… just the way we like it. We settled into our apartment yesterday, and today we decided to take it slow and just get a feel for the city … after a quiet morning with a latte from the local coffee shop, of course. We booked a Douro Valley tour for Monday (7:40 AM start – gasp – we are NOT morning people!) so we decided it would be a good idea to check out where the tour starts. If we get up for a 7:40 AM start, we damn well don’t want to miss the pickup. We also booked a walking tour of three port houses for tomorrow, so we checked out the starting point for that too. Fortunately, that one starts at 3:00 PM. Along the way, we were treated to Porto architecture.
Porto – Near our apartment
I know that I said Lisbon was hilly, but it has nothing on Porto. The good news is that you can see layers of architecture and buildings everywhere – and you get lots of exercise too.
PortoTiles
Most of the tiles are flat, but some are textured – 3D, you could say. And many of the buildings have sculptures as well.
More tiles
This next picture gives you an idea of just how hilly the city is. And in case you are wondering, no, we didn’t climb up there. But we probably will before we leave.
Porto
We were walking along the river late this afternoon and were treated to another sunset. Note the sign for Grahams port.
Sunset over the Douro
It rained last night, and the forecast called for more showers today, but they never materialized, and by evening the sky was clear. Fortunately we avoided the weather that has caused such problems for Spain.
Dusk in Porto
I opened this post with a picture of these buildings from a different elevation and different time of day. I love how you are treated to a constantly changing landscape in Porto.
This is our first visit to Porto, but it isn’t the first time we tried. We had a lovely work + holiday trip fully booked for March/April 2020. I don’t need to tell you why that one didn’t work out. But I guess 2nd time’s a charm, because after an uneventful bus ride we arrived at our apartment in Porto.
PortoPorto
Jan found a lovely apartment centrally located in Porto, and it’s fair to say that it has exceeded our expectations. Spacious and comfortable with hardwood floors, and 12 foot ceilings decorated like this…
Apartment ceiling
Today is Halloween, so tomorrow is All Saints Day. It’s a national holiday in Portugal, which means all the stores are closed, so we rushed out to the local market to get a few groceries, and of course…
Drinking Port in Porto
Jan played her part and sampled the Douro Valley rose wine. (Spoiler alert: it’s dangerously tasty.)
Rose Wine from Portugal
After we unpacked, we headed out for dinner. We decided to try an authentic Portuguese specialty – Sardine Bruschetta. We both thought it was delicious.
Sardine Bruschetta
After dinner we took a short walk back to our apartment. We kept it short, because today was our day of rest (we need it), and the “short walk” was mostly uphill. But still managed to walk a bit along the river with lovely views of all the port houses on the south side. We counted at least a half dozen. Tomorrow we’ll explore more.
If you are in the old town of Lisbon, there are a number of things that are ubiquitous. One is cobblestones in mosaic patterns on the roads and sidewalks. They are everywhere.
Mosaics
Some patters are complex, some simple.
Some are new, some old.
Another thing you see everywhere are tiles on the building walls. This was taken outside the oldest bookstore in Lisbon … and in the world.
Oldest Bookstore in the World
On the other hand, this one was taken on a random street while I was checking the map.
Wall Tiles
And then there are the hills, with steep roads and steps. So many steps. But note the paving stones here as well.
On our way to the Botanical Garden
We found a route to the Botanical Garden with only a few flights of stairs, but we couldn’t find a way that didn’t have any stairs. And then, when we got to the gardens, more steep paths and steps, with patterned paving stones. That’s me, taking more flower pictures.
Lisbon Botanical Gardens
You won’t be surprised to learn that I took more than a few pictures of flowers and plants.
Clockvine FlowersDragon Tree FruitAloe Vera FlowersCrane Flower, or Bird of ParadiseYellow OleanderHibiscusWhite Angel Trumpet
I love this cactus shape. I heart Lisbon???
