2018 Portugal

 

 

The idea of this trip was to learn about Portuguese culture with emphasis around Port (wine) in the north, along with some good hikes mixed in. I had done a moderate amount of research on Portugal’s history before the trip and was looking forward to the mix of activities (wine tasting, hiking, kayaking, city tours, etc.) that this trip was offering. Now after reading and being in the country for 9 days I am not going to say I am an expert but from this brief introduction to the country I think it would be safe to say that the northern portion of the country, which contains the Douro Valley, is their wine region.

Yes, Port is a wine, a fortified wine. “Regular” wines are produced as well, but Portugal is best known for their Ports. Porto is a modern city with rich history, as is Lisbon, so it is easy to get around both cities on foot and they are both well equipped for tourists with no obvious crime issues. We felt fine walking around in the evenings (with cameras) and were able to get by mostly English, but we tried a little Portuguese (always good to try the local language).

Outside of these major towns we stayed in small towns or villages. I was surprised by just how much English was spoken but tourism is a bigger part of their economy than I expected. Why so much tourism?  Well, there are so many historic places to explore and they have done a wonderful job making them accessible to the public.  We could have easily done this entire trip concentrating just on historic sites and still have only seen a small percentage of what the country has to offer.

I would say the guides did a good job with the itinerary, trying to get some history in and some outdoor activities, along with the all-important Port/wine tastings. Sometimes this meant the hike was more of a walk through a vineyard but the views were incredible and our guides were able to use those walks to explain the grape growing process and the importance and history of Port.

One thing I did like about the itinerary of this trip is it did give us a little more free-time than many of my other trips, but not too much. Often we had a couple of hours to explore before dinner or a complete evening to ourselves. This gave us a great opportunity to do a little souvenir shopping, sample the local beers or just relax.

One comment I will make is that in early September it can still be hot and we actually cut one hike short due to the heat.  Be prepared for that, bring plenty of water and sun screen, especially if your hike is ending at a winery with a Port/wine tasting. On the positive side, Portuguese food is wonderful, especially if you like seafood and many of the places we ate at were high-end and classy. You definitely need some nice clothes for dinner, not jacket and tie, but something better than your hiking boots and t-shirts.  🙂

OK, let’s get going, we started in Porto and finished in Lisbon and took multiple methods of transit once we arrived, from bus, boat, kayak, train and of course foot (lots of hiking).

Porto (1 Night)

 

We flew into Porto just before noon to be greeted by our two guides and whisked off to our downtown hotel. We met the rest of our group at lunch and then enjoyed a walking city tour. If I had known we were going to walk all over the city I would have started my GPS.  This was a long city tour, maybe four hours, that ended at our dinner restaurant.  A great way to help get over the jet lag, but I know I was really dragging near the end of the tour. Regardless, Porto is a wonderful European city, with rich history and beautiful architecture, from cobblestone alleys and small shops to magnificent cathedrals and hand-painted tile walls.

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Douro Valley (2 Nights)

Leaving Porto we enjoyed some good scenery on the way out to the Douro Valley and after a quick tour of the Port museum and lunch we headed out for our first hike. Where is the hike? What nature are we going to see?  Any wildlife?  Well, this is the wine making area of the country so we are going to hike through Quinta Nova vineyards. This was going to be a first. I had walked in a vineyard before but never really hiked (basically I define “walked” as an easy stroll, “hiked” as a challenging walk, either due to distance or rough terrain) and this did offer some challenges. It was a hot day and the number of hills also helped get the legs stretched. This also gave everyone a good chance to learn more about the history of wine grape growing.  It is one thing to hear the lectures or read a book, but to learn about a country while you walk between rows of vines and see different style of terraces, that’s what really makes it special. Did you know that they are not allowed to irrigate the vines once they are older than two years old? Do you know why?

