After a two-year break, I’m back in Portugal to escape the lingering Maritime winter and the grey skies of spring. To be honest, the weather here (so far) is nothing to write home about – it has been cooler than normal and if you can make a 7-minute walk to the grocery store without a shower of rain appearing out of nowhere, it’s a good day. Hopefully this rain will move on soon.
I arrived in Lisbon, setting aside a couple of days to acclimate and explore the colourful neighborhoods of Alfama, Baixa, Chiado and Bairro Alto. I found a walking tour online that looked interesting – concentrating on the Alfama district. It is an older, historic and very hilly area of the city. We met our guide in Rossio Square (aka Pedro IV Square) famous for its’ iconic black and white mosaic tile. If you stare at it for a couple of seconds it seems to ‘come to life’ and rise out of the ground (trust me it’s totally flat!).
We began to climb the hills, with the guide telling many great stories of the buildings and streets we visited. From Fado singers to military brass, Alfama had seen allot in its day.
Note the tile work not only on the ground but on the walls of the buildings and the artwork. The small white house, to the left of the pinkish one, is thought to be one of the oldest houses in Lisbon. The artwork is a famous Fado singer native to the community.
I took a train from Lisbon south to the Algarve, arriving in Praia [Beach] da Luz, my new home base for a month. The sun finally came out – it was great. Luz is a coastal village that can be very busy in the summer months but is a bit more sleepy this time of the year.
For an overview, a took a hike to the top of the mountain on a trail that is part of the Fisherman’s Trail aka The Rota Vicentina that stretches for 225 kms along the southern Portuguese coast. The green/blue bars on the post are the insignia of the Fisherman’s Trail, painted on rocks, trees or building for hikers to find their way from town to town. And yes, that is a rain cloud on the horizon and I was dumped on 2 minutes later!
Luz has a nice boardwalk, several supermarkets and pharmacies as well as a ton of restaurants and shops (and a church) all within easy walking distances.
My friends rented a car and we took a day trip NE of Luz first to Praia da Bordeira and then onto Sagres which is west of us. We explored the boardwalks and pathways of Bordeira Beach, enjoying the unique sand formations, beaches and cliffs.
We had some lunch, dropped by a village called Vila do Bispo for a few groceries at Aldi (picked up 2 bottles of red wine for a whopping €6.69 euros) then to Sagres (where they make beer!) . There is a rec centre, in a former school, that appears to be the community social centre. People were sitting around chatting or playing cards. We had a coffee and enjoyed the vibe of this neat place.
Feel free to leave a comment below. If you wish to contact me, my email is blaisemcneil@gmail.com. Thanks for visiting my site and I hope you’ll return soon for my next adventure…. Blaise