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Trip start
July 12, 2024
Portugal Traveler
1
Day 184: Faro
July 12, 2024 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 81 °F
Faro is a beach town in Portugal which contains the most southern point of the country: Cabo de Santa Maria. The journey to reach the town was a little longer than expected so we arrived in the late afternoon.

We walked around and admired the cobblestone roads, houses, train, and sunset. We ate dinner at 9:30pm and enjoyed Açorda de Camarão which is similar to paella, but uses bread instead of rice. This variation was so delicious and hope to get it again.

Hostel: Hostelicious

Restaurants: A Do Pinto

Food:
Olives
Iberico Ham
Açorda de Camarão

Spots:
Faro
Jardim Manuel Bivar
Igreja de Santa MariaRead more
Traveler Looks good
7/21/24Reply
3 likes
Portugal Traveler
Day 185/186: Ilha Deserta & Rest
July 14, 2024 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 73 °F
Today we ventured to the Cabo de Santa Maria and Ilha Deserta to soak up the sun. It’s possible to catch a ferry to the beach so we booked the first boat at 10am and grabbed our seats in the shade. While loading the boat, a train passed along the town and then a plane landed at the airport (transportation trifecta).

Treated ourselves to real beach chairs and an extra umbrella to hide from the Portuguese sun. The sand was really soft and there were large shells everywhere. The water was too cold; couldn’t convince Kieran to jump in until like 2pm. We walked along the beach to warm up after and admired the pink sands. Road the boat back and napped at the hostel before eating Cataplana; a large mixed seafood dish with spices.

The next day, we wanted to ride the 12pm train to Lisbon, but it was completely booked out as well as the 4pm train; we were stuck until 6. To make up the time, we returned to the hostel and planned a bit of Vietnam, New Zealand, and our American road ski trip back home to Baltimore!

Restaurant: Tasquinha Cruzeiro

Food:
Sangria
Olives
Cataplana

Spots:
Ilha Deserta
Cabo de Santa MariaRead more
3 likes
Portugal Traveler
Day 187: Lisbon Walking Tour
July 15, 2024 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 79 °F
We would be spending the next three days in the Lisbon metro area so today we reverted back to a free walking tour to get our bearings.

Before the tour, we stopped at restaurant A Cozinha as recommended by Madison, Hannah, and Catie who visited Portugal a year ago. The food was very good and you can’t beat menu of the day prices. They also recommended walking to Parque Eduardo VII for an excellent view of the city.

For our walking tour, we went with small, local company Chill Out Lisbon and our guide Eduardo was the best. After exploring Barrio Alto we stopped at the Carmo Convent church to learn about the Lisbon earthquake in 1755. On All Saints Day and Day of the Dead at 9:30am, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck and shook for 3-6 minutes. Most buildings were destroyed and then a huge tsunami engulfed the city. Furthermore, many people lit candles for Day of the Dead with oil so the city continued to burn after the disaster.

This earthquake is partially attributed to the downfall of the Portuguese empire as well as the start of modern seismology, geology, and Enlightenment (science over religion). The church we stood at lost its roof in the event.

Next we walked to Praça do Comércio square and up the Alfama district with its steep steps and fantastic views of the city. We went to Casa de Fado Porta d'Alfama as recommended by Eduardo and it included a fado music show.

Restaurants:
A Cozinha - Sr. Lisboa
Casa de Fado Porta d'Alfama

Food:
Cod
Grilled chicken with couscous
Vegetable Soup
Custard
Chorizo
Tomato Salad
Pastel de Nata

Spots:
Parque Eduardo VII
Marquês de Pombal
Praça Luís de Cameos
Bairro Alto
Carmo Convent
Praça do Comércio
Alfama
Miradouro da GraçaRead more
4 likes
Portugal Traveler
Day 188: Sintra
July 16, 2024 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 66 °F
Today we took a day trip to the city of Sintra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. According to UNESCO, “In the 19th century Sintra became the first centre of European Romantic architecture. Ferdinand II turned a ruined monastery into a castle where this new sensitivity was displayed in the use of Gothic, Egyptian, Moorish and Renaissance elements and in the creation of a park blending local and exotic species of trees.”

On a mountain top, stands the Palace de Pena, sanctioned by King Ferdinand II and Queen Maria II for their home. It is now one of the most visited sites in Portugal and used by the government today for national addresses or meetings. It’s possible to taxi and bus up to the palace, but there is also a hike. The catch is that the hike is straight up hill and stairs. We power climbed up to the castle to make our 12:30 entry time.

The castle was astonishing with colorful tiles and architecture from Moorish times. They also had original furniture and fabrics from 1908. On the outside, it’s possible to hug the walls around tight bends while marveling at the nature and ocean. y
You just can’t beat combining yellow, pink, and blue colors on a castle with tiles and archways.

