Wonderful Portugal Tour

We leave Lisbon heading for the coast. From the coach we glimpse Estoril and then stop at Cascais with its colourful houses. We continue towards what is truly a marvel of nature, Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point of continental Europe. The next stop is Sintra, immersed in the greenery of the natural park, we visit the historic centre, perched on the hill, then we enter the majestic Royal Palace. We then continue to Obidos, the centre is exclusively pedestrian, the coach drops us at the car park, we walk to the hotel Estalagem do Convento, Obidos is small but full of character, everywhere little shops, bars and taverns, where you can taste the ginja, the typical cherry liqueur. The walls are well preserved. We take the coach again and from Obidos we continue to Alcobaca. Here the great monastery opens up before our eyes at once.

We enter the monastery, magnificent, the stories of Antonio, our guide, are fascinating, from the love of Pedro I and Ines de Castro, to court intrigues, to notes on the architecture of the time, to the customs of the monks, this man is great! We then arrive at Nazarè, a fishing village. We first stop in the upper part, we stroll among the stalls of dried fruit and strange seafood surrounded by wasps, we enjoy a wonderful view towards the beach and the ocean. For lunch we taste the asorba: it is a typical Portuguese dish, with stale bread, seafood, prawns and egg, all mixed together, a mush that calling exquisite is an understatement! New stop Coimbra, we climb up to the University, there is the historic library to visit. We then cross the centre of the city, the cathedral is unfortunately closed, as it is a national holiday. We stay overnight at the hotel Tivoli.

We set off for Porto, unfortunately the weather gets worse. An exploratory tour of the centre and a visit to the Palazzo della Borsa. We then head to the other part of the city, Vila Nova de Gaia, to visit the Calem winery, already intoxicated by the smell of the wine in the barrels, we taste white and red wine, our heads spin and outside it rains! For lunch a timid sun comes out and we go to eat something quick at the Majestic, a renowned place on the famous Santa Caterina street. We go to the hotel (at the hotel Vila Galè) and then a mini-cruise on the Douro river, it is a bit cold, but the panorama is wonderful, we first go up the river, passing under some of the bridges of Porto and then sail towards the mouth, towards the sea, towards the sunset, fabulous and romantic. Dinner at Chez Lapin, a restaurant on the river.

The next day we are still in Porto, we take the train that will take us to Regua among the landscapes of the Douro valley. The journey lasts almost 2 hours, but it is worth it, the bends of the river appear and disappear, as do the little villages where the train stops. We go to Quinta da Pacheca, a farm stay with wine production and an adjoining winery where we taste a crema catalana that cannot be described! We make a stop at Amarante, the church is beautiful, the village a bit disappointing. Departure from Porto, the weather gets worse. We arrive at Batalha where it is already pouring. We visit the monastery of Santa Maria da Vitória and we feel damp. Fatima then welcomes us again with rain and wind. The return to Lisbon is under a deluge, in the lower part of the city the streets have become rivers.

Excellent trip organised by Turisanda to perfection, we were also lucky to have found fabulous companions and Antonio, the guide, cultured and well prepared, a great man!