Portugal Part 3 - The Final Chapter

Travel morning - we treated ourselves to waffles again before going for a walk in the park and taking in the last sights of Obidos.  Then it was time to pack up and prepare to leave.

The bus to Lisbon took ~70 minutes, arriving around 1.25pm.  After working out the metro, we headed to our accommodation, which was a short ride out of the main centre.  Then, after settling in, it was time to head back downtown to check the place out. So many beautiful buildings, monuments and huge squares.

After reaching the waterfront, we decided to head back to one of the terrace bars/restaurants we'd seen along the way, and ended up having an early dinner.  This was followed by a quick stop at the supermarket on the way home and a quiet night in.

The hotel room is tiny, but they have good shared spaces and put on a great breakfast (included).  We are staying here as the prices in the centre are ridiculous, especially when doubling our money to match the Euro.  As it turned out it was quite nice to be a little further away, but so close by metro standards.

Next morning we opted to do the 'free' walking tour.  Our guide, Joao, was a nice guy and it was a pleasant way to spend a couple of hours.  We did arrive early, to spend some time in and around Rossio Square, taking in the old train station, the fountains and monuments, and the Square itself.  They are pretty cool areas within the old town.

The walking tour comprised of various points of interest, miradouro's (view points), local history and story telling, pastry treats, and a song or two.  The area is famous for Fado (sad songs/music).

First up was the Column of Pedro the 4th, then one of the highlights, the haunting 700 year old Church of Sao Domingos (St Dominic’s church).  It's got alot of tragic history and the raw interior is stunning.  The myth is bad things will happen if you try to restore it, hence how it looks today.

We walked up the narrow, steep, cobbled and winding streets (very cool), and learned more about Fado and its history, getting our first serenade by Joao. 

Next stop was at the first view point, overlooking the central city, squares, the Tagus River and in the distance, the Cristo Rei (Sanctuary of Christ, modelled off the famous Rio 'Christ the Redeemer').  Also in view was Avenida da Ponte 25 de Abril (bridge) and The Church of the Carmo convent on the hill (built 1385-1389).

Moving on, we passed the oldest residential house in the area built in the 18th century, then it was time to take a break and try the famous custard tart along with an espresso.

After recommencing, we reached the second view point where the views took in the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora, the National Pantheon and more of the river.  Quite stunning.

We started winding our way down through the district of Alfama, stopping at the third view point, and then got to try the local version of the Cherry liqueur in a chocolate cup (with a local senior lady who makes it by hand).  She was gorgeous.

A little further on we reached 'Se', the Cathedral of Santa Maria Maior, which was our final stop.  We had been serenaded by Joao a total of three times during our walk, who was even accompanied by a guitarist at one of the viewpoints.  It certainly made the tour very memorable.

After saying our goodbyes we walked back into Praca do Comercio (commerce square), with its monument 'Estatua de D Jose 1' (the equestrian statue of King José I), and the Triumphal Arch. This square is absolutely huge, as is the arch.  Got to listen to an opera singer here busking, which was also pretty special.

On the waters edge right in the centre of town we saw a couple of small beaches and people swimming so headed over for a nosey.  So weird these little bits of 'beach', right alongside the bustling roads of the central city.

After heading back inland towards Rossio square, we did what you do in Lisbon and queued for an hour to take the 1902 Santa Justa Lift (protégé of Eiffel), up to the ruins of The Church of the Carmo convent.  This was the Church we had seen in the distance earlier and Joao recommended we make the effort to go and see it.  The views from the top of the lift, of the inner city, were wonderful.

The church was the highlight however, and was a great visit to a truly remarkable piece of history.  To see how the ruins have been left in such a natural / raw state was incredibly powerful.

Inside, the museum section was much the same, powerful, with artefacts dating back thousands of years.

What a sensational day.  After a rest break (sitting out the front enjoying a beer, in awe of this building), we started our journey back to the hotel to enjoy our dinner on the outside deck.

Another must do, from Lisbon, is a trip to Sintra.  We opted for a private tour and our guide, Diogo, picked us up at 9am.  Sintra is a popular tourist destination with its unique historic village, sites and micro climate.  

Our entry tickets for the Palacio da Peña were for 10.30am, so we arrived with plenty of time to enjoy a walk through Parque da Peña (the palace grounds).  It's said the Queen got seedlings from all over the world to plant this, and it was quite beautiful.  She believed if she planted trees from foreign countries, the birds of those counties would come to Portugal.

