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Europe 2017

September - October 2017
A 24-day adventure by Laurie Read more
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  • Laurie BestEurope 2017
    1
    Day 1

    We made it!

    September 16, 2017 in Portugal β‹… β˜€οΈ 21 Β°C

    Arrived safely in Lisbon! Our adventure was delayed by about an hour while we headed to lost and found to see if they could retrieve Barry's Timberland jacket he forgot in the plane 😲! Luckily it was found and delivered to us and off we went ! We took the metro to Bairro which is a bohemian area full of shops and restaurants. We walked around until our Air bnb apartment was ready. After much difficulty and up a very steep hill we found our place ! A very cute apartment within walking distance of most things . We did snooze for a bit , we are definitely feeling the time change and hadn't slept in over 24 hours. We are heading back out soon to get some food and explore this beautiful city. Heading to either Belem or Sintra tomorrow. πŸ’•Read more

  • Laurie BestEurope 2017
    Day 2

    Pasteis de nata !

    September 17, 2017 in Portugal β‹… πŸŒ™ 16 Β°C

    Today we took the bus to Belem , city where the original pasteis de nata are made. They are the most delicious custard tarts in the world ! We went in to the bakery where they can seat 400 people at any time. We sat and enjoyed our pastries and coffee and of course I bought 6 to take with us ! In Belem we also visited Jeronimos monastery and walked down to the Bejem tower. Walking down by the water is so pretty in this city . We took the bus back to Lisbon picked up some groceries fir breakfast and headed back to the apartment. For dinner we headed back downhill and found a cute little restaurant and ate some amazing Piri piri chicken. Back at the apartment and will. E up early for another day if exploring tomorrow 😊Read more

  • Laurie BestEurope 2017
    Day 3

    Sintra

    September 18, 2017 in Portugal β‹… πŸŒ™ 19 Β°C

    What a great day ! We headed out by train to Sintra. It is a gorgeous city where the Portuguese rich and famous built their summer homes to be closer to royalty . We visit Quinta de la Regaleira the summer residence of the Carvahlo Monteiro family built in 1697. It is enormous with a palatial house , gardens and a chapel on the grounds. There are also two wells you can climb 27 metres into the ground and wander around underground caves and grottos. It's incredible. We easily spent 3 hours exploring before walking back to the centre of Suntra where we ate at a fantastic little restaurant which served pasteis de bacalhau , fish cakes made with cid and mashed potato and cooked til crisp . OMG!! The owner was awesome. Because we wAited a while for our food he gave us a glass of Portugals cherry liqueur called ginjinha. So good. After we grabbed the train back to Lisbon and took the famous tram 28 , an electric cable car all the way up the hill to our apartment . Soon we are off in search for supper . Tomorrow we grab our knapsacks and get the train to Porto in the afternoon.Read more

  • Laurie BestEurope 2017
    Day 4

    Good bye Lisbon , hello Porto !

    September 19, 2017 in Portugal β‹… πŸŒ™ 13 Β°C

    We slept in s bit then packed up and went to do some last minute exploring of Lisbon. We went one last time to the lookout near our apartment to see the view of Lisbon .We started walking towards the train station and discovered a huge outdoor flea market where we wandered around a little bit. We ended up in the Amalfa neighbourhood a part which we had not seen yet. We arrived at Santa Apolonia train station which is right next to where all the cruise ships dock . We sat in the sun and people watched until it was time to get out train. Other than witnessing a pigeon being run over right in front of our faces it was a nice way to spend some time ! πŸ˜‚. We took our train to Porto and our air bnb was a short 10 min walk from there. Our studio apartment is so amazing. Literally smack in the middle of city centre ! We met our host , got some info from her then we headed out to get groceries for breakfast and then had the best pork sandwiches for supper! Back at the studio , nice tea and ate our last pasteis de Belem. Up early to book a boat tour and see some of the Porto wineries.Read more

  • Laurie BestEurope 2017
    21
    Day 5

    Porto you have won my heart !

    September 20, 2017 in Portugal β‹… β›… 16 Β°C

    What a perfect day! Our feet are exhausted from all our walking today πŸ˜‚. We started our day strolling around at palacio de cristal a huge and beautiful garden a little north of city centre. From there we walked along the water and stopped in the historic centre of Porto and took a river cruise past the 6 bridges on the Douro River. The river separates Porto from Vila de Gaia the area where porto is produced. The cruise was awesome! We then walked along the waterfront and crossed over the Douro River on the Dom Luis bridge. We walked along the lower level first then on the other side in Porto we climbed the hill and walked back to Gaia on the upper level of the bridge. The bridge is 279 feet over the river. On the upper level pedestrians can walk along even as the trains are passing about 5 feet away from you 😲. Once back on solid ground in Vila de Gaia we went for lunch at this charming restaurant where they sat us on the second floor by our own little balcony overlooking the Douro River. The food was great and the Portuguese wine was wonderful. 🍷. After lunch we walked to the Calem port cellars and did a guided tour with a port tasting at the end. We tasted a white and a tawny port. Good but a little too strong for my taste 😜. We then walked back over the upper level of the bridge and explored more of Porto and found a great place with a fantastic view of the city. After a full day of walking we decided to call it a night and headed back to our studio to rest our feet ! Now relaxing and planning our day tomorrow πŸ’•Read more

