Travel inspired

Hello:  Bom dia (bohn dee-ah)

Thank you: Obrigada (oo-bree-gah-dah)

Currency: Euro

Portuguese is the language of Portugal, although a smattering of Spanish is sometimes handy.

Planning your trip:

Everyone wants to go to Portugal. Or has already been.  At least that is what it seems like when you are standing in line upon arrival in Lisbon, spending over an hour just to enter the country.  I found Portugal to be a beautiful country, starting my travel in Lisbon then traveling north and later to the south.  I know there was more to see, but shouldn’t one save something for the next trip?  I did find the number of tourists to be a bit overwhelming, especially in Porto.  My trip consisted of visits to Lisbon, Sintra, Nazare, Coimbra, Porto, and Lagos.  Whether you are traveling alone or with a friend or two, it was easy to travel through Portugal by bus and train if you don’t want to be encumbered by a car.

Practicalities:

Customs/Arrival – The European Union is introducing biometrics to help with passport entry and exit.  I arrived on a day when there were only a couple of machines working in a test phase, just prior to the official rollout, and it took almost an hour and a half to go through customs.  Leaving Portugal was much easier.  

Metro – It is very easy to grab a train to come and go from the airport and/or bus station and around the city in both Lisbon and Porto.  If you want the easiest way to jump on the metro, you tap your credit card to enter and again when you exit at your destination station (no tap at the end in Porto).  If you anticipate more trips, you can purchase a yellow card in Lisbon for tap and go trips which gives a slight discount. If you reach out to your hotel prior to arrival to ask them for the closest Metro station, they usually respond with excellent and specific instructions on how to use the Metro to journey to the hotel.

Uber – A great option when you need it.  I found most drivers spoke English and it’s always fun to strike up an interesting conversation with someone who lives and works in another country.

Trains and Buses – YES!  It was so easy to book trips on the buses from city to city if you don’t want to rent a car.  While a car gives you freedom, so does the bus.  The bus gives you the freedom from paying for parking and maneuvering through cities, especially if you don’t have a navigator.  And the buses are new and very clean!  I booked most of my trips using Flix and the tickets went right to my phone’s Apple wallet for easy scanning when boarding. Most of my tickets were around $12 and you could even buy the seat next to you if you wanted more space which was nice for the longer rides.  The trains work well too but in many cases the bus is a better option.  For my one train ride from Porto to Lisbon, the train was late and when it pulled up on the track, it was major mayhem with people trying to board by finding their correct carriage car and seat.  

Google Maps – You will find lots of company holding phones and studying Google Maps as people walk around every city.  You can still ask for a hard copy map of the cities, which I love to have as a backup and to give myself a better sense of the area.  Don’t spend too much time looking down and make sure you understand the orientation of the map relative to your location.  I had to laugh at how many times I saw other people start in one direction and then do an abrupt U-turn.  My friends and I were not excluded. 😁 In one case, despite checking the address three times, Google kept taking us to an area nowhere near our intended destination.  Fortunately, we could see through this nefarious attempt to misguide us and course correct.

Facebook Meetups – There are numerous Facebook groups for individuals to meet up when traveling and it can be a nice break to have some company when you are traveling alone.  I reached out to one group about a week in advance and arranged to meet a woman for dinner on my first night in Lisbon.  She had been in Lisbon for several weeks already, so she was able to give me a nice informal tour of the city, and I had company for lunch and dinner.

Money – I suggest carrying some euros for the convenience of ready cash when needed. I use the term “when needed” very loosely because I used my phone or credit card to tap and pay almost everywhere.  So easy!!  If you withdraw from an ATM (MultiBanco does not charge a fee for withdrawals), remember to deny the conversion when asked.  Tipping is optional which makes it easier to know what you owe at the end of a meal.  If you want to add a tip, 10% is usually fine, just make sure to ask the server to add it to your total before you tap.  Unlike the U.S., they never asked me if I wanted to tip before asking for my payment.  What a nice break!

Two sidenotes: Although I did not have an encounter, there must be a gang of hanger-stealing thieves running rampant in Portugal.  In every hotel, I found all the hangers in my room handcuffed to the clothing rail in the closet.  Apparently, this was to thwart a rash of hanger burglaries in the country. 

If you are a non-smoker, brace yourself.  As in most of Europe, the non-smoking rules do not apply when dining outside.  There are so many smokers, it is almost impossible to enjoy a meal outside in the gorgeous weather.  

