Reading along and enjoying your excellent report and pictures. We will be visiting Portugal early May.

Continuing on (slowly, it's hard to make time to write!) with this trip report...

DAY 8 – SINTRA

I cut my night’s sleep short once again so that I could get on an early train to Sintra. It turns out that I had pushed everything up an hour in my mind, so I arrived in Sintra about an hour earlier than I really needed to be there. It turned out fine, though, Moon Hill Hostel had a nice lounge area where I FaceTimed with family for a little while. Once it got close to 9am I stored my luggage at the hostel and got in line for the first 434 bus up the hill to Pena Palace.

The bus dropped us off shortly before the palace opened and there was already quite a large crowd of people waiting at the gates. Once inside the palace grounds I followed the crowds ahead of me and walked up the hill to the palace itself. It was very misty, which made visibility of the building difficult in some areas, but I loved the otherworldly feel it created. I took quite a few photos of the outside and then decided it would be a good idea to tour the inside sooner rather than later. Many people have commented that the inside of the palace isn’t really spectacular, and during the first part of the tour (it’s not really a tour, but you’re basically herded along in a line since there are so many people) was quite bland and I was ready to write the interior off as skipable, but as we moved through the palace we entered some rooms that are more ornate and interesting. By the time I finished seeing the interior of the palace and came outside again the whole place was a complete zoo! The line to enter the interior was wrapped up and around various parts of the exterior. I was really glad I had come as early as I did and that I hadn’t dwindled around the outside too long before seeing the inside.

The colorful palace is just one of the features at this site, and I was excited to see what else the palace grounds offered up. I spent a couple of hours wandering the trails of the park and discovered fountains and small lakes and small seating areas. The morning’s cool mist persisted all day and I kept pulling my jacket on and off and on again. The park is quite large and there were moments I found myself in solitude…but usually just for a minute or two at a time. As big as the park is there are also tons of visitors, so it’s pretty hard to find yourself alone for too long.

I could have happily spent the rest of the day in the Pena Palace Park, but I had a couple of other sites I wanted to see, so I forced myself to move on. I wandered down through the park and up on the side of a road and eventually found myself at the Moorish Castle. (A note – I cannot for the life of me understand why people choose to drive to the sites in Sintra. The road is super narrow and windy and there aren’t many places to park. People in private cars were continually jamming the road because they hadn’t parked correctly, were waiting for other drivers to move out of the way, etc. There are plenty of options for buses, taxis, and tuk-tuks that make it just as easy, if not easier, to get around – just take one of those!)

The Moorish Castle is, as far as I could tell, some beautifully preserved castle walls that sit high atop a hill. I started somewhere in the middle and walked first in one direction all the way to the end and then came back and walked to the end the opposite direction. You are HIGH up as you’re walking these walls, which can be uncomfortable if you’re like me and scared of heights. The town below looks miniscule. According to some photos I’ve seen online you can get a great view of the Pena Palace from a distance when you’re up on the Moorish Castle walls, but it was way too foggy to see much of anything in the distance while I was there. No complaints though, I thought the fog added a nice feeling to the day.

By this time my stomach was starting to grumble and I knew it would take some time to get back to the historic center. I had lunch at Saudade – a cute little café that I fell absolutely head over heels in love with. I had vegetable soup and cheese on raisin toast; that filled me up but there were scones and pastries and hot chocolate and tea I also wanted to try. I poured over my planned schedule to see how many times I could come back. This would be the perfect place for dessert or tea after dinner, but unfortunately they close at 7pm.

After a leisurely lunch I walked to the National Palace, the one site that is in reasonable walking distance from the main part of the historic town center. This is the structure with those striking white cones – the kitchen chimneys. The palace was nice, although I can see why it’s usually placed after Pena Palace and the Moorish Castle when people prioritize sites in Sintra.

The pastries were now calling…or at least I thought they were. I stopped in at the bustling Piriquita to try some of Sintra’s signature pastries. I bought three, although I can’t remember now what they were called. I have to say that although I’m normally a huge pastry lover, Portugal’s pastries – with the exception of pasteis de nata – didn’t win me over. Everything is covered in what to me is an off-putting bright orange due to the egg yolks used in the pastries (or maybe the color is enhanced with coloring). After tasting each of the pastries (and saving a good part for later) I wandered in and out of the many tourist shops. I always like to know where the best place to buy souvenirs will be – so I’ll report that souvenir shopping in Sintra is a mixed bag. You have lots of the cheap, mass-produced touristy junk but I also found some shops and items that were unique and seemed to be of good quality.

