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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Europe 2019 Traveler
Banksy - Genius or Vandal?
October 3, 2019 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C
The Banksy exhibition was great. It was informative, thought provoking, entertaining and interactive. One of the best art exhibits I have been to of late. They had a great commentary and used a range of media to present his work. So glad we got to see it.Read more
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LX Factory revisited
October 3, 2019 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C
On our second visit here, we had more time with no pressure to be anywhere at a certain time. We had a drink and a snack while we were here, but spent most of the time wandering around checking out the great stores with quite unique offerings, and also discovering the wonderful street art.Read more
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Adios Lisbon, Hello Coimbra
October 4, 2019 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C
Today we travelled to Coimbra by train. We didn’t need to leave for the station until about 10am, so we had a fairly relaxing morning. We went out for breakfast to one of the local cafés recommended by our hosts. The café was called Basilio, and they do absolutely delicious food. I had the açai bowl with fruit and granola, and Ian had scrambled eggs with shredded bacon and a ‘breakfast’ salad - it was all great and their coffee was top notch.

We climbed the four floors to our Lisbon ‘nest’ for the final time after breakfast to finish packing, and then headed down to the metro to get the train to Coimbra. It all went pretty well, except for us accidentally buying ferry tickets instead of metro tickets, and wasting 6 Euros! A helpful station attendant assisted us to buy the correct ticket.

Once at Oriente train station, we found the right platform and then just had to wait for our train. The trip was uneventful, and we arrived in Coimbra on schedule, and caught a cab to our apartment where we were met by our host. It is a lovely apartment in the old town, very close to the University, and only one flight of stairs!

The host left us a welcome pack including meat, cheese, bread, wine and fruit, which was lovely. We had some lunch in the apartment and then headed out to explore Coimbra.Read more
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First impressions of Coimbra
October 4, 2019 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C
We left our apartment to explore the city and get an initial feel for our immediate area. First thing we learnt was that if a car comes down the very narrow streets, and they do, you need to hug the wall or step into a void, as you just need to get out of the way! We headed down our street and found ourselves at the river. Coimbra is a fairly hilly city, with lots of steep streets and walkways and stairs.

We wandered down the main pedestrian mall to check out the shops and just take it all in. We encountered some uni students, who are very recognisable in their black suits and robes - very Harry Potter like. During our wanderings we noticed a lovely little restaurant around the corner from our apartment, so we decided to head there for an early dinner later in the evening. Before heading back to the apartment, we stopped for a glass of rosé in little cafe on the stairs leading up to our street, and just take in the relaxed atmosphere. We have noticed that Fado is very popular here in Coimbra as it was in Lisbon, and there are a lot of Fado bars in our area.Read more
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Arcada for dinner
October 4, 2019 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C
We headed out for an early dinner, arriving at Arcada just after 6.30 to find it wasn’t open yet. So, while Ian waited at the restaurant I strolled down the road to check out if there were other options if this one didn’t open. There were several other options, but luckily Arcada soon opened. We were their first customers, and decided to sit outside. The staff (who are students from the University) were great, really helpful with assisting us choosing the wine, and told us if we ordered too much food. There was a very friendly and cute neighbourhood dog that kept hanging around hoping for some titbits - he would even sneak into the restaurant, but was chased out by the staff.

For dinner we had stuffed mushrooms, a sandwich of pork, caramelised onions, mayonnaise and Padron peppers, chorizo, and a sardines boat, Everything was so fresh and delicious, but in terms of presentation the sardines were the standout. As we were sitting outside, as people wandered past and checked out the menu, Ian would tell them how good the food was and encourage them to come in. I think he probably convinced 4 or 5 couples during the evening.

One couple from the US, who were in Portugal celebrating their 35th wedding anniversary, sat next to us and we had a lovely night chatting to them, and then later a couple from Vienna also sat near us and joined in the conversation. There was also a lovely young German couple, and a young Italian boy called Lorenzo that kept coming out to get our attention. He was very cute, but we think his mum got a bit embarrassed, as she thought he was annoying us but he wasn’t.

We decided to treat ourselves to dessert, a trio of tastes to share, which comprised of a key lime pie, almond mousse and chocolate mousse. Dessert also came with 2 glasses of port, which Ian had to drink, as I had ordered a local Portuguese gin which was very nice - it was called Anicis. The staff then also brought out a shot of a local digestive, for the six of us and themselves, to toast new friendships. It was a really great night, and we didn’t end up getting home until about 11.30 pm.Read more
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University of Coimbra - the Library
October 5, 2019 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C
We headed up to the University this morning to explore the campus. First thing we did was purchase tickets to enter the various buildings, and secured a time to visit the library. It is broadly accepted that this University was founded on 1 March 1290. For many years, the “General Studies” alternated between the two largest cities at the time, Coimbra and Lisbon. After three centuries of roaming, in 1537 the University settled definitely in Coimbra, as ordered by King João III. The University of Coimbra is Portugal’s oldest University, and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. We explored the large courtyard that has a statue of King João III, and has lovely views down to the river.

