Note: This is part one of a four-part series about my 2016 vacation in Portugal. This part focuses on the first days of our trip in Lisbon, Sintra and Cascais. Links to the other parts of the series can be found in the text and at the end of this post.
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Wow! Where to start?
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Wow! Where to start?
In the past when I have written about a trip, I’ve tried – and usually managed – to find time to write about it along the way. My Swiss Journal and American Journal of 2014 were good examples of writing on the fly, so to speak. On my trip to the USSA earlier this summer, I wrote a few posts but never really finished. I got busy.
On this trip, I was too busy to even begin until I was on a plane flying from Ponta Delgada in the Azores to Lisbon on my way back to Ukraine. It was that kind of trip: constant movement, “go, go, go” from one unbelievable place to another, a continuous parade of once-in-a-lifetime experiences, a ton of highs and only a few minor lows. My mind was too occupied with processing everything I saw and did to have any neurons available for much else – even writing.
I am calling this the Vacation of a Lifetime, because it really left that kind of impression on me. This trip was, I believe, the most amazing and enjoyable vacation of my life. I struggle to think of a better one, although my “pilgrimage” to Ireland years ago comes pretty close. Of course, there is still time for one or more trips to come in higher than this one in the future, but it would be pretty tough. This was just epic!
We left Kharkiv by train the evening of 9 September and flew from Kyiv to Lisbon on 10 September. Our return took longer: We left Ponta Delgada late in the afternoon of 22 September and made it back to Kharkiv at mid-day on the 24th. Over the course of 12 days, we explored Lisbon, climbed to the heights of castles and palaces in Sintra; caught the sunset at the westernmost point in continental Europe; did a driving tour of Portugal’s south coastal and Algarve regions that included a number of phenomenal beaches and another stunning sunset; kayaked in and out of caves along the coast of Lagos; made a quick trip to Seville, Spain, and visited a remote resort in the nearby mountains; then spent four absolutely take-your-breath-away days on Sao Miguel in the Azores.
It was a wonderfully nonstop bombardment of the senses: sight, sound, taste and smell. And it was also 12 days of heightened emotions caused, in part, by all that stimulation of the senses. But the emotional part wasn't just about all the things I did, saw or tasted; it was about deep feelings and even deeper self-examination. I have a sense that it’s been life changing, but only time will tell about that.
So now it’s time to write about it all. In this part, I’ll focus on our time in the Lisbon area, including Sintra and Cascais. Next time, I’ll write about the Algarve, and in part three, I'll describe our short jaunt to Spain. Part four will be fully devoted to Sao Miguel in the Azores. But first, just a bit about the logistics.
Flights
I did not want to use a travel agency to organize this vacation; I really prefer to do this kind of thing by myself. So I booked all the flights, guesthouses and rental cars directly. For me, it’s the best way to go because I feel more in control. I’ve only done one prearranged, all-inclusive vacation in my life, and it was my trip to Turkey last year. It was OK, and it was the right thing for that moment, but normally, I prefer to handle the details myself.
The flights to and from Lisbon were booked through KLM and wound up being on its partner airline, Air France. There was nothing Earth-shattering to mention about the flights; everything was pretty usual. There were long layovers in Paris in both directions, but I had planned it that way to ensure we didn’t have tight turnarounds there.
The only minor hitch was a long delay on Azores Airlines (also known as SATA) for the flight from Lisbon to Ponta Delgada. Apparently they decided that they needed to change some tires on the plane. We had another “operational delay” for the return flight to Lisbon. But everything was OK overall.
The only thing worth mentioning about the flights back to Ukraine was that the Paris-to-Kyiv flight on Air France provided an unusually nice (and actually tasty) dinner. And free wine.
Lodging
We chose to stay in guesthouses for the most part, and these ranged from places that were essentially hostels to some that rival hotels for comfort. Most were good to excellent with only one small disappointment, which really isn’t worth mentioning.
