Category: International Travel

On June 1st, just two days after my retirement, we boarded a plane with our friends Dave and Susan for a vacation in Portugal…one of my bucket-list destinations. I have included some pictures in this blog, but you can see more in the Gallery section.

Lisbon:

Love, love, love Lisbon! Our home base was in Alfama in a comfortable and functional Air BNB. Alfama is the oldest neighbourhood in Lisbon. First settled by the Romans and flourished in Moorish times. It is built on the slopes above the Rio Teja and has endless winding alleys and tiny public squares. We learned that many apartments were being converted to Air BNB’s which was starting to make it unaffordable for the locals. As of the end of 2019, no new holiday rental licences would be issued.

We arrived during the month long Festival De Lisboa. The streets were colourfully decorated and came alive in the evenings with booths selling wine, beer, and local food such as grilled sardines. Music filled the alleys and live entertainment popped up on the weekends.

Through a colleague at UBC, I was introduced to Joao Guadalpi (his wife’s cousin’s husband) who is a tour guide in Lisbon. His company is called West Portugal Tours…we highly recommend him. Our first full day (June 3), we spent 4 hours with Joao on a walking tour through the city. His historical knowledge and story telling was impressive…and he is a really nice guy as well.

Highlights: Miradouro de Santa Luzia, Castelo De Sao Jorge, Elevador de Santa Justa with amazing views of Praca do Rossio, Igreja do Carmo, the neighbourhoods of Chiado (shopping) and Bairro Alto (nightlife and restaurants), introduction to pasteis de nata, Lisbon Rail Station…and so much more.

Further exploration included a day trip by tram to Belem to see the Tower of Belem, Monestary of Jeronimos, and Casa Pasteis De Belem where they have been making these delightful custard treats since 1837 with a secret recipe originating from the monks who developed this famous tart. And yes, I waited in line to get a half-dozen of these delicious treats for me and my travel companions!

The walk along the Tagus river as it enters the Atlantic was very enjoyable. Unbelievable view of the 25 of April Bridge renamed to commemorate the revolution of April 25, 1974 that restored democracy to Portugal. The design was inspired by San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge. Another highlight was the 170 ft high Monument to the Discoveries built in 1960 to mark the 500th anniversary of the death of Henry the Navigator.

We hopped on a local ferry one night to travel to Cacilhas (just across the river) to enjoy the sunset with a view of 25 of April Bridge and dinner at a centuries-old establishment called O Farol for a seafood dinner. Sunset was spectacular. Dinner was OK.

Craig and Dave explored the War Museum, while Susan and I set out to find the Tile Museum. We didn’t find it; however, we explored another neighbourhood with colourful murals and walked around the outside of Santa Engracia which contains centotaphs of Vasca da Gama, Henry the Navigator and the famous fado singer Amalia Rodrigues. Later we took a tuk-tuk to the Gracia neighbourhood for another spectacular view of the city and a ride back down on the famous Tram 28.

It is so easy to walk around the neighbourhoods of Baixa, Chiado and Bairro Alto . I spent our last afternoon in Lisbon wandering the streets and soaking in the atmosphere. I watched a vernacular make it’s way up a steep hill while cars and pedestrians travelled all over the tracks. Took about 20 minutes for it to travel up the hill…about 5 blocks!

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Lisbon (Silver) Coast

Another highlight of our Trip was a full-day tour with our Guide-extraordinaire, Joao (West Portugal Tours). First stop of the day was in the small town of Serra da Vila to sample a local treat where they are made. The Pateis de Feijao are a delicious almond tart and they pair well with a robust espresso!

Next stop, AgedaMae Winery. This is a relatively new winery with their first production in 2011. Since then they have won numerous awards for their wine and their business. Their signature “Dory” label reflects the family’s history in the fishing history, with the cod fishing dory boats on the label. Wines, both red and white were tasty.

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On the road again, this time to the fishing village of Peniche (home town of my co-worker’s wife). Amazing views from Baleal with interesting rock formations. Peniche is historically a fishing town, so what better place to have an enomous seafood lunch than here! Joao made a reservation at a small family restaurant, Marisqueira Mirandum where we experienced an amazing seafood platter that included crab, lobster, prawns, sea snails, barnacles accompanied with a great Portugese white wine. Soooo good!

Next a short drive to Nazare, a very famous surfing beach. You may remember hearing of an 80 foot wave ridden by a Hawaiian surfer in 2017. This is the place. Sitio is the place overlooking the beautiful beaches and this is where we stopped. Legend has it that a nobleman was hunting on a misty day and the deer he was pursuing fell over the cliff. He was about to do the same and called out to Our Lady of Nazare and he was saved. He ordered a chapel to be built, which still stands today with beautiful Portugese tiles lining it. We also saw the “ladies with the seven skirts” selling treats of candy and roasted nuts. These women represent the tradition of fisher wives who would await the return of their fishermen husbands on the cold and windy beaches.

