Portugal 2024 – Porto Pt 3

Posted on September 17, 2024 by herktrav

The beauty of being somewhere long enough to not have to rush around chaotically is wonderful. Today, we explored the upper part of town, the Dom Luis I Bridge and the upper part of Villa Nova de Gaia.

With our directions in hand, we left the apartment. Since it was Sunday, the buskers were out and filling the air with the sound of music. Knowing what hills lie ahead, even Julie Andrews wouldn’t be dancing though.

Our route had us going down, then up; zig-zagging through residential streets, then heading up near the old Roman ruins. At that point, we needed to rest a little bit.

Moving on, we headed down a bit to the beginning of the bridge.

This upper part of the bridge combines metro train tracks and a pedestrian walkway. The view down to the river and across the city is stunningly beautiful.

Across the bridge is the town of Villa Nova de Gaia. Here, most of the major port wine makers are headquartered in the areas below. One of the best places to view the sunset is from the park that lies at the end of the bridge.

Tonight’s restaurant for dinner is also located just at the end of the bridge. The views look fantastic during daylight. I can’t wait until this evening.

Restaurante Ponte de Ferro

We walked around the park for a bit before heading back. We decided to stay high and then go down to the riverside tomorrow.

I’d swear that anyway you go in Porto is an upward climb. There were lots of people to navigate through – some more adept at walking than others. We eventually made it back to our home area. As a reward, we stopped at a bakery called ‘Castro’ and bought a few Pasteis da Nata to tide us over until dinner.

Pasteis da Nata

Pasteis da Nata are a Portuguese favorite pastry. They are made by taking a pastry shell and baking them with a creamy custard filling. The custard is made with egg yolks, milk, flour, sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla. Are they rich? Yes! Are they delicious? Yes!

Back in the room, we enjoyed our snack and rested up while listening to some music.

As dinner time rolled around, we cleaned up and re-traced our steps from earlier in the day. We went to Restaurante Ponte de Ferro just over the bridge in Vila Nova de Gaia.

Crossing the bridge, you could see the throngs of people in the park awaiting a view of the sunset. The “golden hour” was approaching, but our reservation was at about the same time. An opportunity missed?

Sun beginning to set as we arrived at the restaurant

Not at all. We arrived for dinner and our hostess told us to follow her. She led us to the patio where we could see and take in the beautiful sunset. (Obrigado, Marie!)

Sunset over the Douro River and Porto

Our table was located perfectly to get to take in the beauty of the bridge, especially as darkness fell and the lights came on.

Bridge being lit up at dusk

Would the meal live up to the ambiance? Definitely!

We started with a glass of sparkling wine to go with our amuse bouche. The amuse-bouche was a small tuna taco and a cod croquette. What a great way to begin the meal. For starters, Sue chose a green salad, while I had a seared scallop with caviar and teriyaki pork belly.

Sue’s salad
My scallop and pork belly

For our main dishes, Sue had the Sea bass and I had the grilled duck breast. We were both very happy with our choices. We paired the meal with a bottle of Dona Marie Amantis red wine from the Alentejo region, which was delicious.

Sea Bass
Duck Breast
Vinho Tinto

Sue was finished, but I managed to enjoy a warm molten chocolate cake with coffee ice cream for dessert.

Popcorn with chocolate meringue post dessert

Overall, it was an awesome meal. The service was top-notch, matching the ambiance and the food.

We took a slow walk home enjoying the gorgeous evening’s weather.

It was delightful day and evening.

If the Dom Luis I bridge reminds you of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, you have a keen eye. The designer of the bridge that commemorates the first King of Portugal was a devoted student of Gustave Eiffel – the designer/builder of the iconic Eiffel Tower in Paris.

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Portugal 2024 – A day visit to the Douro

Posted on September 15, 2024 by herktrav

If you’re visiting Porto, we would definitely suggest that you visit the Douro Valley. Even if you are not a wine fan, it is a beautiful area to see and discover.

We went and we didn’t visit any wineries. We enjoyed the getting there, the towns, the boat ride and the people. Let me tell you a little bit about it.

I enjoy planning and coordinating travel, so we got there by ourselves, though there are many options for tours that you can arrange. We took a train from the Sao Bento Train Station up to the town of Pinhão. It’s a scenic train ride that follows along the Douro river. It took just about two and a half hours to get there.

Early morning in Porto
Our train arrives

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Clickety clack, clickety clack the wheels of the train pass over the tracks. Scenery flashing by as we sit and relax.

Clickety clack, clickety clack can barely be heard over the old guys yelling in front and in back.

Alas, our train was filled today by sociable folks with no volume control.

