Greetings from Portugal

Well actually New Jersey, but I've just returned from Portugal, so greetings! What a fun-filled few days shared with friends from around the globe, and jam-packed with ancient sites, stunning views, cork forests, lush vineyards, narrow roads, the roaring sea, and the scent of eucalyptus. Fantastico! 

We took an overnight flight last Tuesday, and arrived in sunny Lisbon Wednesday morning. We were meeting six couple friends we've known since our days in the UK, about an hour outside the city, but not until dinnertime, so hubs and I spent the day playing tourist. 

We'd rented a car with a GPS which was only slightly confused by the small slip roads of Lisbon and the surrounding countryside, and headed over to Belem Tower. The Tower is situated on the banks of the Tagus River, and was built as a fortress back in the early 1500's. This was the starting point for the navigators who made Portugal famous.

It's been a while since hubs and I climbed too narrow circular stone steps that go up and up without a railing, but turns out it's like riding a bicycle. We meandered to the top and soaked up splendid sunshine and beautiful sea and city views.

Hubs was a little antsy which I chalked up to Portuguese espresso (the absolute best by the way!!), but turns out it was something else entirely. As I perched on this ancient stone balcony he pulled a tiny gold box out of his pocket and produced a most extravagant early anniversary gift. The sunny skies made it all the more sparkly, and I was completely overwhelmed. Obrigada hubs! Eu te amo!

Once I'd sufficiently recovered to re-navigate the steps going down, we walked over to another landmark, the Monument to the Discoveries. This was built in 1960, so you take an elevator to the top.  The monument was built to mark the 500th anniversary of the death of Henry the Navigator and is in the shape of a caravel, which is a small Portuguese sailing ship.

Jacaranda trees were in full bloom all over Lisbon, and the streets lined with these trees are amazing. We saw these from the top of the Monument.

You could also look back and see Belem Tower, which may not look like much of a walk, but coming off a 7-hour flight and six hour time difference, kind of felt like one.

There is an enormous mariner's compass in the pavement outside the monument. This was a gift from South Africa and shows the routes of the discoveries made back in the 15th and 16th centuries. The dates we encountered on this trip were mind-boggling.

One thing on our must-do list while in this part of Lisbon was to try the famous Belem pastry.  The crust is delicately layered around the most deliciously creamy custard-like filling you've ever had the pleasure of tasting.  We tried them in other towns throughout the week, and while they were all wonderful, these were definitely the best.

The shop sits beside The Mosteiro dos Jeronimos which dates back to the early 1500's. The monastery  was commissioned after de Gama returned from his first voyage, and was financed mainly through a tax on spices and gold. It was cared for by the Order of St. Jerome until the early/mid-1800's.

Hubs has always been interested in the story of Vasco da Gama, and his tomb is in St. Jeronimos. The bravery of these early Portuguese explorers is staggering when you really stop and think about it.

We knew we'd need a nap if we wanted to stay awake for dinner, so we made our way back to the car, and out into the Portuguese countryside. Normally with this particular group of friends we stay in local boutique hotels, but this time we opted for a Marriott right on the Atlantic. There were fourteen of us all together, and we knew we'd need space and a relatively central location for some of the side trips we'd planned.  

The view from our balcony was not too bad, and honestly I could have enjoyed a few days plopped right here with a good book. But there were places to go, and people to see...yes, there were people. It's only Day 1 here, and I haven't even gotten to the people part yet. Or the walk around the scary ramparts with no railing, fifty feet above the medieval town of Obidos. Or the lovely Portuguese wine maker whose mama made us lunch. Or the oddly out of place re-creation of the Terracotta Army plunked down in the middle of nowhere. Or the fascinating cork trees.  Or...or...or...

I'm going to spend a few days recapping our trip, because I snapped some 500 photos, and it's my blog so that's allowed. How about we wrap this up with a sunset on the sea? Come back tomorrow for Day 2 where I'll talk pessoas, ceramica, and vinho. In English though, because Portuguese is really hard.