After the hike we sat on their patio and … sampled their Grainha wines. Being right on the premises we got to hear from their staff about some of the subtle differences in wines while we enjoyed the beautiful views of the Douro river. Then it was back to our hotel for well needed showers and dinner in a local family’s home/restaurant. I quickly learnt that Portugal is not just a simple meat/fish and potato country, even in a small little village the meals are varied and great – say goodbye to my diet.  🙂

 

 

 

The next day we drove out to Pinhão and took a short trip up the Duoro River up to the Tua River on a traditionally styled boat. Then we climbed into our two-person kayaks for a fun and challenging (against the wind) paddle 9 miles back to the port in Pinhão. Changing from kayaking outfits to hiking gear we set out on a short hike, but it was made even shorter by the heat! We ended the hike at Croft Port and enjoyed another Port tasting.  Ohh but wait, our guides were able to get us a tour of the massive Quinta Do Portal wine cellar by our hotel, and we could not turn that down, especially if it came with another tasting.  Dinner that night was at the Quinta Do Portal restaurant beside the hotel and it was exquisite.  Not only do that make some wonderful wines and Ports in the Duoro Valley but the culinary skills are magnificent.

(Zoom out to see the start of the kayaking.)

 

Porto (1 Night)

After leaving the Douro Valley we made a morning stop near Vila Real to visit the Casa de Mateus estate, often referred to as “The Cultural Center of the North” in Portugal. The gardens are absolutely beautifully maintained along with the various buildings. What is even more surprising is that half of the main building is restricted to tourists as the family still lives in the house. A tour of the buildings is recommended to really understand the history of the estate and you cannot get into some areas unless you are on one of their tours.

After a great lunch in the area we headed back to Porto and then our guides had a wonderful surprise planned for us.  We walked over to Cálem for a tour of their cellars, some traditional entertainment followed by dinner. Sounds like the typical tourist stuff but it turned out to be much more. The tour we received went into great detail about the process of creating port, the different types of port, all while walking around huge casks of port wine just waiting for the right time to be bottled. After the tour we had the opportunity to taste their ports while enjoying our first experience of traditional fado music accompanied with the Portuguese guitar. Without understanding the lyrics you could definitely feel the melancholic emotions being relayed. When the show was over our little group was ushered away from the crowds to a small reception room where more Cálem wines and hors d’oeurvres were available. I am not much of foodie but there was a large variety of hors d’oeurvres being served to us, including salmon!  Ohhh, how I like salmon! With the endless trays of culinary treats coming out I assumed this was going to be our dinner, however soon they opened up another room to an elegantly adorned room for our dinner. What a treat, the following meal was fantastic and the service untouchable. An awesome way to end the northern portion of the trip.

 

 

 

Lisbon (1 Night)

We took the morning train from Porto down to Lisbon which was a nice relaxing trip and we arrived in time for lunch looking over the Tagus river. After another great meal it was time for a walking city tour and what we quickly learnt is that Lisbon is built on seven hills. I think our guides made sure we experienced all of them, maybe some a few times. Lisbon is definitely a city with many things to offer, it could be shopping, historic buildings, great food or entertainment. With so much to offer I can see Lisbon becoming one of the main tourist destinations in Europe but for now it is a somewhat hidden gem. Definitely glad I decided to stay an extra day after the trip ends as there is so much to see and do.

The tour ended at our hotel and we had an evening to ourselves and after getting lost trying to find a recommended restaurant for dinner we settled on visiting the Museu da Cerveja. located in Praça do Comércio (Commerce Square). I had not heard great reviews of the museum but I really wanted wanted one of their beer glasses from the gift shop. We spent the rest of the evening on their patio and had dinner, watching the locals watch the tourists. 🙂

 

 

Sintra (1 Night)

A 30 minute drive east from Lisbon is the small town of Sintra but for now we are just passing through as we proceed out to Almoçageme for today’s hike. Almoçageme is such a pretty little town, the type everyone dreams of retiring in, a clean, quiet, quaint, friendly and scenic coastal town. I had a few minutes while the rest of the group got ready so I wandered through their small market and found a beautiful garden beside the volunteer fire department. OK, everyone is ready so off we go!

A heavy marine layer limited the views but it also made it comfortable hiking weather, especially given the number of hills we were doing. I would say it is best to have good hiking shoes on but we saw locals on the trail wearing platforms sandals as they headed to the beach. Our guides said today was my best chance to see some wildlife so my eyes were peeled for any movement.