For dinner I ate at Metamorphosis. My first choice was Nau Palatina, but it was closed that day (a Monday). Metamorphosis had good reviews and it was at a lower price point than the other options I was considering, so that’s where I went. I got the pork sausage with cornbread mixture, which was good but a bit different than I was expecting. I was expecting a whole sausage but it turned out to be chopped and mixed with the cornbread. My appetite wasn’t huge (thanks pastries) so that could be part of the reason I’m not raving about the food, but I do have to say that the service was excellent: by far the most attentive, kind service I received in Portugal.

After dinner it was back to the hostel to watch some Netflix I had downloaded to my phone and nibble some more on those pastries.

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Wow ...fantastic report and photos! Portugal is on our short list for next year. I better get in shape for those stairs and make sure my balance is good. Thanks and looking forward to more.

((H))

Still reading and enjoying your report and photos! We loved Pena Palace, too. It's so quirky, colorful, and memorable!

I just love that garden photo above, makes me want to follow that path.

Lovely report. Thank you. I've been to Sintra twice and it was misty and foggy. Added an air of mystery to the place. My first visit was in the late eighties. The place was practically empty. We returned a couple of years ago and it was a veritable zoo.

DAY 9 - SINTRA

When I had gone to bed the night before, I had the room to myself. I heard someone come in about midnight, but they were gone before I got up about 8 the next morning. Kind of strange, but I'm not complaining. I liked just about everything about this hostel except for the bathroom. The bathroom was shared, but I’m not sure by how many since there were just a few rooms on the floor and some of the rooms have private bathrooms. The two shower stalls are surrounded by glass that is not transparent but it’s not that opaque either. The thought of showering in a place where my body outline would be very visible to anyone else using the bathroom was not that appealing to me, so I just gave myself a sponge bath and called it good for the day. (Good thing the previous day had been cool!)

The hostel offered a decent breakfast spread so I ate there before heading over to Saudade for hot chocolate, which I sipped slowly while updating my journal. I’d had quite a few early get-up-and-go mornings on this trip and today I wasn’t in a rush to get my day started.

Once I was ready to go I caught the 435 bus to Quinta de la Regaleira. If I could have spent the day in Pena Palace Park I could have spent a week here! This is a large park with all sorts of pathways, tunnels, water features, and grottos, plus a house and chapel. There were a lot of people at the site but it never felt as crowded as Pena Palace had. I spent several hours exploring and loved every minute of it. This is a must do in Sintra!

After spending the first part of the day at Quinta I caught the bus and headed to the Palace of Monserrate. It’s funny, I went to most of these sites excited to see a building but the grounds where what often captured my interest and attention. The Palace of Monserrate, like the other sites, sits on a huge expanse of grounds. I took the long way and explored the gardens for over an hour before I made my way to the mansion. The exterior of the house is under restoration so I had a hard time finding the entrance, and when I did what I found inside was both beautiful and gaudy! Something that really hit home on this trip is that Europe has a long history. Most of the buildings in the US haven’t been around that long, but in Europe a 19th century building (which is how the palace of Monserrate is labeled) is often expanded from a smaller, older structure, which is built on a site of medieval significance, which is also a site of Roman importance. Rarely do you find something purely from one single era! Anyway, Monserrate is great and I’m glad I visited.

I returned to Saudade one more time for a croissant and tea. Sitting at a little table in the window, eking out every moment I could at this lovely café is another of the best experiences of the trip. I ordered the Spring blend of tea and I liked it so much that I bought a bag to bring home with me.

Being in Sintra requires patience: it’s crowded and at times you’ll be surrounded by people who elbow and push and can’t wait their turn in line. But it’s worth it. I loved the mist and the trees. The town has a German or Scandinavian look to it, and it just feels like you’re in a place a world apart from the sun and heat and beaches of Lisbon. I’m really glad that I stayed overnight in Sintra and had two days to explore the sites.

I took a train back to Lisbon to stay the night before hearing north the next morning. I ate dinner at Bomjardim and HOLY PIRI-PIRI CHICKEN! I ate a lot of good food on this trip, but the no-fuss roast chicken with piri-piri oil at this place was some of the very best.

I could have gone back to Home Lisbon hostel, but I had also read lots of great reviews of The Independente Hostel, so I had booked a room there for this night, plus a night about a week later when I’d be back in Lisbon before flying home. This is a decent hostel, but by this point I was just done with hostels. The bathroom wasn’t dirty but people had left their shampoo and sunscreen bottles all over. There was no AC, so the window was open all night and it was loud, even with the earbuds I usually wear when sleeping in a hostel. Before going to sleep I got on my phone and cancelled the reservation at the end of the trip and made a reservation at City Lofts Lisbon for that last night. I just had no desire to come back to a hostel, especially this hostel, on my last night of the trip, when I knew I’d be even more tired and worn out than I was now.

