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Europe 2019
  • Danielle and Co travels
Sep – Oct 2019

Europe 2019

Ian and Danielle are heading off for 6 glorious weeks - leaving Angus in charge (questionable) of Coco, the house and himself! Read more
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  • Danielle and Co travelsEurope 2019Traveler
    Where we experienced the Francesinhas
    The FrancesinhasThe hot dog we also sharedAvenida dos AliadosRua Santa Catarina

    Late lunch at Cafe Santiago

    October 9, 2019 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    We had been on the go since before 9am, and so we decided to locate cafe Santiago which Rui had told us made one of the best Francesinhas in the city. Francesinha, which mens little Frenchie in Portuguese, originated in Porto, but can be found throughout Portugal. Since we arrived in Portugal, everywhere we have gone people have told us that we must try this Porto speciality sandwich. The sandwich is basically a heart attack on a plate. It comprises of layered meat - wet-cured ham, linguiça, fresh sausage, steak and roast pork - in a sandwich that is covered in melted cheese, topped with a fried egg, and sits in a hot tomato and beer sauce. All of this surrounded by fries! We decided to share one, and I had to admit it was surprisingly tasty, although I won’t be ordering another one for a while, or maybe ever again! We also shared a Portuguese hot dog, which has a Portuguese sausage with cheese, onion and the Francesinhas sauce - it is cut into small segments and mush easier to eat.

    After lunch we decided we needed to do some walking, and so we checked out the Avenue dos Aliados, which is a large square with lots of hotels, banks and the rather fancy looking town hall. We then made our way along Rua Santa Catarina, checked out the Majestic Cafe, and bought some Portuguese chocolate before then making our way back to our apartment. We had dinner at “Grade A” restaurant, one of the recommendations from Rui. I had seafood rice, which was delicious, Ian had Dover Sole, and we had a bottle of rosé with it. It all was excellent.    Read more

  • Danielle and Co travelsEurope 2019Traveler
    One of the oldest streets in Porto
    Oldest broom maker in PortoBrooms from Escovaria De BelomonteLovely old doorLove the knockerWashing hangs out in every streetLocal church (one on every block!)

    Lovely Old Street in Ribeira

    October 9, 2019 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    During our tour with Rui, he had also taken us down one of the oldest streets in Porto and the Ribeira neighbourhood, so on the way back to the apartment, we made a slight detour and wandered down the street and surrounding area to better appreciate the lovely old buildings and stores. The following photos do a better job of creating a sense of the neighbourhood.Read more

  • Danielle and Co travelsEurope 2019Traveler
    All Aboard
    This estate is part of the Real Companhia Velha groupBeehivesCall me Captain McNicolTrain line that runs along the banks of the Douro RiverBecause of the terrain, all grapes are hand pickedHeading back to PinháoLuxury hotel in Pinháo

    Douro Valley

    October 10, 2019 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 8 °C

    Today we had booked a small tour down to the Douro Valley wine region. Our guide was Diogo, a lovely young man, who made the day very enjoyable for us all. There were eight of us in total, a couple from NYC, three women from Canada who had left their families at home with husbands in charge, and a lovely women from Miami. The van was full, and Ian and I got to ride up front on the way to the valley, which was great for the views and chatting to Diogo, but a bit crowded for our legs. We had a beautiful day, and the temperature in the Douro Valley is usually a couple of degrees warmer because they are protected from the Atlantic Ocean winds by the mountains.

    Once we arrived in the small town of Pinháo, after a quick coffee and toilet stop, we went down to the river to hop on a boat for a one hour cruise along the Douro River, past many of the wine estates. The cruise was lovely, and we even got to go up to the bridge to see things from the captain’s perspective.

