# looking at Serta



## Lerryn

Hi everyone ! I,m Lerryn , my husband and I are hoping to take the plunge and buy a holiday project this winter. We're coming out again early october. The place we've been looking at is in Serta. Can anyone recommend a local bank who can cope with a couple of ****** Brits and likewise a solicitor or lawyer who can smooth our way?


----------



## huskieracer

Lerryn said:


> Hi everyone ! I,m Lerryn , my husband and I are hoping to take the plunge and buy a holiday project this winter. We're coming out again early october. The place we've been looking at is in Serta. Can anyone recommend a local bank who can cope with a couple of ****** Brits and likewise a solicitor or lawyer who can smooth our way?


Hi Lerryn, we live in Serta and use BPI bank, we have used them for a year now and they are excellent. All the staff speak perfect english and will spend as much time as necessary to sort any problems out or just to show you how to use the multi banco machine to pay bills etc. We also used a solicitor called sofia neves who is based in serta who speaks pretty good english to purchase our house. Let me know if you need her details.


----------



## Lerryn

*Serta*



huskieracer said:


> Hi Lerryn, we live in Serta and use BPI bank, we have used them for a year now and they are excellent. All the staff speak perfect english and will spend as much time as necessary to sort any problems out or just to show you how to use the multi banco machine to pay bills etc. We also used a solicitor called sofia neves who is based in serta who speaks pretty good english to purchase our house. Let me know if you need her details.


Hi
Thanks for that, as it happens, we found the BPI bank, and they have been very helpful.
As you said , their staff speak excellent English and they are very friendly.
Are you enjoying your life in Serta?
We love the town, even though we still have lots to discover.
At first I wasnt sure, as Serta doesnt have a main square, so we couldnt figure out where the centre was located!
After our visit 2 weeks ago, we discovered more of the river areas and the municiple outdoor pool.Ideal as I think our own pool will be a long way off!
Its good to hear there are some English in Serta.
We wont be living there but will be visiting often...hopefully.
All the best
Lerryn
PS..can you explain the name huskie racer..please.


----------



## huskieracer

Lerryn said:


> Hi
> Thanks for that, as it happens, we found the BPI bank, and they have been very helpful.
> As you said , their staff speak excellent English and they are very friendly.
> Are you enjoying your life in Serta?
> We love the town, even though we still have lots to discover.
> At first I wasnt sure, as Serta doesnt have a main square, so we couldnt figure out where the centre was located!
> After our visit 2 weeks ago, we discovered more of the river areas and the municiple outdoor pool.Ideal as I think our own pool will be a long way off!
> Its good to hear there are some English in Serta.
> We wont be living there but will be visiting often...hopefully.
> All the best
> Lerryn
> PS..can you explain the name huskie racer..please.



We love it here, live out towards Camara so walking distance to all of Serta but have a lovely riverside quinta. Serta has many hidden places to find as all the villages around here do. The people here are fantastic, if you get involved with anything local you will have loads of Portuguese friends quickly. We watch the local football team when they play at home and we have a great group that meets up and has a few drinks afterwards in the pingo doce cafe (upstairs) afterwards then usually on to someones for dinner. Club Serta up the one way system is a good place (gym/cinema and good bar), loads of great places to eat but a favourite of ours is Papas and tapas, very different food and great steak.

If you ever need any help while you are here let us know, there are only a few English living in Serta but there are a lot more out towards the Cabril lake area. There are a few bootsales, get togethers that are great to go and meet people.

There are two markets in town every friday, one by us is outdoors, head to the new bombeiros from town and its the right turn before it. There is an indoor market near the church down the hill from camara. 

Try to get over for the big Serta concert, usually in june - 5 days of great music and fairs. 

Huskieracer - well we used to run our two huskies on off road scooters instead of walking them for miles but they are a bit too old for that now and they dont like the steep hills with us on the back.

Hope this is of help and believe me you have picked a great place to live!!!


----------



## Lerryn

*Serta*

Hi
Thanks for your reply
We are really excited as our sale went through this week, so we officially have our place in the sun.
I think we are going to love Serta.
It sounds like you have made an effort to integrate and enjoy the culture.
At the moment we are getting some quotes from builders. Its a nerve racking time, as its difficult to negotiate from the UK. Fortunately, I think we may of found a helpful english man who has a construction company in Penela.
Whats the local footbal team called?, do they win many matches?!
One evening we had a meal by the roman bridge, I think the stadium was near by.
The bridge looked very romantic, lit up at night.
The music festival in June sound great, we love live bands.
When the dates are announced, could you let me know please.
We did consider the festival in July 2nd- 11th, held every 4 years in Tomar. Its due again in 2011-,Its sounds as though it gets very busy but spectacular to see.

Regards
Lerryn and Mark


----------



## omostra06

Congrats..Lerryn and Mark, hope you enjoy living in the sun...although not much sun today..