Three places, however, really stood out. The first was a guesthouse run by an organization called ABLA. It was located in Carcavelos, which is close to Cascais, a well-known tourist city west of Lisbon. The ABLA Guesthouse was quiet and clean, and the staff was very friendly and helpful. It had a nice balcony and pool, and of all the places that provided breakfast as part of the deal, theirs was clearly the best. It was also located just a short distance from the ocean shore. We liked it very much and wished we could have spent more time there.
The second was a remote resort in the hills of southwestern Spain called La Posada de Cortegana, which offers a rustic get-away experience. It was a little hard to find, unfortunately, and I wound up scratching the car a bit in the process of getting there. Doing that to our beautiful BMW almost broke my heart. But the surrounding nature was fantastic, and it was just a nice place overall.
By far, the best place of all was Atlantic Home Azores (AHA) in Ponta Delgada on the island of Sao Miguel. I don’t have enough words to say how much we enjoyed staying in this place, and I heartily recommend it to anyone going to Sao Miguel. It is a guesthouse with seven private rooms on the 20th floor (top floor) of the only high-rise tower on the island. It’s located right at the waterfront, across from the harbor and marina, and the views from our balcony were magnificent.
AHA was the cleanest, most modern and best-equipped place we stayed in. We had a spacious kitchen, so we were more inclined to make meals there. Imagine homemade spaghetti in a rich tomato sauce mixed with sautéed onions and carrots, and topped with cheese and chopped linguica (smoked pork sausage)! The owners and staff of AHA were extremely friendly and helpful. It was a pleasure just to chat with them in the evening, and they went out of their way to help with anything we needed.
AHA was the cleanest, most modern and best-equipped place we stayed in. We had a spacious kitchen, so we were more inclined to make meals there. Imagine homemade spaghetti in a rich tomato sauce mixed with sautéed onions and carrots, and topped with cheese and chopped linguica (smoked pork sausage)! The owners and staff of AHA were extremely friendly and helpful. It was a pleasure just to chat with them in the evening, and they went out of their way to help with anything we needed.
AHA was also really convenient. The first floor of the complex is a shopping center, so there was no shortage of restaurants, cafes and shops close by. On our first morning there, we had booked a whale-watching excursion, and the boat sailed from just across the street. Our rental car agency was also located in the same shopping center. It could not possibly have been better.
Getting Around
In Lisbon, we used a combination of the subway system, buses and trams to get around. The most enjoyable was riding the famous, old-fashioned Number 28 tram around points in the historic center of the city. We bought 48-hour Lisboa Cards so that we could use public transport without having to pay each time. And the cards also allowed us to visit a number of sites at discounted prices.
We also used taxis a few times to get to and from the airport. The cars are excellent, and the prices are reasonable. Taxi service in Ponta Delgada was also great.
In planning the trip. I booked rental cars both for the mainland and the island. After a few days in Lisbon, where we really didn’t need a car, we went to the airport to pick up our car for the mainland. I had booked a “Ford Focus or similar” from Budget, but they didn’t have that, so they gave us a BMW 100 series instead. We had no complaints.
The car was a blast to drive. From the airport, we drove to the region around Sintra (northwest of Lisbon) to see the famous Castle of the Moors and Pena Palace. After those sites, we made our way to the coast to try and catch the sunset from Cabo de Roca, the westernmost point of continental Europe.
Time was running out because the sun was getting low, and we wound up taking some very windy back roads through the hills. Driving those narrow, curvy roads in the BMW was a driver’s dream, and I absolutely loved it. That bit of driving was one of the real highlights of the trip.
The BMW was a joy to drive on any type of road, and we absolutely loved it. It got us through some alleys in Seville that were so narrow it seemed that only a donkey could navigate them, but my travel companion managed to do it without a scratch. Later the same day, we were not so lucky.
I was behind the wheel when we got lost in the hills as light was fading and we were struggling to find La Posada de La Cartegana. Google Maps navigator – which had usually been pretty accurate –failed us on that one. I got us caught up in a narrow dead end, and as I tried to maneuver out of it, I scraped the front corner against a stone wall that was partially hidden behind some grass. That hurt!