    The area is so picturesque, and so there were obviously many photo opportunities.    Read more

  • Danielle and Co travelsEurope 2019Traveler
    Such a lovely station
    Diogo explaining the historyThe GroupCompany that produced the hand painted tilesHaving a breakThe boats being loaded up with barrels for the trip to Porto

    Pinháo Train Station

    October 10, 2019 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    After the cruise up and down the river, Diogo took us to the local train station, which is tiled in a similar fashion to São Bento Station, just on a smaller scale. The panels here provide some history on the development of the Douro Valley, and the traditions of wine making. Diogo took us through the history of the area, before we headed off for a traditional Portuguese lunch.Read more

  • Danielle and Co travelsEurope 2019Traveler
    Quinta Da Roeda
    The terraced slopesWhat a lovely backdropGabriella explaining the history of the estateLovely ornate barrellThe grapes are crushed by feet to this day

    Quinta Da Roeda - CROFT

    October 10, 2019 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    After lunch, we headed to Quinta Da Roeda, an estate owned by Croft, a large corporation that owns several estates in the Douro. It is a beautiful estate, and we had a tour with Gabriella before getting to sample some of their ports. We got to try a rosé port, which is served chilled and which I am quite partial to, then a ruby port, which I didn’t particularly like. Ian liked them all.Read more

  • Danielle and Co travelsEurope 2019Traveler
    Quinta de Morrocos
    The estates poochesThe stomping vatsFinished ProductViews down to the Douro river - many cruises visit the area

    Quinta de Morrocos

    October 11, 2019 in Portugal ⋅ 🌙 15 °C

    After visiting the Croft Estate we headed to the Morrocos Estate, which is family owned and used to be an abbey. It was a very different experience to the other winery - which was slick and corporate - as it was smaller and more rustic, had more character, and definitely felt like it had more history.

    We toured the vineyards, the large vats that are used for “stomping” the grapes, and the cellars and also saw the bottling (small machine that fills 8 bottles at once) and sealing process which, together with corking, is done by hand. We then got to taste a Ruby and Tawny port , which I didn’t particularly like, but Ian seemed to enjoy. The vineyard also produces olive oil and jam. We then headed back to Porto and decided to have a light dinner.    Read more

  • Danielle and Co travelsEurope 2019Traveler
    Catching the funicular
    Ribeira from the BridgeIn Jardin Do Morro with Porto and the Douro river behindPonte da ArrábidaAlong the river from Vila Nova Da GaiaPraça Mousinho AlbuquerqueCasa da MúsicaThe foyer of Casa da Música

    Exploring More of Porto

    October 11, 2019 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 10 °C

    We decided to head over to Vila Nova De Gaia - located on the other side of the river - early, to get some views back across to Ribeira and Porto. We caught the funicular dos Guindais, and then walked across the Ponte de D. Luis I. We also explored the Jardin Do Morro, a very popular location to watch the sunset from, something we didn’t end up doing. We then caught the metro to the Casa da Musica, a beautiful modern concert hall. We had a coffee break here, and then caught a bus to Serralves a beautiful modern museum in the most wonderful gardens. We wandered around the museum first before heading out to the gardens, which also had a number of sculptures on display. At the museum we saw the Olafur Eliasson - Your Future is Now exhibit. I have done a separate entry for Serralves.Read more

  • Danielle and Co travelsEurope 2019Traveler
    Yellow Forest, 2017Beautiful Gardens at SerralvesThe curios vortex, 2019Art Deco house which wasn't open tothe public

    Serralves, Museu de Arte Contemporãnea

    October 11, 2019 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    We arrived at the museum, which is set in beautiful grounds, and found our way to the ticket office. We started in the museum, where we saw part of Olafur Eliasson’s exhibition Y/OUR FUTURE IS NOW. Eliasson, a Danish-Icelandic artist who is known for his sculptures and large scale installations, is the author of a vast and innovative body of work that focuses on the relations between humankind, nature, art, science, architecture and society.Read more

  • Danielle and Co travelsEurope 2019Traveler

    Entrevistas não, por favor

    October 11, 2019 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    This work by Marlene Dumas was one I particularly liked, and translates to No Interviews, Please. It comprised 20 framed “elements” done in acrylic paint, crayon and pencil on paper.

