Traveling home

 My return trip started very early. I warned Jyothi about my early start, hoping to not disturb her too much. I had booked my Uber the night before and I appreciated that it asked for my specific flight and told me when I would be picked up in order to have the right amount of time at the airport. One less thing for me to think about.

 It was still dark when I hopped in the Uber for the 20 minute ride to the airport. I had to ask the Uber driver where the terminal was! Inside, we went through the usual gauntlet of getting luggage and ourselves scanned (although the line kept moving). After that, we were hearded to the area for US passport holders. The line wasn't too bad. As with my entry, no one cared about the EU app QR code. After a quick check the officer let me through and then all I needed to do was find my gate. Once it was announced (I was too early), I found it and found a seat. Shortly before they boarded us, we were all herded out of the area, a rope put up and we were asked the usual travel questions (has anyone handled your luggage, are you here for business or pleasure etc). Apparently this step is at request of US. They scanned our passports again and then once you are inside the rope, you have to stay there. So much for last minute bathroom visit. We were boarded onto a bus from the terminal for the longest ever ride to our plane. I was seated again in one of the 2 seats by the window but this time I had a large man next to me. He was pleasant enough (helped with luggage, etc) but it couldn't have been comfortable for him.

 On the flight I picked up a headset (theirs has green and red earbuds) and some chocolate, watched Wicked part 2, had an okay meal, slept a bit, had the morning snack and then got myself ready to run the LAX gauntlet. 

Aside from the crowds inside the customs area, it didn't end up being too bad. I looked for the Global Entry area (other side of the room, of course), got in a short line, stood in front of the kiosk to get my face scanned, and the guy in the booth yelled out my name as cleared and I moved on. Outside the terminal, I walked to the next terminal over to catch the shuttle to LAX-It, picked up a taxi and was home. It was only mid day so I had many hours to stay awake and try to adjust back to Pacific Time! It was nice to be home, launder my clothes, and sleep in my own bed. 

Last day in Lisbon

Last night I planned to coordinate with Yoshiko to do the famous Tram 28 and Castelo Sao Jorge so after getting myself organized and having a so-so breakfast, we headed out to try and find tickets and the tram. 

Tickets are obtained via the Metro station and we get day passes. The start of the tram is a little more challenging because neither of us have good senses of direction so we kept going in circles but we found it. We waited for a couple of trams so we would have a seat with the intention of riding all the way to the end and back. 

This and a few other tramways still use the smaller traditional tram cars because they can fit in the narrow winding streets. We pass close by the tile walls of buildings, trams going the other way and around narrow corners avoiding pedestrians and wayward autos. At Camoes, we are suddenly told to get out. The tram is not continuing. Turns out they are using minibuses for the last half, which is not as fun. The remainder of the journey is in heavily residential areas. When we get kicked off the minibus, we take a minute to gather ourselves and I find a different tram routes that will take us near our hotel. This route goes a slightly different way, along the river. 

When we finally get back to our hotel, we circle the block a few times to try and find a bifana restaurant that Gerardo recommended. It was so simple but delicious, just garlicky pork on a soft roll and a pile of French fries. 

It really hit the spot after our morning excursion. 

Our afternoon adventure will take us to Castelo Sao Jorge which is uphill so we're Ubering. The Uber drops us off at the bottom of the walls surrounding the castle. A short walk takes us to the ticket office and inside the castle itself. The visit consists of a plaza with more great views of the city and river

A museum with artifacts discovered over the years, an archeological site and a walk inside the castle ruins and along the walls for more amazing views.

On the property of the castle is a flock of peafowl: several peacocks, peahens and their chicks. Some of the peafowl have white spots!  And the peacocks are loud! You can hear them screaming bloody murder all over the place! They attract a lot of attention (as they should) for photo ops and they don't seem to care all that much. 

This turned out to be a fun stop and worth a visit. 

Uber takes us back to our hotel where we will have the afternoon to rest before meeting the group for our final dinner. 

 

Dinner with the group is at a restaurant on top of a department store! We were all a little taken aback to walk into a darkened store with no one around. So weird! The restaurant itself is quite nice with a nice balcony, library in back and elegant decor.

 

 The menu is quite nice and they actually have a decent vegetarian section (Jyothi is vegetarian and has had some problems getting a nice meal in some places). I decided on the zucchini lasagna, since I was feeling 'cod-ed' out. The dish consisted of a puree of something with grilled slices of zucchini and what looked like kabocha squash. Quite delicious. A few of us shared a chocolate mousse which was dark, rich and a highlight of my meals in Portugal.

 I'm leaving quite early the next day so goodbyes are said. Some folks are staying in Lisbon for a few days, others are traveling onward. Gerardo has a few days off before picking up his next group tour. I hope to stay in touch with some of these folks but who knows! I've enjoyed this little taste of Portugal. I found the small towns and villages particularly charming and feel like those are the places to spend time in should I return.

