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River of Sertã at pego do mouro
 
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Presentation of the village of Mosteiro Cimeiro

Location

The village of Mosteiro Cimeiro with postal code 6100-688 is located near Senhora dos Remédios where there is an nnual pilgrimage and festivities; it belongs to the town of Sertã in Beira Interior district of Castelo Branco.

The village is surrounded by some pine trees and eucalyptus and in backyards are olive trees, vines and some orange trees.
  From almost all the points of the hill you can see Sertã and the localities around. 


 
Aerial vue of Mosteiro Cimeiro - Sertã - Castelo Branco, Portugal
Houses in Mosteiro Cimeiro - Portugal
Houses of Mosteiro Cimeiro at 39°48'13.87"N and 8° 4'34.74"O ie at the bottom of the village

River in Portugal at Mosteiro Cimeiro
At pego do Mouro in the river that passes near the village and were in other times the washerwomen used to go; today serves as a refreshing space in summer.
 
Videiras
White grappes upon the walls of some houses of Mosteiro Cimeiro

Vineyard

Since there are bunches of grapes in gardens and in some rare vineyards, the inhabitants make wine and "água-pé".
The "água-pé" is a weak and smooth wine with a graduation maximum of 5 to 7 degrees which is made when the grapes are already squeezed: we spread them with water leaving the mixture to ferment overnight. It is completed and ready to drink about 2 months after at São Martinho and until  5 or six months later.

For the jeropiga it is different: it has high alcohol content as it is made of most muffled with one part of alcohol for 4 parties of most. Portuguese use to drink it also the 11 of November with the traditional roasted chestnuts of São Martinho day or with figs, hazelnuts, walnuts or with the Christmas "broas".

Who has wine generally has águardente (alcohol from wine grappes), so some people like my grandfather prepare a bottle of poejos liquor : they put the poejos in the águardente during several days to give it aroma, then retire the herbs and mix up with sugar and a bit of water, all well shaked.
See the map of Mosteiro Cimeiro of  Senhora dos Remédios  - Sertã :

Part of the flora existing in Portugal around Mosteiro Cimeiro :

Trees :

The area arround Mosteiro Cimeiro is covered with pines and more recently with eucalyptus. Of the older trees left some oaks , chestnuts, few "medronheiros" (Arbutus unedo with comestible fruits used for liquor and alcohol).

The chestnut served as the basis of food like the wheat and corn but nowadays it is used during the São Martinho -day  St Martin - when we taste the água-pé (the day os St Martin, go to the cellar and taste the wine).

Olive trees grow all arround Mosteiro Cimeiro and are used to produce olive oil but orange trees are allo acclimated.

Shrubs :

In the bush there are estevas (Cistus ladanifer with sheets covered with aromatic resin), carrascos (Quercus coccifera with fruits called bolotas in Portuguese), giestas ( Cytisus striatus also called Portuguese broom with flowers between May and June and toxic fruits), moitas, urze and carquejas.

The carqueja (Pterospartum tridentatum) spontaneously grow in Portugal and has anti-oxidative properties - that is for the pharmacy. In most current use in the kitchen, a branch of wild serves to cook the rabbit somehow to bring a taste of hare. In the place of Carvalha we can find few flowers, pink to purple color which people called cucos (Paeoniaceae).

The mint hips also give a nice smell to the borders of the river.