It was late when we arrived but early enough to check out the nightlife of Lisbon and heard that Bairro alto was the place to be. At one point we were standing in the back of a crowded bar when it suddently became quiet. Then we heard the soft sounds of a guitar and a male voice starting to sing. Our first experience with Fado.
Of course we didn't understand a single word but luckily there was a Dutch guy standing next to us who lived in Lisbon and was nice enough to translate for us. A very sad but beautiful melody. And exceptional way to end our evening and begin my first visit to Portugal.

The next morning was exactly what I expected from Portugal...blue skies and a warm breeze.

First stop was to the Castle of Sao Jorge (Castle of Saint George) which is located on the highest hill of the historic part of the city. The oldest parts can be dated back to about the 6th century. It provided a great view of the city.
Leading down from the castle are small narrow streets winding through the old quarters of the city. Some of the buildings are in poor shape while others are covered with beautiful century old tiles. It was like walking though an art gallery.

Then it was time for lunch and some window shopping in Baixa (downtown). It was such a big contrast from the old quarters. This part of the city was rebuilt after the earthquake of 1755 and was one of Europe's first example in neoclassical design. Despite the wide boulevards (many pedestrians only) lined with shops and cafes, the charm of the city can be seen with the appearance of street vendors and occassional tramcars as well as the tiled facades of the boutiques. I could have spent the whole day just sitting and watching people go merrily on their way.
But I had a mission. On my list of things to see was the Tower of Belem and according to the map, it would take some time walking.
The Tower of Belem was built in the 16th century as a gateway to Lisbon and part of the defense system to the river and the Jeronimos Monastery both placed on the UNESCO world heritage list in 1983.
And it is here, close to the western portal, where one can see the tombs of Luis de Camoes (1527-1570) and Vasco da Gama (1467-1523). Being a big history buff, this was pretty exciting to me.
Dinner was in Cascais which is a coastal town about 30 km west of Lisbon and is very popular for beach goers. We took a taxi there and the train back. The train trip is inexpensive, takes about 30 minutes and probably the most convenient way to travel between the two. A 'nice to know' for the next time....and there will be a next time.

pronto e tal

asdassd
sdg
s
dgs
gsdgsdgsdg

The BEST hotel i've ever stayed in. Enjoy it!!!!!!!

I can remember it very well. We were watching Holland compete against Sweden in the quarter finals of the EC 2004 in Portugal. A penalty shootout would decide this game's winner. Almost everyone knows Holland's history with penalty shootouts.. bad, very bad. So when it came to these penaltys, my mother said: "Dan, we're going to Portugal if we win this game." The unthinkable happend, Holland won! My mother held her word and we booked a last minute flight including a ticket to Lisbon.

It was part of a so called one-day-return. Our flight left in the middle of the night, at about 04:30 AM. I tried to sleep the night before, but that was almost impossible because I was really nervous. When we arrived at Schipol Airport, the whole place was coloured orange. It looked like everybody was heading for Portugal. I wasn't able to sleep in the plane too so it would be a tough day.

We arrived in the Lisbon city centre at 07:00 AM (one hour time difference). This was perfect. I'd never been to Lisbon before, so we could check out the city the whole day long. After some cultural sight-seeing, it was time to party. One of the main squares in Lisbon was sort of captured by all the Dutch fans. We had a lot of fun, before going to the big José Alvalade stadium. The atmosphere was really impressive. There were about 15,000 Dutch fans. We lost the game 2-1. We didn't had much chances. Nevertheless, it was a great experience!

I have my base in Lisbon and other than that I have no plans for what I am going to do for the next 4 days.

Hotel looks a little bit like from the previous era, reminds me of communist times in Poland - strange, heavy and unattractive curtains with ugly pattern on them, not the best smell when you enter reception desk. First impression is not the greatest but rooms are pretty comfortable with a big bed and a clean bathroom. The only thing that could be changed are windows - they're not tight and it makes it cold at night and noisy in the morning. Huge and delicious breakfest with a wonderful view over Lisbon make a great beginning of a day. Kind and helpful staff, they will call for a taxi or make a reservation in a restaurant if you ask. I would definitely recommend. Proper relation price to quality.

I was awakened by the rustle of bags as my sister and her friend packed away the last remnants of their adventures into their backpacks. I drifted back to sleep only to be awakened again by my little sister as she covered me in a bear hug and went on her merry way to catch the cab awaiting her presence. It wasn't until I woke up again and noticed that her bed was empty that I felt a great loss, for traveling with companions, especially your sister, is one of those precious things in life... memories with people you love.

A sunny day awaited me as did the lovely Sintra that I was unable to explore the previous day as it was closed down by the time we arrived. I traveled to the train station like an expert Lisboan, and found myself just missing the train to Sintra.. which meant that I had just enough time to enjoy one of those lovely pastries a block away from the station:) What luck!

Arriving in Sintra, I traveled through the curving cobblestone streets observing a long line in front of what looked like it was a church. It was then that I realized that they were standing in line to buy tickets for each of the relics along the way, so I stood in line and awaited my turn.. bought my tickets, and traveled to another line to wait for a bus that would transport us to the top. As we waited, I decided that it wasn't worth it to wait in line.. I could walk 8km to the top.. it was a bright day, the sun was out.. it would be a great jaunt. So, I said goodbye to the ladies thinking that they would all beat me to the top.. I found out later that the bus never came:)

When I reached the top and tried to enter the castle, it became apparent that I had not purchased the entrance to the castle, but to the garden! I looked at the man in disbelief thinking about how I would have to walk 8km down to purchase the ticket. He smiled at me, and whispered.. pasa pasa.. what a kind man! So, I entered the castle for free.. walked around the castle, but didn't enter the building as it was a 2 hour wait;) and the views around the castle, I'm sure were even better than what was inside.