Obidos & back to Lisbon

Today started out drizzling but we have a private transfer first to the small town of Obidos and then to Lisbon. It doesn't take long to get to Obidos. It's a small walled town and it's absolutely delightful.

We enter thru this portal which also features fantastic acoustics so there's usually someone performing here. Inside the wall are a couple of small pedestrian streets lined with shops, many of them with interesting handcrafts, or food or the usual tourist trinkets. There are a lot of ginginha shops because the sour cherry liqueur is from here. Every alley, window and doorway is beautifully decorated or has lovely plants around it. 

The town features a church you can visit as well as a couple of stairs to access the wall. There are no railings and the wall drops abruptly off on the town side but features beautiful views of the surrounding countryside. 

After some time to stroll around town, we meet to have a ginginha tasting. The liqueur s typically served in a chocolate cup and is quite delicious. 

After a delightful morning, we hit the road again for Lisbon. The hotel we are staying at is in the Rossio neighbourhood near some busy squares. Unfortunately there was some issues with the hotel regarding rooms for some of us and they handled it poorly. Because of this I didn't have time to take a few minutes breather before we headed out for our orientation walk. Gerardo takes us all over Lisbon, covering some places I had seen already but also many I hadn't and providing history that I wasn't aware of. The walk involves a lot of uphills and steps and is frankly exhausting. We stop off for pastel de nata to revive ourselves a bit.

They are delicious with the traditional cinnamon on top. Then its back to walking and learning. 

In the evening, because it's Gerardo's birthday, we stop at a Mexican restaurant near our hotel and have drinks/snacks. The evening ended up with tequila shots compliments of the restaurant! 

Tomorrow is a free day when most everyone will be doing their own thing so this feels celebratory. 

Nazare

Today's trip had us heading to the bus station in Coimbra to travel to Nazare. It seems like the bus network is pretty extensive here. On our route we passed 2 smaller towns and an area that had been recently devastated by a severe storm. 

We arrived in Nazare and a short walk got us to our hotel, right off the beach! My roommate and I had an ocean view from the end of our balcony.

I've been slightly obsessed with Nazare since watching the HBO documentary series '100 Foot Wave' about surfer Garrett McNamara and his search for the world's largest wave. Due to a series of geographical events happening all in this place the winter waves can reach astronomical heights. The town itself is a small fishing village but exceptionally picturesque. It also used to be a major pilgrimage site until Fatima knocked it off the throne. 

After a quick steak & chimichurri lunch and some time dipping my feet in the water, the group met to do a tour up to the upper part of the village. There is a funicular, thank goodness, because the cliff is steep! 

The upper village has a museum, small chapel that was built for the pilgrimage and the usual tourist booths. A path takes us down to the lighthouse point, past a gate welcoming us to the home of the world's biggest wave

and a statue of a deer-headed surfer

The lighthouse/fort includes a museum of surfer boards, some info on the reason for the big wave formations and stairs to the top for a vide of the ocean. We're at the level of the seagulls here and right now the water is calm and quiet. During big wave season, the waves are higher than the lighthouse!

It's a remarkable place that has a unique energy to it in the off season. It becomes a mad house during surf season. 

I took too many photos so I had to get back to my hotel to recharge, stopping to pick up a souvenir. From the hotel I walked to the dried fish open air museum down the beach. Several fishing boats are pulled up on the sand with a plaque describing what they are. Next to it are racks of fish and octopus being dried, as well as women sitting at tables with dried wares ready to sell. Quite artistic in their display. 

For the rest of the afternoon, I took advantage of our balcony to sit and recharge my phone and self with the cool ocean breeze.

In the evening, we had a group dinner at a restaurant down the street with an ocean view. We were the only ones in the place! I brought the wine that I was given at my Lisbon hotel to share. It turned out to be an amazing wine! 

Melissa and I shared a grilled fresh caught sea bass with salad and potatoes.

Dinner was festive with good conversation, drinking and eating and we finally left, with the wait staff staring us down. 

Coimbra

Today we all met at our hotel lobby to transfer to Coimbra. We are walking to Sao Bento train station to take a short hop to Porto Campanha station. Some of the group take a taxi with the larger baggage. 

We are in 2nd class (I think I got myself a 1st class ticket up to Porto) and it's quite comfy if a little more crowded than 1st class. The ride is smooth and once we get to Coimbra station, there's a short walk to the hotel. The rooms are cramped and the bldg feels a little run down. After we have a chance to settle in, the group meets for a walk and lunch. First we stop at this amazing mural that tells the story of a knight battling a cobra. Snakes used to be worshipped in the old days before Christianity.

Gerardo takes us to a bacalhao restaurant for lunch where I have cod fritters and tomato rice, like one of my Lisbon meals. 