Lodging:

·  Lisbon - Hotel Florescente.  A lovely central hotel situated on a quiet street (mostly closed to traffic during the day, the Rua das Portas de Santo Antao - Lisbon’s “eating street” with lots of restaurants) with a pool and very close to the Rossio train station, the city center, and metro access.  

·  Lisbon – Our Story Oura.  Great location but a bit loud if your room is on the street side.  Very, very tiny room.

·  Nazare – By the Beach.  A good basic hotel, a great location with a short walk to the beach and to the bus station.  There was quite a bit of noise at certain points but overall not too bad.  

·  Coimbra – Sophia Studios.  One of my favorites – a quiet and cute little place in a great location.  A short walk to restaurants and the University and an easy walk from the bus station.

·  Porto – The Social Network.  A big hotel with more amenities, including a free laundry room.  Good central location. 

·  Porto – Herculano Stays. Decent rooms and location.  It was a bit of a hassle receiving the code to enter the building and rooms.

·  Lagos – Hotel Casa Luma.  Great location, big room, some street noise but shutters helped to eliminate.  Wonderful hosts and the best breakfast by far!

Food!  

Fish, fish, and more fish.  Try the sardines and for a lighter fish, the mackerel.  Sardine shops are everywhere, and they insist the sardines are the BEST.  I enjoyed fish for almost every meal with a variety of bream, sardines, mackerel, squid, octopus, and scallops.  Some of my favorites are listed below.

·  Lisbon and Porto - Honest Greens (delicious offerings for breakfast); Time Out market for a great variety of local foods (Fava Tonka was a delicious vegetarian option in Porto!)

·  Lisbon – Alfredos (a delicious eggplant dish); Bonjardim (grilled bream with potatoes), Brown’s Coffee Bean (great lunch of toast with avocado and mushrooms with potato fries and salad, and nice tart lemonade). 

·  Belem – Miolo (creative salad options); Pastéis de Belém (a must!).

·  Nazare – Restaurante Sitiado; Taberna D’Adelia (Michelin rated - I wished for a shovel to consume the delectable mushroom appetizer, Mushrooms Bulhao Pato Style, as a fork was inadequate to ingest at the needed pace); Tosca Gastrobar.

·  Coimbra – Bresca on the Rua Visconde da luz, a walking street with lots of shops and restaurants, close to the University.

·  Porto – Café Hungry Biker (great breakfast); La Ricotta (delicious dinner of duck risotto, make a reservation); Cantinho Do Avillez (eclectic menu; try the taco appetizer as it is amazing!)

·  Lagos – Estadio Vegetariano (excellent eggplant/zucchini lasagna, but arrive early or book ahead, cash only); Guanabana (good nachos); Atasca-te (stuffed squid with potatoes); Pomo (delicious tagliatelle Bolognese, arrive early and stand in line for a table); Taninos (great tuna mango tartare).

Lisbon Area Sights:

When the weather is nice, I hate to be inside, so museums fall to the bottom of my list when exploring a new city.  Wandering about gives you a way to “feel” a city by observing the shops, hotels, businesses, and of course, the beautiful architecture and the people. A walking tour on day one is a good introduction and will give you an overview of the place. And in Lisbon, it’s not just the gorgeous tiles adorning buildings, but the overall architecture of the old buildings and squares along with the street art.  Be prepared for walking hills – it’s a great workout and it was prep for my next phase of travel – meeting two friends to hike the Portuguese way of the Camino de Santiago.

Chill Out tour - I highly recommend walking tours when you first arrive in a new foreign city.  With a free walking tour, you pay the guide whatever you think is fair at the end.  The local guides, in this case Beatrice, give groups a spirited flavor and perspective to their hometown history, usually including their favorite restaurants and other novel experiences that may not make their way into any guidebook.  In this instance, I was stunned to learn about the “famous” Lisbon earthquake/tsunami/fire in 1755 that destroyed most of the city and killed thousands.  I cannot remember ever hearing about this event in my world history class.  It is the type of story that really stays with you! Alongside the stunning Moroccan-style tiles and the architecture adorned with interesting carvings, the street art is a feast for your eyes. Our walk took us from the Praça Luís de Camões up and down the hills in the Baixa-Chiado area, over to the Praca do Comercio along the river, through the Alfama area, and up to Castelo de Sao Jorge at the top of the hill.  You will leave with a good sense of the city for your own explorations.  On your way back to the city center, you can stop at the Cathedral of Lisbon.