When we returned the car, the adjuster fixed things so that my damage payment wasn’t too much. Still it was sad to say goodbye to the “Beemer.”
I had decided that a convertible (cabriolet) would be fun to drive on the island, so I got the only one available, a Renault Megane. It wasn’t as much fun to drive as the Beemer, and we didn’t put the top down as much as I had hoped, but it was OK. We found a few quirky “features” of the car, like an annoying alarm whenever the roof was even a bit out of adjustment. I had rented a Renault (Scenic) in northern Italy in 2015, and this one reminded me again why I would never want to own one.
The only drawback to having a car in Ponta Delgada was parking. Parking is hard to find, unless you are willing to pay for a relatively expensive underground garage. We parked on the street at night (again, spots were hard to find), and I wound up with two parking tickets because we didn’t get to the car early enough the next morning. But that was a very minor thing.
Lisbon – Day One
We started from a guesthouse in the Barrio Alto district of Lisbon, one of the city’s most famous and interesting areas. There are beautiful squares with statues of famous guys, interesting narrow streets with fascinating different building facades, and lots of trams. The famous Number 28 tram ran right under our balcony, and we rode it several times.
Our place was on one of the main streets in Barrio Alto, and there was music and activity well into the night. In fact, it hardly let up at all. One thing about seeing Lisbon is that you have to be prepared for hills: up and down, again and again.
On our first full day, we caught a more modern tram out to the Belem district west of the center. We wanted to see the Jeronimos Monastery and Belem Tower, and we did – from the outside. The lines of tourists waiting to go inside were too long, and we are not exactly museum buffs, so we didn't bother going in. But the outside views were pretty fascinating, and we took a lot of pictures.
Next, we went into the Jardim Botanico Tropical (Belem Tropical Botanical Garden) and walked all around that beautiful place. In addition to the beautifully maintained trees and plants, there were peacocks and other birds who were all happy to receive handouts of sushka (a kind of hard, ring-shaped cookie from Ukraine). And we took a lot of pictures.
Finally, we got to the highlight of the day (for me): a visit to Pastaeis de Belem to taste the best pasteis in the world made at the place where they were allegedly invented. Pasteis are small, custard-filled pasties that are absolutely delicious. What we discovered was that the pasteis in Belem truly were the best that we sampled anywhere else in Portugal.
When we were done eating, we took a bus back to the central district and got out at Praca Comercio (Commerce Plaza), which is a huge square right on the waterfront. After taking some photos and dipping our toes in the water, we walked a bit and then took the Number 28 tram toward another famous Lisbon landmark, Castelo de Sao Jorje (Castle of St. Jorje).
It was a major uphill walk to get to the castle, but completely worth it. The castle itself is very impressive, but the views of the city from all sides are phenomenal. We spent quite a bit of time exploring the castle grounds, then we made our way back down the hill and got back on the Number 28 toward our guesthouse. And we took a lot of pictures.
That evening, we met a local Lisbonite I’ve known via the Internet for years. He and his Ukrainian wife met us at a little sidewalk café in a square near our place, and we chatted for more than an hour. They gave us some great advice about places we should check out, and we did our best to do that.
Lisbon – Day Two
We started the second day by walking through several beautiful squares to the most central part of the city. Then we rode the Elevador de Santa Justa (Santa Justa Elevator) to a higher level of the city where we had beautiful views of the Teja River estuary and the lower level of the central district.
After looking around the beautifully landscaped Praca do Rossio, we took a leisurely jaunt down one of several pedestrian-only streets back to the Praca do Comercio. From there, we caught the Number 28 tram again for a ride up the hill to an open-air café at Portas do Sol (doors to the sun), which our Lisbon friends had told us about. It was time for more pasteis and a cappuccino. Then we took a walk downhill through the winding residential streets of the Alfama district. It goes without saying that we took a lot of pictures.
