OT: Trip to Portugal

[Conndog]

Just spent 11 days in Portugal- still in Lisbon, flying home tomorrow. Absolutely fantastic country! Wife and I liked the smaller villages but also the two biggest cities- Porto and Lisbon. It is much cheaper than going to Italy or France, and it has everything- good food and wine, beautiful castles and churches, lovely small villages, stunning architecture. Our street in Lisbon is so cool, people living and hanging out, lots of ethnicities and kinds of food, winding cobblestone alleys where the laundry is hung out to dry. It feels very safe too everywhere we go. Helps to have beautiful weather, so end of April/early May is perfect. See you stateside!

 

[TWG236]

Wife and I are heading to Portugal in the beginning of September for a Viking river cruise. Ten day river cruise in Portugal and then 11 day tour of southern Spain. Spain really excites me as my wife spent a semester in college in Seville.

 

[eebmg]

Don't forget the recruiting.

 

[BRS24]

@Conndog - I'll be in touch via PM, as we're considering an AmaWaterways Porto cruise in November, and are trying to decide whether to spend some time in Lisbon or Porto pre-cruise and do our own thing.

 

[CajunHusky]

Cascais or Estoril - Which for a holiday?

www.cascais-portugal.com

At the bottom of the page are links to guides for many other Portugese destinations.

I visited Lisbon in 1978 when the political situation was quite more turbulent. Nevertheless we enjoyed a daytrip to Estoril and the casino. The area is quite popular with the English and as a consequence language was not a barrier.

 

[cohenzone]

A few years ago we did a river cruise in Portugal. We loved it. Looks different from most of Europe with the tile decorative fronts of many buildings. Lisbon is great. We decided to stay an extra day in Porto which turned out to be a mistake. It was a Sunday and the city was pretty much shut down including restaurants. We had seen enough of the city the previous day so it could’ve been worse. The only thing open was a free modern art museum that I think was free for a reason. Most of the stuff looked like middle school homework projects. But in a beautiful neighborhood.

 

[vtcwbuff]

Wife and I are heading to Portugal in the beginning of September for a Viking river cruise. Ten day river cruise in Portugal and then 11 day tour of southern Spain. Spain really excites me as my wife spent a semester in college in Seville.

We lived in Spain for a couple of years in the early 70s. Seville was a half hour drive and a favorite. Great attractions, great history and great food.
We were supposed to return for a 2 week vacation two years ago but Covid happened.

 

[Longtime fan]

Just spent 11 days in Portugal- still in Lisbon, flying home tomorrow. Absolutely fantastic country! Wife and I liked the smaller villages but also the two biggest cities- Porto and Lisbon. It is much cheaper than going to Italy or France, and it has everything- good food and wine, beautiful castles and churches, lovely small villages, stunning architecture. Our street in Lisbon is so cool, people living and hanging out, lots of ethnicities and kinds of food, winding cobblestone alleys where the laundry is hung out to dry. It feels very safe too everywhere we go. Helps to have beautiful weather, so end of April/early May is perfect. See you stateside!

No covid there?

 

[CONN78SEJ]

No covid there?

Nah, too much garlic, cold pressed olive oil, and Ginja Liquor.

 

[Conndog]

The ginja is good, finally had it together with the Pasteis de Nata creamy egg pastry (think cream puff in a croissant shell)- yummy! I’d say people take Covid more seriously there, most people wear masks period & it’s required on busses, trolley cars, etc. Negative Covid tests are needed to fly into the country and also to fly out (at least on TAP, the Portuguese airline). For me, the most amazing thing is how many little sidewalk cafes & little restaurants there are everywhere in the cities! America just doesn’t have anything like it. In Porto and Lisbon, you don’t have to drive to go out, you just walk, and no matter where you go, people are eating and drinking and having fun out in public.

 

[Bigboote]

My wife and I made our first overseas trip to Portugal about 25 years ago. We both loved it. We definitely enjoyed the country more than the city (we do everywhere). The best meals we had were in a truck stop (beans, ham and unidentifiable stuff) and the sardines cooked over an open fire on the beach.

We loved the prehistoric ruins, too. Stone circles, dolmens, and other stuff we’ve seen since in other places like Ireland.

 

[Ex Nutmegger]

My late wife and I took a trip along the coasts of Portugal and Spain two years ago on the MV Clio owned and operated by Overseas Adventure Travel. We also stopped for a day in Gibraltar, which turned out to be very interesting. The Clio is a converted super super yacht - 328 feet long, 82 passengers and a crew of 62(do that math). The shore Excursions were in small groups and involved reasonable walking with good footing. We visited all the important coastal towns of both countries as well as going up the river to Seville which our small ship(big boat) allowed.

I mention this trip because I am aware that many Boneyarders are approaching their sunset years and physical effort can be tough. We had taken eight previous trips with OAT which included scrambling around Machu Picchu and climbing the 340 steps up to the entrance to the Dalai Lama’s palace at 12,000 feet elevation; and we found this trip to be just right in our current stage in life.

Being in small groups allows you to interact more with the local people. It also avoided the “herd” feeling, especially at the attractions like the Picasso and Salvador Dali museums where we could meander on our own and spend more time on the things we were interested in.

 

[Petero]

My wife and I are going to the Azores for a week in mid June. It looks like a stunning place. Any tips or suggestions?

 

[HuskyNan]

For me, the most amazing thing is how many little sidewalk cafes & little restaurants there are everywhere in the cities! America just doesn’t have anything like it. In Porto and Lisbon, you don’t have to drive to go out, you just walk, and no matter where you go, people are eating and drinking and having fun out in public.

I loved the little cafes in Europe and, too, thought there was nothing like it until I moved to Florida. One of our favorite place’s here is Winter Park. It’s got a European feel, with the cobblestone main road and little shops and cafes. You should check it out (bring your wallet)

Things to Do in Winter Park | Dining, Entertainment & Shopping

Just northeast of Orlando is the vibrant city of Winter Park. See our guide to things to do, dining, arts and culture, shopping and more that make it a must-see.

www.visitorlando.com

 

[hard2please]

bom dia! tudo bem?