Tour #2 Óbidos, Nazaré and Porto

We thought yesterday was a long day but today was significantly longer. It began with a brisk walk through town and up the Avenida da Liberdade. This 1km long boulevard is considered to be one of the most expensive streets in Europe. Our destination was a hotel on the Marques De Pombal roundabout where we were joined by a handful of others.

Boarding a large coach we settled into our seats and begun soaking up the scenery during the hour long drive. First stop was the medieval town of Óbidas. According to many, it is the most picturesque and well preserved fortified town in Portugal.

Óbidas was very small. The Rua Diretia, the main cobbled street is lined with whitewashed houses and shops with the occasional pop of bright blue or yellow highlights or a cascade of purple bougainvillea flowers. It certainly made an impression.

At the end of the Rua Diretia was the ruined and currently being renovated Castelo de Óbidos. A quick wander through this area revealed not much. We discovered that the town walls, the Muralha de Óbidos were much more interesting and also provide fantastic views of the surrounding farmland and over the rooftops of the town.

Realising that we were quickly running out of time, we scooted back down Run Diretia sad to not be able to visit the little local shops but we did arrive back at the bus at the requested time.

From Óbidos, our next stop was only a short distance away and we would have an even shorter stop! Nazaré best known by surfers as the home of big waves! From the Miradouro do Suberco, we had awesome views over Nazaré city centre, the main beach however no big waves insight! In the square, locals were selling biscuits, candied almonds, dried fruit and various nuts. We purchased a selection as well as a few souvenir items from the local shops. On the way back to the bus, we discovered a small fruit market. The fruit looked ripe and delicious. Shannon bought her new favourite donut shaped peach and I opted for cherries and apricots.

Another 2 hour journey before we reached Porto. Our guide informed us that Portugal was the largest producer of cork. We realised that this is why we had seen so many souvenirs made from cork!! Interestingly from the bus there were no cork plantations in sight. Instead surprisingly there were forests and forests of eucalyptus trees!! Portugal is Europes third largest producer of wood pulp and it turns out that eucalyptus trees due to their low maintenance and fast growing are perfect.

On arrival in Porto, we had chosen the traditional Portuguese lunch option. With 5 others, we enjoyed a tapas style lunch. After lunch we had a the slowest ever walking tour showcasing Porto's soul. The poor guide had to deliver the audio in English and Spanish! 

We began looking at this church. Turns out that this is actually two churches - Igreja dos Carmelitas Descalços and Igreja do Carmo separated by the hidden house. As two churches were not allowed to share a wall, they built a 3 foot wide house which until 1980 was occupied! 

Again we felt we could have easily spent a week here rather than a 3 hour tour!! Little streets with tall houses, lots of people, cobblestones, lots of traffic, steep, short hills and several Miradouro views were our experiences.

Bus trip home was smooth but long with a short snack and toilet stop then we eventually rolled into Lisbon around 8pm! We were hoping to wander through the flea market on Avenida da Liberdade as we headed home but were out of luck there.

Tour #1; Part 2 Quinta da Ragaleira

Back on the bus we were transported back down the hill to the Sintra town centre. Here we had time to peruse the shops and find lunch before continuing on with the next stop on the tour.

Walking a km up the road, we came across the whimsical palatial estate - Quinta da Ragaleira. This vast place was built in the early 1900's. The architecture taps into a multitude of mystical beliefs throughout time and many different cultures.  Our guide was again extremely knowledgeable and gave a great commentary as he ushered us through the best bits minus the actual mansion which is mostly off limits to the public. 

Once inside the gates, we began our tour at the Portal of the Guardians and the Terrace of the Celestial Worlds. A nice spot offering many differing vantage points.

From here we wandered uphill to join the queue of tourists lining up for the Poço Iniciático or Initiation Well, one of the most famous landmarks of Sintra. The entrance hidden within a natural rock formation, this well is not really a well but rather a subterranean tower. The one way access takes you down the spiral staircase. With 23 niches, the staircase descends for 27m and at the bottom of this abyss, the circular floor is decorated with coloured tiles, thought to depict the cross of the Knights Temples a symbol exclusive to Free Masons. According to some, the tower is more symbolic that utilitarian and that the owner, Carvalho Monteiro, a notable Free Mason had built it for spiritual reasons. 

