Honeymoon in Portugal

     Day and I have been fortunate enough to have traveled quite a bit, so much so, I may actually be able to give advice on destinations, where to stay and what to do. I love traveling and I love talking about it, so needless to say, I was excited and flattered when Lara, my "ferry boat" friend asked for my opinion on Portugal for her honeymoon.

     Day and I have only been once, and for just eight or nine days, most of which was spent in Lisbon and a few days in Cascais and Sintra, so I am by no means an expert, but I think I can help those who have never been.

     For accommodations Day and I use Airbnb quite a bit, we have had great luck and rarely stay in hotels anymore. We found a great apartment in the neighborhood of Graca. A map may help you orient yourself. We stayed north of the Tagus river, and spent our time in Graca, Alfama, Barrio Alta, Chiado and Belem. Later in our trip we went west to Cascais and then north to Sintra.

     The Graça District is one of Lisbon's oldest suburbs, located on top of her highest hill, a few blocks north-east of the Castelo de Sao Jorge and just up the hill from São Vincente de Fora Monastery. The neighborhood, which centers around the Lago da Graça (the number 28 tram stops here, which I will talk about), boasts some of the most spectacular views in Lisbon. The most famous viewpoint is the Miradouro de Santa Graca, which offers up the whole of central Lisbon and the castle to the north.

     Our apartment was just at the top of this block, we stopped at this market often, Day for wine mostly. The wine was cheap but good and the owner was friendly and happy to help, even though he didn't speak English and we don't speak Portuguese. Graca was a great quite neighborhood with shops, markets and a cafes, and a short walk from most everything. Best of all, Tram 28, the star of Lisbon.

     Public transportation in Lisbon is fantastic, you absolutely do not need a car while you are in Lisbon. For like six bucks you have unlimited access to buses, the subway, the train (which we took to Sintra) funiculares, the elevator, and the trolleys, my favorite, Tram 28! The trolleys and Tram 28 are an absolute "must do" while in Lisbon, they are a great way to see the city! Once in the city, go down into the subway and get your Lisboa Card at one of the kiosks and move about the city like the locals.

What I liked about Lisbon, is it is big enough to spend tons of time there and not get bored, but small enough to not feel overwhelmed. The people are friendly and helpful, but not overbairing, pretty much, they leave you alone until you approach them. Vacation is about people for me and I loved the people of Portugal, but for Day, it's about the food, and there is great food everywhere in Lisbon.

Lago stimulus so sweet, you don't need butter.

Meat, meat and more meat.

Yes, those are barnacles, and they were delicious!

     There is so much to see and do in Lisbon, I am not going to go into detail other than to say, visit the different neighborhoods of Lisbon. Each neighborhood has something different to see and do, and has its own character and charm, and don't forget the neighborhood of Belem and the tower!

     Over the years Day and I have become better tourists and travelers, we enjoy some of the touristy stuff like the Tower of Belem and with the help of TripAdvisor we were on our own and managed fairly well. We have learned much since Portugal though, we have become big fans of guided tours and have found some great websites to make our vacations more memorable.

     Day and I have always had good luck with TripAdvisor, and have booked many great tours using that site. Walking tours are a great way to get oriented, learn a bit about the city and pepper your guide with tons of questions, and most importantly, find out where the best places to eat are, and if you're in Dublin, with a guide named Garvan, ya may just meet the President of Ireland.

Seriously,  the President of Ireland. 

     Whether you are headed to Portugal or a weekend getaway to the next state over, get on TripAdvisor and see what there are for guided tours. Day and I have been on some good ones, a WWII tour in Prague and a great history tour of Charleston, SC to name a few. Others include wine tours, beer and pub tours, ghost tours and there are even photography, tours, so there is something for you. The best ones though, are the food tours! The food tours are usually 4-5 hrs long, a good guide can talk on any number of subjects, but their passion, food. The guide will take you to 4 or 5 local restaurants where you will sample some of their best dishes!

     Day and I were not nearly as smart in Portugal as we are now, and did not partake in any of these tours, but I would imagine there are some great ones in Portugal. Check TripAdvisor and a new site we like, Tours By LOCALS, which Day and I have booked several tours with for our upcoming trips to Prague, Budapest and Italy.  Another site we are excited about is EatWith, a website dedicated to locals who open up their home to visitors, and cook for them! Day and I are booking one of these dinners for our trip to Rome. A woman will take us shopping at some of the local outdoor markets to purchase all the ingredients for a dinner she will cook for us back at her home! How fantastic is that? Be sure to see what tours are in Lisbon. If Portugal is not on your list of travel destinations, Eating Europe, is a great food tour company, and if you are headed to Prague, be sure to book a tour with Eating Prague.

     Lisbon would be a great city to take any of these tour options. Lisbon has alot to offer, castles, museums, World Heritage Sites, great food and wonderful people. Lisbon is a must for any traveler and a great choice for a honeymoon.

     With your Lisboa Card, be sure to hop on the train and head west to Cascais and then north to Sintra. Cascais is a great little seaside community that's worth a peek,

and it's on the way to Sintra, which in my opinion, is a must.

First I would like to say, there is only one way to tour Sintra, little cars...

I have never had so much fun, these little electric cars were great, and there is no better way to get around Sintra. These cars had GPS and a pre recorded guide that would tell you all about the area you were in, and Sintra, is breathtaking! If you are headed to Sintra, start here!

Quinta da Regaleira

     It's been a few years since we have been to Portugal, and we were only in Sintra for a day, and now it seems surreal.

Princess Day

Castle of the Moors

Sintra is a majical place, with castles and palaces made for Disney Princesses, a perfect place for a honeymoon I think.

Palace of Pena

     Years ago I began a construction job that lasted 12 months. Every morning my day would begin with a 45 minute ferry ride to the island where the job was located. Lara was the first and only person to chat with me and my crew. She was kind and friendly, and I looked forward to seeing her every morning. She made a years worth of ferry rides bearable, actually, enjoyable. We will probably never see each other again, but we chat on Facebook every now and again, "like" each other's posts and make comments. That is enough to remember a year on a ferry and a very kind and friendly woman. I am happy my friend Lara asked for my opinion on Portugal for her honeymoon, and hope that I have helped.

     I would like to say "thank you" Lara, for your kindness, my crew and I miss our mornings. We wish you and you "husband to be" all the happiness and a most wonderful wedding and long life together.

Luv ya,
Curly

“We travel, initially, to lose ourselves; and we travel, next to find ourselves. We travel to open our hearts and eyes and learn more about the world than our newspapers will accommodate. We travel to bring what little we can, in our ignorance and knowledge, to those parts of the globe whose riches are differently dispersed. And we travel, in essence, to become young fools again- to slow time down and get taken in, and fall in love once more.”

 – Pico Lyer