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Spain, Portugal Road Trip
  • Nikki Baker
  • Nikki Baker

Spain, Portugal Road Trip

2 weeks with Murray, John & Deb Read more
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  • Trip start
    March 17, 2024
    Nikki BakerSpain, Portugal Road TripTraveler
    Plaza de la Merced
    Malaga cathedralPicassoNOT Picasso1

    Malaga

    March 17, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    Malaga surprisingly busy considering it’s only March. A pleasant stroll around the old town & Sunday markets.

    Visited the Picasso museum (Malaga was his birthplace). The main galleries were closed but there was a temporary exhibition “Echos of Picasso) which had some of his works but the majority were works by other artists in the style of Picasso.

    In the evening the streets around the plaza were packed with people watching a procession getting ready for Semana Santa Holy Week of Easter    Read more

  • Nikki BakerSpain, Portugal Road TripTraveler

    Frigiliana

    March 18, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    Scenic coffee stop in Frigiliana. A picturesque ‘white’ village nestled in the foothills.

    Winding cobblestone streets, white houses, blue doors and lots of geraniums and greenery adorning the buildings.Read more

  • Nikki BakerSpain, Portugal Road TripTraveler
    View from Generalife to Alhambra palacesNazrid Palace courtyardCourtyard of the Lions

    Granada

    March 19, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    Alhambra tour with Marta. Spring flowers & wisteria in bloom so the Generalife gardens were lovely. Nazrid Palace architecture very impressive.

    Had an excellent lunch at an Italian restaurant (a pleasant change from Tapas). A huge wheel of Parmesan was used as the bowl to prepare the carbonara. So delicious that we returned the following day …. Or was it the lure of the BEST aperol spritz’s!Read more

  • Nikki BakerSpain, Portugal Road TripTraveler

    Zuheros & Almodóvar del Rio

    March 20, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    A short stop in the white village of Zuheros then on to the impressive Castillo Almodóvar del Rio. The current structure was massively restored between 1900-36 to reflect its original Moorish architecture from 760.

    And you may recognize elements of it from season 7 of Game of Thrones.    Read more

  • Nikki BakerSpain, Portugal Road TripTraveler

    Palacio de Viana

    March 21, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

    Palacio de Viana was originally a group of private residences that have been expanded and transformed by the 18 owners who lived there between the 15th and the 20th centuries until it was acquired by Province of Córdoba.

    It’s a wonderful example of the use of patios to separate different areas and provide calmness & tranquility. It also provides a great location for special occasion photos.    Read more

  • Nikki BakerSpain, Portugal Road TripTraveler

    Mezquita-Catedral de Córdoba

    March 21, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

    The Great Mosque of Córdoba began construction in 785 and was expanded multiple times after its completion. The massive prayer hall is beautiful with its repeating two-tiered system of arches, built of alternating red and white stones.

    The mosque was converted to a cathedral in 1236 when Córdoba was captured by the Christian forces of Castile during the Reconquista but it wasn’t until the sixteenth century that a a portion of the roof and interior were reconstructed to insert an ornate cathedral nave.

    It’s a very jarring juxtaposition of architecture.    Read more

  • Nikki BakerSpain, Portugal Road TripTraveler
    Teatro Romano
    AmphitheaterTemple of DianaPórtico del Foro - 1st century Roman ForumAqueduct de los Milagros - originally 10km long

    Merida

    March 22, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    Mérida, the capital of western Spain's Extremadura region, was founded by the Romans in the 1st century B.C. Remains of the ancient city include the still-used Teatro Romano, amphitheater, aqueduct, bridge as well as other significant ruins.

    Huge stork nests on the high remains of the aqueducts.
    Overnight accommodation was in a Parador - a converted monastery.    Read more

  • Nikki BakerSpain, Portugal Road TripTraveler

    Lisbon

    March 23, 2024 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

    Wonderful catch-up with Meriel, Rob & Izzy. Two great dinners - the Art Inn rooftop bar & Italian dining and the following night was Treestory - - a really excellent place serving Georgian cuisine.

    Out & about in the city - hilly & interesting small narrow streets. Great to watch the trams go through- not much clearance on either side in some places.

