Flights from Boston to Lisbon were cheap at $550 round trip with Iberia, so we decided to make Portugal the first country of our European vacation. Even though Portugal was open for tourism, it still required us to take a PCR test to enter from the US in addition to proof of our covid vaccination. Once we made it to Lisbon, we spent a few days exploring this hilly city. It was our second time visiting the capital of Portugal and we enjoyed it despite the heavy spring time rain that poured down in late March. After Lisbon, we linked up Becky’s brother Tom and his family in beautiful Mafra and used their home as our base for 5 days. Day trips from Mafra included: Sintra (Pena Palace, Moorish Castle, Quinta da Regaleira, & Monseratte Palace), Cascais, Estoril, Óbidos and Nazaré. We were so lucky to have Tom as our tour guide and it was lovely spending time with Richelle and Abby! Our last 2 days in Portugal saw us renting a car and exploring Alcobaça, Batalha, Tomar and Coimbra before zipping back down to Lisbon to fly to Seville, Spain for the next country on our trip. At the end of our European adventure, we flew back to Portugal for 2 nights on the way back to the US and visited the lovely seaside village of Ericeira. Even though we didn’t have as much time to spend in Portugal as we wanted, this was a fantastic experience and we will definitely be back to check out the Azores, Madeira Islands, Porto and the Algarve.
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Portrait of Raoni, the Caiapo’s tribal chief. Painted by Brazilian artist Kobra who wanted to draw attention to the protection of the Amazon rainforest and its indigenous people
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Detail on the Military Museum in Lisbon
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2 artists, 1 face. Shepard Fairey painted half of the woman’s face while Portuguese artis Vhils painted the other half
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Street art by Shepard Fairey (the artist famous for the Obama “Hope” poster) of a woman holding a gun with a flower it the barrel
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Lisbon’s most colorful street art - “Tropical Fado in RGB Tones” by Ozearv
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Viewpoint from the Miradouro da Graca lookout; Lisbon
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Assembly of the Republic; Lisbon
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Miradouro de Santa Luzia; Lisbon
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Exploring the back streets of Lisbon’s Alfama district
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Mosaic tribute to Fado singer Amália Rodrigues in Alfama
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Architecture in downtown Lisbon
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Arcade hallway of Praça do Comércio; Lisbon
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Detail on the Rua Augusta Triumphal Arch; Lisbon
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Back side of the Triumphal Arch; Lisbon
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Força Portugal (“Go Portugal”) football store
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Rua Augusta, the pedestrian street of downtown Lisbon
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Phenomenal view over the Baixa district up to the Castelo de São Jorge from the Elevador de Santa Justa
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Looking at the Rossio plaza from the Santa Justa elevator viewing platform
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King Pedro IV (Rossio) Square; Lisbon
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The Glória Funicular connects downtown Lisbon with the Bairro Alto
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Monument to the Discoveries; Lisbon
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Big Raccoon sculpture by Bordalo II, who uses recycled trash and metal to create street art
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Tomb of navigator Vasco da Gama; Jerónimos Monastery
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Giant bee made of recycled trash by Bordalo II, LX Factory
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Artwork at a cafe; LX Factory
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Fox made from trash, another of Bordalo II’s artworks
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Pelicans by Bordalo II; Lisbon city center
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A selection of port wine for us to try
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The charming narrow streets of Sintra
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Pedestrian streets of pretty Sintra
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One of the many villas and mansions in Sintra
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Visiting the initiation well of Quinta da Regaleira
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View looking up from the bottom of the initiation well
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Portal of the Guardians at Quinta da Regaleira
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The main facade of the Quinta da Regaleira palace
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Dragon door handle; Quinta da Regaleira
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Azulejos (tin glazed ceramic tilework) at Quinta da Regaleira
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Statue in the garden of Quinta da Regaleira
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Visiting Monserrate Palace, one of the prettiest buildings in Sintra
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Arched terrace of Monserrate Palace
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Detail of the interior dome of Monserrate Palace
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Interior hallway of Monserrate Palace
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Interior rotunda of Monserrate Palace
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Chapel ruins of Monserrate Palace
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Pathway through the gardens of Monserrate Palace
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Pretzel, our guard dog in Mafra
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Walking through picturesque Óbidos
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Livraria do Mercado (“Market Bookstore”) in Óbidos
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Cobblestoned street leading to Igreja de Santa Maria; Óbidos
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Richelle, Abby and Becky strike a pose in Óbidos
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The narrow and cobbled streets of Óbidos
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Chocolate festival decorations outside the Livraria de Santiago; Óbidos
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A horse and carriage on stand by for the annual chocolate festival in Óbidos
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The medieval walled city of Óbidos
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The drinking section of the Chocolate Festival; Óbidos
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Street performers throwing out chocolate treats during the Chocolate Festival in Óbidos
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The surfing village of Nazaré
