Portugal

I haven't been able to post for a while, so now I have some catching up to do!

Sevilla was wonderful! We had some rain but mild temperatures so we were able to continue to do the things we wanted to do without a problem. We stayed in the Old Town and had a great hotel called the Amadeus - music and instruments throughout the hotel and lovely furnishings. We took a walking tour with a guide one morning which gave us a good understanding of the historical part of the city. We also went to a flamenco dinner show which was outstanding! We got seats right in front of the stage and in the middle! One false move on their part and one of the dancers might have been in our laps! We found a Starbucks (actually 3 of them) and met some nice Canadian tourists over coffee. The cathedral in Sevilla is beautiful and we spent some time touring it one afternoon. The stay in Sevilla lasted 3 nights and then we were off to Portugal.

We were very glad to get away from big cities for a while and the little seaside town of Salema was perfect. Unfortunately, the rain continued off and on. On the day we arrived it poured but the next day was beautiful - blue skies and all! We drove up into the hills to a little town called Monchique - gorgeous! Then we drove straight west and ended up at the Atlantic coast. It is rugged and beautiful. We drove south to the town of Sagres on the southwest tip of Portugal and then back to Salema - a day of fantastic sights. We moved to Sagres after 3 days in Salema. Henry the Navigator (remember your world history?) had his famous navigation school for Portuguese explorers here in the 14th. century. It was surprising to learn that he was not a seaman but instead a monk who was a scholar as well as a member of Portugal's royal family. We toured what is left of his facility and also the amazing bluffs nearby. The rain came back the next day and we curled up with our books and watched it come down.

Evora was our next stop and we stayed just outside the ancient walls of the old town - it was so close that we could walk into the main square in 15 minutes. We spent a full day there exploring the streets, plazas, churches and shops. It has an open and appealing feel to it, probably due to the fact that it is the largest city in the area and so has people from farms and tourists there regularly.

We are now in Sintra, just outside Lisbon. It has a great commuter train system into Lisbon and we chose to stay here rather than get lost in the big city. We have enjoyed the neighborhood of Belem - famous for it's pastries, monastery, and gigantic Monument to the Discoveries. Look for a photo of it when I post the next group of photos. We took trolley tours and today spent the afternoon at the Gulbenkian museum - one of the best I have ever been in! Tomorrow we are off to the north, to the seaside town of Nazare. So I'll continue this soon.

Photos: fishing boats pulled up for the moment in Salema, Jon talking to the fishermen, the lighthouse at St. Vincent cabo in Sagres, and a few of the flamenco dancers in Sevilla. And finally the picture of the Monument to the Discoveries - keep in mind that the figures you see are larger than life size and only a few are in this photo!