    One of the main thoroughfares is Avenue Liberdade which is very grand and stately - reminiscent of the Champs Élysées.    Read more

  • Nikki BakerSpain, Portugal Road TripTraveler
    Pena Palace
    Ginjinha in a chocolate cup

    Sintra

    March 25, 2024 in Portugal ⋅ 🌬 12 °C

    The queue for train tickets to Sintra was insanely long (and this isn’t even peak season) so we Ubered - which is really inexpensive here.

    Sintra is up in the hills and the Royal Palace sits high up above the town. The palace, in its various forms was occupied between the 12th-19th centuries and provided the Royal Court a welcome escape from the summer heat.

    Found a great bar (aptly named the Lord Byron) as he spent sometime here in 1809 and called Sintra “Glorious Eden”. In one of his letters he wrote: “Sintra . . . contains beauties of every description, natural and artificial”.

    We discovered Ginjinha - a local sour cherry style liquor that is often served as shots in a mini chocolate cup. Very pleasant!    Read more

  • Nikki BakerSpain, Portugal Road TripTraveler
    Belem Tower

    More Lisbon

    March 26, 2024 in Portugal ⋅ 🌬 13 °C

    Hop on Hop off bus around the city - trying to avoid the intermittent heavy showers. Great visit to the maritime museum which showed the expansion and reach of the Portuguese across the Atlantic, around the Cape and opening up the trade route to China.

    A rainy Belém Tower - best viewed from the outside.    Read more

  • Nikki BakerSpain, Portugal Road TripTraveler

    Óbidos

    March 27, 2024 in Portugal ⋅ 🌧 14 °C

    A picturesque medieval village (even in the rain) with a well preserved castle and a maze of streets and White House and lots of churches.

    Waiting out the intermittent massive downpours pushed us into sampling yet more pastel de natas, port & ginja in chocolate cups (and it’s not yet midday!)Read more

  • Nikki BakerSpain, Portugal Road TripTraveler
    What it can be likeWhat it was like at O Sitio lighthouseSeven skirts of Nazaré (traditional dress)

    Nazaré

    March 27, 2024 in Portugal ⋅ 🌬 15 °C

    Nazaré has the biggest underwater ravine/ canyon in Europe which spreads out for miles into the Atlantic Ocean and with the right conditions, currents combine with strong winds to create spectacular and gigantic winter waves. However today’s weather made for messy surf conditions and not a soul was out.

     Superb lunch at a tiny local restaurant- freshly caught sea bass & a delicious seafood bouillabaisse.

    The local traditional attire is referred to as the ‘seven skirts of Nazare’, where the wives of the fishermen would don multiple layers of petticoats to shield themselves from adverse weather and keep warm whilst they waited on the beach for their partners to return safely.    Read more

  • Nikki BakerSpain, Portugal Road TripTraveler

    Castelo de Tomar

    March 27, 2024 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    Tomas was one of the most influential towns of the Iberian Peninsula during the medieval period as it was the stronghold and religious home of the Templar Knights. The Order existed from 1118 to 1312, when the Pope extinguished it and deprived it of its immense wealth and assets.

    However, King Denis I of Portugal cleverly transformed the disbanded order into a new organization known as the Order of Christ. This allowed him to appropriate their wealth and maintain control over Tomar’s castle and convent.

    The castle and the Convento de Cristo are expansive and for the most part, impeccably preserved with minimal modern reconstruction. Perched high up the castle ramparts have magnificent views of the town.    Read more

  • Nikki BakerSpain, Portugal Road TripTraveler
    Praça da República
    Emblem of the Parade of TraysFesta dios Tabuleiros parade

    Tomar

    March 28, 2024 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    The historic centre of Tomar sits alongside the Nabão River and the narrow cobbled streets surround the imposing Praça da República plaza.

    Every 4 years Tomar celebrates Festa dos Tabuleiros. One of the highlights is the Parade of Trays represent the parishes of the municipality. Traditionally, the tray is carried by a girl dressed in white and the multilayered tray is decorated with colored paper flowers, ears of wheat, and 30 loaves of bread, each weighing 400 grams. The tray is topped by the Dove of the Holy Spirit.

    Museo dos Fósforus is one of those quirky museums - it houses the private collection of 43,000 unique matchboxes from all over the world - testament to the determination and passion of a single person - a well travelled businessman from Tomar who started collecting in 1959.

    Row after row in seven large rooms the matchboxes on show are arranged by country of origin and sometimes by subject, with the oldest ones dating back to the late 1800s.

    Dinner - an incredible excellent Indian meal.    Read more

  • Trip end
    March 30, 2024
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