Sunday, 27 August 2017

Portugal - Week 3 (ending August 26)

Hello everyone! Welcome to Week 3 in Portugal.

Was another great week of sun, fun and wonderful food. Was a tale of two cities, so to speak, as I gave up the beach life in Foz for the more urban, touristy experience in Porto. Heart felt thanks to my older brother Richard for suggesting this destination on my travels. Such a beautiful city.

Continued to jog daily during my time in Foz. Had one day when I was out for 55 minutes. Yes, definitely a proud Dave moment on my trip. Also pleased I've been consistent in my jogging given how good the food and wine is. Did stop jogging while I was in Porto. Just something about the big city that killed my ambition to put my sneakers on. Was a beautiful path along the river and onto the beaches on the Atlantic. Too much exhaust in the air for me.

I have a hankering for the crusty buns in this country - the bread type is what I mean. Truly is one of the food highlights when I travel in Europe. Know the flour used here is different from North America. Terrific to have buns, olives and different spreads as part of every meal. Thank goodness they are all calorie free.

Also buckled down to do some writing beyond my daily journaling while I was in Foz. Had a nice spot in the hotel bar to myself each morning. Did get a little pampered. One of the hotel staff would prepare an espresso for me during the last three days of my visit. The writing disappeared again when I was in Porto. Way too many sights to see, wine to drink, beaches to go to and food to eat to have time for writing.

Bus Trip
Ended up being uneventful, thank goodness. Self-confession. In spite of all the traveling I have done I still get somewhat wound up when I get into bus stations, airports and the like. Something about those places that gnaw at my patience and usually wonderful calm temperament. Not quite Jekyll and Hyde now; sure used to be. Anyhow, took a taxi to Caldas de Rainha to catch the first of two different buses to Porto. Changed buses in Leiria; an hour wait before heading to Porto through Coimbra. Always good to check which bus to get on. As it happened the bus to Porto had a different final destination. Yes, I survived the drama.

A word to anyone who may ever think about traveling with me. I really suck at using the GPS on my phone to find places within cities. Mention this as it took me about 45 minutes to complete what should have been a 15 minute walk from the bus station in Porto to my hotel. Got to love all those extra steps in a city that is built on hills with cobblestone sidewalks and streets. Loads of laughs and fun wheeling my luggage.

Foz
Happy Guy #1
Loved this location on my jog

Happy Guy #2
Early morning calm

Happy Guy #3
Foz from above the village
Ended up eating at Tibano Restaurant four of the five nights I was in Foz. Tried something fish related each night.

Got to love the curried shrimp my friends!
What an amazing meal!

Hake fillets - another first (other than Tibano - OTT)

Tomato Rice - OTT

Vegetable soup - big favorite (OTT)

Another 1st - potato peels with dipping sauce
Simply divine!

Cuttlefish - 1st time so I had to ask if I got the right order;
didn't look like a fish



































































Yes, I had to have french fries one night.












Porto

Happy Guy #1
Metal in bridge was most used
prior to Eiffel Tower

Happy Guy #2
Douro River in back;
Douro Valley is home to
grapes for Port wine


Happy Guy #3
Atlantic Ocean meets Porto
Beach is in the distance
And the food...

1st Porto meal - Tuna Pate



Green both - Traditional Portuguese Soup

More fish - sooo good!

I'm lovin it!
Every trip requires me to taste test the fries for global
consistency. Yup, it's my job!

Turkey nuggets @ Raiz
Amazing with superb sauces

Oven roasted octopus - Traditional preparation (Raiz)

And now for something completely different.
Stopped at this sidewalk restaurant; watched my lunch being
prepared

That's my sardines on the BBQ

And there they are waiting for me to enjoy
Sardines for my first time. Tasted amazing!

























































Oh yeah! And the sights....
Thought of my TJXC friend Grace
She's the Nutella Queen

Historic section of Porto
Built on hills - so picturesque

Train station - Mural 1

Train station - Mural 2

Train station - Mural 3

Lower side of Cathedral 

Riberia from that metal bridge

Historic Porto - opposite side of Douro River

Port Wine Distillery Visit
Come on - must see when
in port wine central!

Why I went on the tour

What we drank on the tour

So, who's interested in some chocolate covered sardines?

Hotel terrace in Porto - my room was on the far end.
Unexpected and most welcome perk!

View from hotel terrace

Cathedral altar
Heavenly sounds from choir
practicing while I was in church

Cathedral
That's it's name!

Give you a sense of what some
of the streets are like

Clock Tower
Another famous Porto landmark

Porto Beach


Porto beach - low tide












So I'm now in Lousa which is 27 km south of Coimbra - nestled in the Serra da Lousã mountain range. More next week about my continuing challenges getting to the bus station in Porto using the GPS on my phone. Will the wonders ever stop for young David? Falling in love with Lousa after only a day. Unsure what's next for me. Got the week to figure it out. Kind of loving this idea now of being in the moment.

Remember to try to do something outside of your comfort zone this week! That's where the adventure begins.

See ya next week!

Sunday, 20 August 2017

Portugal - Week 2 (ending August 19)

Hi everyone! Welcome to fun, food and the beach in Week 2. Thanks Genny for your wonderful comments!

