Porto (4 to 8 March 2019)
Porto. The name says it all really. Since the 1300s, the Portuguese had been producing wine from grapes grown in the Duoro region inland of Porto, fortified by the addition of grape spirit, barrel aged…
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Leiria (28 February to 4 March 2019)
Leiria is a pleasant town. Not on the tourist track. Sunny town square. Relaxed feeling. Nice castle. But it’s real attraction is as a base to visit three unique religious sites nearby.…
View PostSintra (25 to 28 February 2019)
When Prince Ferdinand of Saxe Coburg-Gotha arrived in Portugal in the 1830s to marry Queen Maria II of Portugal, Sintra was the royal capital. But Ferdinand wasn’t satisfied with the traditionally-styled white palace in…
View PostFishermen’s Trail, Portugal (14 to 24 February 2019)
“If there is one portion of Europe which was made by the sea more than another, Portugal is that slice, that portion, that belt. Portugal was made by the Atlantic”. (Hilaire Belloc, Places, 1942)…
View PostLisbon (11 to 14 February 2019)
In the 15th and 16th centuries, Portugal spearheaded the Age of Discovery. When Vasco da Gama discovered the sea route to India, Portugal got the jump on the rest of Europe in dealing with the…
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