Portugal - Lisbon

The last morning in Lisbon was a bit hard, as I stayed up watching TV quite late. The plane would leave very late in the evening, so not long before noon we visited the nearby Lisbon Oceanarium.

I loved it! There's a central big aquarium, where you can see rays and sharks among other fish. The other animals and plants are on different levels above around the main central aquarium. There was a big room for penguins and some other birds. It was very nice, and there was even ice around. Next door were a couple of sea otters. I fell in love! They were so cute, I could have watched them all day. I did take some nice video of them. They're so bendy.

There were many smaller and bigger displays. I really enjoyed looking at jellyfish, as they are very beautiful. My favourites were the White-spotted jellyfish. I saw two bump into each other, and they sprang apart like bumper cars. There were also some amphibians, though they were hard to take pictures of, because they were often hiding or the lighting wasn't sufficient enough.

We had lunch at the cafeteria. They have a pretty good one, with set prices. It was quite busy with many families eating there.

I also liked that in the main area they had sculptures out of plastic bottles. I'm very much into recycling, and I wish that everyone, everywhere did it. Also, as they said in Captain Planet: "Remember the three Rs. Reduce Reuse Recycle!"

There was also a very nice temporary exhibit, which at first I wasn't sure if I wanted to check out, but I'm so glad I did. “Forests Underwater by Takashi Amano” is a great display of Japanese aquarium design. You can see some of it in the second half of my video. It's so beautiful and relaxing, I felt like I was being hugged. I've heard not long before that empty spaces are important in Japanese designs, and this showed that so well. I just wish there weren't kids running about so much, because the atmosphere really wasn't for screaming kids.

Afterwards, we went with the areal lifts to the other end of the harbour. It was quite fun, in spite of me being afraid of heights. 

We slowly went back to the hotel to get the car. From there, we went on to the airport, and did all the usual things. The waiting room for Wizzair is awful. Overcrowded, still a bit under construction, few toilets. It took some time to find a chair. Of course, the plane was also late. The plane that was going to take us to Hungary arrived around the time when it was supposed to take off. The representatives didn't even tell anyone what was going on. People stood in line for hours to check in, when the plane wasn't even there. Then once it was there, they opened the gates, and everyone went outside, where a storm was brewing. Cold winds blew, sporadic rain. We just stood outside, while people were still getting off. It felt like forever. We were so happy when we could finally sit down, almost at the time when the plane was supposed to arrive to Budapest.

What they should have done was once they knew the plane was so late, they made an announcement, and had everyone sit down to wait. Then when people could actually walk up the plane, then open the gates.

To make matters worse, it was pouring in Budapest. Since we had to walk outside from the plane to the terminal, everyone was soaked.

Overall, I liked Portugal. Nice place, good food. The weather was terrible, and it was July. The week before and after? Summer heat. Next time when I travel anywhere in the summer, I'm taking winter clothes.

Portugal - Pena Park and Cabo da Roca

We started off to Sintra later than I would have liked, as it was quite a way from Lisbon. We passed through the city itself first, which I wished we had more time for as it looked very nice. We saw a very cute tiny car on the roads. It was something you could rent. It has four wheels, and could seat two people one behind the other.

When we got to the actual park, there were a lot of parking spaces, but as the weather was nice and it was a weekend in July, a lot of people trying to find a space. It took us almost an hour to actually put the car down finally. 

There was a long line at the ticket office as well, but meanwhile I got a map and plotted out the route we should take. Once inside, we were hungry, and had a sandwich at the buffet. That's when we began the long trek to the Chalet. It's a nice route. Took us through the Valley of Lakes, a part with horses, and some nice streams.

We finally reached the Chalet, but needed to pay extra to get in. It was interesting to read about the history of the building downstairs. It almost completely burned down, but thanks to donations, it was being built back up. There were some rooms still being done, but it was beautiful. I really loved the ceilings and walls with the wooden inlays.

