Portugal

Joel had a conference in Portugal this fall and this was one opportunity that I wasn't going to sit back and allow him to take on his own. With the huge sacrifice of his parents, we were able to take the trek to Europe together. Although we missed the boys, we knew that they were in great hands with their grandparents. This is the abbreviated version of our trip....


Jet-lagged and hungry we had our first dinner at a Brazilian Churrascaria in Lisbon. We showed up early and were one of the first ones through the door. (Who knew that dinner doesn't start until 8:00 PM?)
On our way up to the conference we stayed a couple nights on the coast. This is our view from our first quarto (room). We had our own balcony overlooking the ocean in Buarcos, an old fishing village.

A flea market right out in front of our room....

The roads and sidewalks were all made of these cobblestones. So pretty and built to last.
Believe it or not, the street signs were even more difficult to maneuver than the ones in New Hampshire. Not only were they in a different language, they weren't on poles on the corner of the street. The signs were made of tile and affixed to the side of buildings. (Thank goodness we didn't drive around in the dark.)

In Aveiro we took a touristy boat trip in the canals throughout the city. Despite looking like tourists, we had a great time soaking in the views.



The seafood was ever-so fresh.... usually caught that day. Joel and I had interesting cuisine on our trip. Here I am peeling my shrimp, trying not to get curry sauce everywhere.

Street signs were not the only problem that we incurred while taking to the roads in Portugal. Who knew that diesel goes by more than one name at the same pump? Oops, double oops.... we filled up with the wrong type of fuel. After a tow-truck, a taxi, an unhappy Hertz employee, and being unable to speak Portuguese, we were back on the road again within 4 hours.

Finally we arrived to Braganca for Joel's conference. After sharing a meal of wild rabbit and pheasant with chestnuts we took a stroll through the streets.
We enjoyed the views atop the castle....
Joel decided he had a bit of confessing to do while checking out the monastery.


(Out of Jude's book... naughty boys must sit in the dungeon...)

A side trip from Braganca... Into the mountains of Spain. We checked out Spain's largest freshwater lake.






Braganca is close to one of the largest wine regions in Portugal, the Douro region. Here are some views from the car. (Our new Opel....)

On the way back to Lisbon we stayed in a surfer city, Peniche.

We got a chance to tour a prison that was used up until the 1980's. It was used to house Salazar's political prisoners.

A morning walk in Peniche....



Inside the prison....

We couldn't leave Portugal without touring a castle or two. What better place to do this than the town Sintra, just outside Lisbon?




This is a view of the bed and breakfast that we enjoyed while staying in Sintra....
The second castle that we toured had the most beautiful arboretum. It was filled with trees and plants from all over the world. Quite amazing!
(Views of yet another castle on our hike up through the arboretum.)


While checking out the arboretum on the way back down, we stopped to one of the queens favorite lookouts. I love the seat built right into the rock. I can understand why she like this view.... so mystical.