...where sometimes it's possible to leap and pause

Last days come too, too quickly… but final days can also be really full ones and all things considered, I think we did pretty well.  A mix of focused site seeing from the shortlist along with some time for some pausing and spontaneity.  And of course, taking advantage of another opportunity to hit up the pastelerias.

Pensao Policarpo in Evora

A few hours in Evora for the morning first, where we spent some time walking through the adjacent Evora University and took in the seamless ways it mixed the modern and the historic.  Great to get a glimpse of students in their classes and professors walking about as centuries old azulejos (the famous Portuguese tiling) lined the classrooms and walkways, with LCD projectors mounted in ceilings.

Within the Evora Cathedral Cloister

And we were glad to spend some time visiting the Evora Cathedral as well, especially to walk on the rooftops as well as through the contemplative cloister area–the rooftops affording great views of the city below and the cloisters with its solemn stone hallways, architectural details, memorials to the dead and the central sun-lit courtyard.

Back in Lisbon, thank goodness for the karma balancing ease of returning our rental car, and then dropping off our things at the Fenix Garden hotel near the Marques du Pombal metro station.  And off we went to take the famous 28 yellow tram from the Baixa neighborhood to the oldest area of Lisbon, the Alfama district—one which survived the Great Lisbon Earthquake of 1755, and location of the Castelo de Sao Jorge.  For the first time, we felt like we were in the company of a great

Guitarist at the Castelo De Sao Jorge

many other tourists but we found quieter areas as well, whether in small turrets with grand vistas or sitting along the interior castle walls as we listened to a memorably talented guitar player adding more mood and romance to the visit.  And to end the evening and our final day of our Portugal adventure?  Slow meandering through the back streets of old Alfama, getting more pasteles, and spending an hour or so over drinks, local cheeses and a perfect, pressed ‘tosta’ sandwich.

Portugal, we couldn’t imagine a richer and fuller visit—obrigado!

Farewell, Lisbon!

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Dawn at Marvao, Portugal

Truly a day of castles, the towns and the people of them.  I’m proud of you, Sarah, for bucking up for the dawn rousing so we could watch the sunrise from the castle area of Marvao.  And with the pink glow spreading from the horizon to the walls of the stone fortifications and still-quiet homes of Marvao, it was definitely worth it.  What a view.  The pre-breakfast walk through the town was almost like a bonus experience of found-time.

We were glad to spend another hour or so after breakfast (always good ones in Portugal, it seems, with the breads, ham, cheeses and coffee) walking through the small town again in full morning sun—visiting the small museum and happening upon a charming Mercearia de Marvao shop and its keeper, from whom we bought a handmade bird mobile.  (Hi, Catarina!  We will take loving care of your craft for you).

Catarina of the Excellent Mercearia de Marvao Store

A day in transit as well, first stopping by the nearby Castelo De Vide for an insufficient visit, but one where we poked around some antique/thrift shops, stopped for a bifana sandwich (thinly sliced pork) and orange sodas at a small local eatery, and got the urge to buy porco preto (black pig sausage and meats) at the small grocery stores.  We weren’t even fazed by a disorienting parking job, where a small group of older, local men waved us away from one spot (apparently reserved) and gave us permission with wary eyes and complicit nods of the head for us to basically park in the middle of the road.

We made it to Evora, a UNESCO World Heritage city by mid to late

Can't Say Enough About the Pastelerias

afternoon—with enough time to visit the Church of San Francisco and its disturbing Capela Dos Ossos (Chapel of Bones), built by 16th century Franciscan monks as a contemplative hall for the friars in residence.  Evora overall represents quite a rich, wealth of history in its own right, including columns from Roman times, the towers of the Se (cathedral) where the explorer Vasco de Gama’s ship’s flags were blessed before his voyage to India, and a 16th century Jesuit university more recently reopened as Evora University.  We enjoyed walking through the adjacent university’s sun-lit parks, looking through Evora’s many fashionable stores, having some snacks and espressos at a pasteleria (omnipresent throughout Portugal’s cities… and deservedly so!) and ending our evening with a superb meal of lamb, pork tenderloin and a bottle of local red wine.

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From the coast to the highest hilltop town of the Sao Mamede mountains in Portugal: that range was particularly striking waking up in the sunny, coastal town of Nazare and ending our night in the darkened and largely empty fortification of Marvao.

Oceanside Nazare From The Upper Part of Town

A full day, first exploring the beach area right outside our 2^nd floor window at the Hotel Mar Bravo—happily walking (instead of barely driving) through the streets with its restaurant menus boasting seafood specialties, to the lift up the nearby cliff to experience some stunning views overlooking the lower elevation section of town along the ocean.  An afternoon to fully appreciate the bright sunshine on yet another perfect spring day, especially during our al-fresco lunch stop of pretty tasty hamburgers at a local lunch spot populated by Nazare residents, from young to old.

We were happily surprised at the appeal of the two hour drive to Marvao in mid-afternoon as well.  The rolling hills, the fields of cork trees and olive groves, and tucked-away towns would have welcomed exploration in and of themselves.  Another time, we hope.

