Portugal Trip Review

I have had Portugal on my list for a long time!  I am so glad I was able to spend two weeks exploring but of course there is so much I did not get to see or explore.  After 27 hours of travel to get home here’s a recap of my favorites and not so favorites.

The Azores was really the star of the trip.  I know I complained a lot but honestly it was my favorite part of the two weeks.  I loved the off the beaten path, the scenery, and not many tourist!  As I think back, I was in awe of the beauty even though it took a lot of grit to do the hikes. 

Don't get me wrong . . . I loved the cities I visited but the isolation and nature won me over!

Favorite Cities

1.  Cascais

2.  Porto

3.  Sintra

4.  Lisbon

Trip Stats

Flights: 9

Miles hikes:  34.3

Miles walked:  51.7

Ubers:  8

Hotels: 6

pastel de nata:  not enough!

Day 16: Belém, Portugal

It is my last day in Portugal.  I am ready to go home but have one last area to explore.  I am staying in Belém and booked a walking tour and no one else showed up so the tour became a private tour.

First stop:  Jerónimos Monastery

The Jerónimos Monastery or Hieronymites Monastery is a former monastery of the Order of Saint Jerome near the Tagus river in the parish of Belém, in the Lisbon Municipality, Portugal. It became the necropolis of the Portuguese royal dynasty of Aviz in the 16th century but was secularized on 28 December 1833 by state decree and its ownership transferred to the charitable institution, Real Casa Pia de Lisboa.

Sadly the Cathedral was closed due to renovations.

Across the street:  Pastéis de Belém

This is where pastel de nata started!  It is believed to have originated at the nearby Jerónimos Monastery; the bakery claims to have the original recipe, which is kept secret.  The story I was told was that when the monks were expelled from the city they sold the recipe to the bakery.  They are all hand made.  They had a display where you could watch them being made . . . these ladies were chatting and rolling dough.  

I found them very good.  It had a crunchy flaky crust even when cool with a firm texture center in middle not runny.  It is a good inexpensive treat! 

 

Next stop:  Padrão dos Descobrimentos

Short walk to:  Belém Tower

Since I was the only one on the tour it ended a bit early.  So I made my final stop at Pastéis de Belém.  I had time to waste so got in the long line to get a table . . . it moved fast!  I enjoyed my second pastel de nata of the day . . . I should have ordered more since this was probably my last chance while in Portugal!

If you are in Lisbon, Belém is a great way to spend a half day!  I walked back to the hotel to check-out and grab my bags to head to the airport.  My flight is super early so I am staying near the terminal so it is an easy walk in the morning.  It was a very basic hotel but clean.  Hotel Star Inn Lisbon Airport is a five minute walk to the terminal and the theme is American movies . . . 

. . . I was not sure what to think of all the over the top movie themes, but I must admit that small bottle of port wine was a good way to end my time in Portugal.  Oh and it was Graham's.

Day 15: Lisbon, Portugal

I only had one full day in Lisbon so wanted to make the most of my time.  I could not find a tour that visited everything I wanted so I sort of did my own thing.  I was up super early and of course where I was going was not open.  I started my day by taking a ride share to São Jorge Castle.  Not much to do but wait with the other three people . . . watching kids being dropped off for school . . . watching peacocks roaming the street. 

It was getting close to opening time and people were lining up to buy tickets.  I already had a ticket and was the first one in the gate to scan my ticket!  They had a few free tours but they did not start for an hour so I roamed around and climbed stairs that made my heart beat a bit faster and had death grips on the railing so I did not fall off the ledges.  

It was starting to get crowded so I was happy I arrived early.  I then became fascinated with all the peacocks as they were everywhere!  I really wanted to see one show their feathers, but they just walked around eating bugs.

 

I did do a couple of the included tours.  I really did like them as they were about 20 minutes and you just showed up.  I did the Who was Afonso Henriques? Tour . . . 

. . .  he was Portugal's first king and the Archaeological Site Tour. 

 

After a couple of hours it was time to move along and have a snack break at Pastelaria Santo Antonio.

Apparently they won best pastel in 2019 . . . and admit they were very good!

The next part of my day was a tuk tuk tour.  

I wanted an overview of the city that did not require me to walk up and down and all around!  So I spent the next three hours with Francisco.  He knew a lot of interesting facts and information about Lisbon.  

• Lisbon has 2 patron saints; Anthony and Vincent
• Saint Anthony was born in Lisbon.
• 119 churches in Lisbon (not sure if this is true; but there are a lot)
• There are seven hills of Lisbon and each is important to the city
• The earthquake in November 1755 killed 25% of the cities population; 40,000-60,000 people

There were more facts, but I did not write them down because he talked faster than I could take notes!  

The tuk tuk tour would go where ever I wanted to go . . . of course I did not have a firm plan and just said take me to places you think I would like.  We stopped at a lot of churches, the Pantheon, and viewpoints.  Honestly, I just enjoyed having someone drive me around to see the city. 

Time seemed to go super slow but we ended up in a part of town where this sweet lady was selling Ginjinha which is cherry liqueur in a chocolate cup.  You drink it then quickly eat the cup.  It was pretty good!  And she was the sweetest grandma!

