Portugal
I always create my trips around the activity – but I always leave time in the itinerary to tour the destinations as well. After all, who knows if I will ever be back? We all lost a few years to Covid – that could happen again. Every place has something interesting to see.
DISCOVERING LISBON
My Camino cycling trip was a special one. The Camino journey was something that I had wanted to do for a while. The trip introduced two new countries for me – so much to look into.
Our plan was to start in Lisbon and fly out of Porto, thus giving us the opportunity to visit these two important Portuguese cities.
I always wander on my first day in a new city. I like to get my bearings and invariably I pass by a number of places that are frequented by tourists. I look for things that are unique to a place. I love street art – it says so much about the culture.
Fado street art in Lisbon
Often you see statues that reflect what is important to a city. In Lisbon, it’s Fado. A uniquely Portuguese style of blue-y singing, Fado is about heartbreak and longing for someone who has left, or about the harsh realities of everyday life. Fado means fate. We went to a fado show. Although I couldn’t understand the words, the sad feelings came across quite clearly.
In Lisbon and Porto, I was struck by all the different road designs – just delightful!
CALOUSTE GULBENKIAN MUSEUM
I limit my museum visits to one or two because after that I get too overwhelmed with what I see and I can’t process it or appreciate it as I should.
The Calouste Gulbenkian Museum was highly recommended by a friend – it doesn’t make all the top 10 of museums to see so it might not have hit my radar– but I just loved it and I am so grateful for the recommendation. This museum houses the private collection of a very wealthy oil tycoon. It is not a huge museum and the collection is so varied. Each item is special, and Mr. Gulbenkian had very exquisite tastes. Such a treat to see all these beautiful things together, spanning centuries and countries, from ancient Egyptian pieces to Asian ceramics and paintings by some important artists in the world, including Rembrandt, Monet, and Rubens. I am so glad I saw it.
SPEND A DAY IN SINTRA
High on the list of recommended things to do was a visit to Sintra. Because we were a large group, it was easiest to hire our own bus, so we made a day trip.
Sintra is a picturesque town close to Lisbon, noted for its romantic 19th century architecture, historic estates, and stunning landscapes. It was a favoured destination for Portuguese royalty and aristocracy, leading to the construction of numerous palaces, estates, and castles.
Sintra has a charming and magical atmosphere, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Centre. As a result, it is highly touristed. However, still not to be missed and marvelled about.
Westernmost point of continental Europe
Close to Sintra is Cabo da Roca, which is the westernmost point of continental Europe. One of those places to stop, take pictures, and claim bragging rights that “I was there!”.
TILES IN PORTO
Of course, Portugal is famous for its tiles as well – you see these beautiful tiled buildings everywhere, and Porto has some of the largest installations.
Stunning to look at, this type of decorative tiles was introduced in the 1500’s as a way to demonstrate wealth and to tell stories. They showcased important moments in Portugal’s history, and were a religious training tool as well. I never get tired of looking at mosaics and tiles.
LIVRARIA LELLO
One of my favourite memories of Porto was stumbling on the Livraria Lello. I am a Harry Potter fan, and I recall reading that JK Rowling had written some of the early books in Portugal, but that fact was buried in my brain when I was planning this trip.
I just happened to be walking by this bookstore, and was wondering why there was such a lineup. As I took the time to find out and read some information – I remembered – she did some writing in a bookstore and this was the one! It was a well-known bookstore before; now it was famous – to the point where they had to send people to another building to pay 5 Euros to get a ticket to join the line up. I was in! Couldn’t pass that one up. For me – totally worth the time and money – for the non-HP fans among us, not so much.
It is truly a beautiful bookstore, one can imagine why it would have been inspirational.
Not only that, as we walked around Porto we noticed a group of young people, all in black robes. Hmm – was this a Harry Potter play? What was going on? As we approached, one person handed us a leaflet that said, no, this has nothing to do with Harry Potter. They were all students from a local university, participating in back to school activities, and this was their normal attire. We were asked not to take pictures.
Wow! So many pages of the HP books came alive in my mind. Such insight I had. (On another hiking trip I went on the train that was said to inspire the Hogwarts journey, and on a food tour in London we were also shown some other places that were said to be in an HP book, such Diagon Alley.)
Bottom of the staircase – rumoured to inspire some of the Hogwarts interior
Back of the staircase in the Livraria Lello
Beautiful staircase in Livraria Lello, with intricate carving underneath the stairs
Hogwarts Express route in Scotland (really the Jacobite Steam Train)
This is another reason travelling is so much fun! This was a trip focused on cycling the Camino. The bonus part for me was seeing all these beautiful tiled buildings that I didn’t know existed, and witnessing where the seeds of Harry Potter were created. I was among friends for the journey and we all shared in these pleasures. Maybe I even turned some people into Harry Potter fans!
Where to next?
3 highlights:
- Porto’s Livraria Lello – a must see if you are a Harry Potter fan – an interesting store even if you are not
- All the tile and mosaic work in Porto – such incredible works of art
- Going to Sintra for the day – highly touristed but worth the journey to see this beautiful palace and the local scenery (I find that UNESCO World Heritage Sites are generally worth visiting)
3 things for the next time:
- We had less than a day to explore Lisbon – next time I would like to see more of the city’s art museums and attractions
- Hike in the DouroWine Region Valley, the oldest demarcated wine region in the world
- Take one of the public walking tours in Lisbon to discover the different areas and see parts of the city that are often absent from the mainstream tourist routes
All Categories
Portugal
I always create my trips around the activity – but I always leave time in the itinerary to tour the destinations as well. After all, who knows if I will ever be back? We all lost a few years to Covid – that could happen again. Every place has something interesting to see.
