April 17-28, 2024. 11 days to explore Portugal…
Unfortunately getting to Portugal took most of us two days, several of the group arrived on the third day. But everyone made it! We’ve been to Lisbon, next day enjoyed traveling to Obidos, Nazare (the famous beach town), saw Our Lady of Fatima and the modern basilica, then stayed in an elegant hotel in Tomar (Dos Templarios) with views of a castle and river. We visited the Knights of Templar convent (very very special). Went to University of Coimbra, oldest university in Europe, and we saw some students celebrating. Remember Harry Potter- this is JK Rowling inspiration (origin of the black capes and colored ribbons in Harry Potter – the ribbons indicate which school within the university). (Sybil and Keith Momii)
The group found a McDonald’s (a beautiful one) in Porto, Portugal!
We spent a day in Porto. Stayed in a beautiful modern boutique hotel and saw some amazing places. Fabulous architecture, then a winery (Sandeman in Galla) and a pre-lunch lunch and afternoon to explore the town. (Sybil Momii)
Churches and buildings in Porto, Portugal – so many beautiful architectural elements!
The Sanctuary of Fatima is a Marian shrine, which includes a group of Catholic religious buildings and structures with the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary as the main building. Some pilgrims crawl 600 feet from the Basilica of the Most Holy Trinity to the Chapel of Apparitions on their knees as an act of penance. Then they circle around the Chapel on their knees too, while praying. Was a sight to behold (Randy Wallace).
We visited the medieval town of Obidos where we found a well-preserved castle within the walls, a maze of streets and white houses with colorful window boxes (Randy Wallace).
University of Coimbra is a public university and is among the oldest universities in continuous operation in the world. Highlight of the visit was the Biblioteca Joanina, known in English as the Joanine Library. The library is regularly considered one of the most beautiful libraries in the world and home to more than 70,000 volumes that are priceless. Bats inhabit the interior of the library and handle insect control. The walls of the library are 6 feet deep and keep the interior at a constant temperature and humidity. Small groups can only spend 10 minutes in the library followed by 10 minutes with no visitors to rebalance the air to protect the books! (Randy Wallace)
Guimaraes, a city in northern Portugal known for medieval buildings and narrow cobble streets opening on to squares edged by medieval houses (Randy Wallace)
Garden of Quinta da Aveleda Winery (Penafiel, Portugal)
Belmonte is distinguished by its enduring Jewish community tracing back to at least the 13th century. The community preserved Jewish traditions in secret, culminating in the re-establishment of open practice and the founding of a synagogue in 1996. We also learned about making Olive Oil at the Olive Oil Museum. (Randy Wallace)
Castelo de Vide is on top of a hill north of the Sao Mamede mountain range and was of strategic importance due to its proximity to the border of Spain. We were able to have a nice lunch and then a hike up to Castelo de Vide castle, where I was able to view and photograph Spain (Randy Wallace).
We spent last night in Évora, inside the medieval walls that partially enclose the city, where 5,000 of the 50,000 citizens live. Big party last night in Évora and all of Portugal in celebration of 50 years of freedom.
Évora has a well-preserved historic center supposedly one of the richest in monuments in Portugal earning it the epithet City-Museum. The Cathedral of Évora is one of the oldest and most important local monuments along with the ruins of the Roman Temple. (Randy Wallace)
Chapel of Bones is one of the best-known monuments in Évora. It is a small interior chapel located next to the entrance of the Church of St. Francis. The Chapel gets its name because the interior walls are covered and decorated with human skulls and bones.
Written above the entrance to the Chappel in Portuguese is “We bones that are here await yours.” I hope they have to wait a bit longer for mine! (Randy Wallace)
We are staying in Lagos but ventured out today to Sagres, located on the extreme southwest end of Portugal, considered the “end of the world” before it was confirmed that the Earth was round. We saw steep cliffs 250 feet high where strong Atlantic waves normally crash. It was cloudy today and raining on and off with some wind, but the views were still breathtaking. Also, fishing off a 250 foot cliff would require a lot of line! (Randy Wallace)