 

At the bottom, apparently there are several tunnels, however our guide directed us along one and we walked towards the small dot of light emerging at the Lake of the Waterfall. A serene spot. Retracing our steps into the darkness, we choose a different fork - along a tunnel lit by a light rope which takes us to the exit. 

What a fascinating place! We certainly didn't spend enough time here as there was so much more to see but unfortunately the tour was on a schedule and it was time to get back to the bus.

After being on our feet for so long, we were glad for the 40min drive to the final stop of the day, the seaside village, Cascais. Cascais has grown from a sleepy fishing village to a beachside resort town full of tourists! With only an hour to explore, we grabbed a gelato and found ourselves at the main beach, Praia de Ribeira watching a volleyball footvolley match!! A little bit of shopping completed our day before returning to the bus for the trip back to Lisbon.

Tour #1; Part 1 Pena Palace

We opted to do things differently on this holiday... signing up for a couple of organised bus type tours allowing us to escape Lisbon and experience the countryside of Portugal.

Our day began at a bakery in the town just before 8am with hardly another soul in sight! Where was everyone? We discovered over the next fews days that the Portuguese day begins late and ends later!! Fuelling up with coffee and the first of many delicious Portuguese tarts.

Only 35km from Lisbon, Sintra is home to multiple UNESCO World Heritage sites - two which we were going to visit Pena Palace and Quinta de Regaleira.

Our bus driver did an amazing job to negotiate the multiple hairpin turns and narrow roads which one must go along to reach Pena Palace. Located on top of one of the hills of Sintra Mountain, Pena Palace is a magical place. In 1838, King Ferdinand acquired the old monastery, the Castle of the Moors, all the surrounding lands and many other estates in the district. King Ferdinand set out to transform the remains of the monastery into a palace that would serve as a summer residence for the Portuguese royal family. Construction began in 1842 with a profusion of styles in accordance to the exotic tastes of the Romanticism and boy did the architects do an awesome job! Our guide was extremely knowledgeable having grown up in Sintra, worked within the palace and studied some sort of philosophy / theology.

The tour took us inside the Palace, through the maze of rooms beautifully decorated with amazing stuccos, painted walls and revetments in tile. Places like this just amaze me - the level of detail created so long ago is mind boggling. 

  

As we finished the formal guided tour, we were allowed to explore. Shan and I walked around the palace walls as the clouds gathered. It was a pity we didn't have more time to walk through the surrounding gardens and forests as they looked rather lovely and lush.

 

Escaping Winter

My colleague Shannon and I were lucky to leave the Canberra winter and head to the warmer weather of the northern hemisphere, specifically Lisbon Portugal. Our reason for travel was to attend the Fetal Medicine Foundation World Congress.

Commitment and planning began earlier in the year obviously the 5 day conference being the focus. The fastest flights to Lisbon were 28 hrs involving 3 legs. Quickly the trip blew out to nearly 2 weeks with a few days for exploring, shopping or relaxing.

The flight over was uneventful although unfortunately Shan scored the worst fellow travellers to be seated next to on the 14hr leg. A father and adult son who were obnoxious. We arrived in Lisbon via Sydney and Dubai in the early afternoon to glorious blue skies and a mild 23C.

  

The airbnb apartment turned out to be a gem. Perfect amount of space and facilities and a fantastic location in terms of the metro and the old city centre. The only downside was climbing up the 10 flights of stairs each evening to reach the 5th floor! 

After unpacking, we decided on a walk / run along the Tagus river to help keep us awake and enabled us to explore our immediate surroundings. A successful trip to the supermarket on the way home provided a simple salad for dinner before succumbing to sleep.

15...

Our little one is 15! A low key event - dinner, movie and sleep over with friends.

Ella won the best surprise present with a Lego McLaren F1 car!!