Day 2 - Lisbon, Cascais and Food

Today was a long one. We were up early and out touring before the cognitive side of me could kick in. A little jet lagged and not drinking coffee is a rough combination. 

We had breakfast in the hotel. European breakfasts are my favorite. They always have fresh bread, ham and cheese on the buffet and that makes a perfect breakfast for me. I avoid coffee while traveling (never know when you'll have a potty break and well, coffee...)

We picked up a local tour guide and off we went about learning about Lisbon. I learned immediately the traffic in the city is tough. Small, narrow streets clogged with small, narrow cars and the all to occasional tour bus. I really have a lot of respect for the bus driver. How he moved that bus through that traffic without hitting a person, a car, or a building is beyond me. 

Lisbon is a beautiful city. Many buildings are covered in tiles. Not just for ascetics, but because the tiles reflect the sun and help keep the residences/buildings cooled. Or so we were told. 

All their sidewalks are cobblestone. And all of the sidewalks are treacherous. If you're muscle memory isn't used to walking on an uneven, trip hazard, you had to watch your every step. Despite that, the sidewalks are often decorated. It really makes a nice accompaniment to the rest of the architecture. 

The Romans were everywhere. This aqueduct is a reminder of that.

There's this elevator that goes up several stories and offers an amazing view. We didn't get to take it, but I glimpsed it. 

If you look closely, almost exactly middle of the photo is Hotel Mundial - where we were staying. This is a view from Barrio Alto back to downtown Lisbon.

Everywhere you look in Lisbon is tile work. We found a continuous stretch of tile work along some road in Lisbon. I have no idea what area, I just know we enjoyed the views.  

View of the Castelo de Sao Jorge. We could see part of it from our hotel, but this is from another part of the city. We didn't get to go up to it, and it's just as well since I heard there are like a thousand steps to get up to it. 

After our Lisbon city tour, we headed over to the Belem Tower. This was on my list to see and I'm sure glad Globus has this need to get their tours to spots early and before all the other annoying tourists. It sure helps getting good photos without hoards of people in them. 

While the tour guide filled us in, extensively, about the Belem Tower, I couldn't remember all that info so I went to the trusted Interwebs for help. 

Belém Tower, officially the Tower of Saint Vincent is a 16th-century fortification and served as a point of embarkation and disembarkation for Portuguese explorers and as a ceremonial gateway to Lisbon. It was built during the height of the Portuguese Renaissance, and is a prominent example of the Portuguese Manueline style, which we heard a lot about. The structure was built from limestone and is composed of a bastion and a 100 ft four-story tower. It has incorrectly been stated that the tower was built in the middle of the Tagus and now sits near the shore because the river was redirected after the 1755 Lisbon earthquake. In fact, the tower was built on a small island in the Tagus river near the Lisbon shore.

From the Tower we went just down the road to the Discoveries Monument, officially called Padrão dos Descobrimentos. This was an amazing sight to me. It's HUGE and looming and just really screams "WE ARE PORTUGAL". I didn't know anything about all the discoveries and explorations Portugal was a part of until this trip and this monument really does a good job representing all of them. 

From the Interwebs: Padrão dos Descobrimentos (Monument of the Discoveries) is a monument on the northern bank of the Tagus river estuary. Located along the river where ships departed to explore and trade with India and the Orient, the monument celebrates the Portuguese Age of Discovery (or "Age of Exploration") during the 15th and 16th centuries.

We crossed the street to be treated to lines upon lines  at the Jerónimos Monastery. Thankfully, as a tour group we got to avoid the lines. 

We toured a number of monasteries and all of them have a lot of similar structure and architecture. And at the same time, each are very unique and were interesting to tour. 

From the Interwebs: The Jerónimos Monastery is a former monastery is one of the most prominent examples of the late Portuguese Gothic Manueline style of architecture (a richly ornate architectural style with complex sculptural themes incorporating maritime elements and objects discovered during naval expeditions, carved in limestone) in Lisbon. It was erected in the early 1500s near the launch point of Vasco da Gama's first journey, and its construction funded by a tax on the profits of the yearly Portuguese India Armadas. In 1983, the Jerónimos Monastery was classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, along with the nearby Tower of Belém.

The dining room. I think the tour guide said they had about 400 monks here at one time.

Beautiful hand painted tiles in the main dining room.

