We are back in action and on the move.
National Palace of Pena in Sintra, Portugal. It kinda reminded us of a Disneyworld theme park. While the colors threw me off a little bit, the palace was actually quite beautiful inside and out.
Not a bad view.
The palace kitchen. I loved all the copper, but I couldn’t imagine trying to lift those giant pots filled with food.
The Palace dining room.
The palace gardens. It was a beautiul maze of gardens, forests, pathways and secret walks. It reminded us of the secret garden story.
The old city of Sintra, Portugal.
The Moorish Castle in Sintra. It felt like a step back in time to the knights of the Round Table or something like that.
Praia de Ursa. According to Wikipedia “it is the most western beach in Europe.” It was considered by the Michelin Guide to be one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. We agree!
It was a bit of a hike down, but totally worth it.
In Porto, the Ponte du Luis bridge, was completed in 1888. As I learned from Wikipedia, the project engineer of record, Théophile Seyrig, who’s firm won the Grand Prix Paris competition in 1879 to design this double decked bridge, actually collaborated with Gustave Eiffel in a partnership even though Eiffel had also competed separately and lost.
Porcelain tiles, azulejos, are a popular exterior finish for buildings dating back to the 16th century and continuing to today. They are representative of the influence the Moors had when they invaded what is now Portugal in the mid-13th century. The tiles became more ornate during the 14th-16th centuries during the “Age of Discovery” when the Portuguese were exploring the seas creating colonies in South America, Africa, and Asia including India.
Did we mention Port is a big thing here…yum!
I had some company while watching Andrzej surf. Portugal is a very dog loving country.
Andrzej relaxed while riding a beautiful green wave. He makes it look so easy. I considered going out only to realize these waves are a lot bigger than they look.
Andrzej surfing another spot called “Crazy Left” in Ericiera. Just to the right of this picture is a poitn break called Coxos, which is considered to be one of the best right hander waves in the whole world. It was tough to get in there amongst the locals, so Anj went across the bay to a much less guarded break that suited his goofy riding style better. We have discovered, unfortunately, that Portugal has a strong local surf culture that is less than welcoming to outsiders. Although, I think I would also covet such an amazing place and not want it to get too crowded either.
One of the blue lobsters, I think, we ate for dinner. We prefer Maine lobster more!