Blogs from Portugal, Europe - page 259

Hello my fellow travelers! This is the fourth of six posts I'll do about a trip to the Canary Islands, Morocco and Madeira in 2004 together with my parents and my uncle Anders. The last post covered the time I was down with the winter flu while this one covers my shortest ever visit to a place. As we docked in Funchal, after spending a full day at sea, I was still pretty much out of commission. The worst had passed but I was on a very definite fluid diet ordered back to the cabin. The rest of my family wanted to go ashore and I said no worries, just go and enjoy, I'll be here drinking Pepsi, eating soup and reading a book. Trying to regain some strength. My mother was concerned of course, as ... read more

Over one fall break, I took some time off in Portugal, where I visited Coimbra, Porto, and other cities. Judging by the three criteria mentioned in my profile, this country, in general, fulfills only one of them. The scenery of Portugal is very beautiful; the rustic old forts and cities remind me of the medevial times of Europe, when castles served many purposes. Driving along in a shitty Opel, we went from place to place, seeing mostly castles and ruins. Of particular interest was the ruins of the Moors, who conquered that area a long time ago. We stayed at the king's former hunting lodge, a magnificent castle built on hundreds of well kept acres, with gardens and waterfalls. The most disappointing part of the trip was the food - although on the coast, we could ... read more

I´m in Lagos, a beach town in the Algarve. I just got here at 9 pm so I haven´t had a chance to explore yet, but supposedly it has Portugal´s finest beaches. Yesterday I did a day-trip with a Dutchman and a Frenchman to Sintra, a wonderful 18th century town with a hilltop pine-forest setting. We toured a bazaar palace that looked more like something from Disneyland than something that someone would actualy live in. The highlight was undoubtedly the handcarved wooden toilet in the royal bathroom. Later that night, in Lisbon, I went out with a whole group of Europeans and Canadians and a had a wild time drinking and dancing. My first big night out was a big success, and the Portuguese beer is tasty and cheap. I was also fortunate enough to be ... read more

Motorhome News from Europe 6. Portugal 6th October 2004. Into Portugal from the North Santiago de Compostella, Baiona, Castro de Santa Tegra, Barca, Porto, Costa Nova do Prado, Figueira da Foz, Batalha, Obidos, Sao Martinho do Porto Travelling with only an outline plan pencilled on a sheet of A4 is a continuous adventure built upon expectations and reality, and shaping memories; new, exciting, revealing - and sometimes even disappointing. This week has not failed us as we journey south from Santiago de Compostella towards Lisbon. Come then weary pilgrim, sit beside me; waggle your toes in the cool sand and close your eyes. Picture out there beyond the Atlantic breakers of Baiona, the tip of the white sails of the Pinta on the horizon as Christopher Columbus returns from the Americas, a new land of hope ... read more

Ponte de Lima - Rubiaes (19km) Day 3 Ponte de Lima - Rubiaes (19km) Woke at 0600 and headed off by 0640. The morning was still dark and cool with a lot of fog of which we had to start looking very closely for the Yellow Arrows to show us the way. (On the previous trip the group missed an arrow and went the wrong way, they had a difficult start. So we all had to be on the look out for the elusive yellow arrows. These arrows can be a bit hidden, rubbed out, faded, or in a number of different places from stones, road, post, etc. You can imagine the excitement we had the night before when we found the first arrow and the end of the bridge the previous night). The fog lasted ... read more