Emptied Hilltop Town of Marvao at Dusk

And what an arrival at the tiny town of Marvao, with its less than two-hundred residents, its fortified walls and its long history as a key fortification from the time of the Moors around 9th and 10th centuries to its granted charter in the early 13th century by a Portuguese king to its role in Portugal’s civil war in the 1830s.  The uniqueness of staying within the fortified walls was all the more amplified by the timing of our off-season visit; we nearly had the entire place to ourselves.  And coming in late dusk with the surrounding, lower lying lands of nearby Spain darkening under the expiration of the day?  Truly evocative.

So after settling in, and heading out to a local restaurant for dinner (and how about a cheer for it happening to be gastronomic pork week at the Alentejo region of the country??), I made sure to spend a few minutes walking the completely empty streets of Marvao towards the main castle fortification.  Creepy and other worldly at the same time.

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Choices are hard—especially when there’s so much to see and a limited amount of time.  And while we found out that Libson is certainly no exception to that rule, it’s hard to go wrong.

After a bit of drama with getting our car rental at the airport (I guess one of us has to be more careful about reading emails and printing actual vouchers instead of confirmation text… that would be me), we tested out our driving in Europe mettle with some tentative driving to the nearby oceanarium, apparently the largest of the continent.  Helpful street signage?  Uh, kind of lacking.

Sea Otters at the Lisbon Oceanarium

But back to the city aquarium… it was impressive to get that view of all the different kinds of underwater life, especially considering Lisbon’s location right on the Atlantic coast.  Sea turtles to napping-while-floating sea otters and ‘ham sandwiches’ (otherwise known as sun fish, the largest skeletal fish in our oceans and rather flattened and disc-shaped like, well, a ham sandwich).

The Walled Town of Obidos

And then on to Obidos, a medieval walled city that emerged first as a Moorish fortification in the 700s and later taken by the first king of Portugal, Afonso Henriques in 1148.  Today, it’s a highly touristed area with shops after charming, small shops lining its main street, and with residential homes along its narrow, small stoned backways.  It’s a village with a particularly romantic history as well, being a gift to the 13th century Queen Isabel of Aragon by King Dinis of Portugal and the Algarve.  From walking in and out of shops, visiting the local museum and admiring the old churches and other buildings, it was a fulfilling introduction to the long and compelling history of the country.  Can’t help but be intrigued by all the medieval and religious narrative.

Nazare, a sea-side town another hour or so north of Obidos was our final destination of the night.  When we arrived, crowds were still around and the streets were still littered with remnants of the town’s carnival parade (carnival Tuesday!).  We were a bit too late to check it out, but perhaps all the better so we could actually get our car through the narrow, narrow streets (the first of many).  And an end to the night with a satisfying pizza near our ocean-facing hotel room and the company of happily-costumed revelers.

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How’s that for a titular palindrome—people of a place and place of a … well, I guess it almost worked out.  Still, it has that certain ring to it.  The people of Lisbon coming to the forefront this morning and evening.  And an entirely different focus for the afternoon as we explored one place deeply—the Quinta da Regaliera castle in the famous Sintra hills, a thirty minute train ride outside of the city.

Morning Among the Residents of Lisbon

First, a mid-morning walk from the Casa do Bairros apartments to the nearest metro stop.. and it was almost as if this particular neighborhood of Lisbon had sprung to life—especially in comparison to the emptier Sunday streets the day before.  Small grocery stores with their fruits and efficiently spaced aisles filled with goods.  Corner newspaper stands and a chestnut roaster at sun-lit intersections.  More smartly dressed men and women walking to and from work.  Denser car traffic weaving its way through the narrow avenues.  A city come to life.

Mid-day to early evening?  Our main destination for the day—Sintra, a truly incredible UNESCO World Heritage town and area with multiple castles, palaces and gardens—some of them with overlooks to the Pacific ocean and all of them with their own sense of grandeur.  After an early afternoon arrival, an impromptu introduction to the city’s mayor (as we innocently poked our heads into the municipal building, with its own lovely architecture, for directions) and a lunch at the steep, cobble stone streets of the touristed historic center, we walked our way towards the Quinta da Reglaeira.  First built in the late 1600s, the estate was enlarged into a summer retreat with a huge house and chapel in the mid 1800s, and then further transformed at the turn of the 20^th century by the wealthy Carvalho Monteiro.

The Quinta Da Regaleira in Sintra

And what a place from the interior architectural and interior design details of the main house to the extensive, wooded and grottoed grounds around it.  As Sarah and I took in the carvings and details of tiling and explored some completely darkened tunnels with the light from our phones (ok, that was kind of lame, but who would have thought to have brought a flashlight?), man.  Talk about a place you’d love to run around in and explore as a kid.  Kind of like pretending to be a Goonie, Sarah said.

An end to the day in Lisbon after an easy train ride back into the capital city.  A gift of two craft birds from an artist in a small, brightly lit shop off a narrow street.  A dinner next to a Spanish couple and surrounded by other European nationals digging into some more traditional Portuguese fare in Bairro Alto.  And a slow walk back to our temporary home, passing locals dressed in costume for the night’s Carnaval parties.

Walking these streets?  Can almost get used to it…

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