A carving of the Pieta (there's a huge carving of this in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome)

The carvings on the columns were all unique and so amazing. 

The Chatter room. This huge room you could easily imagine a hundred monks singing.
 The acoustics were what you'd expect. You can hear it, can't you?

Door to confessionals in the cloister.

One must always remember to look up when traveling.

The cloisters

The ornate side entrance to the monastery was designed by Juan de Castillo and is considered one of the most significant of his time, but is not, in fact, the main entrance to the building. This shrine-like portal is large, 105 ft high and 39 ft wide, extending two stories. Its ornate features includes an abundance of gables and pinnacles, with many carved figures standing under a baldachin in carved niches, around a statue of Henry the Navigator, standing on a pedestal between the two doors.

We had a potty break after the monastery. Potty breaks are something you have to think about when touring in a group like this. One must find the balance between staying hydrated and not drinking so much you're about to pee your pants because you don't know when your next potty break is. Our tour guide, bless him, was really good at letting us know when we'd have a break. You HAVE to take advantage of them when you can. Even if you think you don't need to go, you gotta. 

That all being said, we had more women on this tour than men (shocking I know) and the lines we stood in just to pee was constant and long. I swear every bathroom also only had 2 stalls. This was the line we stood in to pee. 

 Now that we have that out of the way. 

Our afternoon was all about an extra excursion to Cascais (Cash-keye). Our first stop was in the town of Cascais itself for a lunch break. I should mention it was almost 2pm and this girl was STARVING. It had been a long time since our 7am breakfast and a lot of walking. I was more than hungry. 

Janet and I stopped at a restaurant pointed out by our local tour guide. She also happened to point out the "World's Best Gelato" shop across the street. We knew immediately we'd have to stop there. 

This was our first opportunity to have the Portuguese lunch of Bifana. Bifanas are a traditional Portuguese sandwich that is made with a bun the size of a hamburger bun and filled with roasted pork thinly sliced. Most have roasted garlic on it as well. And that's it. Simple and OMG so delicious. This particular restaurant didn't have Fanta (dang it) so they recommended we try this Sumol. It was just as good as Fanta I think. Nothing like a refreshing drink on a VERY HOT day. 

Cascais itself was a beautiful little coastal town. We really didn't get to spend much time there, but we got to walk down to the beach. 

Leaving Cascais we headed to the Western most point on the continental Europe, Cape Roca. Turns out it has crabs. 

And no excursion would be complete without visiting a cathedral or a palace, so we got to see Palace of Queluz.

Interwebs: The Palace of Queluz is an 18th-century palace located at Queluz, a city on the Portuguese Riviera. The palace was conceived as a summer retreat for King José I's brother, Pedro of Braganza, later to become husband and king jure uxoris (as King Pedro III) to his own niece, Queen Maria I. It eventually served as a discreet place of incarceration for Maria I, when she became afflicted by severe mental illness in the years following Pedro III's death in 1786. Following the destruction of Ajuda Palace by fire in 1794, Queluz Palace became the official residence of the Portuguese Prince Regent João, and his family, and remained so until the royal family fled to the Portuguese colony of Brazil in 1807, following the French invasion of Portugal.

This was the strangest chair I've every seen. 

The Don Quixote room. The images on the top all depicted stories from the book. 

We finished our tour and headed back to the hotel. Not to rest mind you, no we don't wanna do that when we travel. In a spur of the moment decision, we decided to sign up for the Foodie tour that evening. And boy am I glad we did. 

We had a wonderful tour guide named Sara. She walked us to a couple of different locations as a progressive style approach. We had tapas at one place, then "main" dishes at another and finally dessert. 

Our tour took us to the Barrio Alto part of Lisbon. It's full of steep cobblestone streets. This area is full of quirky bars and restaurants that attract the locals. It's where the night life is in Lisbon. We were there to just visit a few of these quirky joints. 

Every restaurant we walked by or visited was TINY. Most couldn't fit more than maybe 50 people in the place...and that was being generous. 

At our first restaurant for tapas we were greeted by the staff and shown to our table inside. 

We were in for a treat! The food started coming out as quickly as we got our drinks. We were starving and ready to taste what Portugal has to offer. 

Olives of course.

Vinho Verde - green wine. It's a young white that was refreshing and crisp. 

Sauted mushrooms with who knows what in the dish. So good.

