Blogs from Northern, Portugal, Europe - page 5

Went to Lamego today and although we are not there now it’s sort of close. Through the big lock and cruising along then we dock. All off the ship or is it a boat? Not sure and I think I oscillate between the two but it doesn’t really matter unless you’re the captain. I’m pretty sure everyone did get off as there were 3 bus loads of us. Must be a scary sight, 3 coach loads of aging tourists of various sizes and shapes, with various ailments and complaints and with a spectrum of moods! Most are good, some are quite grumpy. The coaches were not full but there are close to a hundred of us so 3 coaches were required. Super comfy and well equipped we drove to Lamego an old religious town about half ... read more

Déjà vu, instant replay or here we go again. I’m up had brekkie, it’s brekkie if I make it and it’s muesli, banana and yogurt with some coffee. It’s breakfast if someone else makes anything! Made a cup of tea for Lee, she doesn’t call that brekkie or breakfast as it’s really only a precursor to starting to wake up. Then it’s off to another walking tour. Different company, different itinerary but same sort of deal. This one concentrated significantly more on the old town and the river quarter which is fine as the details and information content is what I thrive on. Run by Porto Walking Tours this one was conducted by a native ‘tripe eater’ unlike yesterday’s tour which was lead by an Irishman! The tours usually touch on food, language, culture and history ... read more

Typing time to while away the minutes. We are currently somewhere but about half way between Lisbon and Porto based on the duration of the trip and certainly not my understanding of any of the train announcements which I assume have been in Portuguese only. Not an unfair assumption based on the fact we are in Portugal. Many and indeed most of the signs at the station were in Portuguese and English which was reassuring and helpful but most locals speak enough ‘specific’ English to help us. Waits speak menu English, drivers read ‘Google map English’ and ticket sellers know destination and numbers well enough for us to get the message through. Managed to find grilled sardines last night much to my pleasure and the pleasure of an American couple who were close enough to hear ... read more

Our last day in Porto is bitter sweet. We love our apartment and the ladies that run it have been super nice and helpful. We have alot of fun chatting and laughing with them. We don't want to leave but we've covered the city. Today's plan is to see a few things we missed. We walked down to the Crystal palace, which was a few minutes from our place, and toured the grounds. It was really nicely done and had some good views of the city. More exercising at the outdoor gym fur the kids, they love trying out all the machines. We then went to the nearby mall and did some shopping, and picked up a few groceries for the road tomorrow. Everyone seemed to need to get off their feet so we went back ... read more

We seem to have a knack for booking places with nearby construction, or maybe that is just normal for busy European centers. Woke up at 5:30am and had to close the window as the city started to come alive and was really up when the construction started at 7:30am, literally right outside our window. Im not so upset as the matress in the hostel was not comfortable and Anne and I had sore hips and back. The kids seemed to love their bunk beds. In the end I'm not sure the hostel experience was worth it but it was only for one night so no big deal. It was nice to be right downtown in the action when we went out though. We bought tickets for a traditional boat ride on the canals and they informed ... read more