As we walked through Alfama, we saw just regular folks on the street and around their homes, a few small streetside cafes, and one small square that was all dressed up for a celebration. We also made friends with a cat and a parrot. But it all gives you a unique feeling of the city.
Exiting Alfama at the bottom of the hill, we got to a main road where we caught a bus to the Oceanario de Lisboa (Lisbon Oceanarium), a place I had really wanted to visit in particular.
Exiting Alfama at the bottom of the hill, we got to a main road where we caught a bus to the Oceanario de Lisboa (Lisbon Oceanarium), a place I had really wanted to visit in particular.
The oceanarium was phenomenal. The diversity of fish and other marine life presented there is extraordinary, and they are provided with excellent habitats. There are several huge tanks with viewing windows from multiple vantage points, both high and low. In addition, they have separate habitats for species like sea otters, penguins and others. Visitors are led through the facility by a perfect arrangement of halls that ensures you don’t get lost and don’t miss a thing. It is truly a first-class attraction, and yes, we took a lot of pictures.
After the oceanarium, we took a cable car ride along the shore of the estuary to a nearby park – Jardim Garcia de Orta – where we found a truly excellent seafood restaurant with outdoor tables. The place is named Status with letters in a Roman style, and the food was perfect. After dinner, we took a leisurely walk around the park and the water's edge, then headed back to the cable car station.
The cable car took us back to the oceanarium complex, and then we made our way by bus back to the center. Once in the center, we walked to a café I had long wanted to try. It is called A Brasileira, and it has a long history dating back to the early 20th century when it was a favorite meeting place for writers, poets and other creative people.
In front of the café is a statue of Fernando Pessoa, a leading figure in Portugal’s literary history. I tried to have a conversation with him, but he wasn’t interested in listening.
That was pretty much the end of our tour of Lisbon. That evening, we rested and prepared to pick up our car and head off to Sintra and Cascais the next morning.
On the third day, we checked out of the guesthouse in Lisbon and took a taxi to the airport to get our rental car. As I mentioned earlier, we received a "gift" of a beautiful BMW to drive for the next several days, so we set the Google Maps navigator to show us the way to Sintra, a place not far from Lisbon filled with history and breathtaking beauty.
As we got into the Sintra Mountains, it was already apparent that this was a special place. The roads began to wind through and around hills that were increasingly forested as we gained elevation. The closer we got to Sintra itself, the more beautiful the landscape became.
There were a lot of other cars with tourists who, like us, were looking for parking as close to the main attractions as possible. And loaded tour buses added to the congestion. But we got lucky: we knew we were pretty close when we spotted an open parking place just ahead to our right. So we nabbed it, paid for several hours of parking and, of course, started taking pictures.
We walked up to the town and found a convenient bus that takes tourists on round trips up to the main attractions. We chose the tour to the Castelo dos Mouros (Castle of the Moors) and Palacio da Pena (Pena Palace). We got out at the closest point to Castelo dos Mouros.
Castelo dos Mouros was built in the 8th and 9th centuries by the Moors (Islamic invaders from North Africa who had conquered a large part of Portugal and Spain in the Middle Ages. It was taken by Christian armies in 1147 during the Reconquista and was rebuilt during the 14th century.
The castle is a wonder of engineering and logistics, considering the technology available in the 8th and 9th centuries. It's made up of huge blocks of granite, and one wonders what it took to cut, move and place all that rock on such high hill tops and cliffs. And it is not a small castle; it extends quite far in many directions, so it was no small feat to build it.
We climbed hundreds upon hundreds of stone stairs to get finally to the highest point, and we were rewarded by magnificent views of the the countryside below and all the way out to the ocean. It really was something special - and, of course, we took a lot of pictures - but our next stop topped even that.
After making our way out of the castle grounds, we went back to the bus stop and got back on a bus to the Palacio da Pena. It is located on a hilltop even higher than the castle and is far more elegant. It was first built as a quiet chapel in the Middle Ages, and in the late 15th century, a monastery was built on the site. In the mid-19th century, King Ferdinand had the palace built on the site as a getaway for the royal family.