Final stop of the day was at Obidos, a beautiful city within the walls of what was once a medieval castle. It is now a tourist destination with the town well looked after. We learned that Portugese houses are typically painted with blue or yellow trim. We noticed that throughout our trip. In the summer, they hold a medieval festival here, and it is a charming place to wander at any time, especially some of the back alleys

Sintra and Cascais

Sintra and Cascais was easy to get to via train from Lisbon which takes about 90 minutes. Once in Sintra, we hopped on a bus to explore the various sites located in hills of Serra de Sintra. The first stop was Castelo de Mouros, a 10th Century Moorish castle overlooking the town of Sintra and surrounding hills. Lots of stairs and hills, but beautiful scenery. We had views of several estates and castles.

Hopped on the bus again to Pena Palace, a colourful palace that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the seven wonders of Portugal. Unfortunately, it started to rain while we were here, so standing in line to go inside the castle was not something we wanted to do. It was pretty impressive from the outside, and we did get a chance to walk through the gardens during a break in the rain. Back on the bus, we decided not to view the other sites in Sintra. Back in town, we hopped on a bus to Caiscais. The windows were foggy, so not too much to see. There were sections of the road where cars had to back up to let the bus through. Very glad not to be driving!

Cascais, we are sure, is a beautiful place. The rain had followed us, and although we did walk around, our siteseeing was limited by the weather. We enjoyed the harbour and found an interesting outdoor art installation. Many people describe the seaside area as a “typical Portugese town”. I found it to be a little like a tourist area in many cities…pleasant, with lots of restaurants and tourist shops. During our time in Portugal we were lucky to truly enjoy typical Portugese towns.

Atlantic Coast

Leaving Lisbon, we drove over the …..bridge on our way south via the Atlantic coast. Our tour guide Joao had given us many suggestions on where to stop on our way to the Algarve. The first day we travelled directly to Sines, a small port and fishing village where we stayed overnight. It was great to walk around the small streets (not to great to drive on) and along the beach. Found a wonderful sunny patio for a late lunch, and later a pub just two doors away from the hotel.

The next day, we had several stops along the West Atlantic coast. Porto Cova, Vila Nova, Arrifana (where we found a lovely family run seafood restaurant…one of the best meals we had in Portugal). The stop at Bordeira beach was amazing. The wooden boardwalk afforded some amazing views of the coastline where surfers enjoy the waves. You can walk from the beach to the little town of Carrapateira.

Algarve

Next stop was our Airbnb in Luz in the Algarve. Checked in, went grocery shopping and a quick walk around the town.

Our Airbnb was spacious and had a beautiful view of the beach. Lots of room and several patios! Definitely a comfortable place for the next 6 days.

We explored the area around Luz both by foot and by car.

Day trips took us several places. Lagos (only 5 kms away for a walk along the promenade, then a walk cliffside at Ponte de Piedade, visiting Praia D Ana. We travelled to Sagres and St. Vincent cape, where explorers left to discover Brazil, India and Africa. This is where Henry the Navigator established a nautical school. It truly felt like the end of the world.

One of the most outstanding days in this area was spent on a small boat touring the coast areas between Portomao and Albufeira and included a stop at the famous Bengali Cave. Our tour hosts were entertaining and accommodating (Royal Nautic). We cruised by dolphins, Carvoeiro, Praia de Rocha, Praia de Bengali and much more. Afterwards, we drove to Carvoeiro for a closer look.

Another day, we headed West from Luz and simply explored many small towns, villages and shorelines. Quite by accident, we came across a nude beach…didn’t stay too long there! The small village of Salema was lovely and I would definitely think of staying there on another trip. We found old forts and many (very) narrow streets in the neighbouring towns.

On our last day, we went on a quest to see the oblelisk that we could see from our Air BNB patio, high a top a hill overlooking Praia de Luz. After winding our way around to the far side of the hill, we stopped at Praia do Porto de Mos…and there we found a trail. It was a pleasant walk with several look-outs along the way. The obelisk was unimpressive…just a marker…but the hike and views made up for it.

The last night in Luz, was a fresh seafood feast. There was a great fish monger (and French bakery) just a block away from our condo. Menu consisted of grilled sardines, swordfish and tuna cooked on a barbeque with wood briquettes. The final night’s sunset was also amazing.

Monsaraz and Evora

After our 6 days on the Algarve, we headed up the middle of Portugal to Evora, with a stop at Monsaraz on the recommendation of Joao (our Lisbon tour guide). Monsaraz is a walled medieval castle surrounded by olive groves and vineyards. There are outstanding views of the Alqueva reservoir and of Spain on the other side. Had an unpleasant experience at lunch (a very rude waiter, and an attempt to overcharge), but otherwise it was a nice stop.

We arrived in Evora late in the afternoon on a Sunday and managed to find our hotel after parking the car. Narrow, cobbled streets everywhere, most of them one-way. The old town is compact and very easy to walk around. The influence of the Romans, Moors and Portugese are every where. One of the most interesting sites was the Chapel of the Bones (Capela dos Ossos). Three monks lined the walls of the chapels with bones from various Evora churchyards in the early 1600’s to remind the rich residents that material things do not matter in death. During our evening wander after dinner, we found a “interesting” live art exhibit. I was more fascinated with the facial expressions of some of the audience.

Final road trip back to Lisbon where we stayed overnight in a hotel near the airport to catch our morning flight the next day. Not too much around, but we did find a lovely little restaurant near a man-made lake where we enjoyed a cold beer and watched the locals celebrating the long weekend in the park.

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Adios Portugal. Hope to visit again one day.

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