ON THE ROAD 2023

  Wow! We love Porto! The city is such a beautiful UNESCO place to visit. We walked everywhere, up and down and all around. The waterfront is amazing and the views even more so. Photos can help capture the beauty but your eyes are panoramic to capture everything.  We walked back from this side to the other side on the lower road below. An outstanding bridge. We walked this steep hill after visiting the waterfront area. We always comment that all cars, bikes, Tuk Tuks and strollers, check your brakes! Buskers are everywhere in Porto and such creative and beautiful ones. I carry the 1 and 2 Euros in my pocket to give to these amazing talents. Porto is known for these amazing, colourful buildings.  If you stand right at a certain angle, all this "junk" placed on the corner turns into a rabbit. The only reason I know is because I saw someone else taking a photo of this. So creative.  These boats sit in the harbour advertising the various Ports and Wines available to purchase or g

  Notes to myself to remember. Some notes here I know but thought I would share. I made a point to have a washing machine when booking all the accommodations,  however this does not include a dryer. A rack is supplied but you have to plan accordingly to give enough time to dry your clothes. Bring face cloths Brought our own carbon monoxide detector Write on a piece of paper your address where you are staying in case you have a phone issue. I brought an ice cube tray Know the equivalent to a 911 call. Numbers are different where you go.  We have a back up charger block we bring with us everyday. Public bathrooms don't have a toilet seat! So far. Goes without saying but have kleenex with you in bathroom. Beer is less expensive than my Pepsi. Lol! Bring a few different sizes of ziplocks. I am washing them and reusing.  We only travel with carry ons so no need to buy stuff.  For my small cooler bag I freeze an empty pop bottle with water for freezer pack to bring leftover beer and drin

  We are loving Porto but photos of a nearby town are so beautiful ! We decided to book a bus ride (45 minutes) to Amarante. The bus ride itself was amazing with the valleys and many vineyards along the way. The ceilings inside this church is a sight to see. The ceilings are all painted to look 3-dimensional. There were hardly anyone inside so we felt so free without the crowds in Porto right now  This is the same church with the painted ceilings. Amazing work. We ate a local Portuguese lunch in town. We had an amazing day.

This small town right on the ocean was on Paul's bucket list. As I was planning the trip I realized a day trip from Lisbon was not going to work. I booked less nights in Lisbon and booked three nights in Nazare. I splurged on the Airbnb, this was a place with a huge window looking down at this famous beach.  Nazare has the steepest hills so far...... I know this because the Airbnb was at the top of the highest hill! Great views means great climbs! The sunset is so beautiful there too! This town is famous for the largest waves in the world. Starting in November onward the waves start building. The surfers and other dare devils start arriving along with the spectators! IIn Nazare and many other Portuguese towns, there are wild and free cats. These cats seem well fed and friendly. In Nazare we saw many cat "houses" where residents can drop off food and water. Everyone shares this cat caring endeavor. All these little cubby holes have a blanket in them with cat food. BTW We d

  This Portugal city is large, spread out and all hills! The waterfront is flat but every building has been constructed with a level in their tool box! AND nothing is square as the floor tiles in the places are never lined up with walls etc.  This was a three night stay which was long enough. We walked up hills, down hills and through alleys and many stairs were involved too.  Our Airbnb was right in the middle of the stairway heading down where Paul is carrying our groceries.  Lisbon has a market WHICH is called Time Out. I knew it was there and searched it out. Our boat is named Time Out, so of course we had to take photos. This market is a fancy food court with wine, liquor,  gourmet foods with fancy group seating. Expensive as it is a touristy place to visit.  The internet here in our Airbnb is so fast so I am uploading/including a few extra photos in this post because why not? 😆  These tents are not used! They are quite small and in a park. They were unique.  The Funicular is a v