5 posts tagged “portugal”
Probably my final posting on our excellent trip to Portugal. I had read an article in the Economist about innovations in the world of wine packaging - plastic bottles, screw caps and cartons. I actually got to buy two kinds of wine that are relatively rare elsewhere - a red wine (vinho tinto) in a box and a port wine. I can attest that the wine in that box tasted as good or better than any wine in a conventional bottle with a cork. Haven't opened the port wine bottle yet - but that will be the topic of another post. But for your vicarious pleasure, here are the pictures
Basic Car Rentals are expensive as are add-ons like GPS and Child seats (We paid about 30 Euros a day at AVIS for just these two add-ons!), Tolls are high (About 7 Euros for 120 km from Porto to Conimbriga) and gas is expensive (We paid Euro 1.40 for diesel per liter - That's in the vicinity $7 a gallon). Also, you get a smaller car on average in each category than you would in the US. Given that we had 2 big bags and a stroller - not to mention the car seat - an Ibiza or an Opel Corsa hatchback was going to be a very tight squeeze. We opted for an upgrade (A VW Golf wagon) - a further 25 Euros a day. Given that buses and trains seem to be plentiful and relatively cheap (The CP Website lists the Porto to Viana Do Castelo train fare at 6.85 Euros), you had better have good reasons for renting a car. We had two - a baby and the fact that we were staying at the Pousadas which are typically away from the city centre on mountains and castles and other not-so-public-transport-friendly places.
On the other hand, we found the roads to be excellent - as good as in the US in terms of road surface, road furniture, provision of service areas etc. We had no cause for complaint on the motorways or the smaller roads.
I could still use a crash course on the protocols to be followed in a roundabout - of which there are way too many. If you are in a roundabout, cars entering the roundabout yield to you - that much I could gather after observation and getting honked at once. But there's clearly more to it, which I didn't necessarily catch even after a week of negotiating them. The speed limit on motorways is 120 km / hr (75 miles / hr) and driving is, for the most part, disciplined. Only in and around Lisbon did I encounter a few aggressive drivers and some disorderliness - not unlike what you get in the New York area.
From Viana Do Castelo, we went to Ourem, to our Pousada which nestles on top of the hill next to the castelo (castle). The drive from the motorway exit near Fatima to Ourem is a winding one on a good two lane road. The town of Ourem is a small one with really one main street which has municipal offices, a voluntary fire-station, a Lidl supermarket, and a few shops, restaurants and cafes. The walled part of the town on the hill is an interesting, all cobblestone affair with incredibly steep and narrow streets which the locals seem to be at ease with.
While cobblestone tends to be symbolic of a bygone era, we realized that it presents some practical difficulties – such as in maneuvering a kid in a stroller. The castle is right on top with a fair part of it still standing, manicured lawns in the garden and lovely views of the surrounding villages full of red-tile roofed cottages.
Fatima, as can be expected, is an intensely religious place. The basilica and the praca (square) in front are very impressive.
We walked in when mass was in progress and it was packed with standing only room (even though it was a week day). We briefly immersed ourselves in the piety and devotion of the moment, which the wonderful acoustics inside helped bring alive. Elsewhere in the praca, we could see people lighting candles, making offerings or shuffling on their knees in penitence or prayer.
Viana Do Castelo was our first halt in our week long Portugal trip. After landing in Porto, we drove up further north (about 70 km or so) to Viana Do Castelo, a very charming town that nestles between the estuary of the river Limo and the Monte (mount) De Santa Luzia. This hill has a charming “Temple of the sacred heart of Jesus”, a lovely Pousada which has been built one level above the temple and offers breathtaking views of the ocean, the river and the surrounding countryside.
The town below has an unspoiled, uncrowded beach (Cabedelo), an elegant town square (praca da republica), a quiet railway station (estacao) and a railway themed mall right next to it (estacao viana). The mall has model railroads in the elevators and a model train running at the roof level in the food court and beyond. An elegant cobblestone avenue runs up from the railway station to the riverfront and it is lined with hotels, cafes, a supermarket and a few, somewhat upscale souvenir shops.
There is also a museum at one end of the praca which we didn’t get a chance to visit. There are other elegant building around the praca.
This blog is entering blogsphere courtesy of the free WiFi hotspot provided by the municipality of the town of Ourem in Portugal. That is where yours truly is vacationing at the moment. So far, it has been a smooth and most enjoyable vacation. Have covered Viana Do Castelo, Conimbriga and Ourem so far. Landed in Porto but never went into the city. We're headed next to Queluz on the outskirts of Lisbon. Our AVIS provided VW Golf Wagon with manual transmission is getting us around and their TomTom GPS is our reliable navigator. Detailed reports will follow - time and internet access allowing.
