Porto, Portugal
January, 2020 Porto, known for the fortified port wine cellars along the river. The wine is grown inland up Rio Douro, then shipped down in barrels by boat to be cellared then bottled. You will see these modified boats ferrying people on short tours up/down the river and to/from the south/north docks. Many port companies…
Faro, Portugal
February 6, 2020 Faro – a great seaside town protected by many uninhabited sand islands that create a great barrier and a perfect place for farms. These are the ocean variety – oysters and clams. There were three varieties of clams, one similar to our little necks on the east coast, a slightly larger version,…
Searching for Megalithic Rocks, Castles and Cork Groves
February 3, 2020 On a bright sunny morning we rented a car from Europcar to explore the area outside of Evora, Portugal. We could have taken a bus tour for €50 pp, but found we could rent a car for 24 hours for €22 and a tank of gas. After stopping at the Evora Information…
Évora, Portugal
February 3, 2020 Évora – this walled city was great for strolling all the alleyways. We stayed for several days within the old city. A train from Lisbon to Évora was €14 and just over an hour. From the station to our lodging was about 1k, cobblestones all the way. Still a pleasant walk. Many…
Meeting Friends in Foreign Places – A Tale of Two Cities – Lisbon and Sintra
January 30, 2020 In December of 2018, we met a lovely couple from Paducah, Ky. We were all enjoying a river cruise along the Rhine River in Germany. Over the last year +, we have kept in communication with them and were excited to learn that they were heading to Lisbon. The timing could not…
Chilling in the Walled City of Óbidos, Portugal
January 30, 2020 The town of Óbidos is located on a hilltop and is surrounded by a big fortified wall. Óbidos remains a well-preserved example of a medieval town built by the Romans around 700 a.d. While many tour guides advise you that you only need 3 – 4 hours to visit, we felt that…
What Does it Cost to Travel in Portugal for a Month
January, 2020 The cost of living in Portugal is very reasonable compared to the United States. As we travel, we try to do as much research before we leave because this will save us time and money. Since we have retired, we have changed our eating habits and we generally have brunch around 10 am…
Visiting Nazaré and Sitió
January 27, 2020 There are several reasons why you would include a visit to Nazaré during your travels through Portugal. They have beautiful deep sand beaches with amazing views of the Atlantic and surrounding cliffs that jet out into the ocean complimented by the lighthouse of Nazaré. The locals demonstrate their relationship with the ocean…
Eating in Portugal (and drinking coffee)
January, 2020 Yes, we have had no issues with eating in Portugal. In fact, I can’t make it throughout the day with at least one cappuccino and one macchiato. I mean, really, life without a great cuppa Joe that costs less than $1 USD per cup. AND, it’s good, full bodied, flavorful, not bitter, served…
Great Discoveries at the University of Coimbra, Portugal
January 26, 2020 Coimbra is a bustling college town anchored by the University of Coimbra. The University was founded in 1290, and is considered to be the oldest university in continuous operation in the world. It is on the UNESCO World Heritage list. For the first 200 years, the University alternated between Coimbra and Lisbon.…
Little Treasures Along the Road – Serra de Aire and Batalha in Portugal.
January 25, 2020 We love visiting historical and educational sites, but sometime it’s nice to throw in a bit of “mystery and intrigue”. Sometimes this is just a nice way of saying that we aren’t really sure why we marked a point on the map, but we’ll check it out because we are driving that…
Hiking an Aqueduct in Tomar, Portugal.
January 24, 2020 When I first started doing research for our visit to Tomar, I was intrigued by the aqueduct that served the Castle of Tomar and the Convent. The pictures I saw online were just unbelievable as this aqueduct spanned over many miles away from the Castle with so many arches and the sweeping…
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