Where winding roads, rusty rails, iffy health and lean budget meet the calm
Sat, Feb 1
I’ve been wondering at what time Alex will take his wrong turn. Usually, it happens at least once per trip. (Emphasis on at least. As a kid, we used to call wrong turns ‘dad’s shortcuts’. I think its an inherited trait. I’m kind of proud about it – A.) We had to check out of our accommodation before 11am. Continue reading “Madrid then and now”
Córdoba, our last stop in Andalusia (for now), founded by the Romans in the 2nd century BC, conquered by the Moors in the 8th century, after being in the Visigoths hands, and eventually seized in the 13th century Christian conquest, is known for the highest summer temperatures in Spain and mild winters with frequent showers. Continue reading “Cordoba feels relaxed”
Ronda, one of the white towns in Andalucia, is beautiful and dramatic. This small, mountaintop, compact town perched on both sides of the deep Guadalevín River Gorge, has a lot going for it. The old town, dating to Moorish rule, with narrow streets and cobble stones, is on the southern side of the gorge. Continue reading “Dramatic Ronda”
As mentioned if our Vienna blog post the Austrian capital was our hub for this trip. We didn’t stay as long as in other cities, but still had 3 full days to explore just days before the storm Boris hit Central Europe.
In a year Porto has changed. The streets are steeper and the up-hills are longer. We stay with the same people. Loved their studio and the location. That grocery store around the corner is now perched on a steep hill far away. Continue reading “Porto, the revolting city”
While sick in bed for over a week, finished the 3 of José Saramago’s (Nobel Prize for Literature, 1998) books, we bought from bookstore Livraria Lello in Porto, Portugal. Can’t decide if Death at Intervals (known also as Death with Interruptions) or Blindness takes the first prize, but leaning towards Blindness. Back to writing.
Life got in the way and we haven’t posted anything for a long time. We are currently in Coimbra, the medieval capital of Portugal, Continue reading “Coimbra, the old capital of Portugal”
Alex’s final video from our January trip to Portugal. Although he has a few more recorded and I have few more draft posts it is now May, Continue reading “Snippets of Lisbon”
(Yes, 3 months later we still have a few posts and videos to finish)
We loved Porto. It is the second largest city in Portugal, yet very easy to explore on foot. It revealed itself slowly, street by street, with a new scene or scenery every step of the way. Continue reading “Porto on foot”
Sintra is a whimsical, fairy tale city with gothic architecture, castles, mansions and villas perched on steep hills. We walked to every place we visited and some more as you know from our previous posts. Continue reading “A day trip to Sintra”
A post on our visit to Sintra in January is still to come. Here is Alex’s focus on Quinta da Regaleira with its Initiation Wells, and Pena Palace. We definitely had a good workout hiking up to the Palace. But busses, shuttles and tuk-tuks are readily available.
Time for exploration of the city known for its renaissance navigators and explorers. We walked everywhere, steep hills and miradouros (viewpoints/lookouts). Continue reading “Lisbon on foot”
It was time to take a train to Lisbon. Two actually, since there is no direct train from Lagos. We left Lagos fairly early, taking an Uber to the train station. Continue reading “Lisbon – first encounter”
Jan 14 – Jan 18
There is a lot going on for Lagos. It has a beautiful old city centre (downtown for the North Americans and yes it was downhill from where we stayed), sunny beaches for every taste, Continue reading “Lagos, Algarve”
After a full sunny day walking around Porto and sampling port, sangria and plentiful Portuguese food, we were ready for a relaxing evening, Continue reading “A day in Porto”
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