  • Laurie BestEurope 2017
    3
    Day 6

    Last day in Porto

    September 21, 2017 in Portugal β‹… πŸŒ™ 14 Β°C

    Today we decided to get away from the touristy spots and take the metro to parque da Cidade a beautiful, big greenspace outside of Porto. We walked around this beautiful park for about 1 1/2 hours . We saw roosters, and a huge group of really loud geese that weren't too impressed with us ! We had packed a lunch and some beer and Somersby ciders for a picnic. On the north side of the park is Motosinhos beach . We ate our lunch and watched the surfers. There were a few surf schools where you could take lessons too. We sat in the sand , ok maybe we laid in the sand lol, and enjoyed the waves and the sun. Eventually we made our way back to the metro , grabbed a few more groceries and went back to the studio. We changed and headed out for dinner and one last look around Porto at night. We went to Santiago Cafe which is known for its Francesinha sandwiches. Francesinha is a Portuguese sandwich originally from Porto, made with bread, wet-cured ham, linguiça, fresh sausage like chipolata, steak or roast meat and covered with melted cheese and a hot thick tomato and beer sauce with an egg on top served with french fries. This is also known as a heart attack on a plate. πŸ˜‚. Barry had this for supper , I did taste it and it was pretty good. I opted for a steak sandwich and salad. From there we went back and crossed both the upper and lower decks of the DomLuis bridge which overlooks Porto. It is absolutely gorgeous at night with all the lights along the Douro river. Before coming back for the night we stopped and had a cappuccino and a last taste of pasteis de nata pastries. Omg so good πŸ’•. Tomorrow we check out of our air bnb at noon and we catch a flight to Madrid at 8:30 pm so that leaves us a few hours to wander around Porto before leaving this beautiful city . Someday we will be back , this I'm sure πŸ’•Read more

  • Laurie BestEurope 2017
    Day 7

    Good bye to Portugal , next stop Madrid

    September 22, 2017 in Portugal β‹… β˜€οΈ 19 Β°C

    Checked out of our fantastic air bnb around noon and took one last look around. We went back into Sao Bento train station, easily the most gorgeous train station ever. Beautiful tile mosaics on the walls and high arched ceilings. We bought a sandwich and some fruit and walked back over the bridge to Gaia and sat in the park overlooking the Douro river with Porto on the other side. Such a beautiful sunny day. We brought along our 2 unfinished bottles of wine and ate our lunch in the park. Drinking wine right out of the bottle is perfectly acceptable and we were hardly alone . 😊 What a fantastic way to end our stay in Portugal. Sadly we made our way to the airport by metro and are awaiting our plane to our next stop ... Madrid Spain πŸ‡ͺπŸ‡ΈRead more

  • Laurie BestEurope 2017
    1
    Day 9

    Madrid, so different from Portugal

    September 24, 2017 in Spain β‹… β›… 19 Β°C

    Our first full day in Madrid is done. We arrived late last night after a delay in our flight of an hour leaving Porto. We scrambled a bit knowing our hosts were waiting for us to check-in in Madrid. We took the express airport bus as far as we could then jumped in a cab to our air bnb. No answer when we rang the bell. Freaked out slightly. 😜 We we into a Bar/ resto that was shutting down for the night. They were kind enough to let us use their cell phone to contact our hosts. By now it is 1:00am! No problem , they would be there in 5 min to meet us. Sure enough they came in their pyjamas lolπŸ˜‚. Sweetest young couple ! They checked us in and gave us info we needed for their great apartment. Needless to say we passed out not long after 😴. Today we explored Madrid. Such a contrast from the cities we visited in Portugal. Portugal had such an old world charm, hardly any fast food places at all. Madrid is much more cosmopolitan , Starbucks , McDos , fast food etc... it does however still have a very historic side to it with beautiful monuments , palaces and the most gorgeous city centre square , Plaza Major. We ate churrios dipped in melted chocolate At Chocolateria San Gines! Highly recommended by Taylor from when she visited Madrid. Tonight we ate paella and sangria. 😊. We watched a beautiful dance show in Plaza Major before coming back to our apartment. Tomorrow... there are a few sites left to see. Cheers to another fantastic day in our European adventure πŸ·πŸ’•Read more

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