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i am still reading and loving your trip report...

DAY 10 - OBIDOS

Of the many little towns in Portugal that I read about while planning this trip, Obidos was one of those that appealed to me most. I love big cities, but the thought of having a slow day in a quaint little town felt like a must. As you'll see, the next two days both did and did not go according to plan.

Once again it was a fairly early morning. I took the bus to the Campo Grande metro station. Finding the bus stop for the Rapida Verde bus to Obidos was a bit tricky - I had to ask a number of different people - but I finally found it and was in the right place when the bus arrived just a few minutes later.

I'm just going to stop here for a little tangent. My knowledge of Spanish was invaluable to me in Portugal. I'd read a few things that said the Portuguese get offended when spoken to in Spanish, but I never encountered that. When I told people I spoke English and Spanish more often than not they spoke to me in Spanish (or Portuñol, which is the Portuguese/Spanish equivalent of Spanglish). That being said, many people speak at least some English, so if you speak neither Portuguese nor Spanish you'll still be okay.

The bus ride to Obidos was nice. Maybe it was due to the padded seats (as opposed to the plastic seats of the trains), but there was something comforting about the environment and movement of the bus. The drive was pretty. Portugal is so green! I saw several old fashioned windmills sitting atop some little hills. After all of the walking and climbing of hills on this trip, the opportunity to just sit and watch the scenery was nice.

I arrived in Obidos about 9am. It was too early to check into my hotel, so I just dropped my bag off. For about a minute it felt like I was all alone in the town. I entered into the walled part of the city and found a place to climb up to stand on top of the walls. Then I looked down and there was a tour group. Well, that solitude was fun while it lasted! I spent the next hour or so walking along the walls, enjoying the great views. To the one side were the white walls, orange rooftops, and church spires of the little town, to the other side there were green, green, green agricultural areas. I stopped often to take pictures - of bright purple bougainvillea, of a cat lounging in a back garden, of the fortress tower in the distance. This was a thoroughly enjoyable experience.

I came down off the wall at a stopping place near the pousada; there is a great lookout point there. I meandered the little streets until I got to the main shopping area. The crowds had arrived and Obidos was open for business! To add to the sense of busyness, horse-drawn carriages, a trash truck, and a truck delivering gas all drove - and stopped - along that same street. I was underwhelmed by the shops in Obidos. Most just carried cheap, tacky souvenirs. The one thing I was excited to see where the ginja carts. Even though I didn't drink the ginja, it was fun to see the shopkeepers with their displays of bottles and little chocolate cups. (If there had been a non-alcoholic version of cherry juice in a chocolate cup I would have been all over that!)

Obidos is really cute...but there's not much to see. After walking up and down the main shopping street a few times, plus wandering around the quieter streets of town, I decided I might as well eat an early lunch. I had a fantastic sandwich at Capinha D'Obidos. The food was amazing, although I did have trouble staking claim to my table at one end of the tiny bakery while trying to place my order at the other end (the difficulties of traveling solo).

By now it was drizzling and my plan to sit in the sun and read didn't seem all that feasible. I walked just beyond the town's stone walls to my hotel Casa do Relogio. To most people this would be an a comfortable but not luxurious place to stay, but since I had been in hostels for so many nights, my private room and bathroom felt like the Ritz. I took a shower and then spent the rest of the day in bed reading and watching Netflix on my phone. On the one hand, this isn't at all what I had imagined my day in Obidos would be like, but on the other it was really nice to have a "day off" without feeling like I was wasting time and missing out. I've learned that on trips this long you need a day every so often to recharge.

One odd thing I noticed about Obidos - there are houseflies everywhere. It's not a dirty place, but for some reason I could not go anywhere without being accosted by flies.

That evening I dragged myself out of bed to walk just around the corner to Jamon Jamon. I don't know if upscale is the right word, but it wasn't super casual. I had a thin cut of beef with cheese sauce and fries. It was so good! Normally I'm all about bread and chocolate, but since those were the easiest snacks for me to reach for in Portugal, I really craved meat when it came to meals. Who would have thought that I'd ever choose protein over carbs?!

In the end, this day didn't go as I had imagined it would, but it was exactly what I needed. Obidos is a cute little town, but it's not one to go out of your way for. And I have to give a shout out to the staff at Casa do Relogio; this hotel wasn't anything fancy but the staff were incredibly kind and helpful.

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DAY 11 - COIMBRA...OR WAITING ON TRAINS

If my previous day in Obidos hadn't gone exactly as planned, this day really didn't go as planned. The plan for the day was to take a train to Coimbra, spend a couple of hours touring the university - especially the library - and then continue on a train up to Porto.

