June 2015 Lisbon and Southern Portugal

After 5 wonderful days in and around Porto, we boarded another train for the ride south through Portugal all the way to Lisbon, the capital.   We had a wonderful little hotel right in the heart of the city above the upper end of the main pedestrian street which went down to the waterfront.  The lst day, we checked in and then walked down thru the shopping and pedestrian area to the waters edge, taking photos of the charming city.  The Elevador de Santa Justa was built in 1901 and it was designed by the same Frenchman who designed the Eiffel Tower.

Lisbon since 1755

The Praca do Come'rcio,  Lisbon's huge waterfront plaza and its main arch

The  Arco do Rua Agusta, Lisbon's famous main arch at the end of the pedestrian main street, the Rua Agusta which runs through the old downtown city center to the waterfront.

view from our room in our little hotel right downtown above upper end of Lisbon's main pedestrian street

Elevador de Santa Justa, a Landmark on side street in downtown Lisbon

The next day we boarded a train again for the ride north and west to Sintra.   From there, we first took a bus on out to the famous, well photographed Cabo da Roca.  This rocky point high above the Atlantic is the western most point of Europe.  The views are spectacular.  Then, we rode back to Sintra and a half day of hiking and touring the sprawling Moorish castle high on the mountain top nearby.  After climbing along most of the walls and enjoying the views far across that part of Portugal, we returned to town where we had a late afternoon lunch and beer in one of the lovely sidewalk cafes.  The weather was sunny, warm and wonderful, as it was every day we were in Portugal.    Finally, it was back to the train for the ride back into Lisbon.

Map showing Cabo da Roca and Sintra, with Lisbon just off map to lower right

Cabo da Roca monument

view to north along coast showing lighthouse

another view to north showing rugged Atlantic far below

Immense 10th century Moorish walled castle on the mountain top above Sintra

walking along one of the many outer walls with Sintra in the distance

Another view of the vast walled castle complex

looking up towards the Palace of Pena at highest point within walled complex

Downtown in Sintra at a sidewalk cafe and what I call a truly tall cold beer !!

The next two days, I explored downtown Lisbon on my own one day.  The highlight was the hike up above downtown Lisbon to the Castelo De Sao Jorge.  This is the most famous tourist attraction in greater Lisbon. The castle grounds , walls and area are huge , with many stunning views out over Lisbon and to the sea.  The Moors had a castle on the site since about the 10th century, before being finally overrun by the Christians in 1147.   I also then hiked down to visit the huge cathedral, Se' Catedral du Lisbon, originally built in 1150.    Finally , I crossed downtown to visit the ruins of the Ruinas du Campo, which was left standing after the immense earthquake of 1755 that destroyed Lisbon.

beautiful plaza only about 2 blocks from our hotel near old city center

ticket office to Castelo S. Jorge

view from Castelo S Jorge out over Lisbon, with suspension bridge in distance with Rio like Christ monument off end of bridge

main walls and moat of  Castelo S Jorge

view down into Lisbon's old city center

walking along top of many walls of the huge castle complex

the main Lisbon Se' Cathedral down towards waterfront from Castelo S Jorge

cathedral interior

one of many lovely plaza scenes in the downtown with the flowering blooms

another similar scene

The ruins of Lisbons main old gothic cathedral, Igreja do Carmo, built around 1400.   It was left as is after the 1755 great earthquake nearly destroyed it.   The ruins  site  just slightly above the old city center

The main downtown plaza in the old city center

 Then Sergey joined me for a days trip along the waterfront  out to see the Padrao dos Descobrimentos, or Monument to the Explorers, the Torre De Belem and the Mosteiro  dos Jeronimos.  These 3 very famous landmarks are all close together on the ocean front just west of the huge suspension bridge.   The Torre De Belem was constructed in 1515 in honor of the great "Age of Discovery and also is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  The Mosteiro dos Jeronimos was built in 1502 and is a gothic masterpiece from Portugal's "Age of Discovery"  It is a UNESCO World Heritage site.  Vasco Da Gama is buried inside.

The famous monument to the many famous Portugese explorers at waters edge was built in 1960  on 500th anniversary of  death of Henry the Navigator and the Age of Discovery.

