Portugal

We left Cincinnati for Lisbon via Paris on Saturday (May 5) evening. We arrived in Lisbon on Sunday afternoon around 3pm. We took a cab to the Baixa area in the center of Lisbon where our hotel Hotel Lisboa Tejo was located. We were both pretty tired from the long journey, so we decided to take a nap and rest for a while.

We had dinner in the Baixa area. We ate at one of the many traditional Portuguese seafood restaurants and cafes that line the streets of Baixa. I had a Lobster/Shell Fish curry along with Prawns in Garlic Butter and Michele had the grilled Swordfish. Both dishes were excellent. The fish curry remined me of Sri Lankan cooking which has been influenced by Portuguese cooking and vice versa (Sri Lanka is a former Portuguese colony).

After having breakfast at the hotel, we spent most of the morning touring the city and its several palaces and large open quadrangles. We then took a ferry across the bay to Cacilhas. There are some magnificent views of Lisbon from this side of the bay. We then walked along the waterline and came upto this huge structure (about 10 stories high) which housed an elevator that took us to the top of the cliff. From here we had a bird's eye view of Lisbon and the entire harbor area. Lunch was at a restaurant overlooking the bay - we had a Cuttlefish seafood lunch cooked over open flames in a pit. After lunch we walked around Cacilhas which was primarily a residential area. An integral part of the architecture was the marble facades which had a variety of thing painted on them.

We then took the ferry back to Lisbon, did some shopping and headed back to the hotel. We had relaxing dinner at Bonjardim ( Fodor's Review | Frommer's Review ), and then took a cable car to the Port Wine Institute. This place has dozens of different kinds of Ruby, Tawny and White Port wines. We tried a 10-yr old and 20-yr old Fonseca and Taylor Fladgate white port.

In the morning we visited the Alfama area of Lisbon. This historic neighborhood is considered the oldest in Lisbon and once constituted the entire city of Lisbon. In the center of this neigborhood up on a hill sits the castle Castelo de São Jorge. Looking over the ramparts of the castle, you are presented with a beautiful viewof Lisbon.

In the afternoon we took a train to Belem, an area outside of Lisbon on the banks of the Tagus River. The main attractions here are the 16th century Jeronimos Monastery and the Tower of Belem. The historic monastery's architecture is of Gothic style and it incorporates both Moorish and Indian characteristics. The tomb of Vasco de Gama (discovered the sea route to India) is located within this monastery along with the tomb of one of Portugal's famous literary figure Luis de Camoes. A modern day structure that looks like the prow of a ship called Monument to the Discoveries. sits next to the Tower of Belem. This massive structure is a tribute to Portugal's past sailors and explorers.

We had dinner at an awesome Indian restaurant Cantinho da Paz ( Frommer's Review). featuring food from the region of Goa in India. This was a small intimate restaurant that sat at most 15 tables. We didn't have reservations but the owner recognizing that we were out-of-towners graciously accomodated us. It was perhaps the best Indian food Michele and I have had.

We rented a car and left Lisbon around 10:30 am for city of Porto. On the way up we stopped at the city of Fatima. Fatima is holy site where the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, appeared six times to three sheperd children, Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinta, between May 13 and October 13, 1917.

After visiting the holy site and the church we had lunch at a restaurant in the outskirts of town called Tia Alice. This was an exceptional restaurant that specializes in regional Portuguese cuisine and serves a good collection of Portuguese and other wines.

We then proceded to drive north and decided to stop for the night in Aveiro. We stayed at Hotel Imperial. We got some dinner in town and retired for the night.

We had breakfast at Hotel Imperial and arrived in Porto around mid morning. We checked into Ville Galle Hotel. This is a nice high-rise hotel located in the business district of Porto, walking distance from most attractions including the wine lodges.

We spent the day touring Porto's numerous cathedrals and the river front.

Friday morning after having breakfast at the hotel we headed towards the river. We took a ferry across the Douro river to the area where all Oprto's Port Wine Lodges are located. This is home to Taylor Fladgate, Dows, Fonseca, Sandeman, Grahams and many other Port Wine bottlers.

We took two wine tours one at Sandeman and the other at Grahams. At both places we tasted some Vintage and Tawny ports.

