We're Home!

We actually made it home on Sunday, but I had a bit of a computer problem that kept me from blogging. The fix turned out to be a simple one - unplug and wait ten minutes.

While this is not a travel blog, traveling is my second favorite thing to do (after riding), so I'd like to share a few photos from our trip.

Portugal - we drove north from Lisbon and then did a clockwise circle to the very southernmost tip and then back to Lisbon.

We spent fifteen days in Portugal. This was my fourth trip across the Atlantic, but I have to say that Portugal turned out to be my favorite European country to visit (so far!). I can only say wonderful things about the people, the food, the wine (ah ... the wine), the culture, everything.

We landed in Lisbon, Portugal's capital, but immediately drove north to Obidos, a tiny town encircled by castle walls. We stayed in the castle itself, walked the entire wall (about a mile), enjoyed a sumptuous dinner, and sipped wine on the castle walls. It was a divine start to the trip.

The small village of Obidos is enclosed in a crenellated wall. The castle is at the far end.

The views from the wall were spectacular.

From Obidos, we continued north to Porto where we spent three nights in the most amazing apartment over-looking the Douro River. My pictures cannot begin to convey how absolutely heavenly the view from that apartment was. The apartment was a corner unit on the third floor of the building, so we had HUGE windows on two sides that allowed the sunlight, sea breeze, and sounds of the city to pour over us.

The bedroom was to the right with equally large windows.

An evening view from the balconies.

Just one of the many, many fine dishes that we enjoyed (octopus).

The Dom Luis Bridge, built by a student of Eiffel. You can see Eiffel's influence! The top is reserved for pedestrians and trains while the bottom is for cars and pedestrians.

An "ussie" from the bridge. Just behind us you can see fog from the ocean. The Douro River meets the Atlantic around the bend.

From Porto, we drove east into the interior of the country. We spent the morning in Guimaraes where we toured a castle and a lovely palace. We then continued on to Aramante for a two-night stay in one of Portugal's finest hotels. And boy, was it swanky! Aramante was having it's annual festival, and our hotel was smack dab in the middle of the action. While it was loud (drums and fireworks that started in the morning and went until about 5:00 a.m.), we still enjoyed participating in a very local event. 

From inside the castle in Guimaraes.

Our hotel - we're in the second balcony from the top, just above the trees.

Sao Goncalo Bridge - built in 1790 (first built in the 13th century)

The festival view from our room - the bridge is to the right and the church and monastery are straight ahead.

From Aramante we drove south to the university town of Coimbra for a short stay. There, we toured the university and several other churches and buildings of cultural significance.

The clock tower (which we climbed) and Graduates Hall. My husband's in the dark t-shirt in the Patio des Escolas.

At the top of the clock tower

After walking a LOT of stairs, we stopped for the best sangrias I've ever sipped. I worked my way through two of these bad boys.

From Coimbra, we drove 500 km (four and a half hours) south to Sagres, the most southwestern point of Europe (and Portugal). Again, we had a lovely apartment for a three-night stay. Sagres is famous for its cliffs and beaches, and we explored as many as we could. 

The cliffs over the ocean were truly breathtaking.

The beaches were nearly empty, the sand was super fine, but the sun was pretty searing. Hubby heading for a spot closer to the cliffs (and some shade).

We drove north around Sao Vicente Cape and found this gorgeous beach with tide pools.

From Sagres, we turned north back to Lisbon. We spent one day on our own touring, but then we booked a private tour of the city and were treated to a day filled with off the beaten track back roads, local restaurants, and stories about the daily lives of the average Portuguese family. 

Entering Lisbon, we crossed the Vasco da Gama Bridge - 11 miles long, making it the longest bridge in Europe when it opened in 1998. Today, it is one of the longest in the world. Its vastness forced engineers to factor in the curvature of the Earth during its construction. It was built in only 18 months at a cost of one billion US dollars.

The Se Cathedral

Yet another castle ... Castelo de S. Jorge

A view of Lisbon from the castle walls.

Rossio Train Station lit up at night.

We also stood on Europe's most western point.

We've traveled a fair amount during our twenty-five years together, but this trip was something else. If you're considering a European vacation, I would definitely recommend Portugal. 

Thanks for letting me share my photos with you!