I traveled on down to the park, followed some ducks and ducklings around, admired the moat surrounding a minature castle, and just rested on a bench.. UNTIL the mosquitoes became unbearable:) I headed down to my favorite crepe shop where I found myself face to face with people from my hostel who invited me to join them on their adventures to the underground caves! It was as if we were in a different world as we stepped through passageway after passageway in the complete darkness wondering if we would find an exit.

To anyone looking to go for a little surf trip around Algarve in Portugal here are a couple of beaches and places you should definitely stop by and a couple more you should seek to avoid at all costs : 1) Arrifana : Is picturesque, very close to a town called Al-Jezur and offers some of the best surf in the region provided the conditions are right. It takes some serious swell to get going (6ft+ minimum) and works best when the wind is blowing northwesterly (as it is shielded by the bay) Offshores here are practically inexistent. Offers a brilliant beach break but experienced surfers come for the point break on the right hand side which throws off some of the best waves in portugal. Hard take-off at times, but definitely worth the effort. Will get pretty crowded any time good waves come in so come early! Will also draw world class surfers anytime the serious stuff comes in. 2) Amoreira : A bit of a Jekyll & Hyde kind of beach. Will change drastically over a couple of hours, because of the strong currents and shifting sandbanks. Again, the right hand point break can throw off perfect waves one after another but stops working once it gets too big (turns into massive closeout sets). Beware of the tricky rip, and beware of the crowds if you decide to come in high season. The beach is probably the best in the region, and waves can jack up really fast and give you a tremendous ride. Plenty of brilliant surfers hang out here, saw Beau Young there in 2007, amazing to watch. 3) Praia do Canal : A hidden jewel in the area.It´s quite difficult to find and you would have to probably ask locals in order to do so. Will be completely deserted even in high summer and offers every kind of break you can think of. Several beach breaks, and a good quality right/left reef break that works really well even in rather large swell. It typically works best on the push of the tide, with either offshore or north easterly winds. If conditions get extreme (15 ft plus), there can even be standing barrels breaking over 200m but this takes a serious paddle out (almost a km) to the point which looks a little bit like a rhino horn out in the water.(see pictures)Have not seen it work properly myself, but have seen pictures that looked mind blowing. 4) Carrapateira : Hit this beach at your own risk. Crowded by local surf schools who often do not wish to be disturbed and others who consider it their own. That being said, it can throw off some quality waves and plenty of fun little spots will appear left and right.Well worth the time if you catch it on a good day and you go without too many people. Best surfed alone and with patience. Places to avoid : If you´re off to Algarve for a surfing holiday, I would strongly advise you to stay away from Faro & Lagos. Although they are by far the places where accomodation will be easiest to find, they will be crowded with just the kind of tourists you do not want to meet, unless youre in it just to drink yourself stupid on a daily basis. I worked at a camp near the beautiful town of Al-Jezur which I can only recommend to everyone, partly due to its proximity to all the breaks mentioned above. I´ve tried almost everything in the region and definitely would recommend these breaks. Be aware that surf here can be perfect but tends to be rather inconsistent. A one week break is too short unless you time it perfectly, but at any rate check the swell charts before heading down. I´m sure i don´t need to mention where but i´ll do so anyway. www.magicseaweed.com www.windguru.com and finally the surf camp I worked at : loved it because the people were downright amazing, and the experience fully submerged you in nature (in the middle of a national park) www.atlanticriders.com Also, food and drinks are extremely cheap in portugal, but equipment is about the same as anywhere else in Europe, although you´ll probably get a little less choice than elsewhere. "Lufi" makes some of the best boards in portugal, be sure to check out the shop if you get a chance! Hope you find this review useful, if you decide to go down one day. I can only say it was the best job I´ve ever had, and can strongly recommend the region, especially to less experienced surfers.

When I got to the bus station in Elvas, I was told that there were no buses leaving from that terminal to Spain.  However, if I hurried I could catch a bus going by on the highway.  So I was faced with the a choice: catch a bus before it got too late, or explore this fascinating town and worry about transportation later.

I chose the latter.  I'm a sucker for aqueducts, and Elvas has the King of all Aqueducts (or, almost)... it also has a very compact walled city and two cool castles--and it was a the place of strategic battles back in the days of the Moorish wars... Fascinating place.  I'm really glad I didn't pass it up.

Then it started pouring down rain--so I ducked into a bar to figure out what to do next.  Everybody I asked gave me contradictory information on catching a bus to Spain--most of them pointed me back to the bus station I had originally came from... and a cab would cost me a good 25 Euros...

Oh, what the hell, just do it... do something crazy and create some memories...

And so I did, with my pack and my guitar, a storm cloud to my left and another to my right, I set off on foot into the dusk the 20 or so kilometers to Badajoz, Spain...

Evora seemed like a good stopping place on my way back to Spain... arrived there and realize it's a World Heritage Site!  And for good reason...

The old city is very nicely preserved with its winding yellow alleys, churches--and even some old Roman ruins.  I crisscrossed it several times to make sure I didn't miss anything...

Wandering around Almada, I suddenly realized I was in another town--so I took another video clip at the park where the old men all get together to play cards...

Almada is right across the bridge from Lisbon--with some magnificent cliffs, a historic sector, a castle and a Jesus statue just like the one in Rio de Janeiro...

Amazing city...

I won't get into it right now--just let the pictures do the talking...

Next stop: Setubal.

It''s more of an industrial city--but it's still got a very nice old quarter--and there's a castle on a nearby hillside--I tried to go explore it but the rain turned me back.

Noticed a lot of Brazilians here--and finally got someone to listen to my music... an old fellow who, as it turns out, was Ukranian... I was glad to have an audience, in fact, a went against protocol and actually played a few cover songs for him...