Party people in the house tonight…

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We left the gaggle of guys behind when we arrived at the town of Pinhão. It’s a small town in the heart of the wine region and is known for its beautiful tiled train station, and is also an embarkment point for many tourist boat trips.

Pinhão Train Station

There are a few hotels, restaurants and shops in town and a couple of wineries are within walking distance of the train station. The boat docks are located just behind the train station along the river.

We didn’t bring a bag full of treats for the ride, so, before doing anything else, we stopped for a snack at Café Imperio. It’s located right across the street from the station and is like stepping back in time. Want something fancy ? You’ll need to go somewhere else. Want a quick beverage, sandwich or snack ? Then step right in. It’s been a café since 1929.

Cafè Imperio

After our lunch, we took a walk along the main street and just watched the traffic back up. The problem stemmed from the number of buses dropping off and picking up groups of people. The people seemed oblivious to the fact that they were the reason for the traffic as they made their way slowly onto their buses.

To get away from some of the chaos, we walked down to the dock area and found a bench in a small park to wait for our boat.

The boat cruise we chose was a two hour tour and included a glass of port wine. The weather and the water were idyllic, but I still worried about a ‘three hour tour, a three hour cruise’.

Our boat left right on schedule and off we went. No intricate waterways, just up the river and then back down. Along the way we passed by some beautiful terraced vineyards, some wonderful Quintas (Estates), saw the huge vineyards of some big name Port producers like Dow, Croft and Graham’s and saw some vineyards that were overgrown with weeds or plowed under as a result of phylloxera replanting.

Peruse the photos and enjoy the tour…

Our Douro Tour in pictures

As you can see, the scenery was lovely, the day was nice and we enjoyed ourselves.

After our boat tour, we had about an hour before the train came, so we stopped back at Café Imperio for a glass of rosé to pass the time away.

Just before our train arrived, the classic early 1900’s train appeared. It’s an old fashioned steam-engined train that only runs on weekends. There are people in period costumes who entertain the passengers at each stop along their route. It was fun to see both the train and entertainers.

The steam train.
The welcoming song

Once we were on our way, the ride home was pleasant enough. We eventually arrived back in Porto and were ready to clean up and relax for the evening.

However, there was some kind of divine intervention that delayed us from getting home. We would be hard pressed to explain why these things happen, but we walked right by a gelato shop and couldn’t pass it up.

Two scoops of pistachio for Sue and one pistachio and one dark chocolate for me helped to align the spirit world.

Now that’s a genuine smile!

And then the day was complete….

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Portugal 2024 – Porto Pt 2

Posted on September 15, 2024 by herktrav

It’s taken us a couple of days, but I think we’ve caught up on our sleep.

Our adventure has started out as strolls down our street and around the local area. There are lots of little shops nearby, plus a plethora of street buskers throughout the day.

There are a few really good ones that we have stopped to listen to. For those people performing down our street, we can just open up our balcony doors and listen. Then there are the moderately talented ones, who we give a listen to while walking by. Lastly, there are the “walk the other way” people who we don’t hear much of – because we walked the other way!

It is nice to see people crowding around and tipping the musicians, as they do provide enjoyable entertainment.

Our first couple of excursions have been towards the Sao Bento Train Station. It’s right at the end of our street and is always crowded with rail passengers and with tourists.

The tourists visit to see the beautiful tile artwork on the walls and ceiling of the lobby. The blue and white tiles are known as azulejo tiles and are found in many places around the city and the country. In the station, they depict historical scenes as well as some decorative rail motifs.

Azulejo tile artwork at Sao Bento train station.

We’ll get to see plenty more of them as we travel around and I’ll include some more pictures.

There is construction going on everywhere around the city, which makes the sidewalks even busier. The major projects are some new metro stations that are causing traffic jams and making it more difficult to cross the street.

One of our excursions was to the train station to buy our tickets for Saturday’s journey to the Douro Valley. Since our train leaves at 8:20 AM, we didn’t want to have to get up any earlier than necessary. The gentleman at the ticket counter was very laid back and Sue was able to complete the transaction in mostly Portuguese.

For our second excursion of the day, we ‘scoped out’ a restaurant for Thursday evening’s dinner. We did a lot of excess walking trying to locate it. The map apps all showed that it was very close to the side of the train station, however, we could not find it. After walking around for a while and climbing scaffolding covered sidewalks; plus walking up inclines that certainly shouldn’t be expected of humans, we resorted to asking someone in a nearby shop if they could direct us to it only to find that it is actually IN the train station. Well, didn’t we feel dumb.

