Map of Portugal with main places we visited in May 2009

            Huguette and I travelled to Portugal in May 2009 where we spent a little over two weeks visiting various interesting places in the northern half of the country. (We plan to do the south including southwest Spain next year). Our vacation began in Lisbon where we stayed for four days, then rented a car and moved about 75 km north to a charming little town called Óbidos where we stayed another four days, then on to Guimarães, some 250 km from Óbidos in the northern part of the country where we also stayed four days, and then to Fundão in the east for two more days before coming back home to Canada.  

In Lisbon we walked and walked and walked some more, mostly in the Baixa (lower town) and also in the old district of Alfama which dates back to the Moorish occupation (8th to 12th century); visited Belém where famous monuments celebrating the Portuguese overseas discoveries of the 15th and 16th centuries have been erected; and took in a night of Fados, the traditional melancholic Lisboan music that is certain to make you cry even if you don't understand the words.  

On our way to Óbidos we stopped at Sintra and visited the Palácio Nacional, one of many things to see in that lovely town.  From Óbidos we visited the seaside resorts of Peniche, Nazaré and São Martinho do Porto (a short distance from Nazaré to the south).  We also saw two beautiful gothic masterpieces, one at Batalha where King John 1st had this absolutely majestic building erected to commemorate the victory of his troops against the invading forces of D. Juan of Castille in the battle of Aljubarrota (1385).  The second was the Monastery of Alcobaça the construction of which began in 1178 by the religious order of Cister.  Both Alcobaça and Batalha are now UNESCO World Heritage Sites.  

In Guimarães we took time to visit this beautiful historical city, Portugal's first capital and the birthplace of its first king, Don Alfonso Henriques.  We also drove to the Douro Valley, famous for its vineyards that produce the world renowned Port wine. The stretch between the towns of Peso da Régua and Pinhão is very accessible and particularly beautiful.   

Our last stop was in - or rather near - Fundão, in a little village called Aldeia Nova do Cabo famous for its cherries which were being harvested when we were there.  We spent two nights in Aldeia Nova, so we had only one full day to visit. We spent it very enjoyably, I must say, touring the region around Serra da Estrela, Portugal's highest mountain.

To all our visitors, we do hope that you will enjoy the photos in this set which should give you a good idea of what Huguette and I saw and did on this trip.

Taken in: Portugal / Castelo Branco (show map)

Taken on: May 26, 2009

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