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The Fort of São Miguel Arcanjo is world famous due to its proximity to the “big waves” of Nazaré
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Sanctuary of our Lady of Nazaré
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Sun dried fish market in Nazaré
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Abby and Becky enjoying ice cream time n Nazaré
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Souvenir surfboard in Nazaré
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View of the entire Sintra coastline from the Santuário da Peninha
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Cabo da Roca Lighthouse is continental Europe’s most westerly extent
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Palácio dos Condes de Castro Guimarães
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Courtyard of Palácio dos Condes de Castro Guimarães
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Lion fountain at the Palácio dos Condes de Castro Guimarães
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Peacock park at Palácio dos Condes de Castro Guimarães
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Statue of King Carlos I of Portugal overlooking the harbor at Cascais
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Dom Pedro I statue in the central plaza of Cascais
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A volleyball tournament; Cascais
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Staircase to the sea; Estoril
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The dramatic coastline of Estoril
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Lion detail on a building in Lisbon
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Ballroom of Queluz Palace
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Gold detail; Queluz Ballroom
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The Tiled Corridor; Queluz Palace
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Hall of Ambassadors; Queluz Palace
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Interior of Queluz Palace
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Tiled canal; Queluz Palace
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Statue in the upper garden; Queluz Palace
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Statues flanking the doorway from the Palace to the upper garden; Queluz Palace
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Becky in front of the Neptune Fountain; Queluz Palace
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Grand Cascade; Palace of Queluz
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UNESCO world heritage site Pena Palace
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View of the Arches Yard, Chapel and clock tower of Pena Palace
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Depiction of a mythological triton; Pena Palace
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Pena Palace is on a hill in the Sintra Mountains and can be seen from Lisbon on a clear day
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Giant red cedar tree; Pena Palace Garden
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Chalet of the Countess of Edla; Park of Pena Palace
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Interior of the Countess of Edla’s chalet
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Fern gardens; Pena Palace
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Valley of the Lakes; Pena Palace
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Early Renaissance water basin decorated with the coat-of-arms of the Alcobaça Monastery
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Fountain in the Cloister of Silence; Alcobaça Monastery
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The inner courtyard garden of Alcobaça Monastery
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Tombstone; Alcobaça Monastery
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Dragon breathing fire; Alcobaça Monastery
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Azulejo tiles inside Alcobaça Monastery
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Tomb of Inês de Castro, the “corpse bridge” of Portugal; Alcobaça Monastery
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Tomb of John I and Philippa; Monastery of Batalha
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The Royal Cloister; Batalha Monastery
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Royal Cloister water fountain; Monastery of Batalha
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Carved faces on the capitals of columns; Batalha Monastery
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Portal of the Unfinished Chapel; Monastery of Batalha
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Open ceiling view of the Unfinished Chapel at the Batalha Monastery
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View of our apartment at Tomar
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View of Ponte Velha, a Renaissance bridge over the Nabão River; Tomar
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Waterfall on the Nabão River; Tomar
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Convent of Christ, originally a 12th century Templar stronghold; Tomar
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Lion carving; Convent of Christ
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Water spouts from the mouths of carved faces; Convent of Christ
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Interior of the Round Church, richly decorated with Gothic paintings and sculptures; Convent of Christ
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Pictures don’t do the Manueline-style Round Church any justice, this is the highlight of the Convent of Christ!
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Azulejo tiled wall; Convent of Christ
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Courtyard at the Convent of Christ; Tomar
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Fortified walls from the 12th Century Knights Templar Fortress; Tomar
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Statue of Joaquim António de Aguiar, a Portuguese politician and three-time Prime Minister of Portugal; Coimbra
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Pedestrian shopping street of Coimbra
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A narrow building in Coimbra
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The Monastery of Santa Cruz in Coimbra
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18th Century Baroque pipe organ of Santa Cruz Church; Coimbra
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Azulejos interior of Santa Cruz Church; Coimbra
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Ingreja de São Tiago; Coimbra
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Statues outside Combra University
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Enjoying a delicious grilled octopus meal with Richelle and Tom at Golfinho Azul Restaurant in Encarnação
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Ericeira has become extremely popular with expats scooping in to buy property in this photogenic seaside town
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The tree-lined Praça da República (Republic Square) is the main square in Ericeira
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Tom and Becky strike a pose in Ericeira
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Praia dos Pescadores (Fishermen’s Beach); Ericeira