Needless to say, the return trip in the evening was pretty quick and we were glad that we didn’t give up our search. The restaurant is called ‘Tapabento’ and we loved it. If you think about going, do make a reservation ahead of time. Those that didn’t waited in a line that wound its way out the door and into the train station.

Tapabento

The restaurant has a variety of small and large plates that you can share. Everything from Cod Croquettes to steaks and duck. If you can’t find something you like, then you’re really not hungry. Seriously!

Just a peek into the restaurant.

We enjoyed our meals, had fun with our server and took in the action all around us. It was great!

We started with an order of Cod Croquettes, that were delicious. Not too salty or fishy tasting.

No Dolly Parton jokes allowed.

Sue then had the grilled prawns in a Thai Broth, while I had the roasted duck breast with a hoison sauce. We also went crazy and ordered some garlic and herb bread – to dip in the sauces, of course.

We thought we were done with the addition of a bottle of Portuguese Rosè. However, our server convinced us that dessert was needed, so Sue had a fruit combo called “I didn’t want the fruit salad” and I had a Chocolate trifle, that I just called “Yum”.

Feeling very sated and happy, we took a nice slow walk back to the apartment and hunkered in for the evening.

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Friday morning rolled around and we had another beautiful weather day ahead. In fact, the forecast for our entire time in Porto is sunny, no rain and high temperatures in the upper 70’s to low 80’s. Sounds perfect!

We had a special lunch planned today at a restaurant called “Costume Bistro”. The restaurant is located up in the financial district and we were looking forward to going, as we’d heard good things about it.

We walked over and once again couldn’t find the restaurant. Though this time we came much closer – we found their sister restaurant. One of the young ladies actually walked us over to the intended venue. It was just around the block, but down an alley way that we had originally walked by. She handed us off to the staff and we thanked her profusely.

A hidden gem.

The staff welcomed us in and seated us in the nearly empty dining room and we wondered if we had made a mistake. However, within fifteen minutes, the joint was hopping.

Lucky for us, the waiter had chatted with us a bit and taken our order before the deluge. First up was a bottle of red wine from the Douro region. It was recommended by our waiter and went well with our meals.

Vinho Tinto from the Douro

For starters, Sue had mushroom ravioli with a pesto broth and shaved Parmesan cheese, while I had shrimp rolls with a sweet and sour dipping sauce. We both enjoyed them very much

Mushroom ravioli
Shrimp rolls w/ sweet and sour dip.

For our main course, Sue went with a Shrimp and Mussel risotto, and I chose the Mixed mushroom risotto.

Shrimp and mussel risotto
Mushroom risotto

Another fine set of choices as both dishes were delicious. Delicious, but also filling, as dessert would only be a fleeting thought today. How sad!

We lingered to finish our wine and just as when we arrived, the place emptied quickly leaving only us and another table. The waiter stopped back over to be dazzled by our knowledge of Portuguese….yeah, right…he brought the check. After paying, we set off back to the apartment to change into more comfortable clothes.

While relaxing with the windows open, listening to a few street performers, we both ended up dozing for a while. The good news is we hadn’t scheduled anything, so no plans were thrown off.

We worked on a few upcoming details and uploaded some photos in advance of tomorrow’s Douro trip. Deciding that neither of us was very hungry, we opted to stay in and head to bed early since we had to get up early.

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Someone suggested that I make all the pictures bigger. However, you can enlarge them by clicking on them.

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Portugal 2024 – Porto

Posted on September 13, 2024 by herktrav

We have arrived – finally!

For the first time in a long time we had flight issues. Let me share our travel day “fun”.

Everything started out great. The Airport Transfer arrived fifteen minutes early and off we went. When we arrived at the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge to enter Canada, there was only one car ahead of us in line. I don’t ever remember there being no traffic whatsoever to cross the bridge. We cruised up to Pearson Airport in Toronto and stepped into the terminal exactly two hours after leaving the house. Awesome!

Awesome, except it was too early to check in, even to drop our luggage. They had a pleasant area to sit in the priority area and we did – for three hours. Ugh!

When the time rolled around, we checked in and then actually zipped through security. From there, we headed to the Air Canada Signature Lounge.

Our flight was scheduled to take off at 10:50 PM, so we would have plenty of time to relax and enjoy a little dinner.

When we arrived at the lounge, there was a waiting line to get in, unusual, but understandable. There are lots of overnights flights to Europe.

By the time we entered to get seated, our flight was showing a delay. We’d now be leaving at 11:10 PM. No worries, twenty minutes can be made up with a good tail wind.

As we were eating, the time changed again. Now we’d be leaving at 11:40 PM. I was getting messages and emails, all saying the same thing: there was a need to change planes and they were waiting on the new one. Since there was nothing we could do, we chose to finish our meal and just take it in stride.