I caught the Rapida Verde bus from Obidos to Caldas de Rainha. Once in CR I had to walk several blocks from the bus depot to the train station. At the train station I bought my ticket and proceeded to wait...and wait and wait. I double checked and I knew I was in the right place (the rain station is pretty small), the train was just late. After about an hour of waiting a train came to the station and all of the passengers to Coimbra were instructed to board. The original train itinerary was for a 2-hour ride, but after about 3 hours we stopped in a little town with a single platform. All of the passengers to Coimbra were told to get off this train and onto one waiting on the other track. From the expressions on the passengers' faces in the new train it seemed like they had been waiting there a while. This train was much nicer; I'm guessing that the train I had been on was headed somewhere other than Coimbra and that this was a rendezvous with a train that had come from Lisbon.

After about another hour we arrived at Coimbra-B, the long-distance train station. I knew that I'd have to take a train to Coimbra-A, the train station in town. I had assumed that trains ran between the two stations every 10-15 minutes, but it turns out that that wasn't the case, at least not on this afternoon. The next train into town wasn't for 40 minutes. Given that getting to Coimbra had taken much longer than planned and that I had already purchased my ticket to Porto and therefore had a firm departure time, it wasn't even worth getting onto that train into town, since I'd basically just have to turn around and come right back. At this point I was drained, so I wasn't too disappointed. Sure, it would have been really nice to see that grand library, but I just chalked it up to the fact that something usually goes wrong on a trip like this, and this was far from the worst that could happen.

The train to Porto was only a little late (l learned that in Portugal you shouldn't count on the trains being on time), and luckily the rest of the journey went smoothly. I arrived at the Campanha station and luckily here the trains to the Sao Bento station are frequent and many.

My lodging for the next few days was the Passenger Hostel, a hostel with great reviews right in the train station. This actually ended up being my favorite hostel, mostly because the bathrooms were the cleanest and airiest of all the hostels I stayed at. There was no AC, but each bed had a little person fan. My one complaint about this place is that the common areas had music blasting every time I walked through them. They have some really comfortable furniture in their common areas, and it would have been a nice place to sit and FaceTime with family or catch up on my journal if not for the distracting music.

Despite the fact that all I'd done all day was sit, I was in the mood for comfort food for dinner. A francesinha from Santiago fit the bill perfectly! A francesinha is about five different types of meat stuffed between two slices of white bread, covered in cheese, and topped with an amazing sauce plus a fried egg. This is exactly how I DON'T normally eat, but on this night it was absolutely delicious. I surprised myself by eating almost the whole thing.

If I were to plan this trip again I'd scrap Obidos and Coimbra and take a train directly from Lisbon to Porto. I think it's finally hit home that for me more is not always more. Even if Obidos and Coimbra had been amazing, I still think a 12-13 day trip (instead of 16 days) is ideal for me.

Still to come: Guimaraes, Braga, Porto, and Getting Home

It's too bad you didn't get to see Coimbra after all that effort getting there, but you have the right attitude. You never know what will happen; something almost always goes wrong, especially when you are depending on public transportation. I admire you for traveling solo and for planning such an ambitious trip!

I am going to Portugal next Wednesday so I am loving this trip report. I decided to skip Obidos and Coimbra because there was just not enough time to see everything.
Disappointing for you, but not much you can do about it.
Please continue. Looking forward to your Porto part.

@KarenWoo - I'm at the point in life where finding travel partners is more difficult (and I'm more picky about who I'll travel with), so traveling solo is kind of a necessity!

@millie2112 Have so much fun on your trip! I'm excited to write about Porto and relive that part; it's a wonderful city.

DAY 12 - GUIMARAES

Although I was now based in Porto for a few days it wasn't quite time to explore that city; first I had a couple of day trips on my itinerary.

Getting myself to Guimaraes was quite easy, I just had to walk downstairs from the hostel into the train station, buy a ticket from the kiosk, validate it at a scanner, and board the train. The trip took less than an hour and I enjoyed seeing the suburbs and more rural areas. I mentioned this before, but Portugal surprised me with how green it is!

I got off the train and walked several blocks to the impressive Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Consolação e Santos Passos. This is a tall, thin church with double spires and some tile on the outside. There is a long garden in front which makes for some great photos. I went inside the church and I'm sure it was pretty, but I didn't take any photos and I don't remember anything particular about the interior.

From there I walked up a slight incline to the old quarter, which is the pretty and quaint area you see in all of the pictures. There is lots of old stone, flower pots in window boxes, and tables and chairs set up in the small squares and plazas. It was lively without feeling crowded. I took several pictures before wandering higher up to the Palace of the Dukes of Brangaza.