After touring the castle, we hiked down much slower and actually got to enjoy the view. They had flowers and waterfalls built along the path in the Vila Sassetti. The village of Sintra is also cute with colorful houses and tiles. We tried sour cherry liquor (ginja) in a chocolate cup and port.

Around 5pm, we trained home on our very last Eurorail train 😢😢😢 it’s been an amazing 90 Days with unlimited trains and we will miss the convience this pass brought us. Attached data related to our travels if anyone is interested.

Restaurant: Tulhas

Food:
Octopus
Iberico Grilled Pork
Tomato Salad

Spots:
Sintra
Palace e Parque de Peña
Vila SassettiRead more
TravelerYou had a much nicer weather day than we did 😂
7/18/24Reply
TravelerLooked like a lovely hike!
7/21/24Reply
3 likes
Portugal Traveler
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Day 189: Lisbon Earthquake Museum
July 17, 2024 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 84 °F
Can’t visit a country without some geological element. Spent our last day in Lisbon visiting Quake: the Lisbon Earthquake Museum.

The museum is an interactive 1.5 hour experience that takes you through seismology lessons and then immerses attendees in Lisbon before, during, and after the quake. The museum also educated attendees on being prepared for the next big one and other larger events such as San Francisco and Japan Tsunami March 15 2011. The most interesting section was simulating the morning of: we were all in the streets and entered a church for the All Saints Day Service. We got through the first 7 minutes of the service before they started shaking the pews and mimicking the initial shock and aftershocks for several minutes. The moment you exit the church, they had smoke machines and made the room glowing red and warm to represent the fire and trying to navigate the streets to safety. And of course 10 minutes later in this room they used museum panels to visualize the approaching tsunami coming towards the city.

We also really enjoyed the last room which dove into leaders’ thoughts to repair the city. This included building the streets wider and in a grid format with planned roads and material (first urban planning); sending out a paper survey to ask witnesses questions about the earthquake (first systematic data collection); and planning how to protect the population from disease and starvation (first civil protection service). Wonderful museum and recommend it for all ages!

We also stopped by Mercado de Campo de Ourique for lunch. Visited an oyster stand which had a deal for two oysters and a glass of wine; the owner is such a delight. First, he selected two different types of oysters to try and let us try two different wines before picking. We saw he sold barnicals and admitted we never had them before. He lets us try them for free! Mary loves oysters and has tried them in Newport (best in US) and Norway (originally her favorite) but now the oyster from MEROIR is the best oyster she has ever had!

With the owner, we chatted about global warming and the impacts to oyster farming. We learned so much about oysters and specifically Portuguese oyster farming in such a small interaction. Before leaving, we grab bocadilla sandwhiches and some lemonade/beer.

We ended the day hopping on a flight to Ter Azores.

Restaurants:
Afonso dos Leitões - Food Store Belem
MEROIR

Food:
Fried Pork Belly & Sandwich
Portuguese Oysters
Barnacles
Bocadilla Sandwhiches

Spots:
Quake Lisbon Earthquake Museum
Mercado de Campo de OuriqueRead more
Traveler YUM!
7/23/24Reply
Traveler Is that a faint steak? It looks so good!
7/23/24Reply
Traveler Love the idea of an egg.
7/23/24Reply
Traveler Are those short ribs?
7/23/24Reply
3 likes
Portugal Traveler
Day 190: South Terceira Island
July 18, 2024 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 73 °F
Several months ago we mapped our path back home from Europe and flight prices were not looking good; prices to DC and Baltimore were gross no matter where we flew from. However, after digging deeper we noticed we could fly to a little island chain in the middle of the Atlantic, fly to New York, and then bus home to DC for $400 cheaper than to fly anywhere from Europe. Thus, we decided to fly to the Azores two days early and enter the US from Terceira Island.

Surprise surprise, the Azores are volcanic islands on the mid Atlantic ridge, similar to Hawaii in their size. Terceira is the third largest and also home to a US Air Force base. It contains 4 extinct volcano systems and one dormant; hilariously, the seismic unrest was raised to V3 (out of V6 which is actively erupting) about two weeks before we arrived 😍

We rented a car because it only takes 1.5 hours to circle the whole island and there wasn’t a good bus system. We started driving to Piscina Oceanic which is a public beach with natural pools locked in by old lava. It was Mary’s favorite vibes which are black volcanic rock, ocean, storm clouds, and greenery.

We continued on to the town Angra do Heroísmo which had beautiful colorful streets and hiked on Mounte Brasil. Best part is that Mounte Brasil has a cat colony that was abandoned by owners and now taken care by volunteers. The first kitty we met was a sleepy black teenager who liked being pet. He became our friend instantly even though the other cats weren’t as interested. There were also natural chickens around which Mary chased and caught a baby chick. Kieran was mad, but he never grew up on a farm and doesn’t understand farmers have to chase chickens there as well and it’s not unethical.

