Blogs from Vila Nova de Gaia, Northern, Portugal, Europe

On the fast train to Lisbon but not travelling fast yet as we are still in the suburbs of Vila Nova de Gaia. Modern and comfy with functional and fast wifi connection all has gone smoothly since we left the shat! That’s half ship, half boat but I don’t think the name will stick. Boip is probably worse though. The windows here are big scenic ones but I share mine with the only person in the entire carriage that’s pulled his down! There must be 80 passengers in this carriage, half of whom sit next to the window and I share with the 1 in 40 that pulls the blinds. I might try the half centimetre every few minutes sneak up technique, we’ll see. The driver has just ‘put the foot down’ and we are gaining ... read more

Today we got up a but before 9 and headed downstairs for breakfast, which was a drastic improvement from the other place. There was basically a station of just cakes and cookies, yogurt, cereal, cold cuts, and breads. You can guess which one Chris went to. After breakfast we showered and headed out for the (rainy) day. Since 10am was a bit abrasive for port tastings (not at all, just trying to keep up appearances), we headed northeast to Rua Santa Catarina to check out the main commercial strip. We first stumbled upon the Mercado Bolhão, a giant wrought iron marketplace. The stalls were awesome - fresh fish, live chickens, flowers and herbs, fruits and vegetables, you name it. We even chatted with a little old lady at a linens stall and ended up with a ... read more

Esta viagem começou em boa verdade há um ano atrás quando decidimos comprar as nossas primeiras bicicletas. Dessa data até agora, iniciamos curtas viagens em volta da nossa casa para avaliar e sentir o prazer de andar de bicicleta. Paralelamente, e aos poucos fomos comprando algum equipamento, adquirindo em julho os alforges que colocaríamos nas bicicletas e que nos tornariam apta a viagem maior e mais prolongada. O nosso destino há muito estava desenhado na nossa cabeça: Costa Alentejana. Fazer as malas foi a parte mais fácil; os alforges não são grandes e as necessidades de roupa – para o espirito destas férias – não são exigentes. Meia dúzia de t’shirts, calções, havaianas e sapatilhas. A tenda estava a postos, os sacos-cama também, bicicleta pronta… sentamos ao computador. No sábado, dia 1 mapeamos, locais de interesse ... read more