Blogs from Northern, Portugal, Europe - page 21

WE ATE THE STANDARD BREAKFAST, THEN GRABBED OUR GEAR AND DROVE TO THE COA MUSEUM FOR OUR 4-WHEEL TOUR. THE BUILDING IS WELL OUT OF TOWN, LIKE 2 KILOMETERS AND VERY STRANGE IN DESIGN. THEY DID HAVE A CAFE/RESTAURANT, BUT IT WAS EMPTY IN THE MORNING AND WE'D JUST HAD COFFEE, SO WE CHECKED IN FOR OUR TOUR. WE ENDED UP GETTING A PRIVATE TOUR OF JUST MANOLI AND I, WITH AN ENGLISH-SPEAKING FEMALE GUIDE. SHE DROVE OUT OF TOWN IN OUR 4-WHEEL VEHICLE, THEN TURNED OFF ONTO THE ROAD FROM HELL. WE ARRIVED AT THE SECURITY CHECKPOINT AND PARKED THE JEEP. AFTER CHECKING IN, OUR GUIDE TOOK US TO THREE DIFFERENT ROCK PAINTING SITES. THE GUIDE EXPLAINED THERE WERE THREE WAYS THEY 'CARVED' IN THE ROCK, SOMETHING LIKE GOUGING, CHIPPING, AND SCRATCHING. ALL BUT THE ... read more

Feeling well-rested after turning in early, we went down to breakfast and then to the São Bento train station to catch the suburban train to Guimarães. Guimarães is famous as the birthplace of the first independent king of Portugal, Alfonso Henriques, and is another UNESCO World Heritage city. This would also take us to a different region of Portugal, the Minho, which is also the birthplace of vinho verde. I'd be needing some after the ticket debacle that ensued. thought I understood the ticketing system correctly and, using our multi-purpose transit ticket, I got two tickets to zone 8, which Guimarães seemed to belong to. Once the ticket man came around, however, this was not the case, and am awkward 5-minute exchange occurred between us. From what I understand, that multipurpose card worked only within greater ... read more

Today we woke up to overcast skies and a bit of rain, so it seemed like a good day for our 3 hour or so train ride to the north to Porto. We packed all of our stuff, had breakfast, and were out by 8:30 to catch the metro toward the Gare do Oriente, from where our train would be departing. Getting there and getting our tickets were straightforward, so we had time to spare before boarding at 9:39. The train was pretty standard - it was an Intercidade train, so one step up from the Urbano train we had been using to get to Sintra and Cascais from Lisbon - that basically meant that we now had a tray table. It didn't seem as though the assigned car and seat meant anything, especially since the ... read more

The last day arrived much to fast! Jen and I got up early on Sunday and headed into town via the metro/tram system. Once in town we went to Burmester port company. A wine cellar built into a cave by he river. There we went on a tour and tried a white port--for before dinner, and a red port---a ruby for afterwards. Then we took another bus tour of the city (to really get out money's worth!!) before I dropped Jen off at the bus station and headed back to Goncalo's house to meet him. After grabbing a bite to eat, we headed to a beach near the city and lounged in the sun with Stephan, before Goncalo took me to the bus station so I could go home (yes--HOME) to vigo.... read more

Well, it's been a while scinceI last updates this lovely blog. The reason being an insanely busy week!! My week was filled with my new Spanish classes---which at first had me screaming but now are my new challenge! The kids (of course), gym time, coffee with the other au pairs and lots of Skype calls from my best friends at home. That--the calls--are amazing, to know they're taking their time and spending it on the phone to me...it's amazing and makes me feel so loved. Feeling a bit exhausted and a little short tempered, I left the kids on Friday morning for a little trip to...(drum roll please) PORTO, PORTUGAL!!!!!! Jen and I caught the 11:30 bus from Vigo to Porto on Friday morning. Once there we ate a delicious lunch. And then Went on a ... read more