  • Danielle and Co travelsEurope 2019Traveler

    Tree Top Walk at Serralves

    October 11, 2019 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    After wandering through the gardens, we arrived at the tree top walk. There is no climbing involved, as it has been built where there was a steep decline in the garden. It is like a piece of art work amongst the trees, and has only been open for 1 month. It was a great experience and gave you another perspective of these beautiful grounds.Read more

  • Danielle and Co travelsEurope 2019Traveler
    Potato TortillaBruschettaTuna and avocado on toastMixed salad - best salad we have had in a long timeThe kitchenPeanut FoamCitrus

    Lunch at TapaBento

    October 11, 2019 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    This place was recommended to us by a nice young American couple we met on the Douro Valley tour - they said they had had the best food there since arriving in Portugal, and after eating there we tend to agree. It is a lovely restaurant with great atmosphere and fabulous staff - both front of house and in the kitchen. We enjoyed the meal so much, we made a reservation to come back the following day. We had a range of their tapas plates to share, and finished with their fabulous desserts. You would expect to get desserts of this caliber in a fine dining restaurant.Read more

  • Danielle and Co travelsEurope 2019Traveler
    Afonso - street art expert and architect student
    Project organised by Miguel JanuárioClouds - another city funded projectWork by costaHWork by HazulFaceless Madonna by HazulEspigar nas Gentes projectWhere the walk finished

    On the Trail of Street Art

    October 11, 2019 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    Luckily we only had to walk about fifty metres from the restaurant to our meeting place at São Bento train station for our street art tour with Afonso. There were supposed to be 7 of us, but only 5 turned up. So, after waiting for about 10 minutes, we headed off to explore the city of Porto and see some wonderful street art. We were joined on the tour by Jennifer and Jean from Canada, and Sylvie from France.

    The first thing Afonso showed us we would’ve walked past without even noticing it, as you have to look up. This project was the brainchild of
    Miguel Januário, a Porto street artist. It was backed by the city, and involved many people contributing to the work by making tiles which adorn the building of a rock club called BARRACUDA - Clube De Roque. All the tiles respond to the question - “Who are you Porto?”

    Afonso took us through the narrow and winding streets of Porto, pointing out the art work of CostaH, Hazul, Miguel Januário, Vhils, Guaté Mao, The Kuhn Kid, Gregor and my name is Sam. It was a great afternoon that finished with a coffee at a really great antique/bric brac/coffee and wine bar. The two people who didn’t turn up bumped into us about half way through the tour - Caryn and Christopher, Americans from Long Island who had got caught up in traffic on their way into town from Braga. It was serendipitous that Caryn heard Afonso explaining a piece of art to us on the bridge, and so asked if he was leading the street art tour. They joined us for the second half and were lots of fun.

    There was so much wonderful art to see (and take photos of), so I have included an additional instalment on street art to try and cover the broad range of work we saw.    Read more

  • Danielle and Co travelsEurope 2019Traveler
    While Afonso was explaining a piece to us this little cutie popped up to listen!
    Grandfather by Frederico DrawBy CostahBy Kuhl Kid from GermanyGranmother by Vhils a Portuguese artistBy my name is SamBy HazulBy Gerbos

    More street art from the walk

    October 11, 2019 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    There was so much wonderful street art to see it didn’t all fit in one entry. The city of Porto held a competition for an artist to paint the side of an abandoned building that is very visible from the Ponte de D. Luis I, and the guy who won it was an architect called Frederick Draw. His winning piece was a painting of his grandfather - Afonso said the painting looks like a typical Portuguese grandfather and is very welcoming, and I would agree.Read more

  • Danielle and Co travelsEurope 2019Traveler
    You felt like you were in a large wine barrel
    Lovely red from the DouroGrilled Tiger PrawnsIan said these were the best chips

    Dinner at Adega S. Nicolau

    October 11, 2019 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    Again, this is a recommendation from Rui. Every evening when we pass by this place there is a huge line of people waiting, to avoid this we made a reservation. We had some Cod croquettes to start and then I had the grilled tiger prawns and Ian chose a veal dish. We also chose a nice red from the Douro to accompany our meal. We had a lovely evening and had a really good waiter who was interesting and spoke to us about wines from the area.Read more