We visited the library, known as The Old (Joanine) Library, at 11 am, as it is timed entry. There are three levels in the library. The Academic prison is on the first level. It was used until 1832, and was where students served time for having committed disciplinary offences. There is a middle floor, also called depository 4, which was used to keep books to which only a restricted group of staff had access. The top floor, referred to as the Noble Floor, is unbelievably ornate and contains thousands of books. It is divided into three sections, has three ceiling paintings, ornately carved columns supporting the shelves with lots of gold, and a royal portrait of King João V. Interestingly, there is a colony of bats that also reside in the library to keep the insects such as moths under control, as they can eat the books. Each night the tables and other furnishings are covered in leather sheets to protect them from the animal droppings. No photos were allowed on the Noble Floor.Read more
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University of Coimbra - The Tower
October 5, 2019 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C
We next visited the Tower, where we climbed 192 stairs up a very narrow spiral staircase, that narrowed further about half way up. It was worth the effort, as we had wonderful views across all of Coimbra. The Tower was erected around 1728, and was designed by Roman architect António Canevari, to replace the prior one from the 1600’s. The Tower houses the bells, the most popular of which called ‘the goat’, whose chimes conduct the University’s rituals.Read more
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Ceremonial Hall and Yellow Room
October 5, 2019 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C
We next explored the Royal Palace, which was used by the first kings of Portugal, starting with Afonso Henrique in 1131, before it became part of the university. First stop was what is known as the yellow room, a place where the medical faculty met. We then saw the Ceremonial Hall, which originally was the throne hall. It is currently used by the University for most of its official ceremonies, including the ceremony of investiture of the rector, the formal opening of the academic year, and doctors Honoris Causa. PhD oral exams are still conducted in this room. The current design and decoration of this room dates back to 1655, and the portraits of all Portuguese kings, excluding the dynasty of the Philips during the period when Portugal was under Spanish rule.Read more
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Wandering around the campus
October 5, 2019 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C
After seeing all these wonderful buildings at the University of Coimbra, and as it was a lovely sunny day, we decided to explore the campus a bit more widely. We passed a number of faculty buildings, including the Medicine, Chemistry, Physics and Botany faculties. When we reached the edge of the campus, we could see what looked like an Aquaduct which ran along the side of the Botanical Gardens (also part of the university). It turns out it is the Aqueduto de São Sebastião. We also popped into the Botanical Gardens for a quick look, but decided not to go all the way in.

We then decided to head back up to the Science Museum, located on the University campus but, as the main part was closed for cleaning, we instead went to the Museu Nacional De Machado De Castro - located just across the road - where we first had lunch in their restaurant, which has great views.Read more
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Museu Nacional De Machado De Castro
October 5, 2019 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C
We made our way to the ticket office to enter the museum and decided to get the audio guide, which was very useful. The museum is spread over five levels and you are directed up, down and around by a team of staff with radios that let the next area know you are on your way.

We started on level -2 and - 1 with the Roman ruins, which the museum was built over - it used to be the site of the Roman Forum, and the remains are the platform (cryptoportico) that the Forum was built upon. You enter a vaulted area and walk between large open areas, and more confined spaces. There are some tombstones and ancient sculptures in this area, but it is mainly looking at the layout and construction of the buildings.

Floors 0 to 2 contained a broad range of art, which is excellent. We started in the sculpture area where they had architectural pieces through to Gothic religious sculpture. There was a section of the cloister of São João de Almedina, and some alabaster pieces from England. Renaissance masters who came from other parts of Europe to Coimbra brought their various styles and traditions which contributed to the distinctive Coimbra tradition. A whole chapel has been reassembled and is on display.

