We left Ft. Lauderdale and arrived in Lisbon, Portugal on Thursday, May 30, 2013. Our hotel was the Hotel Real Palacio, located in the center of Lisbon.
Friday, June 1, 2013
Our morning began with a tour of Lisbon. Our first stop was to the Belem Tower, which was built in 1515 to protect the city from enemies coming off the Tagus River. We then went to the Discoveries Momument, built for the Explorers who were searching for new lands.
We then headed to the Museu Nacional dos Coches. Set in an old Riding School, this is one of the most popular museums in the country, displaying a collection of coaches and carriages belonging to the Royal Families between the 17th and 19th Centuries.
This ceremonial vehicle was used in 1790 by Queen Maria 1, during the consecration of the Basilica de Estrela in Lisbon.
On Feburary 8, 1908 King Carlos 1 and his son Luis Fillipe were riding through the streets of Lisbon when they were assassinated in this carriage. The other photo depicts the tragedy.
This is a beautiful picture of a garden, high above a hill, looking down upon the city of Lisbon, with the Tagus River in the background.
The pastry to the right is called Pastel de Belem and is very popular in Portugal. Sprinkle a little sugar and cinnamon on top and it is delicious.
We finished the morning by visiting Jeronimos Monastary. It was very beautiful and here are a couple of pictures.
Saturday, June 1, 2013
We started out early, heading to the walled town of Obidos. The weather has been fabulous and many artists frequent this area. This town is also known for a cherry liqueur called Ginginha. Also made with chocolate, it is very good. Here are some pics.
We then headed to the beautiful seaside town of Nazare. They have amazing beaches and some of the best surfing in the world, during the winter months.
The homes high up on the cliff are very expensive, as you can well imagine. Notice the streets with small pavers, that are installed one by one.
We continued our journey by bus, finally arriving at Porto, Portugal's second largest city, and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Here we boarded our ship to begin our river cruise along the Douro River Valley. We had time to see some sights before leaving. Porto is on one side of the Douro River, with a district called Ribeira below and on the other side of the river is Gaia. Here is a pic of boats along the Douro River. Porto is located across the river. You can see the Ponte D. Luis 1 bridge. It is very famous. Anita and I walked across the top of the bridge (where only trains are allowed), and we walked backed on the lower tier where traffic is also permitted. We had to take a Tram to the top of the bridge.
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| Ponte D. Luis 1 bridge |
Rabelo boats
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| View of Porto from Bridge |
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| View of Porto across Douro River |
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| Middle of downtown Porto |
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| Ribeira district of Porto |
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| Passing under the Ponte D. Luis 1 bridge
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Sunday, June 2, 2013
We left Porto and started cruising along the beautiful Douro River. We had approx. 140 passengers on the Duro River Cruiser. As you can see from the picture above, there is plenty of room and the weather was perfect. There were many locks that we went through on our travels. Below is a picture of just one of them. You can see the difference in water level.
Going through a lock
Beautiful vineyards along the shore
This is the Convento de Alpendurada. It is a converted 14th century monastery and we had dinner there. It was quite beautiful, high up on a mountain.
View from monastery
Monday - Tuesday, June 3rd and 4th
We travelled to the small town of Lamego and saw a beautiful Gothic Cathedral and gardens.
Gothic Cathedral
We are now on our way to visit the Quinta do Seixo vineyard estate,
one of the most beautiful in Portugal. The ship docked and we bused up to the winery and had a tour.
You can see our ship cruising by and will be awaiting us after we finish the tour of the winery.
More cruising along the Douro River
Here the winery has 10,000 full bottles that they have stored.
When the tour was completed we got to taste the wines. When the British were importing the wine from Portugal they found that by adding Brandy, the wine would last longer. It also changed the taste and Port wine was "invented."
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Today we left the ship in port and took the bus to Salamanca, Spain. The Universidad of Salamanca is the oldest university in Spain, and the third oldest in the western world. Here are some pics.
Plaza Mayor in Salamanca
Facade on University of Salamanca
Famous Torero statue in center of Salamanca
Park in Salamanca
Figuerine of Flamenco Dancer in Salamanca
Thurs. and Friday, June 6th and 7th, 2013
We returned to Barca d'Aliva and took a tour of the medieval town of Figueria Castelo Rodrigo. We then proceeded to cruise by Pocinho Dam and stopped in the rustic town of Pinhao and had dinner at the Avessada Winery. We arrived back in Porto and took a city tour. Below are some nice pics for your perusal.
Center of Porto
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| Beautiful blue painted tiles, famous in Portugal |
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Saturday, June 8, 2013
We finished the River Cruise part of the tour and disembarked the ship early this morning. Today, we are going to motorcoach to Coimbra, where the University was established in 1290 and is one of the oldest in Europe.
University Square
King John III 1537
We finished the day by visiting the town of Fatima, where on May 13, 1917, three school children saw a brilliant light, and The Lady of The Rosary appeared to them. Now, more than 4 million visitors come to Fatima to pray. Many of the faithful "walk" on their knees. Here are some of the pictures that we took.
This Picture shows one of the Pilgrims "walking" on her knees all the way to the small building on the lower left, which is the Chapel of Apparitions. The tall Basilica was consecrated on October 7, 1953. Two of the three children are buried in the Basilica. This square holds over 1 million and is as important as the Lourdes of France location, where other apparitions were seen.
This is the Chapel of Apparitions, and the exact spot, marked by a marble pillar on which the Statue of Our Lady is placed.
Monument To The Sacred Heart of Jesus
This Monument was completed in 1932 and is located in the center of the square, over a spring found there, its waters being the instrument of many graces. The faithful may gather this Holy Water.
This is just one of many shops that sell items related to Fatima. Many of the Faithful came to Fatima to pray that their ailments go away. Then, if that happens, they come back and can buy wax body parts and candles to be burned in thanks that the ailment has left them. We saw hands, legs, etc. It is all quite remarkable.
We left Fatima and headed to our deluxe Grand Real Villia Italia Hotel in Cascais, Portugal. It is a 5 star hotel and we stayed there for three nights.
Sunday, June 9, 2013
This morning we walked into the beautiful town of Cascais, Portugal. It is a beautiful seaside town, with plenty of restaurants and shopping.
Group practicing for concert
These are called guitarras. They are 12 string guitars and are very popular in Portugal. The artist on left is playing one. Fado is an old form of urban folk music that was founded in the 1820s in Portugal.
Little friend we met on the beach
Two little Frenchies we encountered on the beautiful tiled sidewalk, in Cascais.
Restaurant in Cascais, Portugal
Two beautiful Bed and Breakfasts in Cascais
Villa Albatroz restaurant
Cascais is very affluent. Mercedes is the vehicle of choice
Castle located on the beach
Small lighthouse in the background
Marina
Plenty of flowers along sidewalk
Beautiful painted boats in harbor
Notice restaurant to left
Monday, June 10, 2013
We took a short trip to Sintra, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Many tourists flock here to see the many castles, estates, and buildings from the 8th to 9th century.
Notice the castles on top of hill
Lots of small shops
We finished the tour and headed back to the hotel. Below is a pic of the best Tiramisu that we have ever tasted. Tomorrow, Tuesday, June 11th, everyone will be heading home.
We had a great time, the weather was amazing, we learned new things, and met some wonderful people. Portugal has been a well kept secret!