Igreja de São Domingos near Rossio Square – Famous “burned out” church, damaged by a fire and intentionally left damaged to convey fragility and resilience.

Sintra day trip – If you have the time, consider a day trip to the small town of Sintra, outside of Lisbon.  Two of the main sites are the Pena Palace and the Moorish Castle.  If you buy tickets a few days in advance online, you skip the lines and enjoy a small discount.  It’s a short 40-minute train ride from Lisbon with several daily trains from the Rossio station. And if you purchased a yellow card, you could use it for the trip.  Just make sure you ride all the way to the end of the line since there are two stops for Sintra and you will want the second/last stop.  

Then hop on the bus (you can buy a ticket across from the train station for the Hop-on Hop-off bus) to go to the city center or the Pena Palace, the Moorish Castle, or a few other sights along the route.  It’s easy enough to walk down to the city center and explore a bit, if you have time, before finding the bus stop to board and ride up to the main entrance of the Peña Palace.  You can walk to the Palace, but it is a steep hill and takes about an hour.  When you reach the main gate, you may also ride a shuttle up to the palace entrance.  It’s about a 15-minute walk but they promote it as 30 minutes.  They are very strict on the entrance times listed on your ticket and you can only get in line 10 minutes before your scheduled time.  If you are there early, you can explore the outside of the castle before they allow you to enter.  It is definitely worth a visit.  You will enjoy the decorative tiles, the beautiful intricately carved wood furniture, and a glimpse into the Palace’s use in the early nineteen hundreds and late eighteen hundreds, as the Palace was the living quarters of the King Ferdinand, his wives, and sons.  The new addition, the red portion when viewed from outside, has painted and carved walls inside.  It was a tight crowd on the walk through the palace, everyone eager to see this glimpse of history.  I was surrounded by small groups with personal guides, and I asked one guide about the crowds on that day, and he said the day was not too busy. Well, it was mobbed with tourists so I’m glad I picked a Thursday and not a weekend.

From the palace exit, you can walk down to the Moorish castle and climb the long stretches of stone stairs for a view from high on top of the hill, overlooking the Pena Palace on a neighboring hill.  It’s a little strenuous but easy enough if you are fit.  Once you’ve explored the area, you can catch a bus back down to the village.  I don’t know that I would recommend walking because the road becomes quite narrow in sections between stone walls and I envisioned what could happen if the bus driver miscalculated a tight turn.  Yikes!  Back in the main village, you can grab lunch, drinks, or sweets.  One shop, Piriquita II, sells a couple of traditional Sintra treats.  I tried a deliciously flaky pastry stuffed with egg cream and almond; the exterior dusted with sugar.  Quite delicious and not an overwhelming sugar bomb!  The other specialty is a pasteis de nata variation with cheese and cinnamon – the queijada.  

Belem District – From the old city in Lisbon, you can catch the 15E tram to Belem to see the Torre de Belem and Mosteiro dos Jeronimos.  If you loaded your yellow card, you could use it for this trip.  It’s easy to tap the card when you board the tram and I would suggest trying to catch the tram at one of the earliest stops since it tends to fill very quickly.  On the day I ventured to Belem, I arrived and then found the church and monastery were closed due to a strike and the Belem tower was closed due to renovation.  All were impressive enough from the outside to take photos and I wasn’t the only one disappointed.  I overhead one woman, clearly frustrated, who had purchased tickets in advance online and had no recourse and was unable to return in a few days as the security guard suggested.  You can walk around the area and check out an informal market selling lots of souvenirs and then wander over to the Padrão dos Descobrimentos (Monument of the Discoveries).  A stunning sculpture with detailed faces and expressions of those marching on either side.  There are additional gardens to wander through and a war memorial, the Monument to the Overseas Combatants at the Forte do Bom Sucesso, that is worth a look.  It honors over 11,000 fallen soldiers, whose names are inscribed on the walls.  

There are several restaurants where you can stop for lunch.  I opted for Moiro and had a fantastic salad with kale, carrots, red cabbage, beetroot hummus, falafel, feta, and cauliflower.  For dessert, it was time to try the official pastel de Belem (from a secret recipe) at a nearby monastery.  It does not disappoint.  

