Empty Nest Road Trip 4/2019

April 2019 - April 2024

April 2019 Read more

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Traveler Empty Nest Road Trip 4/2019
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- Apr 4, 2019
- ☀️ 48 °F
- Altitude: 1,463 ft
- Spain Extremadura Cáceres 39.465202, -6.36011939°27’55” N 6°21’36” W
Day 1
Cáceres
April 4, 2019 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 48 °F
Lovely city! Amazing tapas and great value for money in this off-the-beaten path city of ~95,000. Good stopping point on the way to Salamanca!
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- Apr 5, 2019
- 🌧 43 °F
- Altitude: 1,181 ft
- Spain Extremadura Plasencia 40.034271, -6.06589740°2’3” N 6°3’57” W
Day 2
Plasencia
April 5, 2019 in Spain ⋅ 🌧 43 °F
Explored the spring countryside just East of Plasencia. Highlights included the Monasterio de San Jerónimo de Yuste which Carlos V renovated in 1556. He retired to the Monastery of Yuste, after having abdicated the Spanish crown to his son Philip II of Spain. He intended to devote the rest of his life (2 years- he died at age 58 of malaria) to prayer. Other highs included unique hillside villages with wooden balconies and spring blooms (though we missed the peak cherry blossoms.

Two final highlights just before departing included a tour of a Semana Santa “storage/prep” church and the amazing Plasencia Parador!Read more
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- Apr 6, 2019
- 🌬 39 °F
- Altitude: 2,618 ft
- Spain Castille and León Salamanca Convento de San Estéban 40.959976, -5.66323540°57’36” N 5°39’48” W
Day 3
Salamanca Day 1
April 6, 2019 in Spain ⋅ 🌬 39 °F
Snow capped hills and intermittent hail/rain showers greeted us in this popular UNESCO World Heritage city. Our first stop after checking in at the Palacio de San Estaban (still an active convent) was Casa Lis (Museo de Art Déco y Art Nouveau). Figurines by Demetre Chiparus were our favorite pieces!

The weather behaved for a few photos at Plaza Mayor and outside the cathedral.

The city is even more magical at night!Read more
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- Apr 7, 2019, 11:31am
- ⛅ 45 °F
- Altitude: 2,671 ft
- Spain Castille and León Salamanca Palacio de Monterrey 40.964916, -5.6656840°57’54” N 5°39’56” W
Day 4
Salamanca Day 2
April 7, 2019 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 45 °F
Started the day by sampling a torrija! (An extreme piece of French toast!) An audio app took us on a walking tour of the city sights which included beautiful sandstone buildings. Most of Salamanca’s buildings date from the golden era of the Renaissance. Casa de Los Conches was one of the more interesting. The exterior is studded with carved stone clam shells reminiscent of those worn by pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago. A 2 hour audio tour of the new and old cathedral rounded out the day.

A lost-in-translation moment ended with more bebidas than necessary for lunch at The Mandala, a LP recommended local bistro near the university.

Ended the day in Cafe Novelty playing cribbage. This is the oldest cafe in Salamanca (1905). Paul befriended Gonzolo.

The video shows how magical the Plaza Mayor is at night!Read more
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- Apr 8, 2019, 6:42pm
- 🌧 48 °F
- Altitude: 1,447 ft
- Portugal Porto Tresouras Parada 41.157185, -7.91760541°9’26” N 7°55’3” W
Day 5
Douro Valley
April 8, 2019 in Portugal ⋅ 🌧 48 °F
Left Salamanca and headed into the wonderful Douro Valley. Our first stop, for a picnic lunch, was Ciudad Rodrigo (we perched on the walls of a former castle-now Parador).

Next we meandered through terraced grape fields which are just starting to bloom. We stopped in Mesão Frio for the night with amazing views from a casa rural.Read more
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- Apr 9, 2019, 10:01pm
- 🌧 54 °F
- Altitude: 344 ft
- Portugal Porto Santo Ildefonso Porto Porto-Trindade 41.152821, -8.60791341°9’10” N 8°36’28” W
Day 6
Transition Day- Travel to Porto
April 9, 2019 in Portugal ⋅ 🌧 54 °F
A late start due to work and rain and navigation challenges made today “interesting”. Though we ended with a bang at a Game of Thrones-themed tapas bar called Endovelico (a great IPA on tap) and local Gallic knowledge to share.Read more
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- Apr 10, 2019
- ⛅ 55 °F
- Altitude: 384 ft
- Portugal Porto Santo Ildefonso Porto Porto-Trindade 41.152506, -8.60663541°9’9” N 8°36’24” W
Day 7
Porto Day 1
April 10, 2019 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 55 °F
We bailed out of a 3-hour guided tour to explore the city on our own. The camera museum was somewhat disappointing - maybe the former prison venue had something to do with this?

Next we visited the city art museum which housed a decent collection in a tired building. We also enjoyed the Museo Romántica, a house museum displaying period art & furnishings, along with gardens offering scenic river views. A wander through the botanical gardens which are perched on the edge of the river was a highlight.

Our 24-hour food fail continued in a promising Italian restaurant that lost our dinner order. Travel is never boring!Read more
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- Apr 11, 2019
- ⛅ 59 °F
- Altitude: 643 ft
- Portugal Braga Guimarães Museu Arqueológico da Sociedade Martins Sarmento 41.442669, -8.29638141°26’34” N 8°17’47” W
Day 8
Porto Day 2
April 11, 2019 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 59 °F
At times Porto feels like an awkward adolescent unsure of its place in the world. You get a strong sense of striving to measure up or even outshine it’s more famous southern sister. Still gangly and unpolished, in 10 years, this city will be a gem.

Fueled by the nearby port wine empire in the Douro Valley, this new tourist destination was quirky but fun. And yes, we bought a 2014 Late Bottled Vintage Port after the Taylor’s tour.Read more
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- Apr 12, 2019
- ☀️ 59 °F
- Altitude: 807 ft
- Portugal Braga São Torcato Assento 41.485958, -8.26756941°29’9” N 8°16’3” W
Day 9
Northern Portugal Adventures
April 12, 2019 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 59 °F
During an unexpected private tour of the archaeological museum (in a former convent) in the lovely village of Guimarães, the archivist recommended we visit the ruins at Citãnia de Briteros. Since the weather was so beautiful, we stopped and picked up a picnic lunch on the way.

Although primarily known as the remains of an Iron Age proto-urban hill fort (or oppidum), the excavations at the site have revealed evidence of sequential settlement, extending from the Bronze to Middle Ages.

After a great visit to this special spot we journeyed on to Ourense, Spain.Read more
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- Apr 13, 2019, 4:50pm
- ☁️ 59 °F
- Altitude: 2,067 ft
- Spain Galicia Parada de Sil Pinol 42.390526, -7.5639242°23’26” N 7°33’50” W
Day 10
Ourense and Ruta Ribera Sacra
April 13, 2019 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 59 °F
We had high hopes for the touted artesanal craft street in the walking district of this inland Galician town but were disappointed. Graffiti and a plethora of tattoo parlors hint at the lasting repercussions of the financial crisis. To save the day we headed back to nature and spirituality with a tour of monasteries on the Ruta Ribera Sacra which follows the fjord-like Rio Miño.

A great ‘typico’ lunch and a walk to two miradors were among the highlights of today’s outing. We used the Barceló Ourense as a base and it didn’t disappoint!Read more
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