  • Danielle and Co travelsEurope 2019Traveler
    The Estate
    It is a large estate where all the port and wine is storred in barrels and eventually bottledTasting RoomThe cellarSmaller casks contain the vintage port which is produced in much smaller barrelsVintage from 1805Owners private cellar was covered in cobwebsPedro explaining the fudamentals of port to us

    Time to taste port

    October 12, 2019 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    We decided on a slightly later start today as the Estate we planned to visit didn’t open till 10am. We walked down to the funicular again and caught it up to the top to walk across the bridge to Vila Nova de Gaia. Here we caught the light rail a couple of stops, and then made our way to the cellar of Real Companhia Velha, which had been recommended to us by our host Paola. It was a good call as it was a fabulous.

    We first saw a video, giving some history of the Real Companhia Velha - it was the oldest wine company in Portugal, set up originally by the King and Prime Minister. It is now an amalgamation of a number of vineyards that have been acquired over time. We then did the English tour of the cellars with Pedro and, as Ian had selected the premium tasting, once the tour of the cellars was completed we were asked to wait in the cellars while the rest of the group was taken off to the tasting room. When he came back, Pedro gave us special treatment as he knew we were from Melbourne.

    Pedro was a wonderful advocate for the company and was especially excited to talk to us about the Melbourne Grand Prix, as he is a GP fan and Melbourne is his favourite circuit and race. We had to confess that we don’t attend this event and aren’t particular interested in car racing, but he didn’t seem to mind. We were given more of a tour of the cellars, seeing some special port barrels signed by celebrities, including Ayrton Senna, Pierre Cardin, Andie McDowell, and General Franco (Spanish Dictator).

    Pedro also took us on a tour of the owners personal cellar that contains some very rare and precious vintages. Once we finished our special tour we headed to the tasting room where we combined a classic and premium tasting that gave us eight ports to try - lucky neither of us had to drive! Pedro spent a lot of time with us educating us about ports, and I feel I now have a much better appreciation of port. I discovered that I am quite partial to white and rosé port, both of which are nice with tonic water and mint or on the rocks. Pedro is hoping to get to Melbourne for the Grand Prix in 2021, so we gave him our email and told him to contact us if he makes it over, and we would show him around and take him out to dinner. We finally finished our tasting when Pedro’s boss came over and told him he needed to have a lunch break - I think he would have talked to us for another hour or so if he wasn't interrupted.

    We left the estate and made our way back to the light rail to head into Porto for lunch at TapaBento again.    Read more

  • Danielle and Co travelsEurope 2019Traveler
    Rosé went so well with our mealBruschettaTortillaMixed salad - simple but deliciousSlow cooked pork cheek with pureed cauliflowerIrish Whiskey IIWalnut Brownie with red fruitsIan with the manager/ front of house

    Lunch at TapaBento #2

    October 12, 2019 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    We had booked a table so there was no waiting this time. We ordered some similar dishes to yesterday and a couple of different ones. We were not disappointed. We met a couple from Melbourne who had been driving around Portugal for a couple of weeks and still had a couple to go. This restaurant had been recommended to them by their travel agent. We also decided to treat ourselves to dessert again and they were amazing, I had the walnut and chocolate brownie with red fruits and Ian had the Irish Whiskey II and a couple from Paris sitting near us ordered the same desserts as us. They were both fantastic but the brownie like the citrus from yesterday was a real work of art. We really enjoyed this restaurant and when we return to Porto we will visit it again.Read more

  • Danielle and Co travelsEurope 2019Traveler

    Museu Nac. Soares dos Reis

    October 12, 2019 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    After our delicious lunch we headed off to one last Art Museum. We caught the bus there which didn’t take too long at all. We saw a temporary exhibition by Graça Morris titled The Metamorphoses of Mankind. The focus of this series of works is the human being and the human condition. The key subjects of her work are the victims of global turmoil, the millions of migrants who leave their home and country and walk while being pushed towards an uncertain future, often fleeing hunger, poverty, war, violence and death. The set of drawings and paintings were very haunting but also drew you in.

