portugal Archives - Have Media Will Travel

Greetings from Lisbon – the hilly, coastal – and stunning – capital city of Portugal.

(By the way, this is my 14th blog post published so far during our 29-day “Epic Europe Family Adventure.” If you’re interested, all previous trip reports from this Epic Family Adventure include are listed and linked to at the bottom of this blog post.)

On the move. The boys walking to the bus station in Lagos.

We rode a bus from Lagos to Lisbon, and hit the ground running. Well, not quite running! After all, we had on our backs our 90L Patagonia Black Hole duffel/backpacks, and Lisbon, is well, like climbing hills over and over again. The city’s main neighborhoods are built up, up, up.

The boys, snarfing sandwiches in the Camões Square, in Lisbon, after arriving by bus.

Jerry and the boys, leading our "Amazing Race" to find our AirBnB. — Jerry and the boys, leading our “Amazing Race” to find our AirBnB.

The boys, leading us up, up, up in the hills of the city of Lisbon.

You go through narrow passageways – in Wyoming we’d call them alley ways – only these are all cobbled with ancient tiles, and beautiful meandering paths that help you access different neighborhoods, restaurants, shops, cafes and bars. Both sides of these are lined with very tall, colorful, old buildings. There is wall art everywhere, and vines, and distressed stucco, and also 18th Century tiled walls. And, it seems, always lively music coming from somewhere.

We have logged many steps exploring this beautiful city’s nooks and crannies.

First up yesterday, after disembarking the bus from Lagos, we walked up, up, up to meet our AirBnB apartment’s host. When it comes to our AirBnB and other apartment picks, we have been so rewarded! We have hit nothing but jackpots on our various accommodations. (In Munich, we had an apartment in an old building that was centrally located…a 20-minute walk from everywhere that mattered. In Rome, we stayed in a 17th Century, and this one in Lisbon is in an 18th Century building)

After settling into our Lisbon digs, we set off to go explore the 11th Century Moorish São Jorge Castle.

Here are some photos from the Castle, which is situated atop Lisbon, affording panoramic views of the City of Lisbon and it’s colorful neighborhoods and views of the spectacular Tagus River, the longest river on the Iberian Peninsula.

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After the castle, we followed the advice of our generous and kind AirBnB host, Tiago, who is a local. He suggested we walk down to the Praça do Comércio, so we did. There, situated along the Tagus River is a huge square (commonly known as Terreiro do Paç), complete with a huge outdoor big screen that displayed live the soccer game. Jerry got a beer, the boys played foosball at one of the many foosball tables and I took some photos. On one of end of the square is the impressive stone, triumphal arch, Rua Augusta Arch, which was built to commemorate the city’s reconstruction after the 1755 earthquake.

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From there, we headed back up, up, up. It was dinner time, and we wanted to try out a place Tiago recommended, a cafe in a place called the Teatro da Garagem. But first, we stopped by a restaurant and tried some pastels de bacalhau (Portuguese codfish cakes). They were yummy!

After lots of hiking up staircases, and up long tiled hills in narrow passageways, we found the Teatro, and the cafe inside. Wow. Like so many places in these old cities, you enter a non-descript door and then are blown away. That’s what happened after we walked downstairs inside the theater. Huge walls of windows, like a giant sunroom, with staggering views of the city of Lisbon, and a piano player, and complete charm. We ordered a cheeseboard and some portuguese wine (for Jerry and I), and cokes for the boys.

Here is a photo and a video:

Cheeseboard at the cafe in the teatro da garagem.

After a great dinner and a full day, we dropped the boys back at the apartment and chilled for an hour or so, before Jerry and I headed back out. Our goal: To find some live Fado!

Fado is soulful music that gets it roots from the early 1800s.The word Fado comes from the Latin word fatum –or, fate. After walking literally a total of 4 miles, in and out of neighborhoods, up hills and down hills, stopping at various bars and terrace restaurants, and through DJ’s parties, and a reggae patio party, we stumbled into our prize, Fado Maior, where there were two amazing performers singing. I’m including a clip of the woman, Milene Candeias, as well as the male performer. I didn’t catch his name, but he was also amazing. NOTE: I didn’t want to disturb the atmosphere or performances with the flash on my camera, so I’m sharing these only for the audio. I hope you enjoy the Fado music as much as I did!

Milene Candeias:

Male performer:

Here are some other photos I captured in Lisbon, including many wall art photos:

Thanks for following along on this Epic Europe Family Adventure. We’re approaching the end… Lisbon represents our last destination. Please check back every now and then, though, as I’ll be continuing to write, and publish adventure blog posts once I return to my beloved frontier of Wyoming.