Nazare

Nazare is famous for the waves that pound its shores, as they reach heights of up to 100 feet, although 25 to 40 feet seem to be the “norm”.  Hard to imagine, but for some, a surfer’s dream (or nightmare?).  I wanted to stop there for a couple of nights to witness the waves for myself.  I stayed about a block from the beach in Nazare on the “calm” side, just south of the big waves beach.  To really appreciate the waves, it was necessary to walk up a very steep hill to Sitio and the Praia do Norte, then walk to the lighthouse at the Fort of São Miguel Arcanjo which allows you to watch the waves without the danger of being swept away.  There is a funicular that will take you from Nazare to the top of the hill, but it was closed due to a recent tragic accident in Lisbon, requiring all funiculars throughout the country to close for inspections.  

There were amazing views from the top the hill overlooking Nazare, the long beach with mild waves and a small group of surfers.  The sky was still blue as I made my way around the top of the hill, ending up in a small square with an old church, the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Nazaré (Santuário de Nossa Senhora da Nazaré), and a few stray tourists wandering about. I followed the sign for Praia Norte, having no idea what I was about to see. Looking down to the beach, I saw the black bodies of the wetsuit-adorned surfers catching the waves that bypassed the Nazare beach on the south side of the hill.  The swells were impressive, but it was still early.  As I walked down the road to the fort at the point’s end, I could see the waves getting a bit larger as the wind kicked up, also evident in the wind turbines stationed on another hill, still only minutes earlier, now beginning to do their job.  I hiked almost level with the beach to get a better sense of how big the waves really were - they were definitely building in size.  The surfers were riding the waves, crashing into the water as the waves came down.  Then the mist began to come in, almost obscuring the view.  I hiked back up the hill as more and more people were making their way down to witness the waves.

Although I was there in September, the water was filled with surfers in full wet suits, taking advantage of the “baby” waves since the really big waves seem to occur between October and March.  The waves were still impressive, and the wind was as well.  

In the small square in front of the church, there were multiple vendors selling candied nuts. I bought some nuts from a lady who had already tempted me with samples.  When I indicated I wanted to purchase some, she showed me three boxes – small, medium, or large?  I picked the small box and although she filled in and poured the nuts into a plastic bag, I noticed she added even more for good measure.  I asked if I could take a photo as she was attired in traditional dress – a colorful short skirt adorned with bric-brac and small flowers, her top a brilliant combination of pinks, yellows, and red with white rows of tassels.  She gallantly posed for me, flipping up her skirt in front and showing her bright yellow ruffled shorts “underwear”, with a huge smile on her face at my expression. A tourist gimmick but it was traditional dress and what is wrong with that?

Around Sitio, you will encounter the famous Legend of Nazare centered around a hunter on horseback chasing a deer and almost falling off a cliff who was saved when he cried out to Our Lady of Nazare for help.  There is a statue of a man with a deer head holding a surfboard, one way of embodying the legend and the current fascination of the area’s waves, as well as a painted tile depicting the event, and a painted wall as you hike up the stairs to Sitio.  A rich story in this culture.

What surprised me about Nazare was how many good restaurants there were!  There is a Michelin rated restaurant, Taberna D’Adelia, where I had dinner one night, and a couple of others, also highly rated, where I enjoyed delicious meals.

Coimbra

Famous for the oldest university in the country and one of the oldest in the world (more than seven centuries), it was a one-night stop on my way to Porto.  Be ready to climb stairs and hills again!  As I reached the top of one long stair climb up a very steep hill and stopped to catch my breath, a man and woman were at the top, also looking a little challenged.  I said, “I’m not sure if Google Maps knows the shortcut to the University.”  The woman laughed and said, “If it doesn’t kill you! We had the same directions!”  Power on!  I was too late to tour the University, but wandering about led me to the botanical garden and the Santa Cruz church with amazing tile scenes inside.  

If you are taking buses to/from Coimbra, I must warn you about the bus station. Depending on which bus line you are using, although there is technically only one bus station, the station actually consists of a building in one spot to catch certain buses and a parking area further down the road to catch a Flix bus.  Make sure you know which area your bus will be in, so you won’t miss your bus.  If you do miss your bus, depending on where you are headed, there is usually another bus in a short time, but you may need to purchase a new ticket.