----------



## huskieracer

Lerryn said:


> Hi
> Thanks for your reply
> We are really excited as our sale went through this week, so we officially have our place in the sun.
> I think we are going to love Serta.
> It sounds like you have made an effort to integrate and enjoy the culture.
> At the moment we are getting some quotes from builders. Its a nerve racking time, as its difficult to negotiate from the UK. Fortunately, I think we may of found a helpful english man who has a construction company in Penela.
> Whats the local footbal team called?, do they win many matches?!
> One evening we had a meal by the roman bridge, I think the stadium was near by.
> The bridge looked very romantic, lit up at night.
> The music festival in June sound great, we love live bands.
> When the dates are announced, could you let me know please.
> We did consider the festival in July 2nd- 11th, held every 4 years in Tomar. Its due again in 2011-,Its sounds as though it gets very busy but spectacular to see.
> 
> Regards
> Lerryn and Mark



Lerryn,

Congrats on the sale going through. My other halfs mum is completing on her new house 4km away on Wednesday. She is going to restore the place for a holiday home as well. If you need a hand with builders let me know, been through all of that and found a really good builder, best thing is he helps with all the paper work at Camara if any problems arise and they will occasionally. We are nearly finished on our build (new second floor) just the kitchen to do etc. We have also found a lot of good tradesmen, plumber, tiler and renderer all locally so maybe of use to you. If you want to see some photos of the build give me your email address and ill send a few photos. May also be able to point you in the right direction of good shops for furniture, lights, tiles etc, etc. Took us a long time to get round all the industerial estates and towns to find everything we need. 

The football team is called Sertanese FC and we are currently joint top of the second division central, roughly league one in the UK, like my beloved Colchester United. We have a great team with a fair few brazilians playing for us, loads of passionate supporters and a good little ground (behind Pingo Doces shops). Recently played a premier ship club thrid behind porto and Benfica and lost on penalties, gutted!!!

Will let you know when the concerts start but in the summer there are festas every weekend for months, the biggest being Serta's and at Olerios which has a theatre of fire show, amazing. Tomar is lovely and heard the festival gets thousands of people there, will try to go this year now the house is nearly finished.

Like I say if you need any help let us know.

Mark and Ellen


----------



## omostra06

huskieracer said:


> Tomar is lovely and heard the festival gets thousands of people there, will try to go this year now the house is nearly finished.
> Mark and Ellen



This particular festival in Tomar (tabuleiros festival) is only on every 4 years, i was at the last one, it was amazing, and ive seen a few festivals around europe in my travels. this one takes some beating, it lasts one week, on the tv reports last time it was reported that 600,000 people came to see the big procession on the last sunday. i can belive it, we camped out to get a good spot to watch, and we still ended up 15 people deep back from the front. no problem as the portuguese are not a tall nation! the procession takes around 6 hours to go past...!

if your only going to one event in portugal next year...it should be this one!


----------



## huskieracer

omostra06 said:


> This particular festival in Tomar (tabuleiros festival) is only on every 4 years, i was at the last one, it was amazing, and ive seen a few festivals around europe in my travels. this one takes some beating, it lasts one week, on the tv reports last time it was reported that 600,000 people came to see the big procession on the last sunday. i can belive it, we camped out to get a good spot to watch, and we still ended up 15 people deep back from the front. no problem as the portuguese are not a tall nation! the procession takes around 6 hours to go past...!
> 
> if your only going to one event in portugal next year...it should be this one!




Will try to go this coming year but been so busy with our house and now our yurt holiday rental. Just hoping to have a bit of spare time to be a tourist again.


----------



## omostra06

huskieracer said:


> Will try to go this coming year but been so busy with our house and now our yurt holiday rental. Just hoping to have a bit of spare time to be a tourist again.


yes, save some time to enjoy yourselves in portugal, dont end up working all the time..


----------



## huskieracer

omostra06 said:


> yes, save some time to enjoy yourselves in portugal, dont end up working all the time..


I know but gotta try and make a living!


----------



## Lerryn

huskieracer said:


> Lerryn,
> 
> Congrats on the sale going through. My other halfs mum is completing on her new house 4km away on Wednesday. She is going to restore the place for a holiday home as well. If you need a hand with builders let me know, been through all of that and found a really good builder, best thing is he helps with all the paper work at Camara if any problems arise and they will occasionally. We are nearly finished on our build (new second floor) just the kitchen to do etc. We have also found a lot of good tradesmen, plumber, tiler and renderer all locally so maybe of use to you. If you want to see some photos of the build give me your email address and ill send a few photos. May also be able to point you in the right direction of good shops for furniture, lights, tiles etc, etc. Took us a long time to get round all the industerial estates and towns to find everything we need.
> 
> The football team is called Sertanese FC and we are currently joint top of the second division central, roughly league one in the UK, like my beloved Colchester United. We have a great team with a fair few brazilians playing for us, loads of passionate supporters and a good little ground (behind Pingo Doces shops). Recently played a premier ship club thrid behind porto and Benfica and lost on penalties, gutted!!!
> 
> Will let you know when the concerts start but in the summer there are festas every weekend for months, the biggest being Serta's and at Olerios which has a theatre of fire show, amazing. Tomar is lovely and heard the festival gets thousands of people there, will try to go this year now the house is nearly finished.
> 
> Like I say if you need any help let us know.
> 
> Mark and Ellen


Hi Mark and Ellen
Well, youve got me really excited now..Brazillian football players!!.
Sounds like a good team,unlike our team here in Plymouth.. Plymouth Argyle..they did actually win a match last weekend, for a change!
My email is [email protected] ,if you could email over I would love to see your pictures and will try to send some of ours.
Regards Lerryn


----------



## huskieracer

Lerryn said:


> Hi Mark and Ellen
> Well, youve got me really excited now..Brazillian football players!!.
> Sounds like a good team,unlike our team here in Plymouth.. Plymouth Argyle..they did actually win a match last weekend, for a change!
> My email is [email protected] ,if you could email over I would love to see your pictures and will try to send some of ours.
> Regards Lerryn


Well emailed a load of photos, let me know if you get them or not. 

yep we have 6 or 7 Brazilians playing for us, 5 or 6 euros to get in, crappy but fun cattle shed style bar with beer and wine of course.


----------