The palace looked exactly like what I imagined a medieval manor to be: heavy stone, timber roofs, gigantic ceilings, and heavy wood furnishings. I could easily picture a group of medieval lords and knights coming into the great hall to eat dinner. I learned that the Dukes of Brangaza were a family line that originated with an illegitimate son of one of the kings of Portugal. Over time the palace fell into disrepair and disuse and the people took stones from the palace to construct other buildings. I also learned that the restoration that took place at the beginning of the 20th century was controversial. Many people said it made the palace into something grander than it ever was while in use. The furnishings are largely from later periods, so what you see isn't a realistic depiction of how the noble family lived. This all emphasizes what I'd been learning throughout the trip: rarely is a building frozen in history.

It was just barely noon by the time I was finished exploring the palace, but I figured now was as good a time as any to have lunch. I had two restaurants on my list as lunch possibilities, and one - Cor de Tangerina - was right across the street. The restaurant was just opening and I was the first one to be seated in the gorgeous rooftop garden. This was another of the surprisingly plentiful vegetarian restaurants in Portugal. I placed my order and was brought a small salad of lettuce, strawberries, poppy seeds, and the most amazing dressing that was sweet and tasted subtly of mint. I can't stop talking about this dressing; if they had sold it I would have bought half a dozen bottles! I came home and attempted to recreate it (I was generally successful but still not as good as the restaurant's). My entree was a special, so I can't find it by referencing the online menu, but it was a pasta bowl with mushrooms, cheese, nuts and perhaps squash. So good! I loved my meal and ate it as slowly as possible. I found it kind of funny that as I was sitting there inwardly rejoicing in my meal, a family was seated at a table next to me and one of the teenage girls took a quick glance at the menu and declared "There is like literally nothing on this menu I want to eat." I wished I could have tried everything!

After lunch I made my way to the castle, which is a well-preserved stone tower surrounded by a wall. The tower had some nice exhibits about the history of Portugal, which I browsed. This site doesn't require much time; for me the best thing about it is the view it gives of the palace of the dukes. Since the castle sits higher than the palace you look down and get something of an overhead view.

I finished off my time in Guimaraes wandering the little streets of the historic center. I finally found a little nativity to add to my collection of Christmas decor from around the world (it was harder than I thought it would be to find something that I both liked and thought was a fair price).

In planning this trip I considered leaving Guimaraes off the itinerary in favor of more time in Porto. It didn't seem like there would be much to do in this town. Despite the fact that I didn't visit a whole list of sites here, I really liked it and would recommend a trip to Guimaraes to anyone who is spending a few days in northern Portugal.

I finished off the day with dinner back in Porto. I didn't have the appetite for something large or heavy, so I had a sandwich at Sandiera. This is a cute but tiny little sandwich shop in an alley not too far from the center of town. It's a solid recommendation for a light, inexpensive meal, but not something I'd say to put on your "must visit" list.

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Thank you for this wonderful report. I will be re-reading this one and making notes. Your pictures are beautiful. I am going to Portugal for the first time the end of January and am just starting the research. We are staying in Lisbon for 9 nights (a Road Scholar trip) with day trips to Sintra and Cascais. We have 3 days on our own at the end. I was thinking we would go to Porto so I'll be reading that section of your trip with great interest. You have made me excited. I like the way you travel. I also agree that 12 days is the perfect amount of time (at least for me) to be away on a trip.

Did you have any issues finding and using ATMs?? I sometimes worry too much about the mundane things, but I like to know this type of thing. Thanks.

DAY 13 - BRAGA

Today's morning looked a lot like yesterday's morning: up around 8, breakfast at the hostel, and then downstairs to buy a ticket and get on the train. Today I was headed to Braga.

My first stop was the Biscainhos Museum, a mansion preserved to show how the urban upper class lived during the 18th century. I arrived just behind another couple and we were both encouraged to explore the garden for about 15 minutes before the tour would start. The man at the desk made it sound like this would be a guided tour, but it was really just a museum employee accompanying us from room to room without giving any commentary. There were plaques in each room that gave a bit of description, although I can't remember if they were in English, Spanish or Portuguese. The house and the garden were pretty but not spectacular. Given that the entrance fee was only a couple of euros I found my time there worthwhile but it's not the most impressive museum or site you'll ever see.

Next I visited the Jardim de Santa Barbara, one of my favorite sites of the day. This pretty garden is right in the middle of a main shopping area of the town. There are lots of colorful flowers extending out behind the Archbishop's court.

