Exploring the world one country at a time
Exploring the world one country at a time
Pena Palace Highlights Visited the Pena Palace, Regaleira Palace and Moorish Castle in Sintra. Time of Visit: May and November 2023 Duration of Visit: One and half day total (day trip from Lisbon) Description Sintra is a city that has earned the distinction of being a UNESCO World Heritage site. It has a mixture of …
Lisbon’s popular Tram 28 Lisbon is a dense city with good public transportation infrastructure. They have subway trains, trams, buses and even a few funicular. There are also private vehicles like tuk-tuks, taxis, vintage looking automobiles and sightseeing buses that can take you around the city. We used Lisbon’s buses, subway, trams and even a …
The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima or “the square” Fatima is a city in west central Portugal about an hour and half north of Lisbon. It is famous for the apparition of the Virgin Mary to three shepherd children in 1917. Fatima is a pilgrimage destination of devout Catholics, especially on May 13th which …
Algarve is the area in southern Portugal, between the border with Spain and the Atlantic Ocean. Most people associate the Algarve with multi-colored sandstone cliffs and rock formations that are common in the coastal areas. There are also many beaches in this area that have the sandstone cliffs as the backdrop making it enticing to …
The Azores is a group of nine volcanic islands that is part of Portugal. Santa Maria island is the closest at around 1,400 kilometers west of Lisbon. Flores island is the furthest west at about 1,900 kilometers west of Lisbon. We spent a total of three weeks in five of the nine islands, which …
The Camino Portugues Coastal Route is one of three routes between Porto, Portugal and Santiago de Compostela, Spain. We completed the coastal route in late March 2023 and the weather was perfect for walking. It was cool but not cold. Sometimes it was T-shirt weather when the sun was out. The coastal route was very …
Camino Portugues coastal route – part 1, overview Read More »
There are many cities, towns and villages along the Camino Portugues Coastal route. Some are one after the other while others are more spread out. Either way, there are many accommodations along the way whether it be an albergue, guest houses, apartments or hotels. Albergues An albergue (Spanish word for hostel) is the cheapest accommodation …
camino portugues coastal route – part 3, our accomModations Read More »
This is the second part of a three part write-up about our experience on doing the Camino Portugues Coastal Route from Porto. The first part talks in general about the Camino Portugues Coastal Route from Porto. This part talks about the path we took. The third part lists and describes our accommodations along the way. …
camino portugues coastal route – part 2, the way Read More »
Situated at the Eastern end of Madeira is a peninsula that can only be described as breathtaking. Its verdant and bare mountainsides rise high above the Atlantic Ocean. There are no trees to obstruct your views. You are high above in elevation looking down into the ocean as its waves crash on the shore below. …
Overview The hike between Pico do Areeiro and Pico Ruivo is one of the most challenging hikes in Madeira. It is also one of the most rewarding, both in scenery and in giving your calves and hamstrings a workout. This article provides details of the hike to give the reader an idea of what to …