Spain and Portugal 2024

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Trip start
October 11, 2024
Spain and Portugal 2024 Traveler
Porto
October 11, 2024 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C
Hi All. We are currently in Porto in the north of Portugal after having landed in Madrid a week ago and started our bus tour.
The flight over was pretty gruelling, but we had a good break in the amazing Doha airport.
Madrid is big and touristy, but has some stunning buildings, both old and new. Porto is on the Douro River and the home of Port (the drink). All the streets and footpaths are handlaid cobblestones. Beautiful old buildings, many of them covered in hand painted tiles. Lots of tourists here! Tourism is Spain's biggest industry, followed by wine, then cork (yes cork). Bought a very reasonable bottle of Tempranillo at the supermarket for 1.5 euros, about $2.50 Oz, and that wasn't the cheapest one!
The people in the tour group are all quite normal (just like us). Phew!
Onto Lisbon today, then the south of Spain next week.
We have both had a bit of gastro which is always problematic on a bus, but all good now.
Hope everyone is well back home.
M&C xxRead more
Wow - great photos! Those Romans got around - they peaked early and not done a lot since 🤷🏻‍♀️glad u r both feeling better. Was the wine any good ? They tend to b a lighter style don’t they? [Judith]
10/11/24Reply
TravelerHi Judith. The wines have been exceptionally good. Yes, the reds are a lighter style and usually served cold. Still looking forward to a Barossa shiraz when we get back tho!
10/23/24Reply
TravelerHi great to see your pictures and hear things are going well aside from the annoying gastro thing. The photos are great . Is that person carving meat off a cow leg?! Looks like blue skies - is it hot? All good here.
10/11/24Reply
TravelerHi Michele. Been so lucky with the weather up here.About 20 degrees and partly cloudy. Wouldn't want it any hotter given the uphill walks! We are about 800m above sea level, so cold nights!
10/23/24Reply
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Spain and Portugal 2024 Traveler
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Madrid
October 17, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C
Hi All. Back to our starting point in Madrid after a lap of Spain including Merida, Seville, Cordoba, Grenada and Toledo. Some amazing sights and very interesting to learn some Spanish history. They were occupied by the Romans until about 400 AD, then the Muslim Arabs to about 700 AD then the Jews then the Christians with much blood spilt along the way. Have seen vast tracts of olives and grape vines. Olives here are now planted very close together in rows, pruned to a maximum of 1.5m high, the harvested mechanically the same way they do grapes in Australia. Commercial vineyards here seem to have the vines grown without trellising. They just spread out over the ground. Must be a pain to harvest.
Lots of amazing cathedrals with Seville and Coimbra the highlights. Unfortunately you get a bit saturated with the visits.
The rest of the group is heading to Morocco tomorrow, we are flying back to Porto to start our walk. Weather forecast looks OK fortunately.
Hope all is well with everyone back in Oz.
C&M
Fun fact: Madrid is the highest capital city in Europe and also the driest with less annual rainfall than Adelaide.Read more
TravelerGreat pictures. Those three southern Spain cities have some amazing buildings and the history of the Mesquite (not sure if they’d the spelling) in Cordoba adds to the beautiful cathedral. Hope the walk goes well and not too hot. Been warm here and finally a bit of rain! Xx
10/19/24Reply
Beautiful back drop - Toledo looks great - is that where Klinger from MASH came form ?? [Judith]
10/21/24Reply
TravelerYes! I think
10/23/24Reply
TravelerYes! At least where he said he was from. Or was that Toledo in Florida?? Also made famous by Batmans quip "Holy Toledo Robin!"
10/23/24Reply
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Spain and Portugal 2024 Traveler
1
Alijo
October 23, 2024 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C
Hi All. Nearly finished our week of walking around the Douro Valley wine region. It has been pretty trying on the knees and hips with some long steep ascents, even though the daily distances have only been around 15 kms.
Had a coffee at Sabrosa where Ferdinand Magellan was born, the first person to circumnavigate the globe (in the 1500's).
Perfect weather, beautiful scenery with the vineyards in their autumn colours, and the accommodation has been great, small hotels and guest houses.
Back to Porto via train in a couple of days, then a fast train to Lisbon where we are staying for a few days including seeing Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds playing in front of 20,000 seat stadium. Seems he is a bit of a cult hero here!
Hope all is well back in the Antipodes.
M&CRead more
How lovely! Great photos! Interesting lock photo. [Judith]
10/24/24Reply
Traveler Wow!
10/31/24Reply
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Spain and Portugal 2024

Porto

Madrid

Alijo