http://www.bbgourmet.net/bbgourmet-bolhao
Then it was off to take the car back with fingers crossed that they didn't notice the wee scrape on the wing mirror. Fortunately there had been one there when we picked it up and they didn't notice that it was a bit bigger. The sun was shining as we took off, as it was when we arrived back in Carcassonne after an uneventful flight. It was windy though and feeling very chilly.
Dropped off our cases and before I'd even got my coat off, there was a phone call about the trip to Scotland. A couple, despite having the flight number, had booked themselves back to Girona rather than Barcelona! Even so, had enough time to phone Mum to wish her "Happy Birthday" before it was time to meet Kitty and go over to Margaret's as Ken had kindly said he would cook a meal for us all. Their friend, Christine was there too. We ate, drank cava, talked about the holiday and burst into song at regular intervals!
Weather:
12°, sun and wind
5.11.16: A Must!
- Capela dal Almas with its outside walls completely covered in blue tiles, just up the road from our flat
- Bolhão Market opposite the flat
- San Benito railway station with its 20,000 painted blue tiles on the walls
- 18th century Clérigos church and tower
- Episcopal Palace
- Luís I two level railway and road bridge over the Douro river
- 19th century Stock Exchange
- Gothic church of St Francis
- Lello Bookshop, dubbed the most beautiful bookshop in the world by the Guardian with its iconic staircase. Had to pay to go in!
- Lunch on the water front
- Sandeman Wine Tour over the river
- Cable car
- Se Cathederal
- Town Hall
- Café Majestic, a fine example of Art Nouveau architecture
Weather:
18°, sun, a little wind later
4.11.16: On the Road Again
Breakfasted in the same place as yesterday. Quite like being back in the village bar with the same faces, in
We visited the Art Nouveau museum (free for over 65s) which had a lovely garden where another time, it would have been an ideal place to take tea. With brollies up, we made our way back to the car, wishing that we had more time to linger there but our flat in Porto was waiting for us.
Arriving at our destination, we parked the car up under a shopping centre, on the way out of which we lingered to listen to live music https://www.travel-in-portugal.com/aveiro that was obviously giving pleasure to its elderly audience. Seeing those smiling faces set us up for our search for the flat. It was so much more homely than the last one and had two bathrooms; always a plus.
https://www.airbnb.fr/rooms/7240303
Stayed long enough to choose our rooms and drop off our bags before going for an exploratory walk and a bite to eat. Just had a bowl of soup and a roast pork sandwich then it was early to bed in order to make the most of a full day's sightseeing tomorrow.
Weather:
21°, sun rain sometimes heavy
3.11.16: These Feet were made for Walking
Margaret and I took the lift up the monument and had some lovely views. Shame that the bridge was a bit hazy. As you may know, Lisbon still has its old tram system so we took one back into the centre of town. The guide books say to watch out for pickpockets but we had no problem and can only speak of the kindness that we experienced.
Once back in town we walked or rather puffed up to St George's Castle with its fabulous views over the city. Had lunch in a side street complete with a half bottle of Mateus Rosé, (now there's a blast from the past) before wearing our feet out looking around the castle. That done, we walked back down again, stopping en route for a cuppa. In the fading light we wandered up the main pedestrianised shopping street and climbed up I don't know how many steps to have a vinho verde and bite to eat on a terrace overlooking the city.
Our last night in the capital found us moving on from food to music. The fado bar took a bit of finding and when we did, we had to jam ourselves in and try to get comfortable in a hot and stuffy atmosphere with standing room only. Not much fun so didn't stay too long. http://www.spottedbylocals.com/lisbon/tasca-do-chico/
Took the bus back which only went two stops before we arrived at the terminus only to find that we had a 15 minute walk back to the flat. Not exactly what we needed after a long day of being out and about fuelled by a few glasses of vinho.
Weather:
22°, sun
2.11.16: Following in Literary Footsteps
The town itself was a nightmare parkingwise and to add to our frustration there was a downpour. Byron spent time here in 1809 and said of it, in Childe Harolde's Pilgrimage, "Lo! Cintra's glorious Eden intervenes in variegated maze of mount and glen." He obviously saw another side of it to us! After lunch, we visited the National Palacio which was a lifeless sort of a place and much to my annoyance, my camera battery gave up on me.
Back in Lisbon we had to park a bit of a way from the flat but the bonus was that parking was free due to building works going on. Margaret and I dined on traditional garlic sausage in a nice wee place run by two women; Kitty was on salad again.
Weather:
22°, sun and rain
1.11.16: Moving On
Today is a public holiday (All Saints) so the roads were quiet for our drive to Lisbon. We had thought of making just a coffee stop in Tomar but got caught up in our first minor hiccup. Kitty was keen to visit the small Jewish museum which we did and it then became evident that she was dead keen to visit the Knights Templar castle that we'd already driven up to as far as the car park. At that point she hadn't declared her interest thinking that we weren't interested in visiting monuments! The ensuing discussion tried to clarify that we each had the right to air our wishes and if one didn't want to follow, she could do something else. Back we went up to the castle and we were so glad that we did. So much to see and beautiful gardens to stroll through. Not sure about the music but this You Tube video shows the architectural splendeur. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87aO1xzF0wY So much to marvel at and there was lunch to eat too.
Continued on towards Lisbon, making a stop in Obidos a picturesque walled town where coach tours stop. Have to admit it was pretty if very touristy and of course every other shop sold jingina, the cherry liqueur. Here it was sold in little chocolate cups; even Kitty indulged. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vf9tUUdGtrg
Found our apartment easily enough; it was a good size but had little to personalise it. There were a number of small cafés around and on our evening stroll, we fell across a curry restaurant. While there we invited an Australian woman, who's travelling on her own, to join us. She's been on the road for two years and had loads of stories to tell.
Weather:
24°, sun and whispy cloud
No comments:
Post a Comment