Departing Lisbon on Wednesday we headed north for our final destination, Porto.

En route we stopped for a break in Coimbra, home of Portugal’s first and largest University. Yvonne’s navigational skills suffered a little hiccup here and she had us parked some distance from the old centre. By the time we had trudged up what surely must be the World’s biggest staircase, viewed the University medical school, trudged back down and eventually found the centre of action, we were hot, tired and grumpy.

A quick meal (which wasn’t too bad) and a lovely sangria turned our moods around somewhat, Sam even bought some shoes (!) and we headed back to find Pablo the Third who luckily had not incurred any parking fines in our absence. As we left Coimbra it began to rain quite heavily and light drizzle persisted as we hit the outskirts of Porto.

Our host had warned us that some GPSs could not find his apartment but this time Yvonne was up to the task and a little after 6pm we were very warmly greeted by Pedro who proceeded to explain every last attraction and culinary delight that Porto had to offer for the next hour. He does love his city and rightly so, as we were to discover.

Porto is Portugal’s second largest city and most importantly, the first place in the world to make Port! In fact unless it is made here it is not officially Port.

The city straddles the Douro river which is crossed by no less than six bridges. We were staying in an apartment on the Vila Nova de Gaia side which faces Porto city and is also the home of the Port Wine ‘caves.’

Our building is in centre of the photo to the right, just adjacent to the arched road support.

As we headed down to the riverside we realised that we were, in fact, within stumbling distance of more Port Wine caves than we could count.

Dinner was unremarkable but noticeably cheaper than Lisbon and we hit the sack fairly early hoping that the rain would clear tomorrow.

This is the view from our apartment, looking back over the river to Porto.

Sam had commented as soon as we had arrived that Porto reminded him of Venice and I have to agree. A densely packed city concentrated on the waterfront and extending up a steep hill with multicolored tall buildings and terra cotta roofs, it was another picture postcard perfect vista and worthy of many photos!

Given that we had different agendas to cover, Sam set off LP in hand determined to to cross off every attraction on his list whilst Russell and I had a more leisurely approach.

The beautiful Livraria Lello, a very old bookshop known for its stunning architecture and in particular it’s staircase, was on all of our hit lists and was well worth the hunt for it.

Photo courtesy of google as you are now not allowed to photograph the interior – too many tourists posing on the staircase were interrupting business!

Nearby, I found what I had been looking for, the home of Porto’s speciality soap makers. I was in seventh heaven and only a stern look from Russell stopped me after about 2 kilos!

After lunch we found the almost vertical funicular, very useful for weary travelers and locals alike who have to deal with Porto’s steep streets on a daily basis. 1.65 euro one way was more than worth it!

We had arranged to meet Sam at 4pm in order to visit Pedro’s recommended Port cave, Crofts. It turned out to be quite pleasant, 3 euro bought you three Port tastings and a brief but interesting guided tour of the facility. We started with a non-vintage, then a pink (apparently pioneered by Crofts) and ended with the vintage 20 year old.

The next day we caught the tram down to the beach, had a great breakfast at the windy Deck Bar

and then took to the water for a river cruise encompassing the six bridges with some informative commentary.

Afterward we rode the scenic cable car that we can see from our balcony – I don’t think I have ever seen so many forms of transport in one spot – we counted cars, buses, trams, trains, bikes, tuk tuks, boats, helicopters, funiculars, elevators, cable cars and motorbikes

Just a side note on the trams, they are very nostalgic, all wood panelled interior and leather seats.

This one had been renovated in March 2012.

We also happened to be in town immediately prior to the Festa de São João or Festival of St.John the Baptist.

This occurs on the evening of June 23rd ( our flight was at 4pm) but we certainly saw plenty of preparations and decorations in full swing for a couple of days prior.

One of the stranger customs is that people run around with plastic hammers and hit each other on the head! We saw dozens of street sellers selling brightly coloured plastic hammers of all colors and sizes and also potted basil plants were everywhere as well. Many people buying them and many shops and restaurants with plants on the counter – reputedly for good luck. Legend also says that jumping over a fire and bathing in the Douro River before sunrise on the 24th are also the things to do – maybe next time…

These little cuties were part of a procession of pre-schoolers carrying arches and decorations that were obviously part of the Festival.

Amazing amazing city – I love Porto!

Dinner was taken once again at the waterside, our last meal together before we fly to Paris tomorrow on our way home and Sam to Madrid to continue his odyssey.

