Jour 1: My flight left
Ottawa at 6:00pm, destination Porto, with a connection in Toronto. All
went smoothly. Considering it was with Air Canada, this could be
considered a miracle.
Jour 2: Landed in Porto
at 11:00am, their time. Enjoyed a nice warm latte before taking the
metro to the city center. Didn't take me long to find my hostel - the
Porto Spot Hostel (which I would recommend!).
This gave me the rest of the day to start exploring the city. Walking
through
Praça da Liberdade,
over Ponte de Dom Luis I, through Cais das Ribeiria, climbing up
Clerigos Tower, visiting the Porto Cathedral,
viewing Muralha Fernandina and the famous "Harry Potter Library"
(Livraria Lello), finishing my exploration day with port wine tasting by
the Douro river while taking some long exposure night photos of the
city's nightscape. Returned to the hostel just before
a heavy rainfall.
Porto is a fascinating and vibrant city.
The town that gave the country (and port wine) its very name. It's quickly becoming one of Europe's top cities to visit. I love Porto and can already
foresee that it will be my favorite city of Portugal.
Jour 3: Due to a
hurricane hitting South of Portugal, we are experiencing some residual
rain falls up North but not enough to deter me to explore.
Took the train to Avero
in the morning. Avero, known to be "the Venice of Portugal". The city
is crisscrossed by canals that can be navigated on painted gondola-style
boats (moliceiros). A charming little
city, where you're also minutes away from the Atlantic and the cute
little resort of Costa Nova (which used to be a fishing village). After a
few hours of exploring, I took a train to Coimbra to spend the rest of
my day. Really enjoyed Coimbra! It's located
on the high banks of the Mondego River, and holds the older university
in the country. I've set foot in the finest libraries ever. The prestige
of the university will hit you when you step onto the Paço das Escolas
courtyard.
Ended my day with a late evening stroll through Porto back to the hostel.
Jour 4: Off to
Guimarães this morning. This city is known as the birthplace of
Portugal, and is classified as a UNESCO World Heritage site. It's a very
charming and historic city, full of well-preserved medieval
buildings, and its 10th-century Guimarães
Castle offering sweeping city views. This lovely city is most
definitely worth a visit, at least for an afternoon stroll and enjoying a
coffee, or wine, on one
of their terraces.
Portugal's train system is not the most efficient I've experienced, therefore I lost quite a lot of time getting to Braga from
Guimarães. It still gave me a few hours to stroll around the city, with a very late return train to Porto. So Braga is one of the oldest
cities of Portugal, and is packed with young people who are studying at its universities.
Built more than
2,000 years ago, “Bracara Augusta” was founded by Augustus; it was
located on one of the main Roman roads in the Iberian Peninsula, since
it was the administrative seat of the Empire, and
later given the status of capital of the Roman province of Gallaecia
(present-day Galicia) by Emperor Caracalla. The Braga Diocese is the
oldest in Portugal In the Middle Ages, the city even competed with
Santiago de Compostela in power and importance. One
of the Camiños de Santiago passed through here, when this pilgrimage
cult grew with the Christian reconquest and the foundation of Portugal.
Jour 5: Such a
beautiful day in Porto! A full-day cruise on Douro river to the city
of Régua with port and wine tastings... can't complain
:) Breakfast and
lunch provided on-board too. Cruised the Crestuma-Lever Dam (sluice
rises 14m) and the Carrapatelo Dam (sluice rises 35m) on a beautiful
sunny day. Régua is on the river in this beautiful
amphitheater of high shale slopes with wine terraces cut from the
rock... such lovely tasting port wine here!
Jour 6: Said goodbye to
Porto today (at least until the end of my trip) and took a train to
Lisbon. Made the mistake of not informing myself properly on the
schedule and regulations of the train, and as a
result I almost missed my journey. But luckily, the conductor saw my
confusion, and after explaining my story, he let me onboard... phew!!
Getting
to Lisbon late afternoon, it didn't give me much time to explore once I
had checked-in to my hostel, The Golden Tram (which is very
conveniently
located on Rua Áurea!). After finding a grocery store and purchasing my dinner, I made my way through Arco Triumphal
and Praça do Dom José I
to Cais des Células where I sat by the water and had my first picnic in Lisbon, while people-watching.
Jour
7: A full day spent in Sintra, located near Lisbon, in the foothills of
Portugal's Sintra Mountains. Although packed with tourists, it's
definitely
worth the visit if you can handle the crowds. Unfortunately, I left
rather disappointed since I didn't have the time to visit the first
thing on my list to see: Quinta da Regaleira. I wanted to see its
underground system of tunnels and grottoes, with above
them, its two "initiation wells", which are deep shafts lined with
spiral stairways leading down to sanctums for tarot ceremonies. Would
have also loved to see Praia da Ursa. So one day I shall return!