There were 16th century terracotta figures from Hodart’s Last Supper that are very impressive. There are also a range of paintings -most are quite religious - and there are some panels by the Flemish artist Metsys. There are also extensive collections of gold monstrances, furniture and some Moorish influenced pieces. There is so much to see in this museum, which we found out at the conclusion of the tour is named after a local sculpture who was born in Coimbra 1731. It took us several hours to get through the collection as it is so extensive.Read more
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Dinner at Fangas Mercearia Bar
October 5, 2019 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C
For dinner, we decided to go to a tapas restaurant we had seen in our wanderings, and that some people had told us was very good. Unfortunately, it was booked out so we went to another place that was recommended by our host. It was a fairly quaint place with very friendly staff. We were pretty lucky to get a table, because within about 30 minutes there was a queue, and our American friends from the previous night wandered past and decided to try it out. They were still waiting for a table when we left.

We had a lovely red from the Douro, and shared a range of tapas plates. It was very nice but not as good as Arcada.Read more
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Conimbriga - Roman Ruins
October 6, 2019 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C
Today we had a bit of a lazy morning. It was nice to just hang about and take it easy without having to be somewhere at a specific time. We decided that since public transport seemed practically non existent on a Sunday, we would order an Uber to take us to Conímbriga, about 16kms southwest of Coimbra. This went without a hitch, much to Ian’s delight, as it was his first time booking an Uber. In fact, our driver was quite an interesting young man, who was very talkative. He has aspirations to travel to Australia someday. He has finished university, where he studied to be an art historian, and he has worked in his field in both Lisbon and Porto (his home town) but now resides in Coimbra. He was also an aspiring artist, writer and musician.

We decided to have lunch before exploring the ruins, so ate at the restaurant that was part of the small museum located at the ruins. It was surprisingly good. I had fish and, and Ian had grilled chicken, washed down by a glass of wine. Once we were well nourished, we headed out to explore the ruins, which are said to be Portugal’s most extensive Roman ruins, and one of the best preserved sites on the Iberian Peninsula. The mosaic work on the floors, much of it still in tact, was amazing, and the size of the site is quite phenomenal. Established a few years BC, after about 500 years of living peacefully and prospering, the town was subjected to raids (there is evidence of a hastily built massive defensive wall built through the middle of the town). It was totally abandoned when the Roman Empire disintegrated.Read more
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More from Conimbriga Roman ruins
October 6, 2019 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C
There was so much to see as the ruins were in such good condition.
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Europe 2019 Traveler
Aveiro
October 7, 2019 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C
We were up relatively early and out the door just before 9am. We walked down to the Coimbra train station to buy our tickets to Aveiro for the day. Aveiro is about an hour away by train, and is closer to the coast. It is situated on the edge of the Ria, a shallow coastal lagoon which is rich in bird life. When we got to the station Ian realised he had left his glasses at home so, after we got our tickets for the 10.05 to Aveiro, we walked back to the apartment to grab his specs and a light jacket for me, as it was a bit on the chilly side. We made it back to the station with time to spare, and also clocked up some additional steps. The train was an inter regional one, and so we had many stops on the way in small little towns. There was a conductor on board who checked our tickets, and then at each stop he wandered through the carriages only asking the new people on the train for their tickets. Not sure how he remembered everyone, but he seemed to be on the ball.

We finally arrived in Aveiro and made our way to the city centre, about 15 minute walk. We found one of the canals, and followed that to the centre. We decided to walk around the colourful and narrow streets before we went on a boat ride along the canals. It had been quite overcast and foggy in Coimbra, and was still quite grey when we arrived in Aveiro, but by the time we got to the town centre the sun had broken through, and we had beautiful blue skies.

After exploring the streets for a while, we took a moliceiro for a trip to the lagoon and along the canals. These boats traditionally were used for harvesting seaweed (dried and used as fertiliser), but now most have been converted to take tourists along the canals and lagoon. The boat ride was quite enjoyable and, when we got back, we headed to a restaurant we had passed earlier for a late lunch, before walking back to the station to catch the train back to Coimbra.Read more
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More from Aveiro
October 7, 2019 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C
The streets are quite narrow, and many of the houses are quite colourful - some are decorated with Azulejos (tiles), while others are painted or are in a state of disrepair. There is quite a bit of construction work happening around the town.Read more
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Aveiro via Moliceiro
October 7, 2019 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C
We had our 45 minute tour on a Moliceiro (a gondola- like boat) around the Aveiro waterways. We got to see some different areas of the town, and enjoy the sunshine and fresh air.
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Final Dinner in Coimbra
October 7, 2019 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C
For our final dinner in Coimbra we decided to return to Arcada, where we had our first dinner that we enjoyed so much. We sat inside this time, and ordered less food and less alcohol, as we have to pack and head off to Porto tomorrow. We had a lovely night, and again shared a number of tapas. I indulged in another local gin, and Ian tried a red from the Douro region. The food once again was delicious.Read more
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Coimbra to Porto
October 8, 2019 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C
We had a slow morning today as we didn’t catch our train until 1.45pm, so we stayed in the apartment until 11 am. Our plan was to head down to the city centre, have a coffee followed by an early lunch. Once we left our apartment, we had about 200 metres of rolling our cases over cobblestones that were so uneven I was sure we would break the wheels, but the cases survived. We decided to wander down to the end of the mall and then down some narrow side streets to kill some time. We ended up doing this for about 45 minutes, and then chose a cafe for lunch - we had the best coffee so far in Portugal at this place. We then shared a small serve of crumbed octopus, and a chicken salad. Both were excellent, and we then indulged in dessert, which was also very good.