Then came the long climb back up to the castle. However, it was worth the climb, as I really loved it. The colours are great, and some of the wall is covered by tiles. We went up to the buffet for a bite. It was very dirty up there, with a lot of trash. However, the view was lovely, so if it was cleaned up better, it would be a lovely place to sit.

Then we went around, exploring the castle. Going through the inside was slow going, as there was an Asian group that we couldn't avoid. I generally really dislike groups, as they always manage to stand just in front of things that I want to take a picture of, or hold me up, or something like that. This was sort of okay, I guess. Outside, the weather was getting worse. The wind was picking up, and there were dark clouds coming.

We left the park, and got back into the car, off to Cabo da Roca. That is the Westernmost point of Portugal. The weather was getting worse, and I wished I had brought longer trousers. By the time we got the point, it was really bad. The wind was blowing, and the sand was going everywhere. It was in my eyes, my mouth, my nose. Little rocks pelted my exposed legs to the point that it actually hurt. I only wanted to take a few pictures and then be on my way. Of course, that wasn't the case. However, I did end up discovering that if you went into a little restaurant in the resting area, by the souvenir shop, then that was protected from the weather, and had nice views. 

Soon after we finally went back to the hotel. I was exhausted and not really in the mood for dinner.

Portugal - Peniche and Lisbon

I woke up in Braga, and I had to admit that I would miss the bathtub and the view. Especially the view from the tub. If I could have had at least the bathtub shipped home, I would have.

It being a Saturday, there was no work, so we headed back to Lisbon. On the way, we stopped in Peniche, or rather, the beach at Peniche. The weather was okay, though the wind a bit chilly. My knees started to hurt, and I was sure that the temperature would drop come evening. The first beach location was Papôa, which is a kind of tiny peninsula. Under the rocks there was a very interesting part, but all a bit slippery, and I had to pay very close attention to where I was stepping. I kind of wished I had my rock climbing shoes. There was a guy fishing at the very tip of the rocks, but I found this almost flat rock where I got a bit of sun. I almost fell asleep to the sound of the waves.

After that I was getting tired and ready to go to Lisbon, but we ended up going to another point, the Lighthouse of Cabo Carvoeiro. The lighthouse itself was fine, but the surroundings! Lots of cats, and I saw a cat lady feeding them, There was also trash everywhere. And birds. It also smelled. It was all kind of disgusting. I also had to climb down a really steep set of rocks, and my bad knees were getting worse. By the end I was really in pain. Not my favourite part of Portugal, and definitely needs some cleaning up!

In the evening we finally arrived to the hotel, Ibis Lisboa Parque das Nacoes. A budget affair, but in a good location.

Review:

Functional

This is a budget hotel, and there's no escaping that. However, the location is good, so if you're not bothered much by how fancy the hotel is, this is the place for you.

Let's start with the room. It's really quite small. The bed took up most of the room, and the rest of the floor was taken up by my suitcase. It had a desk and a place to sit, though my window looked over a wall. The TV was small, but there was a good selection of channels, and some in English as well. 

The bathroom was not as small as it could have been. It had a shower, which was a comfortable size. There was some soap that I could use in the shower, and towels. A hairdryer too.

Breakfast was nice. Not a massive selection, but a good one. A problem spot was the single orange juicer, which even broke down one morning. It needs to be automatic, or there need to be more of them, because that was the bottle-neck in the flow of breakfast.

Overall, a comfortable, functional hotel in a central location.

After checking in, we went to have dinner. I really wasn't much in the mood, as I had a killer headache, and the weather was turning cold and bad again. However, on the way back from the nearby mall where they had a Vitaminas, there was a surprise. They were holding some sort of a celebration of the local samba schools, and there were dancers and music around. I stayed, and shot a really long video. I was in a much better mood when I got back to my room. Thanks to the painkiller I took, my headache felt better too.