The palace and surrounding grounds are simply amazing. They had advantages of 19th century engineering technology, compared to the technology available 1,000 years earlier when the castle was built, but it is the artistry of the architecture and design that sets it apart. Courtyards, entrances, passageways, rooms and other areas are carefully crafted and elaborately colored. The various colors of the outer walls – reds, yellows, blues and more – give the place a real feeling of warmth.
Like the castle, the views from the palace are simply amazing, not the least of which is the view of the castle from the palace. After touring the palace, we walked through the adjoining gardens to the Valley of the Lakes where a stream had been impounded in several spots to create small lakes for the royal family and their guests to enjoy. Oh, and by the way... we took a lot of pictures.
I mentioned earlier about what a blast it was to drive those windy mountain roads to get to the coast. We drove through the Sintra-Cascais Nature Park, which as you might expect was largely forested and very green. As we made our way closer to the coast, the vegetation turned more to short trees and scrub, but it was still beautiful nevertheless.
Our navigator suggested a road that would save us some time, but it was a lower class of road. We were really in a hurry because the sun was setting fast, so we took a chance on that road. We were rewarded with a road that was not only fun to drive (for me) but that also ran through more unspoiled nature than the better roads.
We got to Cabo da Roca just as the sun was settling into the ocean. We managed to get a few good pictures, including a couple in which the sun appears as a ring of fire on the horizon. It was really a special moment.
We stayed on the peninsula for a while, taking in the power of the ocean below the cliffs and just walking around the area. Finally, as it began to get darker, it was time to head back to our guesthouse.
The next morning we had the best breakfast of any of the guesthouses that provided a free morning meal. My travel companion had already gone for a run in the area, and after breakfast she decided she wanted a swim in the pool.
Then we were off to check out the coast. She had spotted a few places along the beach near the guesthouse earlier, so we returned there and walked for a bit. Then we were on our way to Cascais.
Cascais is a popular tourist and recreation town on the coast west of Lisbon. In earlier times, it was a thriving fishing village, but now it caters more to visitors and recreational boaters. It also boasts several great beaches. We found a place to park and just walked around for a bit, paying particular attention to a fortress that has become a museum and especially the marina.
After some coffee and pasteis (of course), it was time to leave the Lisbon area and head south for the coast and the Algarve region. But more on that next time.
Sintra, Cabo da Roca and Cascais
The Castle and the Palace
As we got into the Sintra Mountains, it was already apparent that this was a special place. The roads began to wind through and around hills that were increasingly forested as we gained elevation. The closer we got to Sintra itself, the more beautiful the landscape became.
There were a lot of other cars with tourists who, like us, were looking for parking as close to the main attractions as possible. And loaded tour buses added to the congestion. But we got lucky: we knew we were pretty close when we spotted an open parking place just ahead to our right. So we nabbed it, paid for several hours of parking and, of course, started taking pictures.
We walked up to the town and found a convenient bus that takes tourists on round trips up to the main attractions. We chose the tour to the Castelo dos Mouros (Castle of the Moors) and Palacio da Pena (Pena Palace). We got out at the closest point to Castelo dos Mouros.
Castelo dos Mouros was built in the 8th and 9th centuries by the Moors (Islamic invaders from North Africa who had conquered a large part of Portugal and Spain in the Middle Ages. It was taken by Christian armies in 1147 during the Reconquista and was rebuilt during the 14th century.
The castle is a wonder of engineering and logistics, considering the technology available in the 8th and 9th centuries. It's made up of huge blocks of granite, and one wonders what it took to cut, move and place all that rock on such high hill tops and cliffs. And it is not a small castle; it extends quite far in many directions, so it was no small feat to build it.
We climbed hundreds upon hundreds of stone stairs to get finally to the highest point, and we were rewarded by magnificent views of the the countryside below and all the way out to the ocean. It really was something special - and, of course, we took a lot of pictures - but our next stop topped even that.