We then headed down to the Main Street to order an Uber to take us to Coimbra-B Station, where we caught the train to Porto. Our train was running late (which we didn’t realise), as was another train that was also going to Porto via the same platform. A train arrived at the scheduled time, so we got on, but it didn’t look quite right - when checking with a staff member we were told it was not our train, so we got back off the train. It was all very confusing, as the announcements are only in Portuguese and the electronic board provides minimal information. The trains usually only stop for a couple of minutes, and it is then a mad rush for passengers disembarking and those waiting to get on! Our train finally arrived, and the trip only took about an hour. Our Airbnb hosts had arranged a transfer from the station, and our driver was waiting at the exit to take us to our apartment. As we are on the waterfront, he couldn’t drop us at the apartment, so he dropped us off about 200 metres away and the host, Paola, came to meet us and checked us in.

Our apartment is very nice indeed, with great views of the river and all the activities happening on the waterfront. We are located in the Ribeira district, which is the oldest part of Porto. It has lots of narrow streets and lots of steep inclines, but is so full of atmosphere and colour.Read more
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Our Porto Apartment
October 8, 2019 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C
Our apartment is in a wonderful location (again), and so comfortable. I love being on the waterfront, where we can watch the boats and ships pass by - we have seen so many river cruise ships on their way up and back from the Douro Valley. We are in the heart of the Riberia neighbourhood, which is full of colour and activity and, with so many wonderful restaurants, we are spoiled for choice.Read more
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Porto - first impressions
October 8, 2019 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C
Love it, love it, love it. This place is gorgeous, full of life and colour and history, and the tiles, the tiles are magnificent. I used to love an old or interesting door, but I think the tiles of Portugal, and particularly Porto, have captured my attention more so.

After unpacking and admiring the view from our balcony for a while, we went out to explore the local area. We walked along the waterfront, took detours down winding and narrow streets, and just enjoyed the ambience of the area. We decided to get a Porto Card, which includes a transport card, so we headed off to find the Tourist Information Centre with the ’assistance’ of google maps! The only down side of our location is that most places you go on foot involve steep inclines and steps, and we encountered much of both as we weaved our way up, down and around - sometimes Google maps seems to take you on the most difficult and indirect route possible. We eventually made it to the Tourist office (located in about the highest spot in Porto), bought our tickets and, I must admit, we were afforded some wonderful views as the sun was setting over Porto.

We ended up stopping at a restaurant on the way back to the apartment called Português de Gema - projeto de economia social, which was a restaurant that is not for profit social project that reintegrated people from the street back into society, by providing them with the opportunity to gain skills either front of house or in the kitchen. We had a lovely meal. The restaurant has nice simple decor, and there is a lovely little terrace. It felt good to support this type of concern that is trying to make a difference.Read more
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Porto tour with Peter's Beetle
October 9, 2019 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C
Ian saw this tour advertised on Airbnb and thought it looked like fun, so we booked it, and it was absolutely brilliant and lots of fun. Rui, our tour guide, had set up this company about a year ago. He inherited his grandfather’s VW Beetle and decided to fix it up, and when he would drive it around town he was often stopped by people asking if the car was for hire - this gave him the idea to start this tour. It operates out of a jewellery store that he and his wife own, which was just two minutes walk from our apartment.

We were driven around in the back seat of a convertible beetle (ours was red, there is also a blue one). Rui took us to many of the sites of Porto, and provided us with a great overview of the city and the layout so we could then decide where we wanted to return to. Rui is very knowledgeable and passionate about Porto. He was born here as were his parents, his mother on one side of the river and his father on the other. We also had the opportunity to stop a number of times and take photos, plus Rui took several photos of us, which turned out really well.

Rui even offered to drop us off at a different spot to where we started the tour - Livraria Lello - the bookstore that inspired JK Rowling to write the Harry Potter novels, when she was living in Porto and working as an English teacher! Not only did Rui drop us at the bookstore, he took us to the ticket office and got us fast track entry for 5 Euro, less than it would have cost us to book ourselves, and we jumped the huge queue waiting to get in.