When planning this excursion I had a number of sites starred on my map to visit, but for one reason or another most all seemed to be closed. This was a Saturday and I chose to come to Braga on this day thinking more sites would be open (and I believe I checked entrance times, since it's my habit to do that while travel planning). There was a sports festival going on that week, so that may possibly have had something to do with it. I couldn't enter the cathedral due to a wedding and the Braga Tower was either closed or I didn't find the correct entrance. In another area two churches on the same square were closed but there was a flea market (more like a group garage sale) happening in the square. I did see the beautiful exterior of the Raio Palace. I donated a couple of euros and visited the museum interior of that building but I breezed through pretty quickly; the museum info and artifacts focused mostly on the religious charity that funded the nearby hospital.

I did have a great lunch at Biro dos Namorados- such a cute restaurant! They have lots of different hamburgers on the menu, and although mine tasted pretty different from a US burger (mostly due to the sauce I think), it was very good.

With most of the sites in town a bust, a caught the bus to one of my main interests in Braga: Bom de Jesus. The bus dropped us off in a parking lot, and rather than take the funicular up the hill, I decided to walk. The walk really isn't all that bad; for the first part there are lots of flat stretches between stairs. The main stairway, the one you see in all of the pictures, is beautiful! The church itself was undergoing restoration, so inside there was screen hung from about halfway down the nave showing what the back of the church looked like. I found it ironic that there was a sign encouraging people to be quiet right in front of me and yet there was all sorts of hammering and construction noises going on!

I remembered reading that there were some pretty gardens behind the church, so I walked around to the left and found a pretty little grotto. I climbed a little further up the hill and came to a park with a tiny lake where lots of people were attempting to stay in control of their rented rowboats.

Originally I was sure that Braga held a full day's worth of sites and I was considering skipping Guimaraes, in reality it turned out to be almost the opposite. I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Guimaraes but might recommend skipping Braga. I do think Bom Jesus is very worth visiting, but I personally didn't have the type of experience in Braga that makes me want to encourage others to go there.

That evening, back in Porto, I walked along the top of the Dom Luis bridge. Don't look down; it's so high! There are little gaps every so often where sheets of metal come together and I had to actively avoid looking at them because realizing how high up I was was terrifying. It was a pretty time of day - right during golden hour. I intended to go back and do this walk at least one more time, but I either forgot or didn't get around to it, so I'm glad I took the time to cross the bridge this evening.

For dinner I had pizza at Maus Habitos. The food was very good, but you can get nice pizza just about anywhere (at least in the US), so I wouldn't call it a "do not miss" restaurant. However, the price for what you get is pretty good, plus the restaurant has great views. There was a colorful sunset happening while I was eating, and I got some nice photos from behind the large windows.

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@Barbrn Thank you! I would definitely recommend spending those last three days in Porto. I didn't have any trouble finding ATMs, they seem to be all around.

Your pictures are outstanding and i am enjoying reading your detailed report. We just booked a transatlantic cruise to Europe for next April, ending in Barcelona and our plan is to fly to Portugal for an extended trip there. We thought two weeks would be fine, but in reading your report, we are re-thinking our itinerary as it seems that we need at least three weeks in Portugal. Thanks again!

DAY 14 - PORTO

Finally it was time to focus on Porto! I spent the first part of the morning at a branch of my church out in Foz, which seemed to be an upscale neighborhood. After that I came back to the city center and stood in line for a while at Zenith. This is a super popular brunch place. I waited in line 15-20 minutes (a bit extra in order to get a table outside on the terrace) and then waited about 30 more minutes for my food to arrive. I wasn't in any rush though, so I didn't mind. My eggs benedict were very good.

Once I was finished with brunch I wandered slowly down to the waterfront area. It was time to leave the hostel and check into a private room. Hooray! I stayed at Innvict, which is described as an aparthotel. I had the Hank room. It was the biggest of the rooms I stayed in and stylishly minimalist. It was in a great area - nice and close to the water. I was a little concerned that the restaurant below would keep me up all night, but with the shutters closed and the fan on, I didn't hear a thing. The AirBnB ad had mentioned that there would be Castelbel toiletries, and it wasn't until I got to Portugal that I realized what a treat this was. I kind of fell in love with Castelbel soaps while I was there. I don't normally use bar soap, but I did end up buying a soap that came in a ceramic dish for myself, plus a couple more bars of soap to give as gifts.

Once I was checked in and settled, I went down to the waterfront to inquire about a short river cruise. Apparently 2pm on a Sunday is the perfect time for this because I paid my 14 euros, got in line behind a trio of Spanish ladies, and after about a 5 minute wait, I was the fourth person on the boat. The 50-minute cruise was wonderful: so relaxing, and the weather was perfect!

The final game of the World Cup was playing, so I went back to my room to watch the game and chat with family via FaceTime. (Can you tell that my pace had really slowed by this point in the trip?!)