CactusCactus Fruit
This last picture is an 11th-century hilltop Moorish castle and royal residence, overlooking old Lisbon.
After our aborted attempt to take the train to Toledo, we wanted to book our tickets to Porto well in advance, and in person. So first thing this morning (and by “first thing”, I mean 11:30 – we’re on vacation, after all…) we took the Metro to Santa Apolonia train station to book tickets with a real live person. I know that’s old school, but sometimes that’s best. Note the cool cork seats on the Lisbon Metro … and the old fart sitting on them.
Lisbon Metro
Turns out it was a good idea to talk to a living person. The app was ready to sell us tickets, but the live agent simply said “strike”. There is an ongoing rail strike in Lisbon and our train might have run on schedule, it might have been delayed, or it might have been cancelled without explanation or recourse. When we asked what we should do, he simply said “bus”. So it was back to the hotel to consider our next step. But first, it was time for lunch on the street just outside our hotel. It was a pleasant day, and it felt even better when we checked the weather and discovered it was snowing at home.
Be Poet Baixa Hotel
After a little research (thanks Jan) we discovered there were two bus lines that ran hourly buses to Porto, leaving from the Lisbon Oriente station. It was possible to book tickets online but … you can probably see where this is going – after our previous experiences we were reluctant to book anything without talking to a live person. And a dry run to see how long it took to get to the Lisbon Oriente station just seemed like a good idea. So, after lunch, we were off. Along the way, we were treated to some of the lovely art in the stations.
Lisbon MetroLisbon Metro
It took a while, but we found the bus station, and eventually we found a ticket booth with a person in it. I’m happy to say that our tickets are booked, and we’re all set, at half the price of the train. Then it was back to our hotel. Lisbon is rather hilly, it turns out. Our hotel is in a relatively flat area, but on either side there are very steep hills. Here is a view of the castle – Castelo de S. Jorge.
Castelo de S. Jorge
And since this was a dry run day, we decided to take a look at the apartment we’re staying at when we come back from Porto. It’s quite close – about half a kilometer. It looked like an easy walk, and it would have been too, but for one small detail. It looked flat on the map, but it certainly wasn’t flat in reality. Our first hint of things to come was a short stairway and buildings rising up to the sky…
Note the innocent looking stairs on the lower left of this picture. But when we got to the top, we discovered …
Stairs in Lisbon
… stairs, and then, more stairs.
And after that, even more stairs.
After several rest stops, we finally made it to the apartment, and then we had to head back down to our hotel, for a rest before dinner. Speaking of dinner, on our travels we came across a small restaurant, just a little off the beaten path, with Portuguese specialities and we decided to have dinner there. We were very pleased with out meals – I opted for the seafood skewer.
Yummy
I’ll close with this thought. You may be thinking this was a wasted day, spent working out travel details. But when we travel, we like to pretend (just a little bit) that we are locals, living our lives in the city. And that is what we did today. Riding the Metro, deciding where to eat, and figuring out how to work around the ongoing strikes. So I thoroughly enjoyed myself.
Today we flew from Madrid to Lisbon. The flight is just a little over an hour long, but it still managed to take up a full day. And we were both tired by the time we arrived at our hotel. It’s amazing how exhausting it is to sit on your butt all day … and pleasant to see how much a complementary glass of port when you check in can help.
Yesterday, we rested up after our walk and then headed out for dinner in Plaza Mayor. It had been sunny earlier so we decided we didn’t need to take the umbrella, and we didn’t bother to check the weather first. We won’t make that mistake again. It started to drizzle as we were walking to dinner, and steadily grew colder and rainier as we ate. This is me, enjoying dinner in spite of my shivering.
Dining in the rain
By the time we finished dinner, it was really coming down and we arrived back at the hotel cold and wet. Which made us think of the lovely digestif we’d had at lunch earlier in the week. We figured it was exactly what we needed to warm us from the inside. And this is where the title for this blog post comes from. Earlier I said the drink was called Orujo, but after discussing with the bartender, we realized that was wrong. Fortunately we were able to figure out the correct name.