    There was a school group there so not all of the Museum was available - we were able to look through their paintings and artefacts areas. It was a pleasant way to spend the afternoon and then we decided to walk back to the apartment which was downhill with hundreds of steps and steep and narrow paths and roads to navigate.    Read more

  • Danielle and Co travelsEurope 2019Traveler
    By My Name id SAM
    Unsigned piece of artPidgeon and doorOne of my favourite tilesLots and lots of stepsFaceless Madonna by HAZULAnother lovely old church tucked away

    Late afternnon wanderings

    October 12, 2019 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    As we were pretty sure the way home was mainly flat or downhill and it wasn’t raining we decided to walk back to the apartment and wandered down streets and areas we had not yet seen. We even spotted some street art by My Name is SAM.Read more

  • Danielle and Co travelsEurope 2019Traveler
    Sea BassOctopus

    Last dinner in Portugal

    October 12, 2019 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    For our last dinner in Porto we went to the third restaurant that was recommended by Rui our guide from earlier in the week. Again, the staff were lovely and engaging and we had a delicious dinner once more. I had octopus and Ian had the grilled Sea Bass - both very fresh - but no dessert as we had been spoilt by the desserts at TapaBento.Read more

  • Danielle and Co travelsEurope 2019Traveler
    Rainy morning in Porto
    Rain let up when it was time for us to leaveWaiting to check our bags inAfternoon tea at the SofitelAfternoon tea at the SofitelLamb Curry for dinnerPina Colada DessertSauce gets poured over the sphere and the chocolate meltsPanna Cotta

    Porto to London

    October 13, 2019 in England ⋅ 🌧 12 °C

    We woke to rain this morning and lots of it. Ian gave his dad a call to wish him a happy birthday which he was surprised but pleased to hear from him, he was off to an Indian dinner with Malcolm and Alex.

    We finished packing and then headed down to the foyer of our apartment building to wait for our driver, we waited and waited and waited. I tried calling the host without luck so at 9.15 we headed up to the taxi rank to get a taxi to the airport - not happy Jan! Just as we were getting to the rank Diana the host called us and said she would get onto the driver. We waited 5 minutes and when we had heard nothing we got in the cab. A minute later the driver called to say he was on his way and I told him that wasn’t good enough and he wasn’t required, he didn’t even bother apologising or giving any kind of excuse! I then rang Diana back and told her I wasn’t happy and wanted a full refund, she was very apologetic.

    We got to the airport in about 20 minutes and then joined the line to drop off our bags. Initially the line moved quite slowly but then a few more check in counters were opened and it went quite quickly. Even though it had started raining at 6am it stopped when we were outside waiting for our driver and getting a taxi and again when we boarded the plane, which was quite delayed, but they somehow made up the time and e of phone so we landed at London City Airport about 5 minutes late.

    We then had to locate our driver who we had organised to take us to the Sofitel at Heathrow. I had paid an additional £5 to have a driver meet us inside, but that didn’t happen and we finally found him at the pick up area after a couple of phone calls. I was pissed off to start with - not with the driver but with the company we booked with but decided to let it drop. Our drive across to Heathrow took us right through the centre of London and it was nice to revisit some of the areas we had explored in September. There was a bit of traffic because there had been a rally/protest which had only recently ended, so some streets were still closed off.

    We got to our hotel just after 4pm, we settled in, then went and has afternoon tea before walking over to terminal 5 to check out what we would need to do in the morning and also to top up the Oyster cards Sue and Ross had lent us.

    We had dinner in the hotel restaurant which was very nice and a great sleep in the wonderfully comfortable beds at the Sofitel. The trip ahead is a long one and we are in economy on the way home. Sitting next to us was a lovely young lady from Perth who had been in Europe at a professional swim meet - she swims for the US, a Washington team. Her name is Brianna Throssell and she was in the 200 metre Butterfly final in Rio and hopes to represent Australia again at the next Olympic Games in 2020.    Read more

    Trip end
    October 15, 2019
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