Torre De Belem monument

another view from part way up the monument

view from near top of monument back towards the huge suspension bridge

Yours truly enjoying the view from the monument top

a view in the lovely grounds approaching the Mosteiro dos Jeronimos

The beautiful grounds in front of the famous Mosteiro dos Jeronimos

another view approaching the main entrance

the interior of the main cathedral within the complex

the tomb of Vasco De Gama, Portugal's famous early explorer

main courtyard within monastery

May 2015 Porto & Northern Portugal

After meeting my Russian travel friend, Sergey, for 2 days in Madrid,  we then flew to Porto, where he had been working for much of the past year on a doctorate project.  The town is extremely picturesque, perched on the hills above the Douro river at its mouth on the Atlantic.  It is the center of Portugal's world famous Port wines, with many wineries right on the river bank.
Our lst side trip was to take a day trip on the train north towards the Spanish border to visit the famous old medieval town of Guimaraes, dating from the 10th century.   It was a wonderful, sunny day and the town was a delight.  We walked the town, climbed to the famous old castle for a tour, took a lunch break in the old town, and then took a ride up the cable car to the top of the mountain above the town for a great view.   Finally we rode back to Porto on the train.

Map of Guimaraes historical old walled city area

The lovely center of the newer part of town

Having lunch in the old town center

The architecture of the old city center within the old walled portion.

The ancient castle or Castelo on the highest  center of the old walled town

The Ducal Palace, Dating back to the 5th century

another view from within the walls of the Castelo.

View of the inner courtyard of the Ducal Pal

Cable car base station in Guimaraes

View of Guimares (old walled city in center) from near the top of cable car

lovely chapel and grounds above cable car top station

I had a chance to visit much of Porto while Sergey had meetings.  He also escorted me around much of the City.  We went on the tour of the Calem Port winery, and had lunch at various restaurants in the city.  We walked miles, visiting the many landmarks, cathedral, fort, parks and the lovely ocean front.

Porto's Atlantic shore just north of mouth of River Douro, with restaurant where we stopped for lunch

steep walk from city center down to river bank restaurants and shops

delightful riverside area to eat and shop with the famous old Dom Luis bridge in background

one of the many port wine tour boats on the River Douro

some of the old wine boats used to transport the casks up and down the river 

interior view of the Calem Port winery we toured

enjoying a cold beer and the classic, famous Francesinha speciality dish of Porto

The massive ancient cathedral, Se' Catedral du Porto

statue in Catedral Plaza

Vast interior of Se' Catedral

Cafe Majestic, claimed to be Porto's oldest cafe

the old Clerigos tower we climbed for the best view of Porto

looking south from the top of the tower we climbed

Within the Livaria  Lello Bookstore used to film the Harry Potter series

city view to the East up the River Duro from the Crystal Palace park & botanical garden

another view from the same park

spectacular color of blooming flowers in the park

a scenic quiet spot within the big Serralves park

imagination !  Sharks in the park lawn of the private Serralves Park & museum

City Park near Ocean front, Porto's largest park and very popular

Porto's Atlantic beach coast

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The old San Francisco Xavier fort on the beach in Porto

One of the many buildings showing the exterior tiles widely used in the past

a view of the old city center  Bolhao market

One of the oldest cafes  in Porto

Lovely view from south side of high bridge over the River Duro

Another view from the Serra do Pilar Monastery

View of the grounds near the Serra do Pilar Monastery on the high knoll above river edge.

Our final longer trip was by train again, this time south along the coast to Aveiro and nearby Ilhavo.  Aveiro was a delight, with its almost Venice like canal system, tiled buildings, and the incredible church with its amazing wooden carvings.  It was only a  short distance bus ride out to the huge, lovely Atlantic beach and  Ilhavo with its popular summer resort area.

view of the elaborate wooden carved interior of the old church in  Museu de Aveiro, housed in an old convent

view of more of the tiled exteriors within Aveiro

Venice like tour boat on one of the many canals in the city

the interesting architecture of the beach front Ilhavo resort area

Showing the immense Atlantic beach at Ilhavo that is the primary draw for summer tourists