Portugal - Guimarães

The morning was spent with work, but lunch was fun again. I had lunch at a really great restaurant, Restaurant Pevidem Grelhados. It's not in Braga, but S. Jorge de Selho. Strangely enough, the place doesn't have a website, nor a Tripadvisor page, just a Facebook page. The food was very good. There was first a sort of selection of small dishes that everyone could eat from. I especially enjoyed the crab. Getting the meat out of the claws is hard work, but I learned how to rather quickly. Afterwards there was also some meat cooked at the table, but I was so full of crab, I only had very little of that. For dessert, I picked a cream with caramel and whiskey. However, this is where the scare happened. I didn't know, and there was nothing to indicate on the menu, that there were small bits of nuts in the cream. They were so tiny, at first I thought they were caramel. I haven't had any nuts in years, because I'm allergic. Not deadly allergic, luckily, but uncomfortably. Also, since I've not had any nuts for years, I had no idea how my body would react. Did my allergy get worse? Did it disappear? I got the allergy because of an immune disorder I have, so how it progresses, if at all, is anybody's guess. I was quite scared, and for the next half hour I paid extra attention to my body. Luckily, my allergy was the same as when I first noticed it. A few minutes of sore throat. Kind of like if someone pinched your oesophagus, and held it. Still, the restaurant should be careful with these things. That is why I think every restaurant should include allergy information.

Afterwards, we went to Guimarães, specifically the Pousada Mosterio de Guimarães. It's a hotel converted from an old monastery. Very pretty place, high up on the hill. Gorgeous views from it. The weather was very nice, and kind of wished that I could take a dip in the pool. The church was closed, though not unused. They still open it for weddings. A wedding there must be really nice, great place for pictures. Also, tiles on the walls! Love the tiles.

Next, we went to Parque da Penha, in Guimarães. The park is above the Pousada, and it also has a church. It's a very pretty park to check out, with great views of the city below. There are actually several little religious sites to view. That was a bit strange to me, but this is Portugal. I have two videos of the park.

After a quick run-around the park, we went down into the actual historical centre. I fell in love! It's beautiful, medieval, has charm and an air that I've never experienced before. I could seriously spend days just wondering around.

Portugal - Braga - 3 Churches

After the little walk around Braga, I went to explore the famous Bom Jesus de Monte. It's up on a hill, and there are multiple ways to get to it. I travelled by car. Parking wasn't a problem, but it was a weekday.

First I explored the park. There's a lovely grotto area, with the water coming down and forming stalagmites.

 If you go up on the hill, then you get to a pond where you can rent a boat. Can be romantic, though otherwise it didn't seem that attractive. 

To the left from there you can find an area with little sanctuaries.

Then after a bathroom break, I went inside the church. It's actually quite small. The grounds are more impressive than the actual church. It's also very opulent. Made me think of poverty oaths and such, and what supposedly Jesus stood for. There was some remains of a Saint, but I didn't go closer. Those things give me the creeps.

Oh, and sorry about the nose shots in the video. I was trying to be not too obvious.

Outside, I saw a bride. It's a habit of mine that when I see a bridal shot during my travels, I always take my own picture of her. It happened in Rome too.

Then I went on to the Sanctuary of Sameiro. It was pretty much abandoned at this time in the day. The church itself looks a lot grander, and it's also higher up. The upper part of the church is quite simple. The altar is very pretty. You can also go down to a newer built part of the church, where it had been extended to. I didn't like that part, because it reminded me of Communist murals, weirdly enough. The view was nice from up there tough, but it would have been better to go in the morning, because of the direction of the sun.

Last, but not least came a tiny, but very ornate church, Igreja de Santa Maria Madalena. I couldn't see the inside of it, as it was locked up, but the outside was nice, even though a bit neglected.

I was quite hungry and tired at this point, the memory of the sushi rolls and salad long gone. I ended up in a mall, Braga Parque. There is another nice chain of restaurants in Portugese malls called Loja das Sopas. They mostly offer soups, and my favourite one is the bean soup. Very filling. Though the rest of the food is usually not that great.