Sardines! I wasn't sure I'd like them. Frankly, they reminded me of salmon.

Our next stop was a small restaurant for the main meal. I opted out of another glass of wine and went for my daily Fanta. 

Bacalhau a bras is a traditional Portuguese dish made with salted cod. It uses shredded cod, onions, thinly chopped and fried potatoes (think hash browns). All that is bounded with scrambled eggs. All the bacalhau we had was garnished with black olives on top. 

We tasted several bacalhaus. This was our first and frankly not the best of the bunch, but we didn't know that when we had it. It was different and interesting. I could see how this became a national dish. It's filling and comforting.

These beef tips were in some type of gravy that was very garlicy and OMG so delicious. They were tender and flavorful. The actually call this dish "Woodpecker". Our guide joked with us that it was woodpecker, but couldn't keep a straight face. The reason it's called "Woodpecker" (and we saw this on several menus), is because you're supposed to use a toothpick to stab at the meat...you know, "peck at the meat with wood". 

Now let's talk about dessert. We didn't go to any restaurant. Our tour guide took us to a near by square where she then walked over to get some hot out of the oven Pasteis de Nata. Nata is a tart filled with custard that has a crisp, puff pastry crust.

These little gems of goodness are national treasure to the Portuguese people. They are everywhere and consumed by everyone. I'm not a huge custard fan so I really wasn't sure what to expect and y'all ... I am so glad I don't live in Portugal. I think I could eat my weight in these yummy, little treats. 

There are two little tarts in that box. 

I realize this photo is out of focus, but we had been
 drinking and walking up and down hills. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it. 

Once we were stuffed to the gills we went back to the hotel to fall in to bed exhausted. What a long day. I think we knew we over did it, but we figured we could rest when we're home. 

Tomorrow we leave Lisbon headed north. Let the fun begin!

Ola from Portugal - Day 1ish Travel Day

We made it! I swear this particular flight felt longer than any other. Still, we managed to make it, as did our luggage so that’s good.

We left Seattle at 1:35 ish and arrived in London at 6:30 am. Neither of us slept on the plane very well and we had 4 hours to kill in London. 

Coffee was a must. We found, big surprise, a Starbucks and we were all set. 

Heathrow is interesting because they don’t give you your gate until about 40 minutes before your flight. So we said in this huge area with a ton of other travelers and we people watched for 2 hours. Always entertaining. 

We finally were ready to board. at our was A17- go off we went. We started boarding and our tickets were declined by the reader. We tried twice and nothing. Uh Oh. So we walked over to the ticket agent who scanned them and very snobby like said, “You’re going to Lisbon! This is plane is going to blah blah blah.” (She didn’t really say blah blah blah, I just can’t remember where.) She got all huffy when I said, but the reader board said A17. She basically kicked us out of the entire area and said, “Go read the board again.”

Now I’m SURE it said A17. I checked it twice. Something happened between me checking it and us walking to the gate. 

We found the right gate and booked it over to that gate. Thankfully we had time, but man, talk about stressful. 

Landed in Lisbon, got our bags, got cash from the cash machine and went in search of then Globus rep who’d take us to our hotel. Found them pretty quickly and off we went.

We stayed in Hotel Mundial which is smack in downtown Lisbon. It’s a nice hotel and did seem close to a bunch of things. We never had time to even walk out the front doors to go explore on our own. 

The first night there’s a Welcome dinner. It gives the tour guide a chance to tell us the plan for the next 9 days, cover some rules (which no one listens to) and we all introduce ourselves. As we walked into the restaurant, I noticed there were seats for at least 40 people. Interesting since Janet and I signed up (and paid for) a small group tour. Nope! We have 40 people on this tour. 

And while it’ll be fine, I was really looking forward to it being a small group of people instead of a large group. Too many personalities to deal with in large groups. 

No matter, here we are and it’ll be great. We have to get up at the butt crack of dawn tomorrow (6:15) so we can shower and get to breakfast by 7 so we can leave by 8. I had forgotten that you really don’t get much rest on these Globus Tours. 

Tomorrow is all about Lisbon. We’ll be meeting a local guide and going to see the Belem Tower, The Monument of the Discoveries and the Jeronimos Monastery. That will take us to about noon, then we head off to an extra excursion to Cascais. Then we signed up to do a foodie tour that night. I have a feeling I’m going to be hot, full and so very exhausted.

