Grande Do Luso

... that it was going to rain we decided it was lunch time. We found a small resto that was run by an older woman. She sat us down and fed us like our grandmothers would! Not only did she give us bread and cheese but also some home made pumpkin jam which was delicious and some homemade pumpkin soup that I gobbled up. We both got Bifanas (Pork sandwiches) and then had some yummy ...

Arrived after a short uneventful journey. Campsite similar. Weather changeable.

Tourist sites do not always live up to the flowery language used in the brochures eg. "Musicological Nucleus of the Salt" turned out to be a Musee de Sel. We did not go.

The local beauty spots, like every where else, that we did go to were covered with ingrained litter.
We are moving on tomorrow.

We arrived without incident after a short and pleasant journey. Odd campsite mainly permanent encampments! Most of them looked like they had been there for many years. We were entertained by families arriving over the weekend to pack up for the winter. They cleared out all the rubbish that they had accumulated over the summer. They then covered their caravan.awning and covered area with tarpaulin and tied it down and put stones ...

... they were hardcore). Good thing we opted for the boogie boards because once in the water, the waves were massive and the undertow was insanely strong. Our hostel was amazing and the owner was chill and helped us map out some cool surf and kite spots along the coast.

http://picasaweb.google.c om/Jonny.D.Lawrence/20091007Aveiro?auth key=Gv1sRgCOOE_tn74bSSKA&feat=direc tlink

Day 4 – 25/12/08

LISBON-EVORA-ALCOBACA-B ATALHA-FATIMA-COIMBRA

We left early after breakfast. The GPS proved to be blessing for 'wrong' drivers like me. As it was Christmas there was less traffic on the roads & we had a smooth drive to Evora. There we saw the Roman Temple, the church & the Chapel of St.Francis. The sleepy town had narrow lanes ...

16 km kaugusel Coimbrast asuvad Conímbriga varemed, mis on vanimad nii hästi säilinud Rooma varemed Portugalis, ühtlasi nimetatakse seda ka National Monument. Varemete kohta saab ajaloo ja piltidega tutvuda ka muuseumis, kuid me saabusime sinna suhteliselt hilja ja jõudsime napilt ainult varemetes luusida. Kuigi Conímbrigat teatakse eekõige roomlaste tõttu, on tegelikult olemas ka andmeid, et seal tegutseti ...

... Kõikidel inimestel oli käes palmioks, kirikuisa pidas loengut ja inimesed kordasid aeg-ajalt tema järgi mingeid sõnu.

Algselt plaanisime Coimbras veeta ka öö, kuid kuna me polnud midagi broneerinud ja jätsime endale nö lahtised käed, siis kohapeal olles tundus see väga mõistlik otsus olevat. Peale mõningast luusimist istusime autosse ja sõitsime edasi. Ilmselt nädala sees, kui kõik üliõpilased on ka kohal ja hängivad tänavatel, on seal linnas rohkem melu ja elu.

Portugali Veneetsia? Vähemalt nii seda kutsutakse, kuigi, olgem ausad, päris Veneetsia on ikka..Veneetsia :) Kuigi tõepoolest on seal mõni kanal, kuid see on ka ainuke paralleel Päris Kanalite linnaga. Aveiro oli vanasti üsna tähtis sadamalinn, kuid 1570ndatel kannatas ta suure tormi all, mis blokeeris jõesuudme, mistõttu laevad ei saanud enam ookeanini välja sõita. Järgmised ...

... planeado, que vira de surpresa. Creio que esta longa viagem me fez bem ao espírito. As longas horas de viagem, com tantas paisagens a passar a janela, ajudaram a reflectir e meditar. Se calhar mais que nos últimos anos. Afinal, aqui não tinha qualquer preocupação sobre os ombros. Meu Deus vi tanta coisa bonita. Paisagens deslumbrantes e únicas. Pessoas maravilhosas, santas. Aprendi tanta coisa. Sofri com paciência e sem demonstrar. Ouvi em sil ...

Hello...

I'm in Portugal now. Last I wrote was in Toledo, I think...I took a night train to Lisbon, where I stayed for one night. It's nice, as far as big cities go, but it's a big city. It's very diverse and the people are real laid back.

After that I went to Sintra, just west of Lisbon. It's a little town in the mountains. Lots of shade, green, and fresh air. I spent many more days there than I planned to. The first night I arrived ...