I started with the
hilltop 19th-century Pena National Palace, which offers sweeping views.
The sight brings to mind Ludwig II's Neuschwanstein Castle, but Pena
Palace is actually a couple of decades older.
Visiting the inside of the Palace is where I wasted my time - in my
opinion, it's not worth it; stick to outside surroundings of the
Palace.
I then made my way to
the Moorish National Palace, built by the Moors. Its walls have four
square towers and snake with the contours of the mountain at the top of a
sheer cliff, so it's an amazing vantage
point from up top and a sight to behold from below.
What little time I had left I spent walking through Sintra Old Center, offering a view of the Palace of Sintra.
Jour 8: It was all about Lisbon today. Took a hop-on-hop-off bus pass in order to be a little more effecient in my sightseeing. Here's my main sights today: Castelo de São Jorge (St.George's Castle); the 16th-century Jerónimos monastery; the Belém Tower; the odd-looking Santa Justa Lift; Lisbon's fortified Romanesque cathedral - the Sé; Padrão dos Descobrimentos; Lisbon's huge riverfront square (Praça do Comércio) with its famous Arco da Rua Augusta; the skeletal ruins of the Carmo church; the Basílica da Estrela (Star Basilica); took funicular rides and hopped onboard Tram 28; and finished my day overlooking Lisbon from up-top Santa Catarina, in the Bairro Alto district, enjoying my picnic-dinner and wine, and some long exposure photography.
Jour 9: The lovely Évora
today. Savoured
port next to its ancient Roman Temple (also called the Temple of Diana),
located in the city's historic center, but not before walking in the
skeleton-adorned Chapel of Bones (yes, human
bones). Don't miss the Cathedral of Évora while you're there.
Évora should be on your list of places to visit while in Portugal!
Since this was my last
night in Lisbon, I spent it walking along the water, the Tejo (which
eventually connects to the Atlantic), people watching and soaking in the
city lights and night life.
Jour 10: My journey is
bringing me to Lagos today. My first train was to Faro. I had a 4-hour
connecting time between my next train to Lagos, so this gave me a good
opportunity to explore Faro. This was an
unexpected surprise. Faro, the capital of the Algarve region, is a
versatile city. It's a coastal town where it is easy to indulge in
beaches, sunshine, and great seafood - there's also rare natural
elements just offshore.
I finally arrived in
Lagos around 6:00pm, and had a beautiful walk towards my hotel as the
sun was setting, offering lovely pastel colors in the sky - that with
the contrast of the blue of the ocean, it made
for a stunning picture. My hotel, Carvi Beach Hotel Algarve - treated
myself to a suite with balcony with an ocean view - just stunning!
Literally steps to Praia Dona Ana. Nestled nicely on my balcony and
"facetimed" with my little niece and Mom under a full
moon.
Jour 11: A day in
paradise! Started with a tasty breakfast provided by the hotel, with an
ocean view and sunrise... It's 8:00am and already 28 degrees Celsius -
sooo not complaining! And off I went to walk/hike
around the area. I started walking all the way to Farol da Ponta da
Piedade (Piety's Point). It's a group of rock formations along the
coastline of Lagos - yellow-golden clifflike rocks up to 20 meters high,
with several grottos. Inching along the coast, I
hiked back towards my hotel, but not without making a few stops on the
away for stunning views and refreshments: Lagos Viewpoint, Praia do
Camilo, Praia da Boneca, and ending back at Praia Dona Ana. Since the
tide was still low, I took the advantage of renting
a kayak for an hour and paddle along the cliff side and into grottos...
absolutely amazing - even stumbled on a nude beach. Upon my return, I
had a little picnic-lunch on the beach, and went for a swim in this
gem-colored ocean. Then I decided to take a 2-hour
boat tour, witnessing my entire walk/hike from this morning but from
down below. I ended my day chilling on the beach, with good snacks, wine
and my camera, waiting for the moon to rise...
Jour 12: Totally should
have made for an extra day in Lagos!! But, I needed to catch my flight
from Faro to Funchal, Madeira Island - so I took the train this morning
at 8:00am. This ended up being a full
day's travel - it was 11:00pm by the time I made arrival to my hostel
in Funchal, so straight to bed I went. But travels went well - TAP
Portugal, has a great service!
Jour 13: Day started a
little overcast this morning in Funchal but cleared skies appeared by
11:00am. Funchal is known for its gardens, harbor, and Maidera wine
cellars - and it's backed by hills. Again, my
hostel very conveniently located - I started my walk seeing Funchal
City Hall, to the centuries-old Funchal Cathedral, and through the
Municipal Botanical Garden. I then took the Madeira Cable Car up to
Monte, where I strolled through Monte Palace Tropical
Garden, and finally sat down to enjoy a glass of wine while soaking in
the views of Funchal and the ocean. Before making my way back down on
foot, I visited Church of Nossa Senhora do Monte, and witnessed a few
tourists taking the Monte Toboggan Ride back
down (look it up!). I walked back down to Mercado dos Lavradores
(Farmer's Market) and got myself some dinner, which I ate by the seaside
until nightfall. I took a few long exposure nightlife shots of Funchal
before heading back to the hostel for the night,
but got intercepted by a bartender at a local pub on the way, so I
thought why not - it wasn't busy, and I think he was bored. I ended up
having one of the most interesting conversations with this young man -
such a brilliant mind full of plans and dreams...