Porto

I was in Porto for a very limited time since I met two friends to begin our six-day trek on the Camino de Santiago.  Our hike actually started in Vigo, Spain,  so with only one full day in Porto before we began, we booked the Hi Porto Free Walking Tour so we could walk around the city with some insight from a local.  Our guide told us about the history of Portugal and Porto as we walked from site to site, observing the beautiful tiles on buildings, exploring a lovely park, and learning about the São Bento Railway Station, viewing the impressive tile interior full of murals.  As our tour ended, she directed us to the new Time Out Market (awesome!), a great place to sample authentic cuisine for lunch or dinner.  In the courtyard, a man was walking around, a hawk on his forearm.  I had to ask – what and why?  He explained his Harris hawk named Frodo was charged with scaring pigeons from the area so customers could enjoy food outside.  It worked.  Of course, I needed to know where the hawk lived and what she ate.  The hawk lived with him and meals consisted of frozen dead baby chicks.  He also shared that sometimes Frodo would decide to wander a bit when she chased other birds, which explained the small antennae the bird was wearing so the handler could locate him again.  

Next on our list was to find a place to sample some port.  Our guide had warned us as to the strength of this fortified wine – be careful not to imbibe too much!  Be aware that tasting places often charge by the glass and the cost can vary depending on the quality of the port.  We stopped one place and after a convoluted discussion with a young man on the options, we discovered it was quite expensive to sample the good stuff - from $15 -$60/glass. Ask questions!  We decided to wait for our tour of the Douro Valley.

Day trip to the Duoro valley – Make sure you understand the meeting place for the tour.  We tried to find the meeting place the day before, to be safe, and found the address sent to us in the confirmation email was NOT the official meeting place.  Confusing.  It was easy enough to find the spot since it was around the corner and up the hill, but we only discovered it after stopping at the other address and asking where to meet. Apparently, there are bus restrictions in Porto, so the pick-up is in one place but the drop-off at the end of the day was several blocks away.  And in our case, was half a block from our hotel.  An unintended bonus!  

We boarded the bus and drove through the countryside until our first stop in Amarante for coffee and some sweet treats for breakfast.  Our guide was hilarious as she described everything as amazing!  She also treated us to a “delicate” story about the shape of one of the most popular sweet treats.  Amarante was a picturesque stop for photos of the ancient bridge, church, and monastery.  The day included stops at a couple of wineries, a tour discussing the day-to-day business of creating port, a short river cruise, and a lovely lunch with more port wine tasting.  Of course you could purchase liquid refreshments to take home. One of the best parts of the trip was meeting people from various countries and discussing travel and experiences in Portugal and beyond.  

Lagos

Heading to southern Portugal is an easy bus ride from Lisbon.  I stayed at a small B&B type hotel with the most delightful hosts, Luis and Anna, and one of the best breakfast offerings of my time in Portugal.  Lagos was a bit stuffed with tourists, but I was there to enjoy the sun and the scenery along the coast. There is a lovely seaside path and boardwalk you can follow along the coast for amazing views - so beautiful that it was hard to know where to look.  The coast of sandy, reddish cliffs and the turquoise waters contrasted against a sunny blue sky.  Although the beaches looked tempting, the crashing waves did not.  While walking you can see the more famous beaches such as Dona Ana, Camilo, and on up to Porto de Mos.

To enjoy the view from the water, I booked a boat trip (walk down to the water along the town center) to see the coast and explore the multiple caves. The small boat went motoring into the various caves named the kitchen, the garage, and the living room.  Original?  Our guide also pointed out rock formations known as the skull, the mastodon, the camel, and the titanic along the way.  Some carved out areas had chimneys with holes revealing the blue sky above.  The water was a little rough, and it was a bit too cold for swimming.  You can book kayak trips as well but there were some impressive winds and waves while I was there, and some companies were not going out every day.

Back in Lagos, visit the museum, Museu de Lagos – Dr. José Formosinho, and view the gold encrusted chapel.  So much to look at with all the carvings in gold and the paintings of the Saint Anthony!  An amazing work of art showing the strong focus on religion. If you are wandering about in the morning, stop by the fish market to see the daily offerings and then continue walking around the town center to investigate the shops.

Although there were plenty of restaurants in Lagos, certain ones seemed to be crowd favorites.  I had to wait in line almost an hour for a table at Pomo and was rewarded with a delicious serving of tagliatelle Bolognese, served in the pot it was cooked in.  A satisfying last dinner before my flight the following morning, leaving the beautiful coast of Portugal behind.

Despite the number of other tourists, it was a fabulous visit and it’s easy to see why so many people pick Portugal as their next destination.