DISCOVERING LISBON
My Camino cycling trip was a special one. The Camino journey was something that I had wanted to do for a while. The trip introduced two new countries for me – so much to look into.
Our plan was to start in Lisbon and fly out of Porto, thus giving us the opportunity to visit these two important Portuguese cities.
I always wander on my first day in a new city. I like to get my bearings and invariably I pass by a number of places that are frequented by tourists. I look for things that are unique to a place. I love street art – it says so much about the culture.
Fado street art in Lisbon
Often you see statues that reflect what is important to a city. In Lisbon, it’s Fado. A uniquely Portuguese style of blue-y singing, Fado is about heartbreak and longing for someone who has left, or about the harsh realities of everyday life. Fado means fate. We went to a fado show. Although I couldn’t understand the words, the sad feelings came across quite clearly.
In Lisbon and Porto, I was struck by all the different road designs – just delightful!
CALOUSTE GULBENKIAN MUSEUM
I limit my museum visits to one or two because after that I get too overwhelmed with what I see and I can’t process it or appreciate it as I should.
The Calouste Gulbenkian Museum was highly recommended by a friend – it doesn’t make all the top 10 of museums to see so it might not have hit my radar– but I just loved it and I am so grateful for the recommendation. This museum houses the private collection of a very wealthy oil tycoon. It is not a huge museum and the collection is so varied. Each item is special, and Mr. Gulbenkian had very exquisite tastes. Such a treat to see all these beautiful things together, spanning centuries and countries, from ancient Egyptian pieces to Asian ceramics and paintings by some important artists in the world, including Rembrandt, Monet, and Rubens. I am so glad I saw it.
SPEND A DAY IN SINTRA
High on the list of recommended things to do was a visit to Sintra. Because we were a large group, it was easiest to hire our own bus, so we made a day trip.
Sintra is a picturesque town close to Lisbon, noted for its romantic 19th century architecture, historic estates, and stunning landscapes. It was a favoured destination for Portuguese royalty and aristocracy, leading to the construction of numerous palaces, estates, and castles.
Sintra has a charming and magical atmosphere, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Centre. As a result, it is highly touristed. However, still not to be missed and marvelled about.
Westernmost point of continental Europe
Close to Sintra is Cabo da Roca, which is the westernmost point of continental Europe. One of those places to stop, take pictures, and claim bragging rights that “I was there!”.
TILES IN PORTO
Of course, Portugal is famous for its tiles as well – you see these beautiful tiled buildings everywhere, and Porto has some of the largest installations.
Stunning to look at, this type of decorative tiles was introduced in the 1500’s as a way to demonstrate wealth and to tell stories. They showcased important moments in Portugal’s history, and were a religious training tool as well. I never get tired of looking at mosaics and tiles.
LIVRARIA LELLO
One of my favourite memories of Porto was stumbling on the Livraria Lello. I am a Harry Potter fan, and I recall reading that JK Rowling had written some of the early books in Portugal, but that fact was buried in my brain when I was planning this trip.
I just happened to be walking by this bookstore, and was wondering why there was such a lineup. As I took the time to find out and read some information – I remembered – she did some writing in a bookstore and this was the one! It was a well-known bookstore before; now it was famous – to the point where they had to send people to another building to pay 5 Euros to get a ticket to join the line up. I was in! Couldn’t pass that one up. For me – totally worth the time and money – for the non-HP fans among us, not so much.
It is truly a beautiful bookstore, one can imagine why it would have been inspirational.
Not only that, as we walked around Porto we noticed a group of young people, all in black robes. Hmm – was this a Harry Potter play? What was going on? As we approached, one person handed us a leaflet that said, no, this has nothing to do with Harry Potter. They were all students from a local university, participating in back to school activities, and this was their normal attire. We were asked not to take pictures.
Wow! So many pages of the HP books came alive in my mind. Such insight I had. (On another hiking trip I went on the train that was said to inspire the Hogwarts journey, and on a food tour in London we were also shown some other places that were said to be in an HP book, such Diagon Alley.)
Bottom of the staircase – rumoured to inspire some of the Hogwarts interior
Back of the staircase in the Livraria Lello
Beautiful staircase in Livraria Lello, with intricate carving underneath the stairs
Hogwarts Express route in Scotland (really the Jacobite Steam Train)
This is another reason travelling is so much fun! This was a trip focused on cycling the Camino. The bonus part for me was seeing all these beautiful tiled buildings that I didn’t know existed, and witnessing where the seeds of Harry Potter were created. I was among friends for the journey and we all shared in these pleasures. Maybe I even turned some people into Harry Potter fans!
Where to next?
3 highlights:
- Porto’s Livraria Lello – a must see if you are a Harry Potter fan – an interesting store even if you are not
- All the tile and mosaic work in Porto – such incredible works of art
- Going to Sintra for the day – highly touristed but worth the journey to see this beautiful palace and the local scenery (I find that UNESCO World Heritage Sites are generally worth visiting)
3 things for the next time:
- We had less than a day to explore Lisbon – next time I would like to see more of the city’s art museums and attractions
- Hike in the DouroWine Region Valley, the oldest demarcated wine region in the world
- Take one of the public walking tours in Lisbon to discover the different areas and see parts of the city that are often absent from the mainstream tourist routes