As I was eating, I noticed a woman carrying a big Primark bag. Now when I was living in the UK, I really liked Primark, because they had nice clothing at a very good price. I got a ton of stuff there. So, I found it in the mall, and had a nice little round of shopping to finish off my day. Good thing it was open late.

I made an informative movie of the three churches I've visited.

Here is the root that you can take to visit these places:

Portugal - Braga

I had a brief walk around Braga today after my meal. Sadly, I didn't have a lot of time, but still managed to get a few good shots, and material for the video.

The weather finally improved. So far, Portugal in July has been very cold. The weeks before it was so hot, there were fires. Now though, so cold, I didn't get to go in very far on the beach. However, the sun decided to make an appearance, though the air was still quite chilly.

I made a little vlog:

This is a more informative video on Braga:

Here is the path that I took:

Portugal - Braga - Nikko, Sale & Dolce

Today I had lunch at this really interesting restaurant. Or, actually, two restaurants. You see, Nikko is a sushi restaurant in Braga, and Sale & Dolce is an Italian one. However, you can order from both menus at the same place. It's actually not bad. You can just order from either, or do like me, and get a roll from one, and a salad from the other. Both were very nice, so I wrote a review, though I could obviously just put it one one Tripadvisor.

Review:

If an Italian and a Japanese had a baby

 Okay, that has actually happened and there's a singer as a result, but that's not what you want to read about right now. 

I'm an avid sushi lover, I've even taken a course on making it. I actually had one of the fusion rolls. It was nice. Didn't taste like most sushi that I had, but I'm ready for unusual combinations. The picture is here, if you want to give it a try. As a side dish, I had a salad. Now the salad portion is massive. If you have a bunny in your pocket, you can feed that too, but I'm sure a sheep would be happy too. Sharing it between two people was perfect. It was interesting to have the two dishes together, but they went surprisingly well together. I also had a fresh orange juice with them, which was incredibly refreshing.

Oh, and I also have to take a note of the toilet. It has mirrors. Lots of them. It can be a bit disturbing, but if you're not shy, you can have a good laugh.

Portugal - Braga - Melia Braga Hotel

Moved from Aveiro to Braga. I was kind of sad to leave Aveiro, but I knew I'd be back. Braga is actually a bigger place, but the hotel was on the outskirts, so I didn't get to benefit from the city. The hotel itself is great though. However, upon check-in there was a bit of a problem. I travel with my boss, and hotels often just assume that although we reserve two rooms, we really mean one. They also had a group of Jewish pensioners, so it took a while for the receptionist to work out where to put us. I did love my room, and I wrote for them a very nice review.

Review:

See Bom Jezus from your bathtub!

I really liked my stay in this hotel. Sadly, I never got around to using the spa, so I won’t be able to review that. Would have loved to use the outside pool, but it was 14 Celsius in July. I’ve also stayed at another Melia hotel in Aveiro, so check out that review as well!

Location can be good, depending on what you’re in Braga for. It’s not near the city centre at all. Actually, there isn’t much within walking distance, and it’s right next to a busy road. Higher rooms advised. If you get hungry and don’t want to use room service, you can only use the McD near here. BTW, they have soup. I know, weird. However, it’s just at the bottom of the hill where Bom Jezus is, so if that’s your target, it’s a great location.

Room. Well, now that’s something else. You can see a video I did of the room on my YouTube channel, Izzy’s Travel Diaries. The lights are turned on by a panel. Which is really cool! It also controls the AC. The bathroom is actually one room with the bedroom. This can be good if you’re a couple and not shy, or if you’re a single occupant. Otherwise, it could get awkward. Especially, because there is only one door, which either closes the shower, or the toilet. You also need to take care that if you slide the door from the shower to the toilet before it dries, there’s going to be some water around. I would have just put two doors in. I also have to admit that I love their soap and shampoo! Great scent, very quality product.