Spain and Portugal, in particular, have been very pleasant surprises – friendly people, beautiful landscapes and stunning architecture – I can’t wait to return and highly recommend to any would be European traveler

Boa Noite

Our last day in Lisbon was devoted to crossing a couple of boxes on our ‘must see’ list.

Lisbon’s iconic (postcard shot) Monument to the Discoveries is located on the bank of the Targus River and celebrates Portugal’s Age of Discovery in the 15th and 16th centuries.

I had seen it on someone else’s Facebook (!) and couldn’t wait to see it in the stone, so to speak. It was magnificent, quite awe inspiring and we also went to the top for panoramic views of Belém, the suburb in which it is situated.

The other key monument here is the Torre de Belém (Belém Tower.)

This fortified tower was built in the 16th century and classified a Unesco World Heritage site in 1983.

We had fun climbing the claustrophobic stairs and visiting the dungeons (for very short people) before heading back to the commercial strip to sample the other item that Belém is famous for….

That item is the Delicious Pasteis de Belém – a custard tart that was developed by the nearby monastery in the 18th century and has become a culinary institution – one that we had to try! And then try another one, just to make sure the first one wasn’t a fluke……

They were gorgeous and the café was absolutely packed, a rabbit warren of little rooms to eat with fabulous decorative tiled walls and scrumptious offerings on the front counter. There is often a queue to get in here. You could even see into the actual bakery where they were churning the tarts out at a great rate – in fact ours were still warm.

I’m sure we climbed enough stairs to deal with those extra calories …didn’t we?

Moving somewhat slowly, we ambled down to the Maritime Museum which held Russell’s and my interest for the first room but we soon found our interest waning whilst Sam was clearly absorbed. We decided to digress and we trotted down to the Royal Coaches Museum, arranging to meet him back at the apartment.

A stunning collection of more than 40 royal coaches from throughout the ages, it left me feeling very sorry for the horses who had to pull some of them!

The other highlight of the day was the ingenuity of one of the young buskers angling for donations near a road underpass. We saw many busker/beggars on our trip and this young lad was playing the accordion (like so any others we saw) but with a difference…. Check out his tiny accomplice holding the paper cup for donations – too cute to resist! A very cool point of differentiation.

Ready to put our up feet by now, we headed back onto the tram toward our apartment and as we were disembarking we were tapped on the shoulder by Sam, coincidentally he had been sitting at the back of our tram all along.

For our last dinner in Lisbon, we dined at a lovely tapas bar overlooking the city as the late evening sun bathed the terra cotta roofs – just stunning.

A half an hour away from Lisbon by train is Sintra. Sintra is a small town dotted with 19th century Romantic architecture, parks, palaces, castles and woodland and has become a tourist day trip mecca.

The Pena National Palace was the home of the Portugese Royal Family in the 18th and 19th century and did not disappoint.

A fanciful collection of turrets and towers, one expected Rapunzel to drop her braid over the stone wall any minute.

Another photographer’s paradise!

We spent several hours at the Palace and then another one enjoying the gardens associated with it.

Queen someone’s fern gully even had Australian tree ferns and there were dwarf red kangaroo paws planted at the palace.

It was really very impressive though and we could have used another day here easily, there were several other palaces and gardens that we didn’t get to.

We did however, make it to the Moorish castle. It was blowing a gale and Sam insisted on walking the perimeter ramparts. I was sure I would get blown off in places and how Russell’s hat survived I will never know!

Spectacular views though.

We made it back down the hill to Sintra village and the train station and by dinner time were back in Lisbon to sample yet more local delicacies.

Leaving hot Sevilla behind, Friday morning saw us heading west into Portugal.

Not particularly a scenic route we arrived at Faro, Portugal, on the coast, at around lunchtime.

Lunch was OK, we heard our first spoken Portuguese and were surprised at how different to Spanish it was and we headed back onto the motorway for Lisbon. The Algarve coast is very picturesque and we were disappointed not to have had more time to explore it further but that will be for another time.

Trusty Yvonne had little trouble navigating Lisbon’s streets and without too much trouble we were unloading outside our apartment in Rua Garrett.

The view from the balconies was stunning and we had to tear ourselves away to find the local supermarket and stock up with provisions including pizzas for an easy first night meal.

The location was akin to staying in Rundle Street I guess – perfect during the day and challenging to say the least on a Friday night as we were to find out a few hours later! Double glazed windows and shutters could not drown out the piano accordion player who knew only one tune.