Not Orujo, but definitely yummy
We ordered a drink and by the end of it we were feeling warm and fuzzy.
The weather in Lisbon tonight was a lot nicer, and we were much warmer during out dinner outside.
Dinner in Lisbon
After dinner we took a stroll along the streets around our hotel to get a feel for the city. It was just a taste, but we liked what we saw and we’re looking forward to exploring a lot more tomorrow.
Technology is wonderful … except when it isn’t. We had been thinking of taking the train to Toledo today and decided to book tickets online. I downloaded the app, created an account, and then tried to book our tickets. What could go wrong? Turns out, everything. First the last seats on the train disappeared between the time I selected the train and completing the transaction. We opted for a later train, but then my credit card needed to send a code to my mobile to verify the purchase. The code went to my Canadian number, of course, so I needed to activate that number again, and then the transaction was denied anyway. Twice. We decided it was a sign, and that is how we ended up at the Madrid Flea Market today. Apparently it is one of the top things to do in Madrid, so it all worked out in the end.
Madrid Flea Market
We waited till after lunch because we enjoy a slow start to the day, and because we hoped the crowds might be thinning out by then. Nope. Fortunately Jan wore her pink jacket to make it easier to spot her in the crowd.
Jan at the Flea Market
It was a good thing she did, because it was all too easy to lose sight of her in the crowds. Can you spot her pink jacket in this next photo? It’s there … look closely.
Where’s Jan?
I’m not sure if this next item was for sale, but it was an interesting touch.
We bought a few souvenirs and then headed to lunch. Getting a table indoors turned out to be a challenge on a busy Sunday, so we ate outside, even though it was quite chilly today. After lunch we went for another walk in the park, where I couldn’t help taking more pictures of the plants.
Olives on the olive treesMagnolia fruit
Notice how the underside of the Magnolia leaves are brown and furry.
Magnolia
This next one is a Persian Silk Tree, which still has a few blossoms.
Persian Silk Tree
We then walked around the large pond in the park, with many people enjoying a boat ride on a pleasant Sunday. We took a selfie to prove we were there.
As we headed back to our hotel, we spotted cats on a hot tin roof, so we had to take a picture.
I was going to say we wanted to have a quiet day, but given the many people on the streets of Madrid, it wouldn’t be quite right to call it quiet. But we enjoyed ourselves, just walking around the city.
Monument to Miguel de CervantesSelfie in front of the Templo de Debod
Today was a museum day, and because we have very different tastes in museums, we decided to split up. But when we mapped out our routes, we discovered we were heading to the same general area, so we walked together. Along the way we passed the Palacio de Buenavista.
There was a large crowd on the sidewalk and we could hear a marching band. We briefly thought it was another protest, but it appears it was a military ceremony – perhaps a changing of the guard – it wasn’t clear. We didn’t stop to watch because we couldn’t see that much through the crowd, but a little further along we could see other ceremonial troops getting ready for action. I love the optical zoom on my iPhone…
Ceremonial Troops
Jan went to an art museum and I went to the Archeological Museum. I love Roman history, but this time I decided to learn more about the time before Roman Spain. I take my time in museums, so I only managed to get as far as the Phoenician trade with Spain, where I discovered that the rich families (oligarchs) controlled the trade routes to ensure that they got richer while everyone else … didn’t. I can’t decide if the fact that some things never change is reassuring or depressing. Probably a bit of each, I suppose.
When it was time for a late lunch we found a restaurant a little off the beaten path. We had another local salad, with wine, of course. As we were finishing, the server brought us complementary Orujo, a Spanish digestif similar to Marc or Grappa (but much better, Jan adds). It was a lovely end to the meal.
