Last days

This has been a good holiday. Everyone was friendly and kind. The pousadas were excellent and the SAGA guide helpful and knowledgeable. We both though feel "tiled, cobbled and churched out". Our flight back was from Lisbon to London Heathrow (about 2hrs 20 mins) where we were met with a shared SAGA taxi. We got home at about 10.10pm.

Also shown is our coach and the grape farm we visited on Thursday that sells seedless eating grapes to M+S.

Beja

On the last full day we visited Beja and Ferreira further south than we had been before in Alentejo region. On the way we saw 4 bee eaters and countless storks. It is true to say we are both "tiled out"! Coloured tiles and steps are an enduring memory. On the way down we stopped to taste olive oil and seedless grapes and on the way back we stopped to taste yet more wine and climb yet more steps!

To be honest the drive today was more interesting than the visits. I got the feeling SAGA was trying to fill the day with something interesting. We would have preferred a longer day out yesterday and a shorter trip today with more leisure time.

Lis's 365 (May 16th 2019)

Some of these pictures are repeats, but it is a good summary of our holiday in Portugal.

Evora

May 15th we made a visit to Evora. Everywhere was cobbled. There were some steps, but we managed these. I wore my decent Hotter shoes with good grips.  Although well inland, this walled city goes back to Roman times and is where Vasco da Gama lived. There is a bizarre "Chapel of Bones" made with skeletons. Getting to Evora was through rolling countryside called Alentejo.  This region has very few houses. We saw plenty of storks, a few cattle egrets and a grey shrike There were plenty of birds I could not identify, but alas no bee eaters.

Last Pousada

All the Pousadas have been very good. Accommodation has been very good and the food good too apart from the dinners at the Pousada in Viseu. At this place breakfasts were good but organisation at dinner and the food quality left something to be desired. Memories of "Faulty Towers" come to mind. Our last Pousada in Alcacer do Sal is much better. Food and accommodation are good although the air conditioning does not work! Surprisingly, we slept well with the door open. The farewell drinks and dinner were good. We will be sorry to probably not see some again.

See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcácer_do_Sal

Lisbon (Lisboa)

We spent the day in Lisbon, returning to the Queluz pousada at about 4pm. We stopped firstly at the Maritime Museum with lots of models of ships that the early explorers used as well the actual royal barges dating from the 1700s.

There was a very large earthquake in Lisbon in 1755 in which 10% of the city's population was killed. Since then the city has been largely rebuilt.

It is a fine city built, like Rome, on 7 hills. It is famous for its old trams. When we were there it was very hot - the thermometers outside pharmacy's varied from 32-37 deg C. Whatever it actually was, it was in the mid 30s and felt very hot!

Queluz

This pousada is in the old guard housings opposite the royal palace. Our rooms are very grand with a separate lobby area and 2 TVs. Buffet evening meal across the road very good. Breakfast in the pousada. Nice buffet.

See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queluz,_Portugal

Journey to Queluz

On the way down to the next pousada not far north of Lisbon we stopped at the old university town of Coimbra (bottom picture) and at Obidos where we saw these oranges. Coimbra was very steep and involved some unnecessary steps to get in to the historic baroque library (we found out later we could have gone in directly without all those steps!).

Our only sighting, so far, of storks was near Coimbra where around 10-12 were spotted. We saw 2 storks nests. Although I have been looking for bee-eaters, none seen.

Obidos was pretty but clearly a tourist trap.

Viseu

Internal view of the pousada lounge

Door knocker

After a walk around the old town in the morning with the guide and cup of coffee with new friends from Gloucester  (she reminds us both of Jean Haigh), we bought a couple of filled croissants for just 1 euro each.

In the afternoon we went by coach to an old sanatorium in the mountains at Caramulo in what is now an art gallery and car museum.

Journey to Viseu

Today, we travelled on to our second Pousada in Viseu. This one is again a grand building. This was an old hospital. Unlike the first, this was in town. On the way we made a few stops, the first being for a wine tasting at a place with magnificent gardens complete with peacocks. At last the rain stopped and it was sunny.

We were appalled that the coach driver spoke on his mobile phone whilst driving. Also, we found out that the courier was at school (Hazeldine) with Jo (John's wife).

Porto

Today it rained!  Our guide in Porto reminded us of our guide in Vilnius last year - boring! She was doing her job, but going on and on about uninteresting facts that we would soon forget! As well as seeing the famous city sights (the cathedral, the station with all the tiles), we visited the gardens with the pink art-deco house and Marilyn Monro's shoes made out of pots and pans.

See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porto

Guimaraes

We stayed at this Pousada for three nights. Today we visited  the old part of Guimaraes, which is reported to be the old capital of Portugal. Many of the old buildings are made of granite. Lunch was a cake, a cheese and ham sandwich and 2 coffees was 5 euros total including the tip.  In the afternoon we walked around the gardens, avoiding the steps!

See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guimarães

See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guimarães

Flight

Good, on-time flight to Oporto. Coach to Guimeraes Pousada took just under an hour. Pousada excellent with lovely room, good food and  wonderful building. Weather not brilliant! Cloudy, windy.

First day

As we did not want the tension of not getting to the airport on time, we travelled to Gatwick the day before staying at the Premier Inn Gatwick North. We went by SAGA taxi. Both journey down and the stay at the Premier Inn were excellent: no tension, relaxed and good to be there in good time.