Hills in Porto
25. Mai 2018 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 59 °F
We crossed the bridge again and climbed up 210 steps and then some hilly streets to get back to the center of town, where we saw the big cathedral and a view of Gaia from on high. Porto is a beautifulWeiterlesen
Port Wine Tasting in Porto
25. Mai 2018 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 59 °F
We walked along the river, then crossed the double-deck bridge and strolled by the Port Wine cellars and shops in Gaia. We looked inside a couple of them, and then had our own port tasting at a coffeeWeiterlesen
Exploring Porto
25. Mai 2018 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 59 °F
Porto is a city on the Douro river with an opening into the Atlantic. At one time, it was the capital of the Portugal. It rained, but we took the bus into the historic center of town. There we found aWeiterlesen
Arrival in Porto
24. Mai 2018 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 61 °F
We checked in with Filipe and Linda, who live in an apartment across the river from the city center. Felipe gave us a map and written information on the bus to take into Porto and what to see. It wasWeiterlesen
Bussaco Palace Hotel
24. Mai 2018 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 63 °F
This is another pousada, one of the historic and culturally important buildings that have been converted into luxury hotels. We were there in the rain so didn’t get many good pictures,. It is aWeiterlesen
Staying in Ciera (Coimbra)
23. Mai 2018 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 64 °F
Our Airbnb hosts this evening were Samuel and Julie. They welcomed us into their family with open arms! The children, ages 7, 5, and 3, are delightful. Julie is French and Samuel is Portuguese; theWeiterlesen
Tomar Monastery Rotunda
23. Mai 2018 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 70 °F
The famous rotunda (round church) was also built in the second half of the 12th century. The church was modeled by the Knights’ thoughts of how King Solomon’s Temple was. It contains manyWeiterlesen
Tomar: Convent of Christ Monastery
23. Mai 2018 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 72 °F
A former Knights Templar castle from 1160, with later embellishments including a famous Manueline window (for King Manuel of the 16th century).
Fatima Shrine
23. Mai 2018 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 63 °F
In Fatima is a basilica built as a shrine to Mary, because she appeared here in 1917 to three children as they were shepherding their sheep. Two of the children, a brother and sister, died only a fewWeiterlesen
Batalha: Battlefield
22. Mai 2018 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 66 °F
Batalha: a battlefield from the Hundred Years War, in which the outnumbered Portuguese won over the Castilians (Spanish). The battle lasted less than an hour and thousands died!
A Gothic church wasWeiterlesen
Alcobaca Monastery
22. Mai 2018 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 77 °F
Huge Gothic Monastery!
Nazare
22. Mai 2018 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 63 °F
This is an old fishing village, now a hot destination for tourists. We decided not to stay due to the crowds. We wanted a fish dinner, and ended up eating in the next town. The fish stew wasWeiterlesen
Driving North: Picturesque Villages
22. Mai 2018 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 66 °F
Driving in Portugal is wonderful but expensive on the toll roads. When we go through the towns, the small, winding roads are a nightmare! There is just no room for more than one lane in many areas,Weiterlesen
The Palace Grounds
21. Mai 2018 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 66 °F
After lunch on the terrace, we walked through some of the 200+ acre park surrounding the palace and went up to the highest point, 1700 ft above sea level, where a cross stands. We walked throughWeiterlesen
Palatial Views
21. Mai 2018 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 64 °F
Many rich people also built palaces in the area, so they could have the status of being close to the king. The first picture shows one of the closest neighbors. There were lots of great views from theWeiterlesen
Sintra Palace Interior
21. Mai 2018 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 59 °F
The palace has older (first 3 photos) and newer sections (4th and 5th photos) and a chapel.
It was fun to imagine their life away from the city.
Palace of Pena, Sintra
21. Mai 2018 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 57 °F
Our destination today was the summer royal Palace of Pena, built on the site of the former Convent of Our Lady of Pena in the mid 1800s. We drove up and up, and once parked, we walked up and up someWeiterlesen
Castle of Sao Jorge, Lisbon
20. Mai 2018 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 72 °F
We got off in a main square downtown and climbed the hilly route to the castle of St. George. We climbed and climbed, and finally saw the elevator we could have taken to get us most of the way up! TheWeiterlesen
Exploring Lisbon
20. Mai 2018 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F
We couldn’t figure out the train or bus systems, so we finally talked to a Hop-On-Hop-Off bus driver and found out which one to take into the city. We were glad to ride around and get our bearings,Weiterlesen
Lisbon's Golden Gate
20. Mai 2018 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 64 °F
We drove to Lisbon this morning, crossed the big red bridge (like the Golden Gate in San Francisco), with a statue of Christ nearby. We checked in at our B&B and our host gave us advice. We and droveWeiterlesen
Roman Evora
19. Mai 2018 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F
The town is known for its Roman architecture from the first century: city walls, an aqueduct and a temple. The aqueduct is in wonderful shape and the highest arch is 85 ft. high.
Views from the Tower
19. Mai 2018 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F
We climbed the cathedral tower for great views of the city and surrounding countryside.
Evora Cathedral
19. Mai 2018 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F
The cathedral is beautiful, as all of them are.
Enchanting Evora
19. Mai 2018 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F
The 45 minute drive to Evora was lovely. More cork trees, eucalyptus trees, and storks—we even saw 13 nests on one high transmission line tower! We also saw ruins of a castle on a hill, cattle, andWeiterlesen
Vendas Novas B&B
19. Mai 2018 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 66 °F
We drove to Vendas Novas, about 2 hours North. It was a beautiful drive through hilly terrain with lots more cork trees, vineyards, and wildflowers-mostly yellow and purple-everywhere. The hosts ofWeiterlesen


































































































































































ReisenderI understand what you mean about restoration as we found both London and Paris were working on restoring old buildings.