Oh, but that tub! If I could have packed it up and taken it home it would be in my bathroom right now! It’s deep and just the right length. I do wish they would have cleaned it after I used it first. Oh well, it was just me. I always wondered why there are no tub cleaning equipment in hotel rooms. Also, with the curtain drawn, I could see the brilliant view of Bom Jezus from the tub, which was something else. I’d go back in there just for that view!

The bed was good. It did have some plastic cover on it under the sheet. I was thinking that maybe they were expecting some seniors into the room, because they had some sort of a pensioner group in. There was a mix up, and they only booked one room for me and my boss. The amount of times that happens! So the receptionist had to go to work on the room allocations. That plastic thing was kind of uncomfortable. Otherwise, the room was very modern and comfortable.

A couple of issues I had. The lamp on the bedside table was so massive, hardly left any space for anything else. The touchpad was right there too, and I kept pressing it with my water, tissues, glasses, whatever. There was also a malfunction when randomly one of the lamps started going on and off. I fiddled around and it stopped. The daybed had a little table, but the top came off. Very unsafe. One of the cups was dirty, which is actually a problem I see often. The TV had very few channels, and mostly in Portuguese. That was weird, because in Aveiro the TV is great. I think they either don’t have enough housekeepers, or they’re just not thorough enough to check for maintenance issues.

Breakfast. So the breakfast room is a bit dark. Otherwise, the selection was great, they had soy milk. Sometimes they were a bit behind on the warm food. Not much staff around though, and also no indication of allergens regarding the food. Sorry, I just wish hotels started to do that.

Overall, really great hotel. Very modern, and stylish. If you want to send me a tub, just ask for my address. :D Kidding. I do recommend staying here, and for details check out my YouTube!

Portugal - Oliveira de Azeméis - Restaurante Las Vegas Via Brasil

On my way to Braga, I stopped at this really great restaurant, Restaurante Las Vegas Via Brasil. It's a Brasilian restaurant, with the never-ending flow of meat. Definitely not for vegetarians. I reviewed it on Tripadvisor too.
So you start with these little cheese balls. I want the recipe so bad! 

I also got my first taste of Caipirinha. It's a great Brasilian cocktail. Not too sweet, not too sour. A lot like Mojito, but has an extra flavour unlike Mojito.

The meat was brought out on swords, and the sides separate. They kept bringing the food until I stopped them. Though it was around that time that the conversation in my review took place.

Review:

Try to bring a second stomach

What can I say? I love this place! You start to eat, they bring you meat after delicious meat, and the sides, and then when you think you can't eat anymore, this happens:
"I'm done."
"Really? This has garlic."
"Okay, maybe just a little more."
And then half a cow lands on your plate.
I don't think I ate a bad thing in here.

The atmosphere is not completely my thing. I guess it's Brasilian, and a bit busy. However, as long as they keep the meat coming, they could have everything in red, and I wouldn't care.

Portugal - Costa Nova

Today I visited Costa Nova. That's like a part of Aveiro, but it's the beach area. The weather was pretty cold, and the sand felt like ice on my feet. I climbed out onto some rocks. It must be very nice in warm weather.

An interesting thing about the Costa Nova is that there is a small seaside village, but it's being built up. Still you can see some of the characteristic stripped houses. There are also a lot of fish restaurants. 

I did two videos:

At the beach, the weather didn't get any better, so I couldn't get any sun. Climbing out to the edge wasn't easy, but worth the pictures. Then I went down to the sandy beach, as I wanted to get my toes wet. I nearly got all of me wet as a big wave almost engulfed me on camera. Good thing it didn't get into my bag. Of course, I didn't have any towels with me, so I had to walk barefoot to the car, and try to dry my feet enough there to be able to put on my shoes again. Note to self, take towels.

Afterwards I had dinner at the mall again, at a Brazilian place called A Gula Do Prego, which is in the mall. It's actually a very good place. There are often long queues, and it's worth the wait. The prices are low, and the food is great and very filling. They also have very nice drinks. If you're getting dessert, get it to go. 

