Tea Leaves Heritage Africa Europe

CHAPTER 1. Tea leaves

Call me Victoria. I was born in a Tea Estate in a place called Gurue, Vila Junqueiro in Mozambique —my life has been both extraordinary and tragic. Lost my mother when I was just 14 years old and my beloved sister was only 10, at the time.

Stella,my sister died at 54. I miss her everyday.

My handsome father, blonde with blue eyes was unusual in every way. Well dressed in his white linen suit,danced the tango beautifully, which he taught me at the age of 13 years old. To this day, I love to dance.

Soirees at the Polana Hotel, located in a city that is now called Maputo, I experienced the first foot print in my soul about elegance and sophistication.Those events were exquisite.

War and conflict in Mozambique made me cross the boarder to South Africa.

Little money in my pocket, a beautiful son of only 3 years old and a kind, young and dashing husband, were the foundation for my determination to succeed. I could speak English and this was an asset. My name, Victoria was given to me to honour my Anglo Saxon heritage,in this case my grandmother, on my father’s side, whose name was Victoria Primrose Melvile West.

Tea is still today a ceremony that I enjoy. My great aunts, that used to dress up like the ladies that dinned on board the Titanic, were just a memory on some faded pictures. I met one of them,however, when I was 6 years old, she was D. Berta Craveiro Lopes, a very elegant lady married to the President of Portugal,Mr. Craveiro Lopes. I was uncomfortable in my little cream dress with a lace collar. It was so hot under the African Sun but I had to follow the protocol of that day and give her flowers.

The extraordinary part of my life is that I went on to stay at the house of Princess Margaret in Mustique,have afternoon tea at the Ritz and the Dorchester in London, sleep at Blenheim Palace, fall in love deeply in Mykonos, play in the waves in Hawaii, travel on the Orient Express, stay at the Ciran Place in Istanbul and stay at the Carlyle Hotel in New York.

Portugal is part of my ancestry and so I have enjoyed many visits to this small but beautiful Country.

You should not only visit but invest in Portugal. It is still a place that offers you safety and the best weather in Europe

if you buy a property for EUR 500 thousand you can apply for Portuguese Citizenship.