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!
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