Orujo
We headed back to the hotel to freshen up, and then I went for another walk to a large park that I’d spotted earlier. On our way to the museums we had passed two grand pianos on the sidewalk, with different people playing a song or two, and then getting up for someone else to have a go. On the way to the park, I passed two more.
Madrid se Ilena de pianos – 25 October 2024
After pausing to listen to the street piano music, I continued on to the park. It is huge. Here are a few photos to give you a sense of it.
El Retiro ParkSun setting through treesRoman columnMore cool trees
A lot of the park was paths through trees, but there were also fountains and a large pond, where you can rent boats.
FountainBoats on the pond in El Retiro parkMallard ducks on the pond
Later, we headed out for tapas, which was a perfect end to the day.
We woke up this morning feeling … tired. Sadly, jet lag doesn’t get easier with practice – it just gets harder with age. We weren’t sure what we wanted to do, but we knew it couldn’t be anything too taxing. After a bit of discussion/negotiation/delegation we came up with a rough plan for the day. First stop was the Atocha train station, because of its beautiful architecture and the fact we are considering a side trip to Toledo.
Atocha Train Station
And then, we headed back to the Botanical Gardens because, lovely as Madrid is, the noise and bustle was wearing on our jet lagged bodies. Late October isn’t exactly peak season for plants in Madrid, but we were treated to an amazing array of colour. I’m going to apologize up front for the number of photos, but they were so beautiful that I couldn’t resist. Just be thankful it wasn’t peak season…
Plantain
I’ll begin with what I think is a plantain flower. At the top of the long stalk there was a small cluster of plantains. I assume that earlier in the season there had been many more plantains, all along the long straight stalk. It looks otherworldly, like something out of Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
Twisted Evergreen Tree
I love this picture because it makes me wonder exactly why the tree follow this tortured path to the sky. I don’t have answers, so I’ll leave it to you to ponder.
Mandarin Oranges
This tree was loaded with fruit. We live in a much colder climate, so all I can say is “it isn’t fair”.
Pond with Duck Weed
Next up, a series of plants that are still flowering near the end of October. I love the range of colours.
And finally, there was a surprising amount of new growth.
One of the buildings was hosting an art exhibit, and on a whim we decided to have a look. Good plan. It had an amazing collection of pencil and pen drawings with incredible detail. To give you an idea of the scale of the drawings, this picture was at least 6 feet (2 meters) high.
Olive Tree
The gardens have plants from a wide range of climates. This is one from the small, but impressive, collection of succulents.
As we were getting ready to leave, Jan spotted the Bonsai collection. It was amazing, with 61 plants, ranging from 50 to 100 years old, and none more than a meter high.
One of the things that amazed me was that even though the trees were very small, several had full sized fruit.
Bonsai Strawberry Tree
The shape of the Bonsai trees was amazing, with many contorted like this one.
Bonsai Tree
It’s hard to judge the scale in this picture, but if you pull back just a bit you can see the pot that holds the tree.
By the time we finished in the gardens we were refreshed, and ready for a late lunch. Of course, we enjoyed local produce and local wine.
Lunch – Salad and Wine
We did manage to see some of the architecture of Madrid as well.
Yesterday was a travel day. Even when flying within Europe, travel seems to eat up the entire day, and that was the case here. Flying through Frankfurt is always a bit of an “adventure” but everything went smoothly and we arrived in Madrid right on time.
Today we took it easy with a late start and a quiet morning walking in the neighborhood around our hotel.
Plaza Mayor in MadridApartments
After a late lunch (delicious and very reasonably priced) we took the Hop-on-Hop-off bus tour around historic Madrid, just to get a feel for things. After taking the full route, we got off at the Botanical Gardens. It’s late fall, so there wasn’t that much to see, but it was still lovely and the quiet was just what we needed after the noise and bustle of the city.
Artichokes, gone to seedLantana flowersLantana
We’re having a little down time now, and later we’ll head out for tapas and cava.
If It Was Today... 