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PORTUGAL TRIP REPORTS AND PHOTOS

LYN'S TRIP REPORT ( orignally posted in Things to do in and around Lisbon II on 5/31/06)

So here is the first installment of our trip report 5/20 - 5/29

5/19 - Our overnight flight from Newark was uneventful. Having secured bulkhead seats that opened up when I was printing our boarding passes was great-- the extra leg room almost felt like business class ( I guess, I never actually flew business or first class).
Flight actually got in a bit early. We went directly to Budget -- Sher, I should have listened to you and taken the shuttle!
We found out that our rental at E321 (9 days) would leave us liable for $17,489 should we have an accident. We were also told that this amount would be held against my credit card until we returned the car ( guraenteed that is way above my max). When I mentioned that my CC would give us coverage, the retall agent said it made no differnce. She offered us "full coverage" with no deductible for E580 to which I decided to go next door to Hertz. The Budget rental price reduced quickly enough to E407 for 9 days for the same full coverage with no cost ( except tires??.)
We decided this was doable and less hassle than worrying about Amex coverage so we accepted. Can't help feeling we were a bit taken. Liked the car though. It was a Ford Focus 5 door manual with great gas mileage.
One thing though, the agent said if I had booked the car through Budget Portugal rather than Budget International it would have been cheaper. I don't know if this is true--I will research and report back.
So that was the car.
Our first stop was Sintra-- the Penha Longa hotel. We got lost about 4 times, but once we arrived, the hotel was great. There are not enough alcolaides to say about this place. Not only are the grounds beautiful, the room and view of the golf course terrific, the best thing was the staff. Eveyone remembered our names, where we went, what we saw and inquired if we enjoyed the experience. The hotel is a bit remote, so you do need a car to get around and I would say that it is halfway between Cascais and Sintra rather than Sintra proper. A last comment about the hotel, my husband loved playing golf here and I very much enjoyed the spa.
While in Sintra, we visited the Palciao Nacional de Pena, the Palacio Nacional de Sintra, Castelo Dos Mouros and Quinta Da Regaliera. Of these my favorite was Quinta Da Regaliera. The tunnels were quite something. as were the gardens and of course the Well. We spent an enjoyable hour tasting port right in the center of town at Bar Do Binho and bought a few bottles including a pricy 1977, but I'm told it can last up to 6 months opened ( if we don't drink it up too fast)LOL.
Sunday night we ate at the Palacio de Seteais at the recommendation of friends. I was not overly fond of this restaurant. I thought the service was a bit offhand to command the prices on the menu. The fact that the restuarant is in the basement ( lower level they call it) also did not appeal to me. But the food was good and I enjoyed seeing what I could of the lovely main floor.
On Monday night we drove to Guincho for dinner at the recommendation of two professional soccer players my DH played golf with. I don't remember the exact name of the restuarant, but it was right on the rocks. We had a freshly caught fish ( we picked it out) made baked in salt. Absolutely delicious!
Part two Evora--stay tuned

LYN'S TRIP REPORT II(originally posted Things to do in and around Lisbon II on 6/4/06)

