Beautiful Portugal: A Country with Soul, History and Old World Charm

This charming country of ten and a half million people is located in southwestern Europe bordering the North Atlantic Ocean west of Spain. It's about an eight hour flight from the east coast of North America.

Lisbon

My two week stay started in Portugal's capital and largest city.

Most times I walked two hundred year old cobblestone sidewalks, lined with shops, bistros, wine bars and cafes where the most luscious aroma of freshly baked pastries, meats, cheeses and espresso beckoned me. A word of advice to North American travelers, get your fix of regular Timmies Coffee before you arrive. There’s no such thing as a double-double, everything is espresso or cappuccino. As I walked I was awed by century old architecture and how the old coexists with the new. As strange as it sounds, this old city felt small. Lisbon goes back to the 12th century, but it was re-built after being destroyed by a massive earthquake in 1755.

Where to Stay I choose the three star Hotel Sana Executive on a tree lined boulevard in downtown Lisbon, and a real charmer.

A Bus Ride to the Algarve and Exploring Albufeira

When it was time to explore the outskirts of town I hailed one of the BMW, Lexus, or Mercedes-Benz taxis. That’s right, all of the cabs are high end vehicles. The Euro is the only accepted form of payment. Streets are narrow and most of the drivers could compete in the Indy 500. If you don’t speak Portuguese have someone write your destination in Portuguese because few drivers speak English. Another way to see the city is to board a double deck open air bus. You can get tickets at your hotel. They offer two different tours of this ancient city. You can get on and off at various locations.

Before I left I my travel agent had obtained bus tickets for my two and a half hour trip to Albufeira. The tickets on the luxury coach can only be made 14 days before your arrival.

Albufeira is one of 16 municipalities of Algrave found on the southern mainland of Portugal. It is the most popular tourist destination. This place is small enough that you can walk around, yet cosmopolitan enough to offer a great deal of cultural, culinary and most important, shopping choices. Be sure to visit the Old Town and the beautiful beach. If you don’t want to walk, take the inexpensive trolley. It’s a loop route throughout the town. This one is wild. When you reach the beach there’s an outdoor escalator that takes you to and from the steep cliff to the beach and shopping.

Where to Stay You won’t go wrong if you put your head on a pillow at the Hotel Brisa Sol located downtown.

Bus tour of Lagros and Sagres

This five hour inexpensive narrated Paradise Bus Tour (www.paradise-tour.com) gets my gold ribbon. The English speaking guide, Antonio Santos, had a gift for making the past real.

The works of nature are magically dramatic in both these small communities. We visited steep red cliffs that overlooked the Atlantic Ocean and saw bigger than life picturesque limestone caves and grottoes. At Lagros, Santos pointed to the ocean and said, “This is the most western point of Europe, 5,700 kilometres across the water is the state of Delaware.” Along the way we passed Lemon and Orange trees and stopped at historic lighthouses, ancient churches and castles that all had stories to tell. In Lagros we rubbed elbows with the locals and sat outside at one of the many sidewalk cafes. We people watched (they also looked back) and enjoyed a glass of Portugal’s superb Port wine or a bottle of their own Sagres beer.

Portugal has so much to offer but I had to let go of the urge to see everything. I have learned a vacation is about serendipitous moments and not about rigid schedules. Besides, I wanted more reasons to return to this lovely land where they serve delicious food, fantastic scenery, friendly people and where the joy of life is evident.