Post Covid to Portugal

 It was time to journey from the Algarve, cimbing gradually up through the Portuguese interior on our way to Porto. Our destination today was the ancient city of Évora in the Alentejo region. Freeways and even B-roads are very good here, though you must be prepared for tolls on the major ones. I guess this is how they can afford to keep them in such good condition. They seemed underused, however, so I am not sure if the typical Portuguese driver drives on them! I can imagine they thumb their noses at paying to drive somewhere. There are plenty of small highways and backroads if you know where you are going and time is not an issue.  And no one except North American tourists pays any attention to speed limits, especially on the motorways. Even while we were going above the posted limit (110 kph) people were tearing past us at what seemed like 200+kph, riding our tail and weaving in and out of traffic. They're seriously insane! We were now in The Alentejo, the largest region of ...

 To our immense relief, our hotel started to fill up by dinner time last evening and at breakfast today we noticed about 40 people had joined us. Some sat around the pool while others took the small private ferry to the sand spit offshore known as Ilha de Tavira. This sandy island makes up part of the protected seashore known as the Parque Natural da Ria Formosa which stretches all along the coast from Faro almost to the Spanish border. Its dunes and sparkling white sand beaches are a popular hideaway and boats run several times a day from the hotel and from Tavira town. If we had more time we would have made the effort to visit but with a limited ferry schedule and further adventures planned we felt it was just not feasible. Maybe we need to learn to relax. After our breakfast we hopped in the car and headed the few kilometres through the salt marshes into Tavira, which our guidebook described as one of the prettiest towns in the Algarve. There is a lot of bike touring in Portugal...

 Bidding a fond farewell to our lovely Sagres hotel and its charming staff, we continued our journey along the southern coast. Our destination was the town of Tavira where I had spent a few hours with Ange, Kris and Nora in 2017. If the western Algarve is wild, untamed and undeveloped, the  eastern side is its hyperactive, party-loving younger sibling. This is the area that attracts flocks of European sun-seekers and has grown up accordingly. While not as over-developed as  the south of Spain, here is where you will find tons of resorts, hotels and rental apartments clustered around the harbours and strung along the miles of white sandy beaches.  Our first stop was the busy harbour town of Lagos, where we would be boarding a small boat to visit sea caves and grottoes off the rocky coast. Lagos has the dubious honour of having been a major slave-trading centre from the 15th century and was the capital of the Algarve until it was obliterated by the earthquake of 1755. ...

 Today was the first day that we woke up to grey skies but by noon the steady winds had blown the clouds away and we enjoyed more fabulous sunshine and blue sky in all directions. Heading out from Sagres, our first stop was at Cape St Vincent, a high rocky point that juts out into the ocean and which is said to be the last piece of their homeland seen by Portuguese sailors as they set off into the unknown. It is a stunning spot, with waves crashing against the base of the cliffs and a beautifully restored red lighthouse dominating the clifftop. We watched a daring (or crazy) fisherman casting his long line out and over the edge of the cliff. I hope his catch was worth it.  I was also struck by the range of colourful wild flowers and succulents stubbornly clinging to any piece of rocky soil they could find, a beautiful tableau against an ochre-coloured backdrop. A protected reserve, the area contains dozens of plant species found only in Portugal. Our road then took us north al...

 We both agreed that we could have used one more day in Lisbon, with a few things we had to miss, but it was time to get on the road.  At the car rental my husband was very pleased to see that we were to be given a hybrid Toyota hatchback. Not only would it save us a bit on fuel, we have been exploring hybrids for our next vehicle and this would give us a chance to really test one out.  I had been nervous about this part of the trip, what with the infamous toll roads and relying on GPS in a strange country but with Google Maps on my phone and a paper backup I figured we were well-covered. As it turned out, I needed to be. Getting out of downtown Lisbon was the first challenge. By the time the GPS was powered up and working properly (unplug, reboot, repeat) we were already lost, having been hurried out of the rental agency before we were really ready. Cue the Bickersons.  Eventually "recalculated" our route took us across the amazing Ponte de Abril 25 suspension bridg...

 Another hot and sunny morning and like the nobility of old we were heading for the hills. Sintra, where the rich and famous of the 18th and 19th centuries had their summer homes, is about a 45 minute drive outside of Lisbon. The alarm (what? on vacation?) woke us up at 7:00 and after our breakfast we made our way to meet our driver at the Hard Rock Cafe, no less - this is a modern city too. Along with 3 other couples we boarded our luxury Mercedes van for the drive into the neighbouring hills.  Our driver, Carlos, entertained us en route with a history lesson on the kings of Portugal. The last king was a distant cousin of Prince Albert, the husband of Queen Victoria - funny how these royal bloodlines all mix together. While there are other manor homes and small castles in the vicinity, our destination was the Palacio da Pena which is perched like a colourful jewel at the top of the tallest hill and looks like every little girl's dream of a palace fit for a fairy tale princess...

 Lisbon is the big city that doesn't feel big. Sophisticated and cosmopolitan, it manages to retain an old world charm with a friendly, laid-back attitude so typical of the southern European temperament.  Red-tiled roofs march up and down its seven hills like terracotta warriors. Wide sidewalks flank broad, tree-lined avenues, while thousands of narrow cobbled alleyways wind in and around distinct and characteristic neighbourhoods. Although it was busy I felt none of the stress of other large capital cities.  While the city is completely walkable, Lisbon's hills and cobbles do mean challenging walking for the unprepared. You will find staircases with broad stone steps; escalators ingeniously located inside main buildings; a historic elevator built in the late 19th century by the French engineer Eiffel (of tower fame) and funny little funicular trams, all designed to move people up and down between the distinct districts. Be forewarned: you will inevitably have to climb hi...

 All my pre-flight stress was for nought. After sailing trouble-free down the 401 to Pearson, we breezed through both check-in and security and were sitting with a cold beer within 2 hours of leaving home. It doesn't pay to watch the news sometimes. The same cannot be said for our arrival in Lisbon. With at least 1000 people waiting in line for passport control and 6 kiosks open, our welcome to Lisbon left a lot to be desired. When we finally made contact with our driver she reminded us that this week is the annual festival of the supernatural appearance of the Virgin Mary to 3 Portuguese children at Fatima and the faithful were arriving from all over the world to pay tribute after being forced to stay away during the pandemic. I might have more on that later though it is not high on my trip bucket list. Let's just say it is busy. First impressions of Lisbon are positive. We came in via Avenida de Liberdade, a wide leafy avenue that is more park than main throughfare with lots ...