Finished out the day with nerdy volcanic activities. Kieran has never been in a lava tunnel / lava tube and there were at least 96 on this island. Lava tunnels form when really hard lava cools but fast, hot lava continues to flow and eventually empty to form tunnels. Mary’s family has been in a few in Hawaii and Iceland and she was excited to share the experience. The Algar do Carvão was really cool because the lava tunnel formed from an existing caldera so we cool look up through a hole in the cone!!! The other tunnel Grutal Natal was a more traditional lava tunnel where you enter from a flat surface. Kieran liked both! We also saw some fumaroles where steam rises from the ground; there was a geologist with a drone measuring gasses in the air due to the increased seismic unrest in the area.

Restaurant:
Bagga Praia da Vitória

Food:
Gazpacho
Pastel de Nata
Sandwhiches

Spots:
Piscina oceanica
Cat Colony on Monte Brasil
Angra do Heroísmo
Algar do Carvão
Furnas Do Enxofre
Gruta NatalRead more
2 likes
Portugal Traveler
Day 191: North Terceira Island
July 19, 2024 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F
Today we would explore the north island side. Began with a hike down to the Miradoura de Alagoa where you can see different layers of lava spill over the cliff-sides for years and form basalt lava columns. The water was beautifully blue and great to hear the sound of crashing waves.

Next we attempted to drive around the west side, but recent seismic unrest closed the roads and viewing points. Instead we cut through the middle to check out Ponta do Queimado (more lava and cliffs). Grabbed a delicious buffet lunch at Por Do Sol which offered incredibly cooked octopus and squid.

After lunch, drove up switch backs to the crater of volcano Santa Bárbara which is the only volcanic system on the island that is dormant (not extinct). Geologists have been tracking ground deformation on the volcano and it’s where they had a 4.5 magnitude earthquake in January so they expect the volcanic eruption would emerge from Santa Bárbara. On the caldera is a silica peat bog as well as radars that workers were actively fixing.

Our final stop for the day was another natural beach pool. Kieran wasn’t feeling good so we didn’t go swimming, but spent our remaining euros on sangria and local clam like seafood lapas.

Restaurant:
Por Do Sol

Food:
Octopus
Squid
Pork
Peppers
Chorizo

Spots:
Miradouro de Alagoa
Piscinas Naturais Biscoitos
Miradouro da Serra de Santa Bárbara
Miradouro da Ponta do QueimadoRead more
2 likes
Portugal Traveler
Day 192-195: US Pit Stop
July 23, 2024 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 81 °F
Our next adventure for Gap Year is a month long Canadian road trip which includes camping and eventually skiing. For this, we needed to prepare Mary’s car as well has prepare our equipment!

We flew out of the Azores at 7:25 am and landed in NYC at 9:30 am. Scheduled our bus to leave from Midtown at 12:00 to give enough time for customs, getting downtown, and eating delicious NYC bagels. We arrived in DC at 4:30 pm and amazing friend John took us to his parents house to pick up the car! It was really good to catch up on their new house and new kitties with our short car ride 🥲

Our US trip now became a whirlwind of events to see friends, get ready, and sneak in a little R&R. Started with dinner with drumline friends Raj, Kayla, James, and Laura at excellent Mexican restaurant El Puerto Jericho. Woke up the next day to attend Emily’s bridal shower (which Tom L didn’t text Mary about until 3 days prior AND didn’t give an address lol) and got to ride with the car with Madison for amazing girl time. After the shower, met up with Kieran and Catie, Zac, Dan, Nathan, Christine, James, Laura, Tom H, Devon, and Carli to watch the Orioles game at bar El Buffalo. Spent the reminder of the day watching RuPaul with Laura while Kieran played Mario Kart with Tom H.

Next day we actually got some things done: washed clothes and serviced the car which included hot pot lunch break with Kieran and Laura. Next, we visited Amber, Aaron, Steph, and Tommy for a triple dinner date. Steph and Tommy recently got two kitties as well named Appa and Momo. We completed another wine tasting experiment with Sauv Blanc. Kieran and Amber got all the wines right while Steph, Tommy, Aaron and I got one wrong.

Our final day, Mary did some work online while Kieran grabbed lunch with his coworkers for two hours and saw Doyle who just got in from a trip. Our final activities would be making dinner for Tom H and Elaina who had been hosting the last three days and then meeting up with Tom, Emily, Laura, and James.

We hope all our friends know how re-invigorating it was to see everyone and how much it means they make time for us. We can’t be there for all the events (Dan/Ellyn/Steph/Tommy’s wedding, bachelor / bachelorette parties, bridal showers, girls nights) but we really do love and miss everyone and cherish the little message conversations during the trip.

Restaurants:
Bagel Pub New York
El Puerto de Jericho
Mizu Sushi
El BuffaloRead more
4 likes

Trip end
July 19, 2024