Lobo and everyone,

Hope this report was worth the wait. Having major technical difficulties with my computer. Wrote 3/4 of this installment and the computer froze.Here goes.
Evora took about 1 1/2 hours from Sintra; the highways are great--empty with very few cars. Once in town, it took about another hour to find the hotel Cartuxa! We kept getting lost and each time we would stop, the directions we received would confuse us more than before, BUT everyone really tried to help us. Finally we saw a sign pointing toward the inside of the wall of the city and voila! we found it. Hotel was nice and people were terrific. The first afternoon, we walked around the city. Visited the Igreja Real de Sao Francisco and the capella do ossos. I found it interestng and not gruesome at all. The only thing that was a bit odd in the chapel was that there were no seats to pray or just sit; it was just a large room with columns. Near the temple Diana there was a small park with very nice views and a few places to sit and relax. The Se was lovely too especially the sculpture of the Blessed Mother. Our dinner that first night was at Fialho. Wonderful! Very small and very popular. We received a menu in english and from the looks of the diners, many have read the guides that recommned this place.
Our second day in Evora we had a private winery tour ( Herdade do Esporao). Beautiful place but again we got lost. ( very lost) We finally stopped and asked someone who was sitting in their car on the road. He did not speak any english, but he got back in his car, gestured to us to follow him and he proceeded to take us to the turn off for the winery -- unbelievable1 These kinds of things happened to us all over Portugal. It bears repeating, the people of Portugal are amazing--friendly, happy to see us and show off their country. Couldn't be nicer.
Becasue we got lost, we never made it to Redondo that day-- we had a cooking lesson waiting for us back at the hotel.
We learned how to make--forgive me I don't remember the portugese names for the dishes-- poached fish with cilantro, oil and garlic; pork cubes marinated in sweet pepper sauce with garlic and bay leaf, then fried in lard and finished in the oven. There was a bread dish made with day old bread and the juice from the pork dish. Dessert was an egg dish that was made with scrambeld eggs dropped into a heated sugar and water syrup sliced with two knives and then finished in the broiler. These were all Alentejo dishes and we ate the finsihed products for our dinner that night. Wonderful, but very rich and I paid for it the next day with the first trouble with my stomach. Hubby was absolutlely fine.
Our time was short in this area but on the way back to Cascais, we first drove to Redondo to find the pottery store, Pirraro which is mentioned in this thread (possibly part one). I was so glad we found it. I bought beautiful pieces for myself ( you know one gift for xxx, one for me--one gift for xxx one for me etc)and everyone I wanted to bring a gift home to.
If anyone should want to go there, just drive along the road to Redondo and continue through town. The store is almost at the road that takes you out of the town. The shop is not big, but a huge selection of items from coffee cups to platters and a million different colors and patterns. We then drove to Villa Vicosa and toured the Paco Ducal. Veey very nice, but we were rushed because they were almost ready to close for lunch. I bought a book to read up on those things I did n't get to see very well. We also tumbled upon a castle, but I don't know very much about this because there was nothing in any of my guidebooks about a castle in Villa Vicosa. Everything is marble and tile and the quarries are huge. There is marble everywhere. The driving in this area was really lovely. My only disapointment was I didn't see any cork trees. Or at least I didn't think I did.
We continued driving toward the coast and made one last stop at Quelez at the Palace. For any of you who have seen Versaille, you will see and feel the comparison. (The only thing missing in Portugal are the garish souvenirs shops outside versialle)this was a good thing. One very good idea was that each room had a diagram that was numbered and each item in the room was listed with the number and there was a corresponding explanation in both portugese and english. Made touring the very large building a bit easier. I also must mention the marvelous gardens--stunning.
Sso that is it for now. Part three Cascais and Lisbon coming up as well as some pictures.

Lyn

Once again, great report and photos!

Sorry folks!

I messed up a bit- duplicate and I don't know what I did. Blame it on the hour.

Lyn, the photos are most excellent indeed. Well done: can you let us know what camera you used?

I've linked to the report on the 3rd Lisbon thread. Future Portugal trip reports have a lot to live up to!

Matt

Thanks, Matt. I appreciate the kind praise.
The camera is a Nikon D70 S with a couple of different lens. I can't take any credit,though, Lew is the photographer.

I'll try to get to the last part of the trip report tonight.

Lyn - We are also going to Evora. How far away is Redondo, and do you remember how long it took you to get there? Did you find the prices to be better than in stores in Lisbon. I have a serious pottery weakness. Did you visit any other towns in that region?

Driving time: 30 minutes
Better prices: yes
Better shop: Piçarra. I think that Ireynold1 and Bailey shop there recently.

Isabel- yes, based on our recent drive, Lobo is correct. 30 minutes. I think we are talking about the same place. I thought it was Pirraro ( that is what I thought I saw on the back of the platter) but maybe it is Picarra. I defer to Lobo. The prices were good. a large platter( the type the Portugese put on their walls) was 17.80 euros -- very reasonable. I did not see an upstairs and the day we were there, only a salegirl was there and she spoke almost no english, so I cannot comment about an upstairs selection.

ON THE ROAD TO LISBON... ( Long)

The long awaited last installment of our trip.