Another notice, now it would be 12:00, then another 12:30 and finally the new time 1:15 AM. Well, ain’t that something.

But that’s not the whole of the story. The new plane would be smaller than the original and would not include a Business Class section. They would call us up to get a new boarding pass once they sorted through things. As they were shuffling around the cabin, we were getting text messages saying we would be in row 3, then row 30, then row 33. When our names were called, we were in rows 3 and 4, but at least we were in Premium Economy.

Air Canada says that there will be a refund for the difference in ticket prices. Wanna bet it’s a discount voucher?

Once we boarded, Sue and another woman swapped, then swapped with another woman and got me and a first round draft choice. So all six of us were able to sit together with our spouses.

Oh, and the flight, smooth and fine. Not as comfortable without the business class seats, but we’re here and we’re safe and happy.

Our Daytrip driver – Agnelo – was waiting for us at the Lisbon Airport when we arrived. I had let him know that we would be delayed and he was monitoring the flight time. He would be driving us up to Porto where we will start our adventure.

The ride was comfortable and took about 3 hours, including a rest stop about half way. Along the way, Agnelo talked with us about places to see and things to do, cultural issues, history, and a variety of other topics. He was so engaging that the time just flew by.

We have used Daytrip quite a few times in France, Italy and now Portugal. In all cases, the drivers were excellent and we were very satisfied with the service provided.

We are staying in an apartment from Torel 1884 Suites & Apartments. Since we’re here for eight days, we thought it would be more convenient to be able to come and go as we please and have a little more freedom to spread out. We have a studio apartment that feels cozy and has plenty of room. We’re located on a street with lots of places to browse or shop, grab a bite or grab a drink, plus we’re close to everything. We can easily walk to all the major attractions, as well as the train station in less than ten minutes.

Torel 1884 – Apt #1

Our first dinner was at a restaurant called Cantinho do Avillez. Since we figured we might be a little worn out from traveling, we played it safe and stayed close to home. We enjoyed our meals after laughing our way through the ordering process in Portuguese. That said, the wait staff were very kind and encouraging. They all spoke perfect English, so they guided us along when we stumbled and filled in the blanks when we needed help with our Portuguese.

We started with a glass of sparkling Rosè to toast to our adventure ahead. Then Sue and I shared an order of marinated scallops that were delicious. For our mains, Sue had veal cheeks with a mushroom risotta and parmesan, while I had duck confit with curried rice. We both had a glass of red wine from the Douro region that paired with our meals. Oh yeah….and I might have snuck in a piece of chocolate cake to finish off the evening.

We finished our day with a stroll back to the apartment. The stroll is up a small street that is at a 37 degree angle. There was no skipping and singing on this stroll – but we survived!

Tonight will be an early night and tomorrow we will explore.

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Portugal 2024 – Flights, Cameras, Action!

Posted on September 2, 2024 by herktrav

All the planning is done and all the reservations have been made and confirmed, so it’s Go Time!

Now we are watching the weather reports to try and figure out what to bring along. It looks like we’ll see temperatures in the 70’s and 80’s during the day and around 60 in the evening. That would be Fahrenheit, in case you were wondering. It could be rainy or windy or sunshiny.

The real question is how much rain will we see. Everybody says wear comfortable shoes for walking, but the new wrinkle is that they also need to provide good traction on slick surfaces. Imagine that, steep streets that are paved with cobblestones that are slippery when wet.

My solution is to take transportation on rainy days. I have this picture in my mind of slipping and rolling down a hilly street until I plunk into the Douro or Tagus River. Apparently my childhood imagination was tainted by watching cartoons. Who knew?

Caution – Slippery When Wet

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We did decide to book a shuttle up to Toronto’s Pearson Airport. We figured it would just make things easier both going and returning. The shuttle will pick us up and then drop us off at home, which was the real scale-tipper. Parking for a month sure seemed like wasted money, so what the heck. I’ll let you know how that goes in case anyone else is interested in the future.

Anyway, travel time is near and we can’t wait. After all the years of traveling, there is always excitement when flying off to a new destination. It’s not an Indiana Jones type adventure, but an adventure nonetheless.

Our next update will be from our apartment in Porto. Hope you’ll come along.

Falo consigo em breve!

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NYC 2024 – Brooklyn, the Bronx, the Yankees and Good Friends

Posted on August 26, 2024 by herktrav

The summer whirlwind continues. We’re home from NYC and we had a great time. We had a lot of fun with our friends – Donna and George. We saw a couple of baseball games, we did a little touring, and we did a little eating.

