May 1

May 1 is a holiday in much of the world.  In Portugal and the rest of Europe, it is celebrated 

as Labor Day.  Papa and I got up this morning and went to the train station by 9:30.  The train station was like a ghost town!  We rode the train to the north central area of Lisbon and walked downhill over several hours to the historic center.  Locals started coming out by 10 to walk their dogs, ride bikes, and go for runs.  By 11, as we made our way across the city, musical groups started appearing in various places.  By noon, there were celebrations all over, with parades of people in historic costumes, flamenco dancing, and a National Guard open house at the historic Convento Carma.  

We ended the day by walking along the Tagus River, where others had gathered 

to listen to a guitarist and watch the sunset.  Such a good day!

 

Today is our last full day in Portugal on this trip.  We've had a wonderful time.  The countryside is beautiful, with incredible historic buildings, palaces, convents, and cathedrals.  The people are happy and optimistic.  Most speak English and want to be helpful to visitors.  Many of the young people we've met at pousadas and hotels, work for minimum wage, $500/month.  Throughout the country, we've seen people working in their vegetable gardens late in the day and on weekends, even in the smallest of yards.  There are construction projects going on all over the country.  Their national road system is well maintained.  The metro system in Lisbon is cheap and efficient, as is public transportation across the country.  The Portuguese are trying hard to pull themselves out of their current financial situation.  Groceries are much less expensive than we pay in the US, with decent wine at 2E/bottle, loaf of bread for 69 cents, apples for 40 cents/pound.  Gas is 1.37E/liter, or about $6.84/gallon.  Over the past five years, they have proactively added alternative energy to their grid, with thousands of new wind turbines, reducing their reliance on fossil fuels and setting a record of renewable energy providing 70% of all of Portugal's power in the first quarter of 2013.  

Our hats are off to them! 

Belem

We rode the train from Lisbon to Belem this morning, just 6 km.  Belem is known for it's tower, 

and the role it played in Portuguese maritime discoveries.  Vasco de Gama left Portugal from the Belem Tower on his way east in 1497.  Belem is also known for Jeronimos Monastery, built on 

orders of King Manual I, with construction starting in 1501, after Vasco de Gama's return 

from India.  Both the Belem Tower and Jeronimos Monastery are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.  We visited the Museu de Marinha, located in part of Jeronimos Monastery.  

Papa has wanted to see this marine museum for 20 years.  At last! 

 

We had lunch in a local Belem restaurant.  We crossed the street and had pasteis de natal for dessert at the famous Pasteis de Belem.  The little custard pies we had were the best either of us has ever tasted!  We rode a tram back to Lisbon by mid afternoon.  We walked around Lisbon a few more hours, capping off our day with glasses of sangria in a little bar in Alfama.  The sun was shining, everyone was out and enjoying the evening.  

Lisbon

Papa and I returned to Lisbon this morning, our first visit since 1994.  It feels like an old friend that we haven't seen in some time.  Lisbon and all of Portugal was very wealthy, from the 1100's into the early 1800's.  A lot of the country's wealth was spent in Lisbon over several centuries.  The country and particularly the old city suffered a devastating earthquake in 1755, with many buildings rebuilt and much of the center reconfigured after the earthquake, around large plazas with statuary.  Lisbon is located at the mouth of the Tagus River on the Atlantic Ocean, so the city has to constantly deal with the consequences of humidity.  Its a little gritty around the edges, but colorful and charming. 

We walked for hours this afternoon, after a delicious lunch in a fish restaurant with a primary clientele of locals.  We rode streetcar #28, over much of its route, then got off and hiked up to Castelo de Sao Jorge, then back down the hill, through Alfama, and back to our hotel.  We stopped for pastel do natal (custard tarts) twice, then had more at our hotel this evening, with glasses of port.  We're having fun in Lisbon!

Madeira

We left Sagres on Friday morning and got on the autoestrada north toward Lisbon.  The autoestradas in Portugal are new, wide, and little traveled.  There isn't much traffic because tolls are charged.  We had an electronic reader, so we could zoom right through the toll checks.  We stopped in Palmela for lunch at Pousada de Palmela.  The Pousada is in a convent, in a castle at the top of a hill, overlooking the Tagus River and Lisbon just 15 km to the north.  The setting is beautiful and the castle is well maintained.  We had a nice lunch and then drove on to the airport.

We flew to Madeira, arriving just as the sun had set.  We found our B and B, Quinta da Fonte, and were welcomed by Maria with glasses of silvestre liqueur.  Quinta da Fonte is a beautiful old home built in 1850.  Maria's family bought it in the 1990's and renovated it.  They maintain it as a B and B, as their children are grown.  The gardens are beautiful and they have their own chapel.  The gate to the driveway is oh so narrow! 

We went downtown Funchal on Saturday morning.  Everyone was out and about!  The local market was bustling, with local people selling flowers and fruits from their gardens.  We then drove east on the southern coast to Ribiera de Brava, where we had lunch on the water.  We drove up over Paul de Serra, one of the highest mountains on the island, on winding, curving barely two lane roads that we sometimes shared with buses.  We drove down the north side of the island through a lush valley and on to Porto Moniz, a pretty town with a series of natural pools where people swim, at the base of town.  We drove back east along the north coast to Sao Vicente, where we took the road south toward Funchal.  We drove through miles and miles of tunnels and were amazed at the engineering.  We stopped in Cabo do Lobos, a fishing and banana growing town that Winston Churchill frequented. 

Madeira is a beautiful island, lush, green, terraced where you can't believe humans would go, as the island is very steep.  It is also sophisticated and well tended.

Western Algarve

Papa and I drove up the west coast of Portugal about 40 km from Sagres, the most 

southwestern point of Europe.  We visited a couple of beaches and drove along a 

coastal road in a National Nature Park.  Stunningly beautiful!