bring in the food we had brought. Finally – and very late – Carlos from Viana arrived with the keys. This was when we discovered that the bathrooms were absolutely disgusting too – and only have cold water! So the next question for you is … How many senior managers does it take to scrub out a mucky shower? Answer: Only one! We left it to Damian!! Then we discovered there was just one huge dormitory. We definitely didn’t fancy having all eight of us in one bedroom, so the next job was carrying beds around! Finally we got the accommodation pretty civilized. We have just eaten a delicious pasta dinner cooked by Lucia and now we are all working hard to prepare for tomorrow and the first live broadcast to everyone back in Knowsley. In the next room a local policeman and his cool 16 year old son, wearing jeans and trainers, are playing traditional music on a melodeon and maracas. We’ve bought quite a few copies of their CD. Other local people are enjoying an evening coffee and chat as they listen. When Dermott, Tim & Lucia joined in the music making it was even more fun, but not quite so expert!



Unfortunately, the English weather has followed us and it has absolutely poured down since mid afternoon. So at least you don’t have to be jealous about us being in sunny Portugal – it is more like soggy Portugal tonight!



And not a wolf in sight – they have more sense than to come out in the rain.
]]> http://www.knowsleydreamteam.org.uk/spiritofthewolves/web_dev/blog/index.php?entry=entry070722-011016 KMBC Sun, 22 Jul 2007 00:10:16 GMT http://www.knowsleydreamteam.org.uk/spiritofthewolves/web_dev/blog/index.php?entry=entry070721-003618


The town was preparing for a festival and the narrow cobbled streets were festooned with banners.



We crossed the border between Portugal and Spain at Tui, which is situated on the River Minha, and carried on into Galicia (a province of northern Spain) until we reached Santiago. The magnificent cathedral towered above the town which was full of pilgrims … including nuns in trainers! They were all following the Way of St James. You will see the amazing photos of the exterior of the cathedral, which is extremely ornate.



This is only overshadowed by the ornate gold altar inside.



There are also dozens of small chapels, each with their own altar. The whole building is an impressive shock to the senses and means a great deal to Catholics around the world, who make the journey across Europe, picking up a shell from the Atlantic shore to prove they have been there. The two hour journey was well worth it as the whole town is rather beautiful, with its ancient stone buildings towering over the narrow, winding streets. After a very tasty tapas lunch we jumped back in the minibus and set off to Viana again.

This section is subtitled ‘Chaos at the supermarket!’ Here’s a question for you: How many senior managers does it take to push a trolley? Well, eight is definitely too many, that’s for sure!!! We had to do the shopping for the next five days and everyone had their own ideas about what should go in the trolley. Guess what … we ended up with enough food to feed an army, and it was only when we got back to the minibus that we realised that we had nowhere to put it! Consequently, the whole of the front passenger seat and footwell had to be given up to the food. Next question: How many senior managers can you fit in the back row of a minibus? Apparently ‘four’ has to be the answer … even if there are only three seats.

After a quick shower, we changed into our gladrags and enjoyed a lovely meal in the Tres Potes (Three Pots) restaurant. It was a very tasty end to our stay in Viana.
]]> http://www.knowsleydreamteam.org.uk/spiritofthewolves/web_dev/blog/index.php?entry=entry070721-003618 KMBC Fri, 20 Jul 2007 23:36:18 GMT