First, our friends: It’s been a few years since we last visited, so it was a combination reunion and get-together. I think they may have flipped a coin to see who got stuck with us, but I digress. George officially had us for baseball and Donna had us for the off-day and dinners. Though we talk regularly, it is still special to see them in person. There is always something to talk and laugh about.

We flew to NYC on JetBlue. The price was right and they really do have the best legroom in economy class – comfortable enough for an hour’s worth of flying without having to pay premiums.

Our hotel was in Brooklyn and only a block and a half from their house, so it was easy to take a stroll to meet up to go out. The Nu Hotel was nice and it only took a night to get used to the city sounds at bedtime. There were sirens and car horns as compared to the occasional squirrel dropping acorns and running across the roof at home.

Nu Hotel – Brooklyn

The baseball games were fun. We would have preferred to see two wins, but it’s Yankee Stadium and we hit .500. We had great seats for both games, got to see some of our favorite players and even saw some former Yankees in the Old-Timers Festivities. I even got to learn a few new words that I hadn’t associated with baseball prior to going – just have to love those Yankee fans!

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On our first evening, we ate dinner near the hotel at French Louie. It’s a nice little place a half block from the hotel and as the weather was nice, we were able to sit outside on the patio. The food is French leaning and we had a wonderful meal. We started with Gougères and a glass of Sancerre wine that appropriately whet our appetites. For our meals, Sue had roasted chicken, while I had the steak frites. We enjoyed a nice bottle of Bourgogne Rouge with our meals. Sue passed on dessert, while I had to try the Bananas Foster Profiteroles with a glass of sauternes – they were very good! It was a great way to start off the trip.

Dinner at French Louie

Thursday, the Yankees played the Cleveland Indians… sorry…Cleveland Guardians. It was a warm day with bright sunshine. Even with sunscreen, we were cooked to a reddish hue. However, a good game and cool water made for a great day.

Sunshine in the Bronx, Aaron hits HR number 49 and celebrates.

After the baseball game, we hopped an Uber and went to dinner in the Bronx. We took the long way, thanks to our driver Jalal and tour docent George. We started up the Grand Concourse, eventually making it over to Arthur Avenue. Arthur Avenue is the heart of “Little Italy” in the Bronx and is lined with Italian restaurants, markets, bakeries and shops.

We ate at F&J’s Pine Restaurant on Bronxdale Avenue and had a wonderful and filling meal. The mere thought of cannoli and “Boom”… I would have exploded. No red sauce from a jar there. Afterward, we took an Uber back to Brooklyn to digest and rest after a long day. The ride back to the hotel was magical. The nighttime sparkling lights of Manhattan and Queens reflected in the river. NYC at it’s beautiful best.

Friday was our “off day”. No baseball game; just a little relaxation. With a sore back, walking around wasn’t going to be in the works. So we took a little walk to grab some lunch, but pretty much just chilled during the day.

Friday evening all four of us went to dinner at Piccola Cucina Casa. It’s not far from where we were staying and is a newer Sicilian Restaurant. The food was delicious, as was the conversation. Lots of good belly laughs.

Cue Billy Joel – It’s a scene from an Italian Restaurant.

Saturday was old timers day at the ball park. That has nothing to do with our ages, but rather the former Yankee players that come to town to be recognized by the fans. This was the 76th Old Timers Day and they were recognizing the 2009 World Series Championship team, plus there were a few honored guests that were invited, including the wives of former Yankees Billy Martin, Thurmon Munson and Bobby Murcer.

If you are a baseball fan, you’ll recognize names such as Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte, AJ Burnett, Alex Rodriguez, Nick Swisher, Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui, Jorge Posada and Derek Jeter. Among the invitees were Bucky Dent, Paul O’Neill, John Flaherty, David Cone, Willie Randolph, CC Sabathia, Joe Girardi, Joe Torre, “El Duque” and Lou Piniella.

Michael Kay did the introductions, and then Suzyn Waldman and Joe Girardi led the Q&A session. The guys were all hyped to participate and the fans loved getting a chance to see some of their favorites from years gone by. It really was quite special to take a stroll down memory lane.

Once the old timers festivities finished up, the day’s game began. The Yankees played the Colorado Rockies and it did not go well. On the bright side, we still got to see the Yankees in person and enjoyed each other’s company on a beautiful day.

The bats were not doing their job against the Rockies

For our final evening in Brooklyn, we went easy at a small neighborhood restaurant called the Mile End Deli. It was a fun way to wrap things up without overeating. We had some excellent smoked meats, matzo ball soup and pierogis between us and I had my first Dr. Brown’s Creme Soda in ages!