At about 6:30 or so I left the room and walked to Tapabento, where there was already a line anticipating the 7pm opening time. This is a super popular (and very small) restaurant, and had I not had a reservation, I would have been turned away. The menu is mostly seafood, and even though I don't like seafood, the reviews were so good I wanted to come anyway. I started with marinated olives - a small dish of very tiny but totally flavorful olives. Next came the oxtail empanadillas. This was me being brave - oxtail isn't something that sounds all that palatable, but I knew that it was common in this part of the world. I thought that empanadillas signaled that they would be small, but they were full-sized empanadas! The meat filling wasn't anything special; I had expected something more flavorful. Not realizing how much food I had ordered, I also asked for a dish of smoked provolone cheese. This was fantastic, but there was no way I could have eaten it all. I was seated at the bar next to another American woman traveling solo. We let each other taste what we had ordered and talked about how not having a travel companion means you can't share food, so you frequently end up over-ordering so that you can try all of the things you want to taste.

DAY 15 - PORTO

I started the day with a stop at the big Porto word sculpture right across from the Jardim da Cordoaria. It was early enough that I could take photos without a bunch of other people in them.

At about 9am I stopped outside the Livraria Lello, hoping to get a photo of the outside before it opened and the entrance was clogged with people. I found that there were already a couple of early-birds in line, so rather than head to a pastry shop for a quick breakfast, I jumped in line. The bookstore doesn't open until 9:30, but this is the "Harry Potter" bookstore made famous by J.K. Rowling, so there is perpetually a line of people waiting to get in. The bookstore IS beautiful, but I'm so curious as it what it would have been like 20 years ago, before it was jammed wall to wall with people. You have to buy a 5 euro ticket in order to get in, but if you buy a book that amount is credited toward your purchase. Like the other bookstores I visited on this trip, the English selection wasn't huge and the books were expensive, but I still picked up a small hardcover copy of The Little Prince. There's even a page in the book that says it was purchased at Livraria Lello. Try as I might, I didn't get great photos inside the bookstore- too many people and not the best lighting.

Once I was finished with the bookstore I made quick visits to Igreja do Carmo and Igreja dos Carmelitas Descalços. After that I wandered a bit, taking photos of the narrow streets and the wash hung out the windows against the tile facades. Once it was time for lunch I stopped in at Hungry Biker. I ordered avocado toast that was really good and surprisingly filling.

Next I walked uptown, out of the tourist area, to the Praça do Marquês de Pombal. This was the meeting place for The Worst Tour, a tour run by an architect (actually a company of two architects, although only one guided our tour) focused on the urban development of Porto. I had somehow run across a description of this company/tour online as I was planning the trip, and I thought it sounded interesting. We didn't visit any of the popular historic sites you might visit on other tours. Instead our guide (I forget his name) took us to various sites in everyday neighborhoods and talked about how Porto has grown and developed over time. It was super interesting. My only complaint is that the guide didn't have a clear ending time. He would have been willing to go for hours! After about three hours most of the people in our group bid farewell; I left about 30 minutes after that. The guide is obviously very passionate about Porto.

I didn't feel tired during the walking tour, but once it was over I was done for the day. I stopped in at the grocery store for some chocolate and a savory pastry and headed back to my hotel room to eat my purchases, plus my leftovers from the night before.

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DAY 16 PORTO/LISBON

There were still a few sites I hadn't seen and I had planned to get up this morning and see them, but I was exhausted. Maybe that view from the Clerigos Tower would have been amazing and I probably should have gone over to Gaia to visit a Port cellar (even though I wouldn't be sampling the port), but I have no regrets about staying in bed until noon! I waited until the last possible minute to check out of my hotel, then I wandered into some souvenir shops for a couple of last things before taking a bus to Sao Bento. My train to Lisbon was right on time and blessedly uneventful.

Once back in Lisbon I headed straight for Bomjardin for that amazing piri-piri chicken. Of all of the great places I ate, I didn't even hesitate when thinking about where to eat my last dinner in Portugal. Satiated, I took the metro to Cais do Sodre and finished where I started, in a little room at City Lofts Lisbon.

DAY 17 - HOME...OR NOT

After a long trip I was so ready to get home! I stopped at Mantegaria in the Time Out Market for a couple of final pasteis de nata and then took the metro to the airport. I wandered my way all through the airport, doing the requisite security and passport checks and found my gate. It was just getting to be time to board when the gate agent got onto the intercom and let us know that the plane coming in (our plane) had a mechanical issue that wasn't a quick fix, so the flight to JFK was cancelled. Ugh, this is exactly what I didn't want to hear. The gate agent told us that we'd all be booked onto a flight at 8am the next day, but I immediately got onto the Delta app to see if I could get a different, earlier route home. After several minutes and multiple times hitting refresh, some options came up. There was nothing else out that day, but I could choose an option the next day on a 5am flight to Amsterdam and then a direct flight to my city in the US. I hit the button and was rebooked. (A bunch of people went all the way to the ticket counter at the entrance of the airport, but no one was given the option to fly out that day. I learned that using the app really was the best and easiest way to get rebooked.)