Portugal - Aveiro

After spending the morning in Fatima, I went North to Aveiro by car. Aveiro is one of those places that you don't hear much about. It's South of Porto, but still more in the Northern part of Portugal. I made a small video of the city itself, and the little information I could gather.

However, once you've been there, it does quickly become your favourite little city in Portugal. The houses are often covered by tiles, because the air is very moist. Even far away from the sea you can feel the breeze and taste the salt. I actually think it's a great way to cover your house on the outside in a durable and washable way. It looks good too.

A couple of places that I really liked there were a kind of square, which is really the widening of a street, and a park. So the street is R. Domingos Carrancho, which comes from the main canal. There is a Fado record shop (R. do Ten. Rezende 3), with a great window. It really has a very nice atmosphere, though the café doesn't have great reviews.

Another place is Parque Dom Pedro Infante. Only went there in the evening, but it's still very nice. Lots of ducks.

Dinner was in the Forum Aveiro mall, which has a couple of nice, and inexpensive eateries. There is a Vitaminas, which has salads and pasta salads. There's one with pineapple and shrimp, that sort of always makes me think of Aveiro now. It's a chain, so can be found all over Portugal.

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Portugal - Aveiro - Melia Ría

I got a 5th floor room in this hotel. It's very nice, at the end of a canal, right next to a lake. If you're staying here, try to get a room overlooking the lake. It's also not far from the centre, just a few minutes walk. There are also some food shops around, though not really big ones. 

I love my corner room. It's a bit bigger than the other rooms, and also has a tea set. The view is great. The TV works with Miracast too. The bed is great. There is a spa, but it's 10 EUR extra a day. I took a video of my room:

Portugal - Fatima

I've never been to Portugal, but the plane ride I was dreading. The longest flight I've ever been on, except as a baby, was to Glasgow. Middle seat on a WizzAir. About 2 hours in I was claustrophobic. Not fun. I didn't have so much trouble on this flight, though I did take my tablet with plenty of stuff to watch, and sat next to the window. So much better. Avoiding middle seats in the future.

The first stop was Fatima, where we went by car. Stayed at Hotel Anjo de Portugal. It's a nice hotel, newly built and very modern. I wrote a review on Tripadvisor and did a video too. I do recommend it when visiting Fatima, because it's near the shrine, and not too expensive. However, overall Fatima isn't that big of a deal. At least not for an atheist.

Review:

Good hotel, but housekeeping

The location is great. It's a short walk from the complex, but far enough to not be bothered by the large amount of tourists. There is also free parking.

The room looked very nice. Simple and comfortable, I quite liked it. TV a bit on the small side, but had good channels, and many in English. One thing that bothered me was, the place to put the suitcase was in front of the mirror. An awkward place to put it, as I couldn't properly use the mirror because of it. The scale in the bathroom was weird, and actually didn't work well. I've never seen one in a hotel.

There was a bit of problem with housekeeping. I didn't complain, because I just spent one night in the room, but they didn't take out the trash in the bathroom. It was full. Also, there were some hairs on the outside of the bathtub. Not mine, they were black. I'm blonde.

Breakfast was okay. Nothing too interesting. The place for the breakfast felt a bit uncomfortable. It had very high ceilings, almost like a church. I felt like I should be praying there, not eating. Which is even more weird, since I'm an atheist.




I went to the shrine around midnight. There were still people around, even the crawlers. I call those crawlers, who crawl down on their knees to the altar, trying to atone for their sins. I wondered about the desperation of those people. I think it's not about asking for forgiveness from a god, but rather trying to forgive themselves. I felt sorry for them, because no matter what you do, you have to find it in yourself to live with it. If it's something that happens to you, then you have to accept your fate, and make the most of it.

In the morning I had breakfast, then went to the shrine again. I really liked the older church. It was kind of modern, but had clean lines, and wasn't too ornate. I also visited the modern church, but it wasn't all that church-like. More like an auditorium. 

There is also an area near the shrine where you can buy all sorts of things. The prices are okay, not too high. They even spoke English.

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