The tour took us through the Riberia neighbourhood, down one of the oldest streets in Porto, the bookstore, the Old Prison, the Carmo Church, the Sé Cathedral, Torre dos Clérigos, Palàcio Bolsa, Santo António hospital (the old and new), Praça Da Cordoaria, and the Old Market that is being renovated and should be completed by 2021 at a cost of approximately 33 million Euros! We also went to the Town Hall, Palàcio das Artes, Estacãco são Bento, Capella das Alma’s, and we crossed a couple of bridges - Ponte do Infante to get over the river and Ponte de D. Luís I to cross back. Finally, he drove us along the Rio Douro to where it meets the sea, and along the Atlantic Ocean coastline for a bit through a lovely little village called Foz Do Douro. It had such a nice feel about it, and it didn’t feel like Porto was only 15 minutes away.

We had a fabulous time and Rui was so generous with his time and information. He also gave us a number of restaurant recommendations - we have made reservations at two of them.Read more
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Livraria Lello
October 9, 2019 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C
This place is amazing - it has to be seen to be believed, and I totally get how this place helped inspire JK Rowling with the development of Harry Potter. The staff are really helpful, it is very crowded, and everyone is trying to get that Instagram shot, but it is worth the crowds. They have a great selection of books, and there is a really cool exhibition there at the moment which is 400 small plaster head busts of some famous people and some local Porto identities on display among the books. I purchased a book by Camilo Castelo Branco called ”Love of Perdition”, a famous Portuguese Romeo and Juliet story. It was written by Camilo after he and his lover were imprisoned in the Old Prison for “copulating with a married women” - the women was Ana Plácido, who he ended up marrying once her wealthy and much older husband passed away.Read more
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Afternoon seeing the sites of Porto
October 9, 2019 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C
After the wonderful morning with Rui in the VW, we decided to revisit some of the monuments and points of interest he had pointed out to us. We first went to the Igreja das Carmelitas and Carmo Church that were separated by a skinny (one metre wide) house built in between, so that there could be no contact between the nuns in the Carmelitas church and the monks in the Carmo church. The house is called the Casa Escondido (hidden house), and is the skinniest house in Porto if not Portugal.

We also wandered through the Praça da Cordoaria which is a park filled with trees that have misshapen and bulbous trunks, due to some type of disease, but were left to grow. They look quite interesting and magical - Rui had referred to it as the Harry Potter forest.

We then walked over to the old prison, which is now the photography museum. There is a statue out the front of two lovers embracing - they are Camilo Castelo Branco and his lover, Ana Plácido, a married women who would later become his wife. Camilo was imprisoned for copulating with a married woman. While incarcerated he wrote the novel “Love of Perdition” in 2 weeks, which became a Portuguese “Romeo and Juliet”, and is still read in school to this day. I bought a copy from the Livraria Lello bookshop, and can’t wait to read it.Read more
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Torre dos Clérigos
October 9, 2019 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C
We decided we were up to the 225 stair climb to the top of this monument, as we would be rewarded with 360 degree views of Porto. However, unlike the organised process used to control the tower climb in Coimbra, this was basically a free for all once you got through the last barrier. The spiral staircase was narrow, and half way up narrowed further. When we got to the top and made it outside onto the viewing area most people were polite and waited and went in one direction, but as always there was one or two who didn’t, which caused congestion and drama for everyone.

Once we had viewed Porto from all directions, we started our descent. We got about half way down when we encountered a number of people coming up. We decided to stop and let them all pass, but this incredibly rude Russian couple and their kid just pushed their way through. I made it blatantly clear to them that this was not good - told them they were rude and selfish, and I am sure they understood because they wouldn’t look me in the eye. After we let everyone pass and started heading down again, the Russian guy had stopped to do up his shoelace, and so we passed him and then also his wife and kid, who ended up behind us the rest of the way down, unbelievable! I have decided that, in relation to tourists, the Russians and the mainland Chinese are the most rude, aggressive and pushy. I know this is a generalisation, but it has been my experience over a number of years. We still enjoyed the experience, it is just annoying that people are so selfish.Read more
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São Bento Train Station
October 9, 2019 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C
We next went to look at this train station, as the arrival hall is decorated in large panels of azulejo tiles that were designed and painted by Jorge Colac. They were completed in 1916. The murals represent moments in the country’s history. The tiles and murals are magnificent.Read more
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