New Year’s Eve 2020 in Mirandela: Exploring Portuguese north countryside

For us, New Year’s Eve combines with what we most like to do: being with friends, preferably in nature. That’s what we did to say goodbye to the year 2019! We headed to Mirandela to discover its natural charms and the simplicity of the city!

We’ll tell you all the details of our New Year’s Eve throughout this article!

A paradise by the river in Mirandela!

We hit the road in the afternoon towards Mirandela, heading for the last weekend of the year!

We wanted a lively New Year’s Eve and therefore we challenged our friends, Filipe and Márcia, who brought the other 3 family members: Pipa, Kayla and Ozzy. All four-legged! Along with our Rafa, it would sure be an exciting weekend! 🙂

After a two-hour drive, we arrived at Casa do Moleiro, a local accommodation that, as we already knew and loved, we decided to repeat the experience. This rustic house was located in Mirandela town, next to the Tua river, and had two floors.

Downstairs, there was a large kitchenette and a suite with access to the outside.

Upstairs, the wooden mezzanine was the perfect room for a cosy evening! Almost every room had sturdy stones that perfectly matched the firewood crumbling inside the stove, which was lit as soon as we arrived. It was needed to fight that dry cold, typically countryside! 🙂

Surrendered to mushrooms!

After a short walk around the town, we decided to have dinner at the A Gula do Petisco restaurant. There we discovered a wonder starring mushrooms. Yes, how can a fresh grilled mushroom dish become the most delicious thing ever? We don’t know, but we surrendered to that bittersweet taste!

After the main course, we didn’t waste any time picking desserts from the menu. So, the range of typical sweets that followed made us finish that dinner with a golden key and some extra pounds, for sure! 🙂

The last day of the year

Still dreaming of that dinner, we woke up ready to enjoy the last day of 2019 in Mirandela…and to burn all the calories from the day before, of course! On a walk along the paths that flanked the house, we saw the river up close, which we watched from the balcony before. What an amazing view! The fog falling over the green fields and the scent of nature invited us to breathe deeply over and over, making sure we’d carry it in our memory.

Although there was no snow, there was bitter cold, but that didn’t stop Rafa and his friends from splashing around on the riverbanks. As a result: a bath for everyone when we got back home! 🙂

After a delicious lunch at the Flor de Sal restaurant, we decided to go for another walk. This was a shorter one. Through the beautiful old town of Mirandela, we took the opportunity to visit the local shops and, of course, buy the traditional blue underwear, so that luck wouldn’t pass us by at midnight!

3, 2, 1…Happy New Year 2020!

We came back home in the evening to start cooking our last 2019 delicacy. With the sound of lively music, we started to get into the swing while we were cooking …we and Bimby, that didn’t stop working for a minute until dinner was ready.

The smell of food was in the air already and we were eager to taste all those delicacies! Meanwhile, Pedro and Filipe opened a bottle of great wine so that we could make some of our last toasts that year.

After a seafood soup and the seafood itself, we finished the meal with fruit and some desserts and sat on the sofa, waiting for the clock to strike midnight. In the meantime, we spent the remaining hours telling jokes and playing board games.

We were almost falling asleep lulled by the warmth of the salamander and by the sound of the television in the background when Pedro’s alarm clock sounded. There were only a few minutes left until midnight!

We each took twelve grape raisins and a flute of champagne. Our twelve wishes were asked in silence. With the blue underwear, we wouldn’t be unlucky for sure!

The first toast of the year

Finally, a joint toast dictated the arrival of the New Year with some hysteria, music…and four dogs barking with such excitement! Late into the night, we danced, laughed and sang like karaoke stars!

It was 2020, it was time to start the new year on the right foot and fulfill all the resolutions!

Check the video we did about our last moments of 2019 in Mirandela here! 🙂

Here are 5 reasons to choose Portugal as your next holiday destination!

Kisses, hugs and licks

Sara, Pedro and RAFITA 🐶