Visiting the Vineyards of the Douro Valley

There were many times throughout my two months in Portugal that I wished for a car, but none so much as while trying to figure out a way to tour the Douro Valley. Seems there are several ways to reach the area, but no affordable way to visit the many smaller vineyards once you get there. But as with the coastal road, I knew the stress of trying to navigate in a language I couldn’t speak or understand would negate any pleasure I got from being able to go my own way. The winding roads through the mountains and cobblestone alleyways through the villages would have required full focus on the road, with no “rubbernecking” to see the scenery, let alone sampling of the grape! Continue reading

Vinho do Porto in the Making

I’ve always enjoyed a nice glass of port wine, Vinho do Porto, after dinner or by a fire, often accompanied by some really good “stinky” cheese to cut the sweetness. It’s a drink that warms from within. In fact, when I used to do charters with my sailing pals, a bottle of Port would always be on the provisioning list to be enjoyed out on deck while watching the moonlight shimmer across the water. Continue reading

And Finally, Porto!

Throughout my six weeks of travels through Portugal thus far, whenever I would exclaim my love for the country, just about everyone I met would say “But have you been to Porto?” “Just wait until you see Porto!” “You are just gonna loooove Porto!” So understandably, I couldn’t wait to get to Porto! Continue reading

No Camera in Coimbra

I am really losing my patience with this “No Photos!” rule that seems to be growing almost as rapidly as the “No Overnight Parking” signs in Walmart. What is it about advertising a famous landmark, structure, exhibit, and then posting the entrance with “No Photographs Allowed!” What is the reason behind this, do you reckon? ? Continue reading

Surf’s (not!) Up in Nazaré

Nazaré was another Portuguese pronunciation challenge for me. I kept calling it “Na-JAIRE,” when it fact I should have known the accent on the é would indicate something different; three syllables, “NAH-zah-rey.” But the pronunciation was not the only thing that confused me about Nazaré.

Yet another place I knew nothing about and was not on my planned itinerary, Nazaré popped up as a result of a question prompted by my dear long-time friend Brian. I have known Brian for 20 years, and shared more travel conversations with him than any Continue reading

Portuguese Hospitality in the Berlengas Archipeligo

There is yet another reason why I want to wait out the weather in Obidos. I want to go from one day trip destination (Obidos) to another. I want to visit Berlengas Islands.

As often happens, I end up sidetracked to a new, unplanned destination that I didn’t even know existed while researching my planned destination. Such was the case with Berlengas. This is why I don’t worry that one day the “bucket list” will be empty!  While Continue reading

Overdose on Obidos

If you have been following along on my Portugal tour, you may have started to transcribe in the Portuguese pronunciation. If so, you now know that Obidos is pronounced….”ObidoSH.” What you may not know is that it also transcribes to “day trip.” Hardly anyone overnights in Obidos. It’s the kind of town that has a large parking lot just outside the walls of the old city big enough to accommodate a couple of rows of long, 40 passenger tour buses. Continue reading

Cascais: Finally, a Proper Lighthouse Tour!

Up to this point, attempts at visiting Portugal’s many lighthouses have proven to be frustrating. Either I am there on the wrong day, or at the wrong time. Those few that I have found accessible to the public are usually only open Wednesday afternoons from 2:00pm to 5:00pm, a time frame I can’t seem to hit no matter how hard I try. But most of them are located behind locked gates, chain link fences, and appear to be unmanned. Until, that is, I reached Cascais.

Just an hour north of Lisbon via the commuter rail line is the seaside town of Cascais. Continue reading

Medieval Evora

One of the many things I have come to rely on from using the Lonely Planet Guide to plan my travels is their “Suggested Itineraries” section.  Located in the front section of their guides, these recommended itineraries not only help me plan which direction I want to venture, but also help me make sure I don’t bypass any of the “not to be missed” stops along the way.

I have been loosely following the Lonely Planet’s recommended “Highlights of Portugal” itinerary, which heads south from Lisbon, east along the southern Algarve coast, then Continue reading

Tavira and Her Islands

A heartfelt thanks to everyone for their lovely comments! It was like turning on the light in what I thought was an empty room, only to find it full of friends! 😉 I love that many of you said you were enjoying the tour through Portugal, as like-minded travel companions, arm-chair or otherwise, are a treasure. Only a couple of “unsubscribers” hopped off the train at the last stop, so off we go back to Portugal…

When doing research on “don’t miss” places along the Portuguese coast, Tavira, along with the expanse of barrier islands off her coast, comes up consistently as a recommended stop. Reputed to be one of the most charming towns of the Algarve Continue reading