I wish him all the best.
Jour 14: Hiking day! I
don't think I could have lucked in more on the weather - perfect blue
skies, and considering the altitude, it actually remained that way!
Soooo many hikes I would love to complete here
(well three more then the two I completed)... but not enough time...
hopefully one day... I ended up combining Levada das 25 Fontes and
Levada do Risco (PR6 & 6.1) - my starting point was Rabaçal. I was
happy to go early, therefore avoiding the crowds of
tourists - nature is so much more enjoyable solo. And I also could have
the 25 Fontes practically to myself! The 25 Fontes is a 30-metre
waterfall that falls into a semi-bowl which creates 25 different
streams. Further on, the beautiful Risco waterfall makes
a drop of 100m, that can only be seen from a path (the bottom can't be
reached unfortunately). In total, it gave me about 10km of easy trail,
and took me roughly 2.5 hours - taking into factor I took a great chunk
of pictures.
Since I returned early
afternoon into Funchal, it gave me plenty of time to visit Funchal's
amazing Historical Centre, starting with the Santiago Fortress, built in
1614 to protect Funchal, Madeira, from Pirate
attacks. I then followed Rua da Santa Maria where I came across some
beautiful street art on doors and walls of bars, pubs,
cafés, and restaurants - absolutely loved it.
I continued on and
walked through Santa Catarina Park, which offered great vistas of the
city and port. Finally, I found a local grocery store and bought my
picnic snacks, which I enjoyed in a spot where I
could enjoy the ocean, the city view, and the people engaging in the
city's festivities. I'm fortunate to have had a clear sky and bright
moon as my last night in Madeira... could have used another 2-3 days
here for more hiking!
Jour 15: Caught my
flight early this a.m. in Santa Cruz, leaving Madeira Island to go find
Porto for my last night in Portugal. To make things simple, since I'm
familiar with the areas of Porto, I checked
in the same hostel I was staying at earlier during my trip - the Porto
Spot Hostel. I was lucky to get a single room at a discounted rate this
time around. I arrived early enough in Porto to have almost a final full
day. I wandered around aimlessly, following
my intuition - which usually always takes me to new lovely spots. I
always enjoy not having an agenda on my last days. My first stop was
Café Majestic (it is the most celebrated of Porto's cafes, and one of
Europe's most historical). I eventually walked up
the Serra do Pilar (Pilar Mountain), which is in the nearby city of
Gaia - it offers a picturesque view of Porto with Dom Louis Bridge. On
my way down I found a grocery shop and got my dinner for my last picnic
in Portugal. I decided to find a spot along the
Douro River, on the Gaia side, overlooking Cais da Ribeira, city of
Porto, and Dom Louis Bridge. I witnessed a beautiful sunset and waited
nightfall. On my way back up the Serra do Pilar, I savoured a final port
tasting at Sandeman. I took beautiful nightshots
of the city from up-top the Serra do Pilar, and reluctantly, eventually
started making my way back to my hostel... taking a few nightphotos on
the way. It was a fantastique last night.
Jour 16: The return is
always harder - in more then one ways. Made my way to the airport only
to discover that my flight would be delayed by 2 hours (I could already
picture the missed-connection from Toronto
to Ottawa... but their screw up, they'll fix it by putting me on the
next flight). Then I was put in the middle seat, in the middle isle, for
an 8-hour flight - after I had selected a window seat... On-board
entertainment was shit, which made it even more
unbearable since I couldn't lean anywhere to sleep. I safely get to
Ottawa, only to have to take a bus and walk to my apartment in a
blizzard of snow... what a drastic change of climate!!
Welcome
to Canada, more specifically, Ottawa ;)
I had a fantastic trip, even though short - I definitely love Portugal. I wasn't able to
visit Obidos like I had originally planned, but always something I can visit later.
I think what surprised me the most was the Arabic influence and
history, which is really evident in Lisbon especially.
I didn't have the feel of "being in Europe". What I wasn't prepared for
was the inefficiency of the trains, and train routes throughout the
country - it's not France, Germany, or Austria, which I'm used too. If
you have the option of renting a car, that would
most definitely save you some travel time. Otherwise, be prepared to
spend time on the tracks - if you're in no hurry, then it's still a
great way to travel the country.
Photos - Click Here!
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