Arrival in Lisbon
I arrived from Bilbao on Air Europa, which if you don’t mind delayed departures and very hard landings, is fine. The price for airfare was right. They charge for water so I didn’t buy any.
Our hotel is just three stops away on the metro near the Oriente train station. The sidewalks are made of tiny cobblestones, which is attractive but hell for rolling suitcases. I was a sweaty mess when I arrived at the cool Hotel Ikonik. The room was clean and pretty luxurious. I have the first shower in 6 weeks that doesn’t leak water all over the floor. That’s because the shower doors do actually close and cover the entire opening. I’ve seen about 6 ways to put up shower doors that don’t keep the water in and every door and wall near the shower has water damage.
I got settled and then went off in search of food. I found myself at the water’s edge of the Tagus Estuary just near the Lisbon Aquarium. A triathlon was just finishing. Some people were still in the water finishing the swimming portion of the race.
There was a long row of inviting restaurants and I sat outside and enjoyed some ramen with a glass of wine. I chatted, mostly in Spanish with the friendly waiter. He was from Brazil, as many people in Portugal are. There is also a large population from formerly colonized places in Africa, so the population is quite diverse.
I rode the cable car along the waterfront and returned to my hotel. There is an hour’s time difference between here and Spain so I was pretty tired. I’ve been trading that hour around for a couple of weeks now between Oslo, Tenerife, Spain, and Portugal.
Day One
I slept well, enjoyed the hotel’s fine buffet breakfast, and then went back to the airport to collect Janice. She had a good journey and we were able to walk around the area of our hotel and Estacion Oriente and see the sights there. The park extends for at least a mile along the waterfront.
Day Two
We rode the train to Porto. We checked into our Airbnb after a grueling trip with my heavy suitcase up and down the steep hills on the cobblestone streets. We went out for groceries but ended up exploring the city and taking a boat ride on the Douro River.
Day Three
We took the hop-on bus with its terrible commentary along the Atlantic Ocean and Duoro River. We gave the bus ride up for coffee and pastels de nata, the special custard tart that Portugal is famous for.
We walked up the hill to catch the Blue Line on the hop-on bus to the town across the river called Gaia and had a tasting at a winery. We walked to another winery called Porto Cruz. Italian Festival tents with crafts and food.
Day Four
We went on a Viator Tour to the Douro Valley with our lovely guide Rita. I think it was the best tour I’ve ever been on. We met at the Palacio da Bolsa and left on a nice coach right at 8:30. Rita explained where we were going and what we were going to do all day and everyone was all in. First, we drove for 90 minutes, mostly on a motorway to the Valley, which has been producing wine for around 2000 years, when the Romans discovered that the soil and climate were good for growing grapes. We stopped at a place and tried their three excellent ports. Then we were led to a delightful tree-shaded outdoor dining area with beautiful views all around. We had a three-course lunch. Janice had vegetarian pasta and I had the pork with risotto. We had time for pictures and relaxing with coffee in the village called Sabrosa.
We drove on to Minhao for the boat ride on the Duoro River. It was hot at the beginning, but once we were underway, it was pleasant. The weather has so far been absolutely gorgeous.
We rode for a bit longer to another vineyard. The bus dropped us off at the bottom of a hill. We walked up the gravel road through the vines to the tasting area. We were encouraged to eat all the super sweet grapes we wanted on the way up.
The wines and port were out of this world. The setting was idyllic and again, the weather was simply glorious.
We rode back to Porto and everyone had trouble keeping their eyes open from the good food, day-drinking, and winding roads.
Day Five
We headed off with a rough plan to head straight to a museum but ended up standing in line for an hour to purchase tickets for Palacio da Bolsa for later in the day. We took an Uber to Museu Serralves. It was a huge museum on a massive park property. We explored the museum with its contemporary art for a while before we visited an art deco home also filled with art, some of which seemed to have to do with The Wizard of Oz. We loved the Treetop Walk and sculpture garden. Next, we took an Uber to Mercado de Balcão for snacks and a drink. It was recommended to see the Livraria Lello bookstore, but it was jammed with people waiting in a line outside just to get in. We took a peek inside as we passed by. We walked back to the Palacio da Bolsa for tour. It was an interested building with some meeting rooms, a study used by Gustav Eifle, and an Arabian-styled room with gold and tile.
We returned to our Airbnb home, finally, for wine, snacks, and packing. Off to Lisbon tomorrow!
Lisbon Mini Trip – Repositioning
Porto
Douro