As we arrived at the Palace it became obvious why it is so popular, and just how many other people were already here. The palace literally looks like it has jumped out of a fairy-tail book, with gates belonging to a Shrek movie!

We were advised that the blue is the original 1000 year old Moorish component, the yellow sections were added by a private owner, and finally the red added by the royal family.

It took us 40 minutes to get in, which seemed ridiculous considering we had a timed entry, and we started the slow one-way walk through the interior.  Difficult to get photos due to the crowds, but it was filled with ornate rooms and furnishings.  Some rooms of note were the Manuline Cloister, King Ferdinands' dining room, Niche of the Monastery of Our Lady Pena, Great Hall, Stag Room and the kitchen.  

Back outside we checked out the terrace, and the view points, before making our way back through the gardens to the carpark.  The views are something else, all the way out to the coast and a great line of sight to the 8-9th century built Castelo dos Mouros (Castle of the Moors).  We were quite glad that was over (the inside bit), although the outer building, views and gardens were well worth the visit.

After arriving in Sintra we walked past a beautiful 1000 year old Moorish Fountain.  Fountains are a common site in Sintra and are absolutely everywhere. They were used for both people and animals alike and like this one, some date back 1000 years.

In central Sintra itself there were more old homes, cobbled streets and narrow lanes.  Diogo then treated us to some 'special' sweet Sintra treats -Travesseiros de Sintra (Sintra Pillows, only available in Sintra) and Queijadas de Sintra - main ingredients almond and cheese respectively.  Seems every town has their own special cake or pastry, and these two were divine!

Next stop was Quinta da Regalia.  This building and garden setting is not as old as it looks (18th century), but its inverted tower is something Gary wanted to see.  Originally built for the use of the Masonic Order, it is now a major attraction and another queue builder (faster moving this time though). 

The tower was something else, and we climbed down its stairwell arriving in a labyrinth of passageways.

Finally back outside the whole place was disorientating, as there are pathways and stairways everywhere.  After taking a few moments to find our way, and a few final photos, we were off again.

On the journey back to Lisbon we visited the most 'western' point of continental Europe, 'Cabo da Roca', as well as 'Boca do Inferno', the Gates of Hell.  It was so windy on the point you could hardly stand up, but beautiful all the same.

We passed Belem Tower on the way back into the central city, then promptly found ourselves back home, having had a really enjoyable day. Then it was out to a local cafe for drinks in the sunshine, before dinner, where the all important people, and as it transpired 'pig', watching happens.

It was a lazy start to our final full day in Lisbon. We didn't leave the hotel until around midday, taking the metro downtown to visit the Church of Santa Engrácia. It is a 17th-century monument in Lisbon; originally a church, until the 20th century when it was converted into the National Pantheon.

The next couple of sites we had seen previously from viewpoints on the walking tour - walking tours are great to get a feel for what you might want to go back to, or to visit in less of a hurry.   First was the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora (meaning Monastery of St. Vincent Outside the Walls), a 17th century church and monastery.

We stopped again at the view point above the river (pit stop), before heading to the Lisbon Cathedral of Santa Maria Maior (Sé).  The Roman Catholic church is the oldest church in the city and is the seat of the Archdiocese of Lisbon. 

We stopped at a local cafe and had a piglet sandwich for lunch (yes they are called that and yes they have different pricing for tourists!).  Walking back through the now familiar squares we took a final look at the originally built, 13th century, spectacular Church of Sao Domingos (St Dominic’s church).

We decided to walk the 3km home, taking the path up the wide and leafy Avenida da Liberdade, passing a couple of monuments.  The first being the Monument to the Dead of the Great War (WW1), and the second the Statue of Sebastiao de Carvalho 'Marquis de Pombal', (effectively the Portuguese ruler from 1750-177l).  You absolutely cannot miss the latter due to its size.

A laid back and quiet afternoon before heading out for Japanese food.  So nice to mix up the cuisine and a nice evening to finish up in Lisbon. 

Off next to the Algarve.  Check out is 12pm, so it was a relaxed start and journey to the bus stop, leaving at 1.25pm.  Lots of very crispy landscape on the way and land being used for all manner of agriculture.  We arrived in Albufeira ~3 hours later, where our AirBNB host, Derek, picked us up.