Portugal or Bust

We are so close! We leave Wednesday for Portugal! It'll be a fun adventure that I'm sure will result in great memories, some exhaustion, and maybe a couple extra pounds. 

I've spent the week getting myself ready for this trip. Following my "process" I've put together from years of experience to get ready for a big trip. 

Planning for a big trip like this starts month before for me. Almost immediately after we purchase the trip I start the planning. This time I waited until the new year to start my planning. 

It starts with me pulling my template out in OneNote and making a copy for the new trip. I have created this template over the years of travel so that everything I need for my trip is in one spot in OneNote. I can access it on my computer, my phone and my iPad. The template has pages for everything, and when I start putting the new trip plan together I remove the pages I won't need (for example I have a page for shore excursions for a cruise). 

My first step is to put the itinerary together. I fill out each day and a description of what we'll be doing/seeing and places we'll be stopping. This is used for the real research - when I start digging into the places and reading on the Interwebs all about the locations, sights, etc. That's one of my favorite parts. Learning about what we'll be seeing. 

I then do what I call an "Activity Planner". It outlines each day in much more detail. I usually do that when we get the full description of the itinerary. For Globus, they send us a doc that really does outline everything we'll be doing and seeing in each location. I fill in all the blanks and then put my research there along with it. 

I know to most people this sounds like overkill. But honestly, this is part of the fun of traveling for me. The planning. Going and seeing is always fun and I love when the trip finally comes together. But for me the setting it up and learning before we go is really the icing on the travel cake for me. 

The planning for this trip has had other issues come into view. I have felt a lot of anxiety leading up to this trip. I've spent a good amount of time digging into this emotion because it's not like me. I'm usually very excited to go and am ready at the drop of a dime to travel. This time, things were different. 

I would waver from anxiety and excitement. Some moments I'd be wanting to call Janet and say let's cancel. The next moment I'm so excited that I can hardly contain myself. 

What I've finally decided the anxiety comes from the social anxiety I have now thanks to covid about leaving my house. Because I work from home, and because since covid I rarely have to go anywhere, leaving the house takes it out of my sometimes. I hate it. I know full well that once I leave the house, I'll have a great time (and I always do) but getting out the door is sometimes so exhausting. 

I need to really work on this anxiety and will deal with that when I get back from this amazing trip. It's always there though, lingering in the back of my mind and I so don't want it to take hold. 

If this Portugal trip is like the Scotland trip we're going to be running from the moment we touch down until we head home. I love it honestly. We get to see so much and, in this case, really soo the whole country. I will, of course, blog every night (if I'm not too tired), but here's the plan for the 9 days in Portugal. 

DAY 1, THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 21, 2023 ARRIVE IN LISBON, PORTUGAL Welcome to Lisbon! At 6 pm, meet your Tour Director and travel companions for a welcome dinner at your hotel. (Dinner) 

DAY 2, FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 22, 2023 LISBON 

Guided sightseeing includes Jeronimos Monastery and cloister and a photo stop at Belem Tower and the Monument to the Discoveries. The stunning capital city of Portugal is a treasure trove of historic and architectural masterpieces. Lisbon is home to the 16th-century Monastery of Jerónimos, with its 100-foot façade featuring images of St. Michael the Archangel and Our Lady of Belém. See the 16th-century Belém Tower, which served as a fortress but also as an embarkation point for sailors and was their last sight of land before the start of their journey. Lisbon’s Monument to the Discoveries pays homage to great Portuguese explorers with a spectacular carved prow of an ancient ship. 

DAY 3, SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 23, 2023 LISBON–OBIDOS–NAZARÉ–ALCOBAÇA–FÁTIMA–TOMAR 

OBIDOS Take an orientation walk of the medieval town. 

NAZARÉ Free time to browse. 

ALCOBAÇA Visit the Church of Santa Maria Monastery. 

FÁTIMA Visit the Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary en route to Tomar.  

TOUR HIGHLIGHT LEGENDARY LIVES The monastery of Alcobaça is a unique masterpiece of Gothic Cistercian art. See the tombs of King Pedro I and his Castillan lover, Ines de Castro, and hear about the heartbreaking tale of these ill- fated lovers. The king never stopped loving Ines even after she was murdered, and during his life he commissioned matching tombs that sit together so that they can look at each other as they rise from their graves. 