If you’re interested, here are all of my previous blog posts about this Epic Europe Family Adventure so far:
• From Wyoming to the British Museum and Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew in 24 hours
• Big Ben, River Thames, Tower of London and Ice Cream
• Munich Day 1: Glockenspiel, Deutsches Museum, Englischer Garten and Beirgarten
• Biking in the Bavarian Alps, Exploring Neuschwanstein Castle, Epic Beer & Food
• Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland: The Land of Many Fountains, Cows with Bells and Epic Food
• Zermatt: Gornergrat Glacier, the Matterhorn, Mountain Lakes and More Delicious Food
• Moneglia, Italy: The Cinque Terre, Epic Focaccia, Pizza, Pesto, Wine, Olives, and Gelato
• Leaning Tower of Pisa, Michelangelo’s David, Cathedral of Florence, and Giotto’s Bell Tower.
• Rome, Part I: Ponte Sant ‘Angelo, St. Peter’s Basilica, Piazza Navona & More
• Rome, Pt. 2: Capuchin Crypt, Catacombs of Priscilla, and Ancient Underground Churches
• Rome, Pt. 3: The Pope, Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, and a Date
• Rome, Pt. 4: The Colosseum, Roman Forum, Palatine Hill, and our Last Night in Rome
• Lagos, Portugal: Stunning Beaches, Kayaking Through Caves and Passageways – and R&R

Greetings from Lagos, Portugal. I write this from the balcony of our apartment overlooking the ocean, enjoying a soup-bowl-sized cup of coffee Jerry just served me. The boys are still in a slumber. It is Day 22 of our 29-day Epic Europe Family Adventure, and I have not a single complaint…

Greetings from Lagos, Portugal! Dessert before dinner. Something for each of us. :) — Greetings from Lagos, Portugal! Dessert before dinner. Something for each of us. 🙂

(By the way, this is my 13th blog post published so far during our 29-day “Epic Europe Family Adventure.” If you’re interested, all previous trip reports from this Epic Family Adventure include are listed and linked to at the bottom of this blog post.)

We rode a bus from Lisbon to Lagos. We disembarked the bus, and quickly converted our Patagonia Black Hole duffels into backpacks, and started our walk to the apartment we had rented near the beach. This was one of our longer walks from train or bus to hotel, but at the end of this one was a beach and an ocean – and rest and relaxation. So, though it was very hot and sunny, and our bags were heavy, and the last half mile uphill, and our apartment was up three floors of steps, the boys “leaned in,” and were like eager beavers.

The boys, with their heavy Patagonia Black Hole backpacks on, on our mile-and-a-half, uphill walk to our apartment near the beach.

The boys leaning in during the final half mile of our walk to our beach apartment.

Lagos is in southern Portugal’s Algarve region, the southernmost region of continental Portugal. The Algarve is the most popular tourist destination in Portugal, and one of the most popular in Europe, and we can sure see why. Pronounced Lah-goosh, Lagos is situated along the bank of the Rio Bensafrim.

We are in an area known as Praia Dona Ana. Some of the locals we have talked to claim this to be one of the most beautiful places on Earth. We concur! We have been to beaches in Mexico, Hawaii and California, and so far, this particular beach, Dona Ana, is our favorite. I think the best way to describe this part of our Epic Adventure is to say it is our “R & R” portion. As I write this, we are colored by the sun, and moving at a snail’s pace. It is wonderful.

Months ago we had booked a half-day kayaking tour that promised to take us into caves and through the many grottoes and narrow passageways for which this area is famous. We couldn’t wait to get on the water, and to see some of the natural wonders beyond the epic sandy beach. We were not disappointed!

We also have enjoyed hiking the cliffside trails to get that exhilarating and spectacular vantage of the shoreline and grottoes. We also made sure to explore the Ponta de Piedade Lighthouse, the beautiful Igreja Santa Maria church (in which we lit a candle and offered prayers for all those wounded and killed in the mass shooting in Orlando that we learned about this morning), Forte Ponta da Bandeira, which according to PlanetWare was built in the 17th century to defend the approaches to Lagos harbor, this square-shaped, pocket-sized fortress remains in remarkably good condition considering its age. Situated over a wedge of sand overlooking a shallow bay, four turrets shaped like spinning tops set at each corner help distinguish the fort’s squat profile. A narrow moat lends the stronghold an impregnable quality, and sightseers have to cross a drawbridge to reach the inner courtyard. We also walked to the Castelo de Governadores, a medieval castle, which are 16th Century walls, after reading about them in Lonely Planet: Aside from its hedonistic appeal, Lagos has historical clout, having launched many naval excursions during Portugal’s extraordinary Age of Discoveries.

And, from Portugal-Live.net: Historically, Lagos’ greatest allure has been its geographical position. Lying opposite the north African coast in the Bensafrim estuary, it attracted settlers, foreign invaders and became a focal point for discovery voyages at the time of Portugal’s Golden Age of Discoveries. Prince Henry the Navigator brought fame to the region by founding his navigation school in nearby Sagres, by residing in Lagos and building his famous caravels in the town. Lagos soon became a hub of maritime activity as explorers such as Gil Eanes, the first to round Africa’s Cape Bojador in 1434, departed from the town in search of new land and fortune. Vessels returning laden with riches and slaves transformed Lagos into a base for African trade and brought increased wealth and prosperity to the area.

Following are photos (and two videos) that are better than my words…

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A view from a clifftop trail Jerry and I hiked.

The sunsets, like everything here, are stunning:

16th Century walls that used to protect the city of Lagos.

A beautiful church in Lagos, Portugal, the Ingreja Santa Maria.

The Ponta da Piedade Lighthouse, Lagos, Portugal.

And some miscellaneous photos from the town of Lagos:

We are approaching the end of this great epic journey. We have about 6 days left until I do a presentation in London, and then we will board a flight back to the U.S. We will be happy to reunite with our family and friends, and of course, our beloved Lander, Wyoming. But until we have feet on the ground in Wyoming, this epic adventure is not over, and we still have experiencing and discovering to do! Thank you so much for reading this blog, and for following along with us on this great adventure.

Next up: Lisbon, Portugal!