Our trail ended at Cabo da Roca, which is the westernmost point in continental Europe and given the number of buses, an obvious tourist attraction. I think it is much more satisfying to hike through the countryside and arrive at a landmark, rather than hop off the bus, take some pictures, visit the gift shop, then hop back on the bus. I consider myself lucky that I am able to experience places and not just check them off a list. Everybody is different and not everyone has the time, health or money to take time to stop and smell the roses. I have always said that I like to consider myself a traveller, not a tourist.

What could top a great hike?  Well, being taken to our palace in Sintra for the night. I know they have spoiled us on this trip with some great meals but Tivoli Palácio de Seteais is definitely the place to stay in Sintra. If the building and the grounds are not enough, then the food will blow you away!

 

 

I thought today was going to be a leisurely stroll through Sintra, then a nice walk up to The Moors Castle and then over to Pena Palace. Sintra is a charming tourist town, very clean, very friendly people but the walk up to the castle was a little steeper than I was expecting, definitely something to consider but at least you are in the trees and you get some nice views on the way up. I realize that everyone has their own personal preferences and for me the castle was definitely my preference over the palace. With the castle I marvel at the engineering and sheer size of the castle including it’s fortified walls. The palace, as significant as it also is to the history of the area, I just found it a huge mismatch of styles. It didn’t help that there were lines to get in and the slow moving conga line to go through all the rooms. I think it was well planned that after leaving the palace we have to walk through Pena Park to leave. A wonderful forested park which allowed me to see the most wildlife during the trip!

After the palace we had the short drive back to Lisbon. Tonight we say good-bye to our fellow travellers as many of them start their flights home early the next day, however, as previously mentioned, a couple of us were staying an extra day in Lisbon.

 

 

 

Lisbon (2 Nights)

I have always enjoyed spending either a day before or a day after the trip to explore a bit on my own. Trying to find your own way around, figuring out places to eat and more importantly what to see. Lisbon has got so much to see and almost everything is within walking distance if you have the time. We decided that we wanted to spend the morning at The National Azulejo (Tile) Museum as Portugal is known for it’s hand-painted tiles. I am not usually a museum fan but this is a small museum that can easily be covered in 90 minutes and gave me a good framework on how the tiles are made and their history. What was really awe inspiring was the Mother of God Museum that is within the Tile Museum. The amount of artwork, from paintings, to religious artifacts all in one place was definitely something to see.

Heading to the harbour for the afternoon, there is peaceful pedestrian walkway right beside the Targus river. Locals and tourist all gather in the area to enjoy the views or perhaps a little fishing. This appears to be an area that the city is trying to revitalize and it is a pleasant walk along the water from the “red bridge” to the Monument to the Discoveries and then the Belém Tower.

 

It’s time to say goodbye to Portugal and start the trip back. Using AirBnB we found a small boat in the marina for the night and used Uber to get around. (Note: we were told Uber is not officially approved at the time, so vehicles are not marked.)

 

 

Logistics

This trip, organized by National Geographic Expeditions, was an 8 day itinerary that they called Portugal Hiking Adventure. My first trip with NatGeo as I always assumed that their trips were a little on the expensive side but I found this trip reasonably priced and in line with what other providers I have used charge. There were eleven people on this trip plus two guides and a driver. National Geographic Expeditions uses Mountain Travel Sobek for their front end sales staff which surprised me but it did allow for ease in signing up for the trip as they easily transferred all my details over.

Logistics during the trip were well organized and most of the time we were in a luxury (24 person) van with plenty of room for everyone to move around. Our two guides worked well together, sharing  duties and appeared to enjoy sharing their knowledge of Portugal. Never during this trip did I ever feel worried about my safety, every city was very, very clean, and friendly. Even in the evenings, walking around with a camera, there was never a fear for my safety.  Well done Portugal, may you grow your tourism trade but never lose your charm!

Usually on these trips I travel by myself or with one friend, but this time I was joined by two friends that I often travel with but they had never met each other. Hence, I was the brunt of many jokes as they both competed to outdo each other.  All in good fun and I made sure I was duly compensated (i.e. beer) by both of them.

Have you been to Portugal, what was your experience like?  Did I miss anything that you would recommend?

Cheers, Nigel