And then, in the blink of an eye, it was time to head home.

We had great flights, great meals, watched live baseball and enjoyed the company of great friends. I’d call that a “great getaway”.

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NYC 2024 – Friends and Baseball

Posted on July 7, 2024 by herktrav

Since the summer isn’t going fast enough, we’re planning to visit our friends in Brooklyn and take in a couple of Yankees games. Just a little something to squeeze in before heading to Portugal.

It’s been a while since we’ve seen our friends, so we thought it might be fun to pay them a visit. It just so happens that the Yankees are in town while we will be there (like that didn’t happen on purpose).

I took a quick look at flights, hotels and ticket prices to see what was available. I soon remembered why we thought visiting Europe was much more cost effective.

Anyway, the first thing we did was check for tickets. We hoped that we could catch day games if they were available and luckily we found a spot in the schedule with two day games. The cool part is that the games are against different teams. I can add to my list of teams I’ve seen in person by one more team.

We picked a Thursday afternoon game against the Cleveland Guardians and a Saturday afternoon game against the Colorado Rockies. As it turns out, the Saturday game is on Old-Timers’ day. It should be fun seeing some of the stars from the past.

Yankee Stadium Seating Chart – we were in Sec 122 & Sec 117B

We scored some decent seats, so we’re looking forward to the games. We’ll be going with our friend, George, so I’m hoping he’ll like the seats too.

Next came the airfare. I was somewhat disappointed by the choices of flights, but we found a couple direct flights that will get us there and back home at ok times. This is our first domestic flight in a while and it is quite annoying to be charged extra for everything. Want to select your seats? That’s a fee. Want to sit up front? That’s an extra fee. Want to board earlier? Yep, that’s an extra fee. I digress…so we have our tickets.

And then came the hotel. We have stayed in actual palaces and luxury hotels in France and Italy for much less than a hotel in NYC. I’ll just move on and say we found a hotel that will be perfect for a few nights. The Nu Hotel is in Brooklyn and is near to our friends and close to a subway station.

Nothing fancy, just a pleasant visit with friends. Isn’t that what life’s all about?

I’ll let you know how it goes when we return.

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France 2024 – Paris at Christmastime

Posted on May 2, 2024 by herktrav

So we’ve been contemplating how to enjoy the finale of my 65th birthday year. We decided to visit some European Christmas markets. After much discussion, we arrived at our decision. We have decided to visit Paris in December.

Our choices were between taking a river boat cruise in Germany, a train trip in Switzerland or going to France. We factored in things like weather, transportation, cost and comfort, and at the end of the day, we chose Paris. I swear, the decision was not rigged!

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Our first option was a river cruise in Germany. There are many itinerary choices from different companies. Most of them hit the bigger market towns such as Frankfurt, Nuremberg and Würzburg. The itineraries are all similar, with stops at the towns and an opportunity to visit the markets for a few hours.

While they all sounded interesting, there were two issues with the cruises: the first being that it is basically too late to book one for this year and the second is that I would prefer to do a river boat cruise in the summer with the sun shining and nature blooming. Wintertime on the boat just doesn’t do it for me.

I just know there’s mulled wine inside.

Our second option was to take a train trip in Switzerland. There are Christmas markets in many of the towns, and since there are Swiss, French and Italian regions in the country, there would be a variety of markets to see. We’ve been to Switzerland before and know how things work (ie. rail passes, train types), which would make things easier.

Swiss Glacier

My issue with Switzerland is that it is too big for just a ten day trip. Our last trip there was for six weeks to be able to enjoy the various towns. A shorter trip would have us using too much time traveling and not enough enjoying the markets.

Which leads us to our third option and ultimate choice: Paris. There are actually seven different markets within the city; plus, we could enjoy the displays at the large department stores like the Galleries Lafayette, Printemps and Samartaine. There are others that could be easily reached for a day trip. Places like Strasbourg, Colmar and Reims are just a couple hours away via TGV.

Macarons anyone?

Travel logistics would be much easier: only one hotel and everything would be walkable or we could use the metro. Additionally, we could catch a holiday concert at one of the nearby churches. Cost-wise, Paris would be much less expensive and we’re certainly familiar with getting around there.

So now we have some additional planning to address. Not being a travel procrastinator, we’ve already booked our flights and hotel.

If you could see my desk, you’d see piles of Portuguese plans on one corner, piles of Paris plans on the other corner and baseball schedules on the file cabinet. It’s a bit of a mess, but one I can easily tolerate.