The next day however, all was forgiven as we explored gorgeous Lisbon (well almost all, we were a bit weary.)

We went to explore the square at the waterfront to find that it had been transformed for the Mega Pic Nic – what appeared to be an exposition on Portuguese produce and custom. There were black Iberian pigs, sunflowers, salted cod (lots of salted cod!) goats, honey etc etc.

My favorite of course was the group of six horses and riders who escorted a bull through the square with nothing but the horses and two big sticks for guidance.

Dragging ourselves away we eventually found the famous yellow Tram 28 which rattles its way around Lisbon along a perfect sight seeing route along impossibly narrow roads – the wood panelled interior exuding olde world charm and nostalgia.

These trams are amazing ,some of the steep streets they climb defy description!

Lisbon’s Castelo Sao Jorge (St. George Castle) provided a great viewpoint, we could even see our apartment from the mirador.

What also became obvious was that we had arrived in the middle of the sardine festival!

This is a two month festival where the sardine rules – grilled sardines available on almost every street corner and restaurant.

Riding the tram is the best way to see the city of ‘Seven Hills’ and provided many photo ops.

The other unique feature of Lisbon’s (or Portugals) architecture is the use of tiles. The facade of many buildings were covered in ceramic tiles, some bright and obviously restored, others dingy and ancient.

Even the pavements are interesting

Sight seeing in Lisbon kept us busy for many hours as we discovered Vasco da Gama’s resting place….

and the famous Santa Justa Elevator, an elevator that transports customers 45 metres ( seven stories) from one suburb to another in very hilly Lisbon. The architect was a colleague of Gustave Eiffel…

not bad value for a few euros said my aching knees and feet,

and great views from the top!

The venue for dinner on Tuesday night was important – Portugal were playing the Netherlands and we decided to head to a ‘happening bar’ to partake of the atmosphere…

Sam thought he had seen an Irish bar that would fit the bill and we wandered fruitlessly until we heard a loud cheer and found a small eatery in a less than obvious spot. Unsure, we looked in the door and were warmly welcomed by what appeared to be the manager of the restaurant eating with family and friends. A table was quickly set up for us, a round of drinks served (on the house we found after) and Russell and I were furnished with Portugal scarf and hat respectively to watch the game. It turned out to be very exciting (not for the Danish couple who came in later and needed Portugal and Germany to lose for Denmark to advance.)

So, Portugal won! With five minutes to go our hosts were uncorking the champers and pouring a glass for everyone and when time was called there was much celebrating!

A great way to end the day, we stumbled back to the apartment through celebrating locals and slept rather well!

Next stop on our architectural odyssey was La Mezquita, the Mosque-Cathedral in Córdoba which although 142 Kms from Sevilla, is an easy day trip thanks to the fast train that covers the distance in 42 minutes!

Originally a pagan temple, then a Moorish mosque, after the Spanish reconquista a cathedral was inserted into the middle of it. It stands as one of the finest examples of Islamic architecture in the Western world and is a World Heritage Site.

The contrast between the Islamic features of multiple arches and beautifully coloured plasterwork and ceilings with the Christian altars, paintings and statues was profound. I found myself preferring the eastern style.

The Cathedral ceiling.

After spending several hours here we then wandered the labyrinthian streets of Córdoba stopping occasionally for a beer and/or sangria in the oppressive heat.

Well known for its ceramic artisans, there were plenty of options on sale and of course a couple of plates made their way in to my luggage, hopefully they will make it back to Oz intact!

Tired and hot, we caught a cab back to the train station, found our seats (opposite an Aussie mother and son, she in her 60s and still telling her son to turn his iPod volume down!) and headed back to Sevilla.

On our last day in Sevilla we decided to take it slow and attend to a bit of housekeeping. Russell had his hair cut (at the Barber in Seville!), I had my legs waxed and we did the washing as well as a bit more unstructured ambling around. Today was actually Sam’s birthday and we had booked a Flamenco show at 10pm given that Sevilla is the home of flamenco.

Dinner first was an interesting experience but they did get into the spirit of things with a candle of Sam’s dessert.

Los Gallos (the “Cocks”) came highly recommended by the Lonely Planet and various other forums and it did not disappoint. A very intimate setting ( no photos allowed whilst the show is underway), we were mesmerized for two hours and definitely felt the duende.

Duende refers to the spirit of evocation. It comes from inside as a physical and emotional response to music.

It was a memorable way to celebrate Sam’s 26th and we stumbled home at about 1am to face packing up and moving on to Portugal the next day.