After leaving Evora, taking the “scenic route” to visit Piraca,Villa Vicosa and the Palacio de Quelez we arrived in Cascais.

Arriving in Cascais was very easy. Hotel again eluded us, but we found it after only a couple of go arounds. The hotel Cascais Miragem is absolutely beautiful. It is only 2 years old and everything is technical wizardry. For example, upon entering our room, we could not find the light switches. We looked everywhere, but could not seem to turn any lamps on. There was a place at the front door for our keycard; this mechanism turned on the electric--air conditioning included. Who knew? There were no “do not disturb” or “please make up the room” signs for the door. By simply pressing a button on the wall it lit up either yellow for occupied, red for Do not Disturb and green when the key was removed from the slot upon leaving the room. INGENIOUS. The only problem with this set up was that we could not charge our phones our camera batteries while we were out, so we figured out that we could leave one key in the door and take the other when we left, keeping the air conditioner on as well as the wall sockets. Very energy efficient, but, too when you opened the terrace door, the air conditioning went off as well. Hmmm.

Our first afternoon, we relaxed before going to dinner that night at Villa Albatroz. I selected this restaurant because it looked pretty, with a few of the water but not too snooty. I was wrong, it was pretty but also snooty. However, the meal was nice. I would not recommend this restaurant though, I am sure there are many upscale places with better, more friendly service. After dinner we went to the Casino, which we both enjoy. Didn’t win or lose much.

Friday Lew played golf at Octavios. Beautiful course and he really loved playing there. Upon his return we drove to Cabo da Roca. What a drive! No one told me we would travel thorough the mountain on a ledge with no rails! Definitely not for the faint of heart and I wasn’t doing the driving! Once there, in my opinion it was worth the drive, not sure if Lew would agree.( only kidding). I will post some of the photos; really something. On the way back, we continued to Boca da Inferno. We took some pictures, but after Cabo, this was not very impressive, mostly because the waters were very calm. I’m sure when the surf is up, it is a different story. There is also the Praia do Guincho that was actually blocked by huge amounts of sand on the road early on Friday. Later that day we were able to pass and I am not sure where the sand went. There were many wind surfers on the beach as well as a numbewr of folks flying kites. There were some food places right on the beach. However, we did not stop here so I have no first hand information.

There is a Square and shopping area in Cascais, where I bought yet more memorabilia, It was fun to walk around the area. There is also a mall! Friday night, we ate at the hotel and I had a fish dish similar to what I had in Evora. I also had a local white wine. The meal was again ok. I have already mentioned that the seasonings did not agree with me overall, although my husband loved everything. Later that night I began what was a long 12 hours.

Saturday morning I reluctantly cancelled joining the LDC. Had I seen Lobos return post, I may have opted to go for coffee and Fado, but at the time I sent it, I was not feeling too chipper. Fortunately, as the day wore on, I began to feel better.

After lunch (figuratively for me) we took the train to Lisbon. It was very very hot, but we did go to the Castelo de Sao Jorge. The views from the castle are marvelous. We stopped in the church at the bottom of the street, but I do not know the name. There was a wedding going on and we stayed in the back and watched. Very lovely.

From there, we took the trolley # 28 headed back to Belem. Unfortunately, my husband was almost pickpocketed.
This is very important! First off, the man did not get anything. But, please be careful. My husband had his money and wallet in his front shorts pocket. The man simply put his hand in his pocket as we entered the trolley. He was very well dressed and very presentable. Although Lew made a bit of a fuss and elbowed him as well as raising his voice,the man got on the trolley and sat down as calm as you please. Lew did nothing further not wanting to cause any kind of scene since nothing was taken. Please be careful, and understand this can happen anywhere by anyone. We did not let this bother us. But we were a bit surprised by the man's appearance.
Once we got to Belem we visited the Mosteiro dos Jeronimos. The building itself was very interesting and impresive since it dates back to the early 1500s. But what really impressed me was the exhibiton in one of the rooms on the second floor. It houses a pictorial and text history of the world, not just Portugal, dating back to the late 1400s, amazing! I spent about 1 hour reading and walking around the exhibit.
From there we went to the Pastelaria de Belem and lamented that you all would be meeting there in about 3 hours. We did stop and have a pastry and washed it down with local beer( what is wrong with us?) but it was so hot I just couldn't face a bica at that point. No wonder my stomach kept errupting. Anyone who vists Lisbon MUST taste these pastries. To die for! By now I'm feeling a bit sour again so it was back to the hotel and no dinner that night. Lew ordered room service and I ate the bread.
We had a surprise waiting for us when we returned to our room thanks to the heat wave. I will continue tomorrow since the hour grows late. Stay tuned for part two of part three as well as some more photos!