What followed was a lot of confusion and a lot of waiting. After instructing us to retrieve our luggage and waiting in the longest passport control line I've ever waited in, Delta escorted all of the passengers to a bus area outside of the airport. The first-class and status passengers immediately got put on buses and taken to a hotel in the heart of Lisbon. The rest of us peons had to wait over and hour until all of the passengers who had gone to the ticket counter were gathered, then we were put on buses and driven the opposite direction. We ended up about 30 miles outside the city, kind of in the middle of nowhere. Lest I paint too bleak of a picture though, we were all booked into a 5-star golf and spa resort. I keep telling people that I can tell this story two ways. The first is that I got an extra day of vacation at a 5-star resort. Delta even sent a box of chocolates to my room and gave everyone a letter that was good for a 30-minute massage, 1-hour golf clinic, or 5 drinks at the hotel bar.

However, the other side of the story is that all this time I was trying to enjoy my massage, the spa, my nice room, I had no idea how I would get to the airport the next day. Before getting on the bus I asked two different Delta employees if they would provide transportation from the hotel for my 5am flight. They assured me it would all be taken care of and that the hotel would let us know of the arrangements. At the hotel they were waiting on Delta to get information to them. I was that annoying person who bugged them every couple of hours to see if they had information. At 9pm I checked with the hotel again and they told me a shuttle would be coming for the passengers at 4:30am. Well, that was not going to work. At first the hotel employee wasn't helpful. She told me I would need to contact Delta myself (they wouldn't call for me) to find out about earlier transportation. Now I pride myself on being someone calm and controlled in tense situations, but at this point I was about to lose it. I FaceTimed my mom and told asked to get on the phone with Delta to see if there was anything she could arrange (I didn't have an international calling plan set up on my phone, so I couldn't have made the call on my own without incurring hefty charges.) Meanwhile I went down to the buffet dinner the hotel was providing without any appetite. I started asking around to see if anyone else had an early flight. Luckily I found a woman who was on my same Amsterdam flight and was told that a shuttle was coming for her at 2:30am. To make a long story short, I went down to the lobby at 2:30, got on the shuttle, and got home without incident from there.

Looking back, I should have been more confident that all would work out and I should have relaxed and enjoyed the time at the hotel more. I still don't count the extra day of vacation as a bonus (I didn't want it), but Delta did take relatively good care of us. However, they get bad marks in my book for communication (and I was far from the only one who felt this way).

At some point in the airport the day the flight was cancelled someone mentioned a passenger bill of rights and Delta employees passed out a sheet that told us we were entitled to compensation. I emailed Delta the details of what happened, and I just received word yesterday that I'll be getting a check for about $600 (600 euros). This is in accordance with EU policies, so I'm not sure if all cancelled flights that result in a delay of more than 3 hours are eligible for compensation, but if you're ever on a flight that is cancelled - especially one in the EU - it's worth contacting the airline to see if you can get some money for it.

CONCLUSION

So that is my very long, drawn-out trip report. I had a fabulous time in Portugal. I planned things out pretty meticulously, but when my feet were on the ground it was mostly about wandering and doing what felt right at the moment, while using my notes as a guide. I ate really well, and this experience has taught me that it's worth some loss in flexibility in order to make reservations and not leave a good meal up to chance (at least not all of them).

The first day in Cascais was my favorite day of the trip. I preferred Lisbon over Porto, but only very slightly. And had I started in Porto with the fresh energy that I had in Lisbon, I might have chosen Porto as my favorite. The days in Obidos, Coimbra, and Braga I could have skipped, but other than that everything was wonderful and very worth doing/seeing.

Now that I've finished writing up this trip and have almost gone through all of my photos, it's time to edit my video clips into the video I like to make of each trip I take. Between the pre-trip planning and the post-trip write up and photo/video editing, I know how to make a trip last a good part of the year!

Great TR! Thanks very much!

I really enjoyed your trip report and your gorgeous photos! I appreciate all the time and effort it took to write this report. I understand what you mean by preferring Lisbon over Porto because Lisbon was your first stop, and therefore, you had a lot more energy.Our favorite day in Lisbon was the day we spent at the castle and wandering around Alfama. I think our second favorite day was our day in Belem. However, we were impressed with what little we saw of Cascais on our bus tour, and we both agreed it would have been nice to spend a day in Cascais.