After making our way out of the castle grounds, we went back to the bus stop and got back on a bus to the Palacio da Pena. It is located on a hilltop even higher than the castle and is far more elegant. It was first built as a quiet chapel in the Middle Ages, and in the late 15th century, a monastery was built on the site. In the mid-19th century, King Ferdinand had the palace built on the site as a getaway for the royal family.
The palace and surrounding grounds are simply amazing. They had advantages of 19th century engineering technology, compared to the technology available 1,000 years earlier when the castle was built, but it is the artistry of the architecture and design that sets it apart. Courtyards, entrances, passageways, rooms and other areas are carefully crafted and elaborately colored. The various colors of the outer walls – reds, yellows, blues and more – give the place a real feeling of warmth.
Like the castle, the views from the palace are simply amazing, not the least of which is the view of the castle from the palace. After touring the palace, we walked through the adjoining gardens to the Valley of the Lakes where a stream had been impounded in several spots to create small lakes for the royal family and their guests to enjoy. Oh, and by the way... we took a lot of pictures.
Cabo da Roca
After leaving Sintra, we had to make our way quickly to our next guesthouse so that we could get checked in before it was too late. This was ABLA Guesthouse in Carcavelos, on the coast near Cascais. Once we got checked in, we jumped back in the car and tried to beat the setting sun to Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point of continental Europe.
I mentioned earlier about what a blast it was to drive those windy mountain roads to get to the coast. We drove through the Sintra-Cascais Nature Park, which as you might expect was largely forested and very green. As we made our way closer to the coast, the vegetation turned more to short trees and scrub, but it was still beautiful nevertheless.
Our navigator suggested a road that would save us some time, but it was a lower class of road. We were really in a hurry because the sun was setting fast, so we took a chance on that road. We were rewarded with a road that was not only fun to drive (for me) but that also ran through more unspoiled nature than the better roads.
We got to Cabo da Roca just as the sun was settling into the ocean. We managed to get a few good pictures, including a couple in which the sun appears as a ring of fire on the horizon. It was really a special moment.
We stayed on the peninsula for a while, taking in the power of the ocean below the cliffs and just walking around the area. Finally, as it began to get darker, it was time to head back to our guesthouse.
Cascais
The next morning we had the best breakfast of any of the guesthouses that provided a free morning meal. My travel companion had already gone for a run in the area, and after breakfast she decided she wanted a swim in the pool.
Then we were off to check out the coast. She had spotted a few places along the beach near the guesthouse earlier, so we returned there and walked for a bit. Then we were on our way to Cascais.
Cascais is a popular tourist and recreation town on the coast west of Lisbon. In earlier times, it was a thriving fishing village, but now it caters more to visitors and recreational boaters. It also boasts several great beaches. We found a place to park and just walked around for a bit, paying particular attention to a fortress that has become a museum and especially the marina.
After some coffee and pasteis (of course), it was time to leave the Lisbon area and head south for the coast and the Algarve region. But more on that next time.
Impressions and Takeaways
I can’t begin to express how impressed I was with Lisbon. I have visited several other large European cities in recent years – Geneva, Vienna, Milan – and to a large extent, they all seemed sort of the same. A lot of grand buildings, museums, etc. that didn’t look all that different from each other. Each has some unique points, but to a great extent, one big European city seems pretty much the same as the next.
I admit, however, that this might just be due to the fact that I saw them somewhat superficially. I only got a superficial look at Seville on this trip as well, and I can’t say that I was terribly impressed. But if I had had more time for it, perhaps my impression would have been different.
But Lisbon just seemed to exude so much more feeling, more soul, than other cities I have visited. There was a certain vibrancy I felt there that I never felt in places like Milan or Vienna. There was such a great mix of so many different elements: expansive waterfronts, vibrant business areas working right next to cozy old neighborhoods that you could walk through comfortably, beautifully maintained gardens and parks, lots of history in a city that feels very modern, effective and easy-to-use public transport, great food. I could go on and on.