DAY 4, SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 24, 2023 TOMAR–COIMBRA–PORTO 

TOMAR Visit the Convent of Christ. 

COIMBRA Visit the University. Scenic drive en route to Porto. 

TOUR HIGHLIGHT CULTURE & TRADITION The University of Coimbra is distinguished as the oldest university in Portugal and one of the oldest in the world, it is also one of the best known and internationally celebrated. With a history of more than seven centuries, the students at Coimbra University dress in the traditional black capes with ribbons in varying hues as was the tradition when the school was founded in 1290. 

DAY 5, MONDAY SEPTEMBER 25, 2023 PORTO 

PORTO Guided sightseeing includes a panoramic drive to the mouth of the Douro River and the cathedral. Visit the Church of São Francisco and the Arabian Hall in the Stock Exchange. Enjoy a Port wine tasting at the famous Sandeman & Co Port Wine Cellar. Free time this afternoon.  

You’re invited to the home of the most internationally recognized Porto wines at the magnificent Sandeman Wine Cellars. Here, taste centuries of tradition in a glass of Port wine in the city that bears its name. Saúde! 

DAY 6, TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 26, 2023 PORTO–GUIMARAES–PENAFIEL–VISEU 

GUIMARAES Orientation walk through the medieval district. 

PENAFIEL Visit the gardens of the Quinta da Aveleda winery and enjoy Portuguese tapas tasting. Take a scenic drive through the port wine vineyards en route to Viseu. 

VISEU Dinner with local specialties and wine at Forno da Mimi restaurant. 

LOCAL FAVORITE HISTORY & HERITAGE The history of the Quinta da Aveleda estate spans the centuries and generations who have preserved the Portuguese traditions of wine making and proud legacy of the Guedes family. The architectural heritage of this cherished estate is only matched by its wines, produced, and nurtured as the largest Vinho Verde exporter and family-owned winery. 

DAY 7, WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 27, 2023 VISEU–BELMONTE–CASTELO DE VIDE–EVORA 

CASTELO DE VIDE Walk through the Jewish quarter with free time to browse. 

EVORA Visit a traditional cork factory. 

LOCAL FAVORITE LOCAL TASTES Discover the tradition and taste of authentic Portuguese olive oil in a 20th-century olive-oil-factory-turned museum in Belmonte. See the machinery which farmers used to transform olives into oil and taste the delicious fruits of their labors. Perhaps take home a gift of wine, olive oil, or jam to commemorate your visit. Later, visit a Cork Factory in Evora to learn about this traditional artisanship of Portugal. 

DAY 8, THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 28, 2023 EVORA–ALGARVE 

EVORA Guided walking tour includes the Gothic cathedral, the Sao Francisco Church, and the Ossuary Chapel. Free time for lunch. 

ALGARVE Free time late afternoon and evening 

TOUR HIGHLIGHT CULTURE & TRADITION Walk back in time to the Roman era of Evora – a city with roots firmly planted in the 16th century in the home of Portuguese kings. See the white houses, architectural tiles, and embellished balconies with a stroll through the Gothic sites of the cathedral, church, and chapel. 

DAY 9, FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 29, 2023 ALGARVE. COASTAL EXCURSION

ALGARVE Join an excursion to the Promontory of Sagres, Cape St. Vincent, and Lagos. 

TOUR HIGHLIGHT PICTURE PERFECT Take in the breathtaking views of the sweeping southern coastline of Portugal in Algarve. Stand on the Promontory of Sagres and Cape St. Vincent to gaze at the glorious beaches, postcard-perfect fishing ports, and towering cliffs along the sea. 

DAY 10, SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 30, 2023 ALGARVE–AZEITÃO–LISBON  

AZEITÃO Visit a traditional tile workshop. 

 LISBON Enjoy a farewell dinner at your hotel. 

TOUR HIGHLIGHT ART & ARTISTRY Enter a world of authentically handmade Portuguese tiles at the São Simão Arte workshop and gallery in Azeitão. It is here that distinguished antique collector Antonio Soares Franco creates his ceramic masterpieces by hand in the style of his ancestors. 

DAY 11, SUNDAY OCTOBER 1, 2023 LISBON Safe travels until we meet again! Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning. 

We're doing three extra excursions throughout too. Just reading this I'm tired. I'd better go to bed so I'm well rested to take on Portugal. Until then...as they say in Portuguese...Boa Noite!!