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Portugal 2024 – Things to do and getting around

Posted on April 23, 2024 by herktrav

We’ve been having fun discovering places to see and things to do throughout Portugal. It’s been enjoyable watching videos and reading blogs to find out tips about places to visit along with those to avoid: the ones that prey on tourists. I’ve also had some good recommendations from people online, especially for restaurants!

I’ve had many people suggest places where we can hike along mountain trails, along rivers and between towns. While I’m thankful for the suggestions, I try to gently let them know that we’re older and sometimes it’s a hike just to get to the mailbox.

Anyway, as our research and planning is on-going, I’ll just mention a few things that we have plans for already:

Porto:

Porto is the home of Portugal’s famous Port Wine Makers and we’ll be taking at least one tour and tasting. We have narrowed our choices down to Taylor, Graham’s, Sandeman or Fonseca, but they are pretty close to each other and sometimes the best choice is no choice. (wink)

We have an all day excursion to the Duoro River Valley. We will be taking the train from Porto to the town of Pinhão. We have some time to grab a little lunch and walk around before taking a Rabelo boat ride further on the Duoro River. Afterwards, we’ll take the train back to Porto.

Rabelo boat on the Duoro River

Two nearby towns that we’d like to see are Braga and Guimaraes. We managed to find a small group tour to go to both in one day. Both towns are supposed to have some beautiful sights and a day tour seems like a good way to see them.

There are two cool markets that we are planning to visit. One on each side of the river and both come highly recommended. They sell fresh fruit and vegetables, seafood, pastries, wine and just about anything you need, plus lunch!

The remainder of our time will likely be spent wandering around visiting museums, churches and the waterfront.

Coimbra

Coimbra is where I will try to look at least a little bit smart. The main attraction here is the 800 year old university with an incredible library, a beautiful old chapel and a fantastic botanical garden. We snagged a guide for a walk around the university.

We will also be on the hunt for a location to grab some wine and listen to the students singing their version of Fado music. This should be more upbeat than the Fado we’ll hear in Lisbon. The university students are said to “use it as a mating call to attract mates”. We shall see!

Tomar:

We already talked about the Templar connection, so I’ll bypass those. The remainder of our time will be spent just wandering through the town and taking it all in.

Templar Castle in Tomar

Nazare:

Nazare is our midpoint “stop and smell the roses” town. It is a beach town right on the Atlantic Ocean. While there are some places we will visit here, we really just want to relax and watch the sunset here.

Sintra:

Sintra is a place that most people use as a day trip site from Lisbon. We’ll be staying there for a few days to really get to enjoy all of the beautiful sites. We’ll visit the enchanting Pena Palace, the Quinta da Regaleira, the Moorish Castle and the Sintra Palace.

Pena Palace & Moorish Castle photos from Viator

Lisbon:

The capital city has so much to offer and we’re going to try our best to see what we can. Like most of the other towns we’ll be visiting, Lisbon is known for its steep hilly streets. We’re going to try and strategically conquer it by using public transportation as much as possible.

Yellow Tram in Lisbon

We’ll be starting off with a Tuk Tuk Tour of town. That should at least give us an idea of where places are located.

We do know that two beautiful locations that we will definitely visit just so happen to be within close proximity to our hotel: the Castello de Sao Jorge and the Lisbon Cathedral. Like walking distance close.

While available throughout Portugal, we have been told to make it our mission to try the famous ‘Pasteis de Nata’ from various bakeries around town. They are little egg custard tarts with a pastry shell crust. We will do our best and report back on our favorites.

If we haven’t done so already, we also plan on visiting the Azulejo Tile Museum. We’ll see plenty during our travels, so if we’ve already been dazzled by blue and white tiles, we can swap out for another location.

There is a lot of history related to the earthquake of 1755 that destroyed much of the city. We’ll see some of the locations while moving around the city. However, there is a more recent attraction called “Quake” that we just might have to visit. More on that coming up later.

We haven’t decided on the location yet, but we do plan on stopping into a wine bar and listening to some Fado performers. It’s very popular in Portugal and is a melancholy form of music, almost soulful or mournful. Probably won’t meet any ‘Swifties’ there!

From here to there:

Getting around in Portugal seems like it should be fairly easy. They have a good rail and bus system. The cities have good public transportation, be it by tram, train, bus or subway. Plus, taxis and Uber are available.

Additionally, we’ll be using our friends at Daytrip for the longer intercity rides. We’ve used them in Italy and France and have been very pleased with the service. Besides going from city to city, you can arrange for them to stop along the way to visit places.

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We have some really interesting places that we’ll be eating at, but we’ll save those for when we get there. I will say that it will be quite a mix of places with the common link being good food to try at them all. Everything from Iberian ham to octopus will be in play, and of course, desserts!

