winifredcreamer

Last Day at the Beach

We’ve visited many of the beaches along the coast from Setubal past Sesimbra From east to west, around Cabo Espichel and up the coast, they included: Praia de Troia, Bico das Lulas on the Troia Peninsula Praia da Figuerinha is just west of Setubal. The long sand spit is a great walk at low tide.Continue reading “Last Day at the Beach”

A Day in the Algarve

On our last weekend in Portugal, we decided to head south for a day trip to the Algarve, as the south coast is called. In particular, Jonathan wanted to see Cabo Sao Vicente, the southwesternmost point in mainland Europe. We planned to go on Saturday, but rain was forecast, so we opted for Sunday andContinue reading “A Day in the Algarve”

Go to the beach (take your rock hammer?)

The Praia de Foz is a small beach that is easy to find if you’ve already located it on Google Earth and translated that to your phone, or the equivalent. A single sign marks the turnoff onto a graded, graveled road from the main road but there are no other signs. You choose the variousContinue reading “Go to the beach (take your rock hammer?)”

New Architecture Ignores the Old in Portugal

Portugal is full of churches, palaces, fortresses and restored historic houses containing private art collections. Possibly there are more historic sites per capita in Portugal than anywhere in Europe. Older houses, too, are frequently architecturally interesting, with curved roof lines, angled windows, wrought iron balconies, tiled facades and other graceful details. We even see theContinue reading “New Architecture Ignores the Old in Portugal”

Porto on a sunny Sunday

The Douro River divides Porto into the city and the port-tasting zone. There is a long tradition of making port here (Porto, get it?). Whether you like port or not, it is part of the experience to taste some. We didn’t trek across the bridge to the lodges because Jonathan found a place where youContinue reading “Porto on a sunny Sunday”

Flea markets and antiquity shopping elude me in Portugal

After visiting the Thieves Market in Lisbon during a series of downpours, I’ve tried to find other flea markets to visit, with limited success. Not because there aren’t any, Portugal has lots of markets of different kinds daily, weekly and intermittent, as well as a constant parade of festivals. Last weekend we drove about 20Continue reading “Flea markets and antiquity shopping elude me in Portugal”

Two lookouts to the west: Cabo Raso and Cabo Roca.

From Cascais, we drove to the westernmost point of land nearby to look out at the Atlantic. It was a bit gray out, and the waves broke and boomed. The view was impressive–there’s nothing between you and the New World except the Azores, which belong to Portugal, as it turns out. Cabo Raso was windsweptContinue reading “Two lookouts to the west: Cabo Raso and Cabo Roca.”

Cascais

Views over this seaside town may remind you of novels from the age of F. Scott Fitzgerald, when people sat on verandas sipping cool drinks and men wore boaters. Today there’s a focus on shopping, though the town is still lovely. We visited the museum/library house of the Condes de Castro Guimares. The story isContinue reading “Cascais”

Palace Central, called Sintra

So far, we’ve only spent one day in Sintra, making inroads on a single palace, the National Palace of Sintra. The Palace dates from the 14th century and has been updated and remodeled over the centuries. The ceilings appear the oldest style, painted boards, yet what boards! There are magpies, swans, mermaids and a fleetContinue reading “Palace Central, called Sintra”

Lisbon Sights

We had a whirlwind week, splashing through the rain and ducking into cafes to avoid the worst of the downpours as we visited a variety of places with our visitor, Peggy. In Lisbon, we began at the “Taste of Perdition” and Thieves Markets, both of which might have been better without rain. Despite the unprepossesingContinue reading “Lisbon Sights”