Sao Martinho do Porto
Start the week in the same place I had ended Week 1 in - the resort town of Sao Martinho. Forgot to mention last week how clean and safe each of the three places are. Noticed that beach goers are very conscious to take their stuff with them. There are tractors on the beach in Sao Martinho in the early morning to groom the beaches. The town has workers sweeping the beachfront streets every morning. Really does make a positive difference in the beach experience.

Oh yeah, the other experience I forgot to share is how many more people smoke here. While smoking is banned from inside the buildings, smoking is allowed in the outdoor sections of bars and restaurants. Guessing that I may have initially overlooked the smoking because I grew up in a family where my father smoked until he was 58. And the smoking is everywhere so I have had to adjust my sensibilities.

Small confession. Still getting used to the idea of planning my time here in real time. Discovered early in the week that I had a two day gap in my hotel stays. I had booked my Martinho hotel until August 16 with my next hotel stay in Foz do Arelho scheduled to start on August 18. Oops! Well, good fortune was mine as the Martinho hotel has room for me for the extra two days. This is a real busy time of year so hotel rooms at beach resorts can be hard to find.

On the writing front I've been keeping busy with my daily journalling. Great to track all the sights, sounds and experiences happening each day. Also finally completed a summary of my Ethiopian experiences that I shared with the three Ministers who have oversight for Global Affairs Canada; the government agency that provides 90% of Cuso's funding. Completing the summary was cathartic; slowly realized how disappointing my experience had been and what potential issues I see with how Cuso operates in Ethiopia and in Ottawa. I chose sending my feedback to the Ministers instead of Cuso because I had limited, if any, confidence in Cuso's ability to manage themselves given what I has seen in Ethiopia. Had to share that I was sending my feedback to the ministers to get the attention of the person within Global Affairs Canada responsible for Cuso. Shared all that stuff with the ministers as well. Time to close that chapter, so to speak, and move on. Need to spend time in the upcoming weeks focusing on the full range of writing I am interested in doing.

Couple great service experiences from my hotel to share. First, at breakfast, the woman overseeing the breakfast would bring my espresso out to me on the terrace unprompted. Always had this warm smile and a small pat of my back, wishing me well for the day. Amazing start to the day. And the woman at the front desk in the evenings helped me find the best restaurant to eat at so far.

Loads of great fresh fish and seafood to eat - at reasonable prices!

Grilled shrimp with Thai rice - Granada Restaurant

Grouper (Before) - Pesca no prato Restaurant

Where my Grouper friends hang out

Clam starter - Pesca Restaurant

Grouper (After) - Pesca Restaurant

Vegetable soup - Pesqueiro 25 Restaurant

Where I found my Sea Bass for dinner - Pesqueiro 25 Restaurant

Sea bass (after) - Pesqueiro 25 Restaurant

Sides - Pesqueiro 25 Restaurant


Yes, I have continued jogging every day. Tried to extend my time each time out; reached 60 minutes on one day. I also discovered my left hip flexor. Wow! Can that cause discomfort. Decided to do more stretching before jogging. Thank goodness for Google and the internet. A number of hip flexor stretches happen to be yoga movements I am familiar with. Now back up to 45 minutes with minimal hip flexor discomfort.

Some more photos from around Martinho

Overlooking Sao Martinho

Sao Martinho

What freedom may look like

One happy guy - Sao Martinho

Inlet leading to beaches

Another beach - 20 minute walk from hotel


Beach close-up 

Home of morning espresso - after daily beach walk























Foz do Arelho
Friday was move day. Took a taxi, more convenient for the 15 minute trip south, to Foz. Great news! Festival happening this weekend!

Party time in Foz

Festival Street decorations

Traditional dancing - Wedding 

Found this amazing boardwalk just outside Foz that follows the coast for about 2 km

View from Boardwalk

Boardwalk

View from Boardwalk


View from Boardwalk

Coolest thing - swivel seats for a 360 view without getting up!

One happy guy - continued...

And the great food continues in Foz...
Mussels - Tibin Restaurant

Sea Bream - Tibin Restaurant

Sides

Next night - Olives and bread (Tibin)

Tuna Steak - Tibin






















































And more photos..

Oh stop it! Are you still happy?

Beautiful morning! 


The Road Ahead
Have now firmed up my plans until August 31. I leave Foz do Arelho on August 23 for the city of Porto; north of my current location. Plan to take the bus from Caldas da |Rainha to Porto. Let the travel adventure begin. Porto is Portugal's 2nd largest city and is supposed to be beautiful. Going to switch up my activities to do a little more touristy kind of stuff. Porto is my furthest destination north; will being heading southward afterwards. You can learn more about Porto here:  http://portoportugalguide.com/index.html

On August 27, I leave Porto by bus, going south, for the town of Lousa for four days. Read about some interesting hiking in this part of the country. You can learn more about Lousa here: http://www.cultuga.com.br/2016/11/o-que-fazer-na-serra-da-lousa-roteiro-portugal/

On August 31, I leave Lousa for a destination yet to be determined. One possible destination is going to Lagos in the southern tip of Portugal; part of the Algarve region. Warm weather, beautiful beaches and warm water. I plan to be in Lisbon for the last few days of my trip; see the city and convenient for my return to Canada.

Thank you for joining me this week. See you next Sunday!