27 Aug - Last blog post

It's 27 Aug and I'm sitting at Heathrow airport waiting to board our plane back to NZ, via HK.

We got back to London on 24 Aug.  The plan was to continue to blog while we were here, but it's just been too damn busy.  Doing too much during the day and staying up late, drinking and eating late into the night, right up until today.

So instead, I'll close off with some random thoughts on Portugal

They're a bit like the Moroccans in that they are very passionate and talking excitedly, gesticulating crazily.  You never know if there's an argument going on or people are just being passionate.

They drive fast!  The speed limit on the open road is 120kph - they drive a LOT faster. Some easily over 150 - 160kph!

Bus drivers drive REAL fast too (around town) - especially if it's the last bus of the day! Nerves were definitely tested on a few occasions. They can negotiate buses through such narrow streets, it would, at first glance, appear to be impossible.  Not for these driving magicians though!

Most common cars are Audi's, then Mercedes, VW, BMW...  Unlike home, most cars are European - Japanese, Korean etc are a definite minority

Graffiti and street art is everywhere - buildings, fences, bridges, motorway barriers, homes, trains, buses......  There's some real cool stuff and some very uncool! 

It's old!  Like the rest of Europe, Portugal's history goes back centuries.  It really is quite staggering when reading about events that took place in the Roman days and earlier. 

Lisbon is a very cool city.  It oozes history, but sits very comfortably with a sense of youthfulness and vibrancy.   

Porto is fabulous.  The way the city is built, growing upward from the river, on top of each other.  It has a remarkable history as well, but it really is all about food and wine/port here!

Cable cars and trams are brilliant.  I love how they've kept the old trams in use as well as bringing in the newer ones. They old teams are very small and they look so cool with people squeezed into them and even hanging off the side!  The tramways are driven so close to the buildings, at times you think you need to breath in to let them pass. 

We loved the crazy paving and cobbled streets that are everywhere in Portugal.  The crazy paving (my description), is best described as thick, mainly black and cream multi-shaped tiles and are generally limited to footpaths. The people that lay the tiles should genuinely call themselves artists.  There are so many different designs and patterns, it would be easy to create a book on these creations.  They also use the tiles for advertising a shop or something of note, such as a historic date or event.

Then there's the cobbled roads.  These are real teeth-rattlers!  The buses bounce along  the cobbles and everyone inside sways to its uneven rhythm. Our campervan rattled across the cobbles - there were moments when it was so bumpy we thought everything would fall off or come flying out of the cupboards.

In the north, the beaches are full of people but not many people swim - the water of the Atlantic is just too cold.  The beaches themselves are beautiful and we didn't spend nearly enough time there.

They love seafood!  It's everywhere and it's damn good!  Whole cooked sardines are delicious - heavily salted and oiled!  They're also pretty tricky to eat - there's a bit of an art to skinning and boning them!

Prices in the cities are what you would expect from a large city in Europe.  The further outside the cites you go, the cheaper things become. 

There are so many small towns and villages.  Driving the 'N' roads is a great idea to see what regional and rural Portugal looks like.  It looks amazing!

The people are some of the friendliest we've come across.  With the odd exception, everyone bends over backwards to help - they appear to genuinely value us being in their country.  

Until my next blog, this is the end!

23 Aug - last day in Portugal

Ok so last night wasn't as peaceful and quiet as I made out in yesterday update.  The campground was very family orientated and clearly everyone knew everyone else.  Large groups of kids from five year olds to teenagers were out playing and talking (actually shouting/screaming) until around 11:30pm!!  Not to worry, it was still a lovely little place and we managed to get to sleep at a reasonable hour.

And then the rooster started up at 5:30am!!!!!!!  If I had a gun that rooster would have been in serious trouble!!

Even with the early wake up call, we just lazed around and didn't hit the road until around 10:00.  As we need to be at the airport at 8:00am tomorrow morning, we've decided to stay at the same Lisbon campground we stayed at when we arrived.  We only had one stop planned for today and that was the city of Coimbra.

Coimbra, the medieval capital of Portugal, is best known as being home to Portugal's best University for over 500 years!!!  The Universidade de Coimbra was Portugal's first University.  Its founder Dom Dinis proudly stands at its entrance - he founded it in 1290, originally in Lisbon, but then it was finally settled in Coimbra in 1537.   Coming from such a young country as New Zealand, some of the dates that we read about or see are staggering and quite hard to comprehend!

It holds on to a lot of tradition such as students still being required to wear black robes and capes when they attend class. There is also a very strict code of practice that all students must respect or risk expulsion. 

As it was Sunday and also the fact that the University was in the middle of a break, the town resembled a ghost town when we arrived.  It was pretty easy to spot the university as it is perched on top of a hill overlooking the city and the Rio Mondego.  We drove up to the university and made that our base for our visit.

First on the list was a walk around the university.  There were several people dressed in black/white suits, with black capes thrown across their shoulders who were acting as tour guides and advisors.   Perhaps they were students trying to earn a few euros in their summer holidays?  

The university is beautiful - and very big.  It reeks of tradition and pomp & ceremony.  Mosaics adorn the walls and the tiled and cobbled footpaths and roadways that we have seen across Portugal are beautiful.  The views from the university are fantastic.  Up and down the river and across the city - it was a beautiful day, so the views went on and on.

