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Our European Adventure 2018
  • DeanandLindasTravels
  • DeanandLindasTravels

Our European Adventure 2018

A 6 month trip on a shoestring Les mer
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  • DeanandLindasTravelsOur European Adventure 2018Reisende

    Driving North: Picturesque Villages

    22. mai 2018, 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, and people drive down the middle of the road, zipping in and out, only giving way when they have to. I don’t take pictures of this because I’m holding onto my seat and the door handle!

    Here is Obidos, a sweet walled town with a castle that is now a Pousada (fancy hotel). We tasted a cherry liquor in chocolate cups, which everyone seems to sell there. Delicious!    Les mer

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    Batalha: Battlefield

    22. mai 2018, 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 was built in 1416 in gratitude for the victory. It is filled with light, but otherwise quite austere.Les mer

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    Fatima Shrine

    23. mai 2018, 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 few years later, and are buried in the basilica. The other child, their cousin, grew up and became a nun. She lived into her 90s. About 4 million pilgrims travel here every year.Les mer

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    Tomar Monastery Rotunda

    23. mai 2018, 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 many fantastic Gothic and Manueline paintings and sculptures which were added in the 1500s.Les mer

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    Staying in Ciera (Coimbra)

    23. mai 2018, 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; the children know both languages, but they seem to understand some English, too. The youngest one was talking excitedly in Portuguese about something being advertised on TV, and I asked her if that was on her Christmas list, and she said “Si” (yes)! They live in a beautiful home in a small town on the outskirts of Coimbra, a University town. We had a wonderful visit and enjoyed some chocolate cake and Beirao, a Portuguese liquor, with them. Dean stayed up talking with Samuel until 1 a.m. discussing many important subjects, like, “Is it really true that at Denny’s you get a full pot of coffee all for yourself?” He watches TV and is very interested in the USA.Les mer

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    Bussaco Palace Hotel

    24. mai 2018, 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 a beautiful place, but they don’t want tourists wandering in the building unless they are staying and/or dining there. But I sneaked a few pictures while Dean was talking to the reception staff.Les mer

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  • DeanandLindasTravelsOur European Adventure 2018Reisende

    Arrival in Porto

    24. mai 2018, 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 was still raining so we decided to shower and rest up for tomorrow’s sightseeing. In the evening we went to a neighborhood restaurant for a local specialty, the Francesinha. This is a sandwich made with steak, ham, sausage, cheese, and a fried egg, covered with piri-piri sauce, served with French fries. It was huge and we should have split one, but we took leftovers home and ate it minus the bread and French fries the next day. It was fine—Dean liked all the meat, but we weren’t crazy about it. Once is enough. Good thing Porto is hilly, so we can burn off the calories tomorrow.

    Note to selves: The waiter brought appetizers we didn’t ask for so we thought they were free. They were delicious, but we learned that we have to pay for every extra, including the take-home box!    Les mer

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  • DeanandLindasTravelsOur European Adventure 2018Reisende

    Exploring Porto

    25. mai 2018, 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 a beautiful theater, and another church being restored. The train station is gorgeous with the Portuguese painted tiles depicting historical scenes.Les mer

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    Port Wine Tasting in Porto

    25. mai 2018, 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 coffee shop. They were all good!Les mer

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    Hills in Porto

    25. mai 2018, 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 beautiful city, and we would have liked it better if more of the buildings were taken care of, and if it hadn’t been raining. But the country needs the rain. Last summer they had lots of forest fires.Les mer

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    Aveiro

    26. mai 2018, Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 63 °F

    This town is along the coast in a lagoon formed by the Ria river. There are canals criss-crossing through the town. People can take canal tours on the large, colorful boats that used to be used for harvesting seaweed for fertilizer. There are lots of beautiful Art Nouveau buildings, mosaic sidewalks, and clean pedestrian streets. A town confection we had to try is Ovo Moles made with egg yolks and sugar, originally made in the convents.Les mer

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    Museum of Aveiro

    26. mai 2018, Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 64 °F

    This is a religious art museum in a 15th century convent, the Monastery of Jesus. The convent is famous because of St. Joanna, a Portuguese princess. Because she was in the royal line she was never able to take her solemn vows. She rejected marriage three times; instead she lived out a modest life at the convent, and bequeathed her estate to it when she died in 1490. At first she was buried modestly as she requested, but when she was canonized in the 1600s, a inlaid marble tomb was made for her. We also saw the washing room and the refectory where the sisters ate in silence.Les mer

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    Baroque and Rococco Religious Art

    26. mai 2018, Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 64 °F

    The baroque church is stunning. The organ in the choir loft is available for anyone who wants to play it, and we heard a very talented teenager playing.

