Ten Weeks in Europe: Germany, Portugal, & Spain

Sintra, Lisbon, and Evora                  Praça do Coměrcio - Lisbon Thanks again for tagging along with us as we continue through 🇵🇹 Portugal!  As a write this it is 9:30 pm and our 2nd night in Evora. It has cooled off from the low 90’s to 78 F.  Early morning starts and evening walks are the best method for the high temps, and laying low, sometimes with a large bottle of the local “cerveja”. We had a lovely three nights in Sintra which is west of and a 35 minute train ride to Lisbon.  Our Airbnb was an amazing stay at a mansion on top of one of Sintra’s many hills, and Alexander our host graciously gave us run of much of the place including the swimming pool an living areas. We walked and drove over a large portion of the area including out to the coast.  Because ofthe natural beauty of the area and along with the cooler temperatures and alluring coastline Sintra became a place where Lisbon’s r...

Porto                     The Eiffel bridge and Porto    Portugal’s second largest city rises up the prominent hillside along the Douro River just before the Douro empties into the Atlantic.  Our agenda was simple - wander and get lost in the narrow streets and neighborhoods,  enjoy the food and wine of the region, and poke around in the city’s many historic buildings and cathedrals.  Mission Accomplished!  We had some excellent food and wine, walked ourselves up and down what seemed like every street and alleyway, visited the Liberia Lello bookshop, and crossed the famous Eiffel Bridge to The city of Gaia on the other side, famous for the many port cellars and tasting rooms from the grapes of the famous Douro wine region. Our 4th course at Michelin star restaurant- Antiqvvm  The Twelve Historic Villages of Central Portugal    When Carol, Stuart, and I visited...

When Carol, Stuart, and I traveled around Spain 17 years ago we spent some time in almost every part of the country except Galicia, which is like the Washington State of Spain! 😎. In the very northwest corner of the country and the northern border of Portugal it is green and rugged and in a way a mixture of Spain and Portugal.  Even the local dialect of Gallejo is somewhat a combination of the two.     With only four days before we start our journey through Portugal we jumped in our rental car to see as much as we could fit in.     First stop: Santiago de Compostela the terminus of the Camino de Santiago, the famous trek from all points of Europe but most famous for the route from France across northern Spain.  “Pilgrims “ from all over the world come to walk these time worn paths, staying at small alberges and supposedly making the journey in a meditative pose, though there is often a whole lot of partying going on! “We can consider that  K...