After visiting the wine lodges we headed back to the hotel Spa for some relaxation. Th Turkish Bath was extremely invigorating.

We had dinner at Majestic Cafe in the city center. This is a restaurant whose decor is full of mirrors, chandeliers and several other embellishments. Back at the turn of the century (20th) this was the place for the intellectuals and the distinguished to meet and discuss literary and artistic movements. After dinner we headed back to the hotel for good night's sleep.

Saturday morning we drove to the airport and took almost a 2 hour flight to the beautiful island of Madeira ( MadeiraWeb | MadeiraIsland.com).

We took a cab to our hotel in Funchal. After settling in, we took a walk down to the ocean front and at a wonderful seafood lunch at one of the cafes overlooking the ocean.

We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing at the hotel Spa. Dinner was at the hotel.

This morning we had breakfast at the hotel and set out to tour the city of Funchal by foot. We walked to the city center and absorbed the very unique architecture along the way.

We then took the Skyrail from the harbor area to the village of Monte located up in the hills overlooking the city. From the Skyrail we got great 360-degree view of the entire coast. The Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary is great place to see - a flight of steps lead up to this majestic black and white structure.

After touring Monte we took a cab back to Funchal and had dinner at an Italian resturant. We then headed back to the hotel and spent the evening at the Spa. We had a late dinner at a Chinese restaurant on the main strip and called it a night.

We rented a car early morning and toured the rest of the Island. We headed north up the mountains (the elevation topping a 1000 feet) and drove down to the northwest coast and back to the Funchal along the western coastal highway.

We first drove to the town of Ribeira Brava and then took the motorway that heads up the mountain to the high plains area known as Encumeada. From there we drove down to the coastal town of Serra d’Água and continued along the coast stopping at Porto Moniz for lunch. After a late lunch we continued along the coast to the town of Calheta and then back to Funchal.

The diversity of scenery as you drive across the island is incredible. The mountains are covered with mist and fog while only a few miles down at the ocean's edge the temperature is much warmer with the sun shining down on us. At various points along this route there are incredible views of the coast from higher elevations.

We took a mid morning flight back to Lisbon. We rented a car at the airport and drove to the coastal town of Cascais about 20 miles west of Lisbon. After checking into our hotel which overlooked the ocean, we took a stroll down the coast. We spent most of the day relaxing and had a wonderful Italian dinner at a quaint little restaurant a few blocks from the city center.

This morning we drove to the city of Sintra. This ia a beautful hilltop area where three major national palaces are located - Palácio da Vila, Palácio da Pena and Palácio de Queluz. We toured Palácio da Vila, which is located at the foot of the mountain. We then drove up to Palácio da Pena. This is an incredible palace built in the 1880s and reveals the Portuguese architecture of the Romantic period.

We spent the whole day in Sintra and headed back to Cascais for dinner.

We drove down the coast first to the Mouth of Hell, a natural rock formation where the ocean waves violently crash into. We then headed to the beach at Guincho. We had a great seafood lunch overlooking the ocean. After spending much of the day at the beach we headed back to Cascais.

Dinner was at an Italian restaurant.

Friday morning we again drove to Sintra to visit the palaces and the castles. The day was a lot brighter with clear skies, so we wanted to get some good footage of the palaces.

We then headed to Palácio de Queluz, and toured the palace and the beautiful garden surrounding the palace. We then headed back to Lisbon. On the way we had lunch at a Brazilian steakhouse (these are very common in Portugal). It is an all-you-can-eat place where they continuously bring various skewered meats to the tableside - interesting dining experience.

We spent the entire Saturday walking and touring parts of Lisbon we didn't see before. After dinner we wen to the Port Wine Institute of Lisbon - INSTITUTO DO VINHO DO PORTO. This is a must-visit place if you are in Lisbon. they have over 100 different Port wines both white and red.

We had a dry white Port - Taylor Fladgate & Yateman, and a 10 year and a 20 year Tawny Port - Fonseca Guimaraens. This is a perfect place for after dinner drinks. We then headed back for good night's sleep before our morning flight the next day.

Sunday morning we flew out of Lisbon back to the US via Paris. Again, we had a wonderful time in Portugal and would definitely go back if the opportunity presents itself.