Lyn. Your post brings back not so fond memories of us and a pickpocket on Tram #28.
He didn't get anything from my husband because we wear money belts under our clothes. But it was an interesting experience.

You are right, it's Pirraça. The name sounds quite different from what an English native speaker would think. Try do join "pee" like PIlgrim + "ra" like Rally + "ça" like "SAlisbury". This is the best I can do. Maybe other can do a phonetic translation.
http://localnet.pt/olaria-pirraca/ (no English version, but watch the pictures)

Last part of part III.
When we returned to our room Saturday afternoon, Lew ( DH) went out to the terrace to have a cigarette. Within 2 minutes he yells "Lyn come look, this is unbelievable". There were thousands and I mean thousands of little insects( we found out later they were mosquitos) all over the terrace, privacy walls and plexiglass front. After an unsuccessful attempt by housekeeping to remove them, we were moved to a suite! La dee da, very fancy. But, the mosquitos were there as well just less of them(5 floors higher). It turned out that the unexpected heat wave ( We were told it was 20 F higher than usual for the end of May. I don't remember exactly in C but I remember the conversion made it over 100 F.) had brought the insects from North Afica and it was in the papers. The desk clerk called it a "plague".
Sunday, we went to Fatima. Much has been said on the Things to do... thread. I can only say as a Christian and Catholic, for me it was a very moving experience to observe displays of such intense faith. That said, I can tell you, my husband, who is Jewish, did not experience any of this and was not impressed, although he loved taking pictures of the outside of the catheral and square. Two people with different reactions to the same experience. One last word about Fatima. If you go on a Sunday, you will not be able to go inside the Cathedral. And, if you wish to hear Mass, check the times. Keep in mind the Mass is said from the steps of the cathedral out over the square that is at least 2X the size of St Peter's in Rome. It is very crowded. Impossible to park--again you need patience manuevering arounded the tiny streets. The shops are a bit garish in and around the area.
From Fatima we wanted to go to Alcobaca. We got lost ( surprise?) Never did get to Mosterio de Santa Maria, but we did find Batalha and the amazing Mosterio de Santa Maria da Vitoria better known as Mosterio de Batalha. Somehow I missed the Sala do Capitulo, but if you should visit here, look for Portugal's two Unknown soldiers. The mountainous N1 had beautiful views. But, by then, we were tired and hot and were ready to go back to our suite!!
Our last dinner was at the Grille at the Four Seasons hotel in Estoril. By now, my stoamch was returning to normal, so I was looking forward to a nice meal. And it was, however, Lew
( DH) decided we should have a bottle of wine for a our last night in Portugal and then went ahead and ordered a cream of crab soup. bad idea. The meal was nice, the restaurant very small for a hotel restaurant and I very much enjoyed my crepe suzettes for dessert.
After dinner we again visited the Casino for a bit and went back to pack.
The following morning, we left very early because there is much traffic at morning rush hour. From Cascais to the airport should take only 30 minutes. We left at 7 AM and it took us closer to 45 minutes. So plan accordingly when leaving for the flight home. A last word about the car. We had filled up the tank on Sunday, in Cascais after returning from Fatima. The gauge looked like slghtly less than full on the way to the airport. We decided not to stop and top it off. A mistake. The car rental agency charged us 21E. Very expensive.
All in all, it was a wonderful trip. We hope to come back one day to see Porto, more of the Alentjo and the Algarve. Sher is right- the more you write about your trip and answer questions, its like you reliving it. So if anyone has any questions, plesse feel free to ask. I will post some pictures in a few days.

Lyn. Are you glad you made the choice to stay outside of Lisbon? Of course, I realize with the heat it was very good that you did.

And thank you for the lovely report.