Portugal - duas medidas

2016 Sep & 2017 Nov

In September of 2016 we had a week’s business in Lisbon, so took an extra week to explore some of Portugal. We had been in the UK prior to this, and flew into Lisbon via Madrid. We spent a night in the centre of the city, walking into the old city and enjoying a dinner with fado. 

 

Our first destination out of Lisbon was Belém, which is in essence a part of greater Lisbon, at the mouth of the Tagus, and the focal point for Portuguese maritime expansion around the world. We knew Belém, the Brazilian port at the mouth of the Amazon, and it was interesting to make the connection with this port at the other side of the Atlantic. 

 

We visited the Museu Coleção Berardo, with its collection of modern and contemporary art, the Praça do Imperio, and Torre de Belém, also stopping to taste the famous Pastéis de Belém. From here we headed for Sintra to visit the Palacio de Pena, staying overnight in the village.

Our next stop was Óbidos, and then Coimbra, where we spent some time at the university, the the oldest academic institution in the Portuguese-speaking world, where one can visit the Biblioteca Joanina, which received its first books in 1750 CE. We were interested to note the combination of 16^th century college buildings, graduating students in traditional gowns, and the drone-mounted camera in use to photograph them.

We wound our way through small towns and villages to visit Guimarães, recommended small town in the north of Portugal, spending the night there before continuing to Porto, which proved to an attractive city at the estuary of the river, with cafés and restaurants on the “Ribeiro, a cableway ascending the stepp bank, and warehouses of the port-exporters on all sides. There is much to see in Porto: the Igreja Ildefonso, Mercado de Bolhão, Capela das Almas, Palacio de Bolsa, Fortaleza São João, Serralves Art Museu, and Casa do Musica among others. 

The off inland to Vila Real and then the Serra da Estrela, enjoying the narrow roads through this small massif, on the way to Belmonte, where we stayed at the Convento de Belmonte. From here south again to Elvas, Estremoz, and Évora, a UNESCO World Heritage Site – still largely enclosed by its mediæval city walls.

After this our plan was to return to Lisbon; we were slightly unhappy that we had not yet found much in the way of traditional fabrics, and found a reference to a weaving centre at Reguenguos do Monsaraz, not far east of Évora. This proved to be a disappointment, so we chose to explore the country a little further east before heading back to Lisbon. We soon saw a hilltop not far away, which appeared to have a fort on the summit. We had seen no reference to this in various guides and websites however chose to investigate, and found that this was the tiny village of Monsaraz, perched overlooking the lake which lies on the border with Spain, and which proved to be exactly the place we were looking for, with beautiful hand-woven fabrics on display. 

 

After enjoying this discovery we returned to Lisbon for the week, enjoying excellent food at (among other places) the renowned Cervejaria Ramiro and at the Mercado de Ribeira.

 

 

Then off to Argentina on the way home(!).

On our way home from our nine-month trip through Africa, at the end of 2017, we again had business in Lisbon, and so had the opportunity to enjoy the city again. This time we didn't plan to spend any time outside the city, however took full advantage of the excellent metro to visit the old centre and dockside, as well as eating at many good restaurants, including Cervejaria Ramiro (again). This time we stayed at a hotel near the Benfica Stadium, gaining an awareness of the importance of this edifice, and the football team it houses, in the city.

Abrazos

Alan and Marce

Photos may be used for non-commercial purposes with credit to alanymarce@gmail.com