Our Coimbra walk takes us to the lively main plaza, past very old churches, thru stone walls and up a very steep staircase called Backbreak street.

Coimbra is home to one of the world's oldest universities and we pass students in their traditional uniform which includes capes. They give off a bit of Hogwarts air. The University bldgs were mainly built in the time of the dictator Salazar and have a Brutalist look about them. The main University plaza is barren of plants but has a nice view and we saw students gathering for something. 

After the tour we have some time before our fado show. There's a ginginha shop and ice cream so a few of us did a shot in a chocolate cup pre-show.

The fado show was fantastic, two guitarists (one Portuguese and one classic) and two separate singers. The older man was particularly good. They described different songs they were singing and gave us some history along the way. After the show was a port tasting.

I got myself an ice cream after then Jyothi and I stopped at a place for a bite. I left earlier to go back to the hotel and showered then went to the roof terrace to view the sunset. 

Great little town that we only briefly touched on and could definitely see giving another day or so to fully explore. 

Porto tour and sunset

For our orientation walk, we meet Gerardo in the hotel lobby. He takes us all around the city, talking about the history. 

Some of the places are ones I went to yesterday but some are brand new, like the Cathedral of Porto, where there is also a starting point for the Camino de Santiago.

One of the highlights is walking to the river Douro and seeing one of the 6 Bridges, the rabelo boats formerly used to transport Port wine and now for tourists. Gerardo told us about going to the spot at the end of the Luis 1 bridge to watch the sunset. 

After the tour, we have a port tasting. I couldn't drink a whole glass of port but we ordered hummus & baba ghanouj appetizers, and talked about all kinds of things. 

After the port, we went back to the hotel and I rested. Most of us met in the evening to walk to the bridge for sunset. The crowds at the various viewpoints was amazing! 

I found a spot that provided an excellent photo spot while the others preferred a poorer photo spot that had a guitar player near by. 

The trains continued to run while we enjoyed the sunset. Afterwards, Jyothi and I headed back to the hotel but found a hip little restaurant to grab a bite. It ended up being another late night. 

1st full day in Porto and joining the tour

I have a cooking class booked for later this morning and found out last night that the location is literally a few doors down from the hotel. 

I relaxed in the morning and just wandered around the area a bit. 

The cooking class was so fun! There was a couple from Florida along with her distant cousin from Sweden/Africa. Chef Tania is Cordon Bleu trained and her daughter Barbara assisted.

Our menu consisted of a pastry with Portuguese sausage and apple, bacalhau a Bras, which I had for dinner the other day, and french toast with port wine reduction.

We started with the pastry by cooking onion & garlic, then adding pieces of the sausage. The pastry is a pre-made dough that we put some egg yolk on the edges, adding the filling, sealed the dough and then brushed more egg yolk on the top. 

Chef Tania added dried rosemary to the top.

Dish 2 started the same with onion & garlic, but then we added chopped up cod. Once the cod was done we added skinny fried potatoes. Finally, scrambled egg is added while stirring, hopefully making it smooth (although mine was not that smooth). The entire thing is crammed into a metal ring then garnished with parsley and fries onions before removing the ring.

We ate the cod and the pastry before making dessert.

We used small pieces of french toast dipped in the usual milk/egg mix and out that in olive oil to fry (instead of butter). Once the french toast is done on both sides, they go on a plate and sprinkled with a mix of cinnamon and brown sugar.

A pan with port wine is heated up with cinnamon stick and orange peel and brought to a boil. Once it's boiling, we put a pre-cut circle of parchment on top to help speed up the reduction. Eventually the bubbles slow down and get bigger and we know the sauce is done. Remove the cinnamon stick and peel and pour over the french toast. We were served a white and red wine with the meal and it was a great experience.

After lunch I needed to walk off the meal so I went to the Clerigo area. I debated visiting the church and tower but decided I didn't want to climb the stairs. I stopped by Livraria Llelo without going inside (the line was too long) and ended up at Igreja de Carmo.

This is another church with a blue & white tile facade. I chose to buy a ticket to tour this one. Inside there is also access to this tiny little house built between this church and a neighbouring one! They also have quite a few artifacts displayed and we were able to climb to the roof to get a view. 

From the church, I walked thru Sao Bento train station to get back to the hotel. The station is covered with tiles.

The Intrepid group meets this evening so I rested until then. The group consists of Leo from NYC, Lisa from Australia, Lori & Melissa mother and daughter from upstate NY, Yoshiko, Japanese-American woman from Texas, and two Indian-American ladies, Aruna & Jyothi, from Boston and Philadelphia respectively. Jyothi will be my roommate. Gerardo is our tour leader, originally from Mexico, has a PhD in Anthropology and working tours like this in between projects.

After getting some trip info we all head to dinner, get to know each other a little.