Let me be honest . . . by this point I was tired, bored, and hungry.  I was ready for the tour to end but he continued to show me places.  I decided to end the tour at a place called LX Factory.  It was an industrial area with shops, restaurants, and bars.  I was starving and popped into Sophia Pizzoteca & Bar.  It was so bright and fun . . . the sangria was cheaper than water!  Oh and whoever decided to cut the pizza with scissors is seriously a genius . . . best idea ever!  I still find it weird to scan a QR code to order and that is basically the only way to get your food!  It is efficient and no need to wait on anyone for a refill or if you want to order more food/drink but honestly I like to interact with people when I order.

My hotel was about a 2km walk so off I went to rest and relax for the night!

Day 14: Road Trip

My time in Portugal is almost over. I am moving to my final location by a car service called DayTrip. I used this service last time in was in Europe. I like the service but some would think it is a bit dangerous; get in car with stranger in country you don’t speak the language and drive three hours. In the US we get in cars with strangers too so I look at it as the same sort of thing. I know, I know it is not.

The weather in Portugal reminds me a bit of Texas. It rains and then sunny . . . like the saying goes if you don’t like the weather wait a bit and it will change.

The reason I like the DayTrip service is that you can schedule stops along the way. It breaks up the trip and allows visiting another city. My stop is in Aveiro. I have 2 hours but I didn’t plan so good with times since it fell during lunch break and most places were closed. I enjoyed just wandering around.  Aveiro is sometimes called the Venice of Portugal.  The canals were full of moliceiros

The Ponte Laços de Amizade was covered with bright colored ribbons; I don't know the story or why.

I think Portugal has as many churches as Italy.  I stopped at the Igreja da Misericórdia de Aveiro (Church of Aveiro’s Mercy); the outside was simple but beautiful and the sidewalks still so cool too.  

 

Next stop was Cemitério Central De Aveiro.  I know a bit odd but I had read the cemetery was not to be missed.  When I lived in Germany the town cemetery was outside my bedroom window.  It was one of the most beautiful cemeteries I have ever seen and the glow of real candles was peaceful.

Behind the doors it is a room that has shelves with coffins.  There was also a framed photo of the person and flowers.  I have never seen anything like this.  

I did take one photo of the inside but did sort of feel it was wrong and an invasion of the families' privacy but again this was something I have never seen before.

It started raining so took an indoor break at Pastelaria Confeitaria Ramos for a pastel de nata and tea.

The pastal de nata was good. I like when the inside is firm and not runny.  And let it be known that I only ate one but could have eaten more!  Aveiro is a small town and not many tourist so when I walked in for a snack break I felt out of place.  It was obviously full of locals and they all looked up at the crazy tourist.  I found a table in the far back corner and faced the wall.  The pot of tea and pastel de nata was only 3€. Wow, that’s half price it cost in Porto!

Today has been the first day the weather has been a bit miserable with rain. It sort of makes me nervous riding in a car on the autoestrada, but thankfully the driver seems very cautious. I have always thought Europeans are way better with their driving because they follow the rules! It is orderly and efficient even though they do tend to drive fast at times.

It was back on road to my final destination, Lisbon!  By this point my trip budget was tight so I’m staying on points for free at the Hyatt Regency Lisbon. It is a bit out of Lisbon city center but free is free!  Oh and it is a huge and amazing room . . . with a full kitchen, dining room, bedroom and bathroom . . . all for me.

 

Day 13: Douro Valley, Portugal

Today I head to the Douro Valley where the grapes for port wine are grown.  I was on an organized bus tour which was a larger group than I wanted but at least I was getting where I wanted to go.  We made a stop in Amarante, Portugal.  It was a brief stop to look inside the church and grab a snack at the bakery.

I was not impressed with my choice at the bakery . . . 

. . . surprisingly they were all sweet but at least the view was good.  Back on the bus for a scenic drive to a boat ride down the Douro River.

We finally arrived at the oldest port house in the world, Quinta de São Luiz founded in 1638.  Quinta de São Luiz is the origin of the brand Kopke. 

I loved walking around the vineyards and seeing the process.  Not only do they grow grapes but also olives and citrus on property among the grapes.  I learned there are four types of port wine:  Ruby, LBV (late bottled vintage), Tawny, and White.  I probably learned this yesterday but forgot.  I also found it interesting that they use multiple varieties of grapes to make a port not just one type of grape.

The tasting was a bit of a disappointment as we only tasted one port wine in addition to a white wine and red wine . . . the reserve tawny port was my favorite.

I was also amazed at how low the price of a bottle of port wine cost, 14€!  I am sure I will regret this in the future when I see the prices back home.  

Our final stop was at an amazing viewpoint . . . the clouds had moved in so it was not so clear . . .

. . . and then the long drive back to Porto.  Our tour group was rather lively . . . well at least two young ladies (one from the US and the other from Chirimia).  They took control of the music and  the tour bus turned into a sing a long.  These two started drinking after our first stop this morning when they some how found a market and bought two bottles of wine and proceeded to start drinking.  They sure kept us laughing . . . then they passed out and one got sick so we had to stop for a sick call before we arrived back in the city.  It was a great day but back to hotel to repack for my final move of the trip.