    There were so many pieces of religious art in the museum, both Baroque (lots of gold leaf) and Rococco (very colorful). A lot of the pieces came from this convent.Les mer

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  • DeanandLindasTravelsOur European Adventure 2018Reisende

    Vaughan Town, El Barco de Avila

    1. juni 2018, Spania ⋅ ⛅ 64 °F

    We’ve spent the past 6 days volunteering for Vaughan Town, an English Immersion program for Spaniards. We’ve met such wonderful people: the participants, the staff, and the other volunteers. It’s very impressive how dedicated the Spaniards are in their efforts to improve their communication in English! We had a great time and made many new friends.

    As volunteers, we spent time talking one-to-one with each person, had meals together, participated in group activities, and practiced telephone communication as well. In addition, there was an entertainment hour every evening, composed of skits, presentations, and music, in which we all participated at some point. We got to see some real Spanish dancing, and Dean was involved as part of the “Spice Girls” band. We even received certificates at the end of the program!    Les mer

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    El Barco de Avila

    1. juni 2018, Spania ⋅ ⛅ 64 °F

    The area is beautiful: snow-capped mountains, a river, and a small town with a castle and church topped with nesting storks! With as many storks as we've seen, it's hard to believe they are protected. They are messy and people don't want them building nests on their chimneys, so places are provided for them to nest.Les mer

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    Stunning Segovia

    2. juni 2018, Spania ⋅ ☀️ 57 °F

    Segovia is a beautiful city about two hours away from Barco de Avila. The huge Roman aqueduct was built without mortar (!) in the first century AD, goes right through the center of town, and is surrounded by a plaza. The maximum height is 28 meters (92 ft). You can climb up the steps next to the aqueduct and enter the walled part of the city, or walk up through the lower town.Les mer

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    Segovia's Cathedral

    2. juni 2018, Spania ⋅ ⛅ 64 °F

    The huge Gothic cathedral, built in the 1500s, is the most photographed cathedral in Spain. We were happy to see lots of restoration work going on. The main altar is made of marble and alabaster, but seems to be outdone by all the gold in the smaller chapels. The Chapel of the Descent from the Cross, contained a very realistic carving of Jesus, that was like a moment captured in stone.Les mer

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  • DeanandLindasTravelsOur European Adventure 2018Reisende

    Avila: A Walled City

    3. juni 2018, Spania ⋅ ⛅ 54 °F

    We drove from Segovia to Avila, about 1 hour away, to see this old walled city for a short walk-around. The medieval walls are completely intact. We had fun seeing the precious children dressed up for their first communion. It is great to see people involved in these historic buildings as a part of family traditions, and keeping them alive. There was also some kind of civic ceremony involving a band and officials in the town square.Les mer

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    Vaughan Town 2, Barco de Avila

    8. juni 2018, Spania ⋅ ⛅ 59 °F

    Week 2 of Vaughan Town completed. Another wonderful group of Spaniards, volunteers, and staff got together to have a life-changing experience. We found it very heartwarming to have such a close connection with so many people in such a short period of time. There were volunteers from Australia, Canada, England, Sweden, and the US, (and Wales in the first week). The Spaniards had to decipher all those accents and ways of speaking, and it was amazing how much they improved in just 6 days!

    Anglos are encouraged to do a presentation if we want to. Dean presented information on the Buffalo Roundup in Custer State Park and I led a line dance. Everyone seemed to enjoy both activities!

    Note: Barco de Avila is known as a region for growing organic legumes. We ate some during the week, cooked with chorizo, and they were delicious!    Les mer

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    Salamanca: The Golden City

    8. juni 2018, Spania ⋅ 🌬 64 °F

    We walked around the Old Town area which contains the oldest University in Spain, founded in the 1100s. It’s also called the Golden City, because of the numerous sandstone buildings. The Plaza Mayor (Main Square) is huge and lots of people hang out there.Les mer

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    Our Lady of Burgos Cathedral

    9. juni 2018, Spania ⋅ ⛅ 54 °F

    We were advised by our Spanish friends to go to Burgos to see the cathedral. We were glad we did! It was built of limestone in the 13th to 16th centuries, is huge and has lots of French Gothic detailing. The main worship area has a huge carved dome, and carved wooden choir.Les mer

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