Before I go off on how unexpectedly wonderful Portugal was, I should mention that I am no longer in Portugal. Since I last posted from the beautiful Madeira, we have breezed through Barcelona and Rome, and will be leaving for Venice by train tomorrow morning. I made a major traveler mistake and already lost my laptop charger. Getting a charger for an American brand computer in Italy is proving difficult, but hopefully will be figured out soon! Updates will be a little less frequent and shorter, since I’m relying on hostel computers.And now, back to Portugal!
Obrigado! Thank you was pretty much the only word we needed to know in Portuguese during our 12 days there. Everyone we met was so kind and helpful, all we could say was obrigado! It was easy to love any thing and everything about Portugal; the climate, food, architecture, cities, and people.
Lisbon
Lisbon, the capital of Portugal was our home base. Is it cliche to say a place was pretty as a postcard if it’s completely true? We walked through the streets, had ice cream by the water, and walked up the hills to Alfalma, the oldest quarter in Lisbon, for the sunset.
Porto
A favorite city was Porto, spread across the hills against the Douro River. Our first night we ate right on the water next to the Ponte Dom Luis bridge, and had a great experience with a Porto original, the francesinha. Porto has a great hostel community, and is perfect to explore on foot.
Sintra
We took a day trip to Sintra, known throughout Portugal as a fairy tale town. The UNESCO World Heritage town is famous for its Romantic architecture, rolling mountains, and plant life. We took a lengthy hike up to the medieval Moorish Castle, perched in the Sintra Mountains. From there we got a perfect view of the entire city and the Pena National Palace just a short distance away.
Portuguese Food
We had been in Portugal for about an hour when we asked ourselves, ‘What do they eat in Portugal? None of us had ever tried Portuguese cuisine and were not sure what to expect. Perhaps a little research before hand would have been a good idea,
but it was much more exciting figuring things out along the way. I learned Portugal has the highest consumption of fish and seafood in Europe, due to their very strong fishing industry.
If the food was not seafood, you could guarantee it was loaded up with different meats.Almost every dish had some extra meat on it, or as we fondly called it “hidden ham.” Innocent slice of pizza? Hidden ham under the cheese. Cheeseburger? Hidden ham under the bun. Lasagna? Hidden ham in the layers. Potatoes? Sprinkled with hidden ham.
Just like the ham, Portugal was a an unexpected surprise and a great way to truly kick off our trip.
Check out some of my favorite shots from Portugal. Obrigado!