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Portugal 2024 – The Knights Templar and Us

Posted on March 25, 2024 by herktrav

I’ve had a few questions and comments about our itinerary. Specifically, what’s up with our fascination with the Knights Templar. Who are the Knights Templar? Are they a Portuguese boy band? No!

This cross, mainly red, represented the knights’ connection to the Church as well as their mission. 

I’ve been fascinated by the Knights Templar since I was back in my 20’s. That’s a long time ago in case you’re wondering. I had read about them in connection with my first job as a bookkeeper. They developed the first real banking system and were instrumental in the beginning of accounting systems.

I know, boring. But, that’s not the real allure of the Knights Templar. Read on…

The Knights Templar – shorthand for the Order of the Poor Knights of the Temple of Jerusalem – were founded by French Knight Hugues de Payens around 1119 to protect Christian pilgrims on the roads of Palestine following the First Crusade. The group was named for its original headquarters on the Temple Mount. Members were often called “warrior monks,” since they fought on the front line of the Crusades and swore oaths of chastity, poverty and obedience.

Temple Mount – Jerusalem

So with the blessing of the Pope, they provided protection for the pilgrims. This is where the nerdy accountant stories come from. They would take a pilgrim’s gold or silver and give them a promissory note. When the person arrived in the Holy City, they could turn that note in to the Templars and receive their valuables back – minus a fee for the protection of their valuables. They basically created the first banking and accounting systems to keep track of the transactions.

Knights Templar Banking System. ©HistoryMaps

However, it is said that while they were in the holy city, they also were digging below what was once the Temple of Solomon seeking religious relics. Many people believe that they found some very valuable treasures which they promised to protect.

As the years went by, the Knights Templar became wealthy and would lend money to many people, including the King of France – Phillip IV or Philip the Fair. Since he was heavily in debt to the Templars, he schemed to avoid paying them back by claiming they were guilty of heresy and blasphemy to his friend Pope Clement V with the intention of claiming their lands and money. While the Pope’s inquisition into the matter eventually found them innocent, an angry Philip would not abide by the ruling.

King Phillip had all members of the order rounded up and arrested on Friday, October 13, 1307. He accused them of heresy and many other trumped up charges. He expected to take their treasure, but alas, the Templars had outsmarted him and secreted the treasures out of France.

What treasures, you ask? Many people believe that among the treasures were the Ark of the Covenant, the Golden Menorah, the Spear of Destiny, ancient scrolls, gold and silver.

The imprisoned Knights were tortured and gave false confessions to avoid the tortures. Meanwhile, Jacques de Molay, the Grandmaster of the Templars, held steadfast and refused to give in to King Philip. He was imprisoned and tortured for seven years before eventually being burned at the stake by the vengeful King.

Interestingly, in his dying words, it’s said that Jacques de Molay cursed both men. He proclaimed that both the King and the Pope would be dead within a year for their actions. And they were. Phillip died of a stroke and Pope Clement died from an illness within a year.

Jacques de Molay being led to the stake to burn in 1314

In the meantime, the treasures that the Templars had found or accumulated had been whisked out of France before they could be confiscated. Many believe that they were moved to Portugal, London, Scotland and perhaps to the new world of North America. But they’ve never been found or at least it’s never been publicly revealed.

Despite the crackdown, the Knights Templar did not disappear. Many of the remaining knights went into hiding and took up with the Freemasons or other guilds. Some others moved on to Portugal, where they continued on as members of the Order of Christ.

The base of the Knights Templar was located in Tomar, Portugal. The Templar Castle and the Convent of Christ were built beginning in 1160 and remain as part of the Templar legacy, along with the Almourol Castle.

So what ever happened to the “treasures” of the Knights Templar? Good question. Nobody knows for sure; however there is much speculation. People believe that some of the money may have been used to fund the exploration of North America or to fund the American Revolution. Others say it is still hidden away. There are still others who don’t believe that there is or ever was a treasure.

It’s a story full of intrigue that has been romanticized through the ages. Some people say that the Knights Templar are waiting to rise again with secrets and knowledge that they have tightly guarded through the ages. Others think that the resurgence is nothing more than a bunch of guys playing dress up so they can meet their friends for beer. You have to decide what you think for yourself.

We find the Knights Templar story to be intriguing, with much evidence that suggests they are historically significant. We can’t wait to see and learn more about them. We’ve found a guide who is very knowledgeable about religious history and especially religious history and symbolics during the middle ages, so we are excited for our time in Tomar.

We’ve been to France, London and Scotland to visit some significant Templar related sights. Portugal – especially Tomar – will be the crown jewel.

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