Among the things that really impressed us (there were so many) were the many building facades beautifully covered with exquisite tiles, most often in blue. And many buildings were also decorated with flowers - in addition to all the parks and gardens we saw. The care and effort required to create such attractive exteriors – and keep them clean – is amazing and speaks to the pride people take in how their immediate world looks.
Also, so many of the streets and squares were paved with very exact patterns of stones and tiles that made walking along them a pleasure to the eye. Along many of the streets, not only the eyes were pleased, but the ears and nose picked up delightful sounds and aromas as well.
Among the things that really impressed us (there were so many) were the many building facades beautifully covered with exquisite tiles, most often in blue. And many buildings were also decorated with flowers - in addition to all the parks and gardens we saw. The care and effort required to create such attractive exteriors – and keep them clean – is amazing and speaks to the pride people take in how their immediate world looks.
Also, so many of the streets and squares were paved with very exact patterns of stones and tiles that made walking along them a pleasure to the eye. Along many of the streets, not only the eyes were pleased, but the ears and nose picked up delightful sounds and aromas as well.
One of the best things, which we noticed everywhere we went in Portugal, was the warmth and friendliness of the people. Sure, people who work in service industries that cater to tourists need to be friendly, but when you’ve been around enough, you can spot “necessary friendliness” from the genuine item. And our impression was that in almost all cases, the warmth we felt in Lisbon was the real deal. The people are just plain nice.
It helped also that Portugal, and especially Lisbon, has a very high percentage of people who speak English – in most cases, quite well. We almost never found ourselves in a situation where we could not communicate with people. This was a stark contrast to our day and a half in Spain, where communication was a bit more difficult.
The food, coffee and wine we tasted almost everywhere we stopped in Lisbon were great, and I had a beer at one point that was really good as well. I fell in love with pasteis (obviously), we had some great seafood in Lisbon, but we found even better later in Algarve and on Sao Miguel.
One thing we failed to do was to go out in the late evening to find a place where we could listen to traditional Fado music. We had a thought to do it the evening of our second day in the city, but we were very tired and had an early morning the next day, so we had to pass. But if I visit again, I won't let that one slip by.
One thing we failed to do was to go out in the late evening to find a place where we could listen to traditional Fado music. We had a thought to do it the evening of our second day in the city, but we were very tired and had an early morning the next day, so we had to pass. But if I visit again, I won't let that one slip by.
Lisbon is a city I would definitely like to visit again. I don’t often say that about places I have visited. There are many places in the world I would like to see and not enough time to see them all, so there would have to be a really compelling reason to return to some place I’ve already visited. But I would not mind returning to Lisbon at all. In fact, as you’ll read in the upcoming posts, I’d love to return to almost all the places I visited in Portugal, and perhaps see the north of the country.
A Final Word
Throughout this blog post, I’ve talked about my trip using the plural subject pronoun, we, and not the singular I. Those readers with sharp eyes for that kind of thing have no doubt deduced that I did not make this trip alone. I experienced Portugal with a very dear friend (yes, “just a friend”), who was the best travel companion a person could ask for. For the sake of her privacy, she will remain anonymous here.
We both can be a little headstrong, and as a result, over the course of two weeks, we got on each other’s nerves sometimes, had disagreements, and even a couple of arguments as emotions got the better of us. But that was the exception. Mostly she was a marvelous companion who brightened each day of the trip for me with her positivity and sense of awe about everything she saw and did.
I had my own feelings of amazement at the things I saw, but my feelings were heightened so much more by seeing the expressions on her face with each new wonder we were treated to (especially seeing the ocean for the first time). It’s completely true that sharing a awesome experience with someone special, even just a special friend, makes it all the more enjoyable for yourself.
This marvelous vacation of discovery would never have been the same without my friend. And I will always remember it for that reason as much as for the places themselves. So, to my friend I say, "thank you for making it such a good time and for the enduring memories."
In Part Two: The Algarve
In Part Two: The Algarve
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