A quick familiarisation tour of the local area, and the apartment, and we were left to our own devices.  We are here for 10 nights and this is the end of our Portugal travel.

The apartment complex, with pool and gym, is the closest thing to living at home we have had in 3 months, so we plan to relax and enjoy the area as well as what the apartment has to offer.

Apart from getting back into our exercise routine, catching the World Cup opening match, and enjoying the area in general, we did do a few things during our time here.

A number of walks exploring the old town as well as the new 'strip'.  The old town is perched cliff side and upon walking around it became very apparent it was never going to cope with influxes of thousands of tourists over time, so has expanded somewhat.  There are views aplenty though, as the cliffs the Algarve is famous for are lined with caves and Atlantic coast beaches.

The 'strip' is more the new part of town, and is lined with restaurants, bars, cafes, nightclubs and general shopping as well as accommodation options (which would be great if you want to party all night!).  We did manage to find a sensational Chinese restaurant though!

The couple of outings we had included a boat tour to the famous Algarve cliffs and caves.  The cliffs are made of limestone and sandstone, so the foreshore is lined with numerous small and large caves caused by erosion over time. 

We saw the 7km long, beautiful sandy beach of Armacao de Pero, along with many other gorgeous beaches, as well as the spot where George Clooney made the famous Nespresso balcony TV commercial.  

Ultimately we arrived at Algar de Benagil (Benagil Cave).  Rated the 7th most beautiful cave in Europe, it's unique due to the erosion happening from both the front and top.  It's certainly the most famous in this area, which is why it was a little like grand central Station.  Truly amazing and huge. 

Following our cave spotting and coast cruising, we headed into the open water to see if we could spot any dolphins.  The Bottlenose variety gracefully appeared and played alongside the boat as we departed, including gifting us a sensational look at a ~4m long alpha male.  An outing well worth it.

We decided to walk home via the old town and again, it's super cute with it's curved, and sometimes steep, little cobbled lanes (seriously you have to be careful everywhere you walk in Portugal!).  We passed the various cliff top views, and the 1782 Igreja Matriz de Alburfeira (main church), before arriving at the main square.

The Algarve is a large area of land and Derek kindly offered to drive us out to Cape Vincent, the most south-western point of continental Europe, and for the old sailors what might have appeared to be the end of the world.  Out here the cliffs are equally, if not more, spectacular than the bottom of the Algarve, and are made of granite so much hardier.  The lighthouse and old fort sits atop the peak of the point, and again the views are something else.  We walked quite a way around the top of the Peninsula taking in the sights, before a quick coffee stop on the beach and heading home.

Our final key outing, and highlight of the Algarve, was to walk the Seven Hanging Valleys Trail.  This is a famous and highly rated walk in Portugal, ~7km long, from Praia da Marinha to Praia de Vale Centeanes.

The clifftop trail takes you along the rugged coastline climbing up and down ravines that almost always open up above sea level (the hanging valleys).  Views of arches, coves and islets, as well as the stunning clear blue water of the Atlantic, alongside the brightly coloured high cliffs, make every corner a post card view and absolutely stunning.

Yes, that dot on top of the cliff is Gary!

What makes this part of the coast special, apart from the above, is the caves and blow holes where the top of the cave has collapsed.  We are now getting to see from above, what we saw from the water, with people and boats below, snaking their way into and out of the larger caves and openings.  The Benagil cave was amongst the highlights, as was the beach, Praio de Benigal, and Praia do Carvalho, where we walked to the beach via stairs in a tunnel, excavated in the soft limestone.

We passed the Ladrao Stack and then headed towards the 1920 Alfanzina Lighthouse.  The sky became very dark and moody, and after getting caught in an absolute downpour, regrouping and drying out at a beachside restaurant at Praia de Vale Centeanes, we were off again.

We walked the final 2km to Carvoeiro, 9km in total, and relaxed at the beach with a well earned beer on the terrace at Bote (another recommendation), before returning home.

Our 10 days in the Algarve also had to include a trip to the local beach, swim in the 'cool but refreshing' Atlantic, and copious amount of people watching, and watching those lobsters sizzle (sun burned tourists). The time in hindsight has gone exceptionally fast, but has been a fantastic way to finish off our time in Portugal.  A beautiful and diverse place well worth the time and effort.