After wandering around the university, we headed down on the city side of the hill, to the Jardim Botanico - the botanical gardens.  This is a beautifully peaceful area in the city which we could just imagine people escaping to for midday lunch or coffee.  The gardens are fairly sizeable and include a rope and flying fox course high in the trees in the forest section. It looked like fun as we watched people swinging from tree to tree, but we opted out and instead headed back up to the university and then down the other side.

As we descended towards the river and walked around the city, it definitely had the feel of a University town - some pretty dodgy looking places that just reeked of student flats.  Very reminiscent of other university towns around the world.  

On the way down, we came across Coimbra's original cathedral.  The newer, and current official cathedral of Coimbra, is further up the hill next to the University. 

For a €2 donation, we got to enter the cathedral and attached cloisters.  Built in the 12th century, it's a beautiful building, but is in need of some serious TLC, so the donation is no great hardship.  It was actually built on top of the original 10th century basilica that was destroyed in 1184.  Some of the art work and statues on display are incredibly old and must be priceless.  

The cathedral is also the resting place of many of the bishops throughout the centuries and the founding fathers of the city, including the tomb of Sesnando who was the first ruler of Coimbra in the 11th century.  

One of the things that really stands out about Portugal is that everywhere you go, you see loads of graffiti.  Whilst there's a fair bit of tagging, most of the graffiti would probably be called graffiti art.  We're not sure if it's encouraged, but there is loads of it everywhere and Coimbra, the university, and the town, is no exception.  Some of the stuff is pretty good, but there's a lot that just looks like pure vandalism.

After our visit to Coimbra, it was time to head to Lisbon for our last night in Portugal. 

The two hour drive to Lisbon was pretty uneventful.  We drove on the A1 which is a toll road for most of the way.  Here's a tip for visitors to Portugal.  If you want to save money, stay off the main motorways.  Most are tolled and pretty expensive.  Our 200km journey today cost €21!  Aside from the savings by staying off the motorways, the views on the smaller roads are far nicer as you pass through little villages and towns.  

Once settled into our campground, there was just enough time to head into town for one last look around and dinner down at Praca do Comercio.  This was a great way to end our time in Portugal.  

Tomorrow morning, it's back to London

22 Aug - Adeus Porto, it's been (more than) fun

With only two more nights left in Portugal, it was time to head back towards Lisbon. We decided to take the scenic route, opting to travel along the road that follows the Rio Douro east through to Peso da Regua and then head south towards Lisbon, stopping in the small riverside town of Penacova for the night. 

The first thing we need to do was to negotiate the narrow streets that the bus driver had so expertly driven along at life-threatening speeds.  I was nowhere near as brave as the bus drivers and crawled along the narrow streets, thankfully negotiating them without incident!! 

The road along the Rio Douro was absolutely beautiful.  It twisted and turned, staying close to the river then turning inland, before returning to the river further up the road. All the while, we were travelling through small villages and stunning scenery that was saturated by terraced vineyards. 

The road rose to heady heights looking down steeply on the vineyards and river below. As abruptly as it would rise, it would then return down to the river level. 

Our first stop for the day was at a roadside cafe, Senhora do Monte.  For the princely sum of €3 we got two excellent (large) coffees, one paux au chocolate and an absolutely delicious cheesey, hammy, tomatoey, mushromy slice - best food deal of the trip so far!!! 

The road from Porto to Peso da Regua is only around 150kms or so, but it took us around 4-5 hours because we kept stopping for the limitless number of photo opportunities along the way and also because of the twists and turns in the road. There are no real straight sections of any note, so progress can be very slow, especially in a campervan. 

Scattered along the road there are glass encased figurines of Jesus, Mary or some other saint. There are also a fair number of statues of Jesus or some other biblical figure in amongst the grapevines looking down over the valley.

As we drove up the the river we arrived at a small place called Entre-os-Rios and saw a tall, beautiful statue of an angel on the side of bridge on the other side of the river, so decided to stop and investigate. 

We found out that the monument was erected in the memory of the 59 people who lost their lives on 04 March 2001 when a bus and three cars plummeted into the Rio Douro below, when the 100+ year old Hintze Ribeiro bridge they were travelling on collapsed. 

From Wikipedia - 'Fast waters and a storm at the time gave no chance for an immediate rescue, and the victims drowned. Although the site of the accident was more than 30 kms away from the sea, the strong river current meant that bodies were found as far away as the north coast of Spain and one even in France.'

The monument is beautifully designed and stands atop of a peaceful underground chamber with the photos and names of those that lost their lives that day. A beautiful remembrance for such a tragedy. 

As we continued up the road towards Peso da Regua, we were continually pointing out things to look at - the homes, the terraced hillsides, the staggeringly beautiful views up, down and across the river...... there's just so much to look at.

The way they have grown the grape vines in places, specifically designed to provide shaded areas of coverage to sit in or park their cars - very clever and looks so beautiful. 

Peso da Regua is a largish town and is kind of a junction as it sits alongside one of the main north/south roads, the A24.  From the we had to leave the beauty of the Rio Douro and turn right and head south - dammit, we were really enjoying the slow pace of the back roads. 

We stayed at Penacova tonight, a very sleepy little town nestled alongside the Rio Mondego.  

There's not an awful lot to say about Penacova and to be frank it doesn't really have a lot going for it other than its quiet - which we really like!!!

It's time to just chill - read, write a blog, listen to music, enjoy family, walk along the river, swim in the river or walk through the little town.  Whatever!  The peace and quiet is very welcome.  

It's our last full day in Portugal tomorrow, so we're planning a trip to Coimbra in the morning before heading to Lisbon for our last night in Portugal.