Our three month adventure in Europe and Central Asia is now over. This is our 37th and final blog entry covering this trip that has taken us to Italy, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Armenia, and finishing with a month in Portugal. On our last day in Lisbon, we decided to check out their zoo. We […]
Portugal 8 – Lisbon Oceanarium
We went to the world-class Oceanarium in Lisbon today. We were joined by David and Debi Billings (right column), friends we knew in Cuenca who have recently moved to Portugal. The Oceanarium opened in 1998, was the centerpiece for the World’s Fair, and is the largest indoor aquarium in Europe with more than a million […]
Portugal 7 – Aveiro
In between Porto and Lisbon, we stayed in Aveiro, a town that boasts canals and is sometimes called the Portuguese Venice. Our first stop was the fish market around the corner from our hotel. Though small, with no more than 15 stalls, it had charm and the people were friendly. A vendor selling eels (center) […]
Portugal 6 – Minho Province
As always, friendly faces prevailed at the gigantic Feira de Barcelos open-air market. This market has been held here since the early fifteenth century, and is a must-see if you’re in the area. It is the largest market in Portugal, and one of the largest in Europe. Every Thursday, the vendors fill the tree-lined Campo […]
Portugal 5 – Douro Valley
We spent two days in the Douro Valley. This was less than we had originally planned, but other parts of Portugal keep drawing us to visit too. We will probably return here at some point, and spend more time in this region when we do. This is one of the primary port wine producing areas of […]
Portugal 4 – Feira Medieval de Penedono
We are staying in the Douro Valley today, and our host told us that there is an annual festival this weekend in Penedono, a nearby town with a castle. We decided to check it out. In Northern California, we have the Renaissance Fair every summer. This is very much like that, but only lasts the first […]
Portugal 3 – Porto, Part 3
Porto is a stunningly beautiful city, especially in the riverside neighborhood of Ribeira, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where we stayed. The riverbank is lined with restaurants and cafes on one side of the river, and port tasting rooms on the opposite side of the river in Vila Nova de Gaia. There are six bridges […]
Portugal 2 – Porto, Part 2
We are now on our own, exploring Portugal. The star trail image above was shot from our apartment window in Porto, as we start to explore this country. Our first impressions of this city were rather negative – based largely upon the very steep hills in our neighborhood. After a week here though, our impression […]
Portugal 1 – Festival of St John of Porto
We arranged to come to Porto, Portugal in time for the annual street festival paying tribute to St John the Baptist (Festa de São João do Porto). This lively party has been held every year for the past six centuries (starting the afternoon of June 23rd and ending the sometime on the 24th), and is considered the city’s most […]