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darklinsblog · 2 years

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Perseverance | Sandman Imagine.

Summary: As an eternal being, love didn’t seem to be Dream’s friend, as he lost you, his one true love, but something told him you would eventually come back to him.

Pairing: Morpheus x Reader

Requested: Yes

It had always been a lonely existence as an Endless, Morpheus was mostly used to it and surrendered to the reality of his role. Love didn’t seem to fit in his world, that was until you came along.

You weren’t exactly human but you weren’t inmortal either… Morpheus fell in love with you centuries ago, and even when you perished, you would eventually reincarnate and come back to your loved one.

You had all types of appearances, bodies, but Morpheus would recognize you every single time, and every single time you had the same name.

Y/N.

The Endless tried to find an explanation to your existence but there was nothing, or at least nothing in concrete, the only thing he could find that was a very reduced answer to his constant question was that you had some sort of soul contract to the Lord of Dreams.

But this particular soul contract didn’t have an estimated time as to when will you be able to reincarnate and for what you told him, you had no control over it.

The reincarnation could take thirty or fifty years for all you knew, it could even extend to centuries and there was no true way of knowing when you came back, it was your duty to find him.

No matter how long you took, you would always make the most of your time together, because you didn’t know when you would see each other again, but every time you left at least, the King of Dreams had a new wave of memories to remember you.

You recently had died in 1755 at the Lisbon earthquake, he felt devastated but he was hopeful, because you would find him, just like every other time. So he waited.

But one day he was deprived from his freedom at the hands of an amateur occultist and he felt completely helpless.

It would be impossible for you to find your way to him now. He wanted to scream, curse, kick, anything that would ease his rage, but he remained silent.

Morpheus didn’t speak a word, even through the anger, frustration, he just waited for some opportunity to get out of that humid hell hole.

He was completely alone, cold. Until his ears buzzed as he heard a familiar voice… but it couldn’t be, could it?

Dream tried to listen with much more intent this time. He could hear footsteps fading in the distance and then it took a few seconds to hear the sound of someone coming down the stairs.

A chill ran down his spine.

You were there, somehow you were there. His beautiful Y/N, you ran to him, completely shocked and appalled by the sight of Morpheus completely bare sitting in some kind of prison bubble, he stared right into your eyes, forgetting about his imprisonment for a single minute.

For a single minute, the world ceased to exist. There was only you.

“What have they done to you?” You asked him, completely distressed. He put his hands at the sides of yours, and even when he could only feel the cold glass, he imagined for a second he was touching your hands.

“Y/N? How did you find me here?” It was the first words he spoke in God knows how many years, so his voice sounded raspier than usual. You smiled.

“I heard some whispers and I had to come close to Roderick Burgess to finally sneak in” you explained a little too simply.

Morpheus looked at you reluctantly, making you roll your eyes.

“We didn’t do anything Morpheus, maybe just a little kiss but that was it” you said, Morpheus arched a brow.

“A kiss?”

“Seriously, Morpheus? Don’t you think we have bigger problems than where were my lips?” He looked away, but he still didn’t feel comfortable with you kissing Roderick Burgess.

“I have to go, but I promise I’ll find a way to get you out of here” you said to him, before quickly leaving the place, the last thing you wanted was for Roderick to find you anywhere near his dungeon.

It had been ten years of his imprisonment and he trusted you to get him out of here, if there was anyone stubborn enough and intelligent enough to outsmart Burgess it could be you.

When you came back you were joined by Jessamy, his loyal raven. You had brought a wrench to break the glass, with your strength and repetitive impacts as well as Jessamy’s effort the polymer was starting to crack, the cracks were growing stronger and Morpheus’ eyes glowed with hope, you two shared a look.

He was going to get out of here.

But then, two loud bangs echoed through the room, the first full on impacting Jessamy, as her blood was spluttered on the cristal, you step aside from Morpheus, and he caught a glimpse of the wound you were putting pressure on, your hand was covered in blood, a few drops falling to your feet.

When you looked at him teary eyed, his heart shattered. You collapsed to the floor and Morpheus couldn’t keep his eyes off your lifeless body.

Alex Burgess was standing at the end of the stairs, his father asked him to get rid of the bodies as Morpheus sat back, feeling like his whole world crumbled before him as his loyal companion Jessamy and the love of his life Y/N died at the hands of a coward and scrawny young boy like Alex.

He couldn’t stop the tears that rolled down his eyes as they took you and Jessamy away… this wasn’t supposed to happen, you came back but this time he didn’t have a lifetime of memories to remember you by, you were brutally taken away from his side, and Jessamy as well.

With all your efforts he knew he could at least try and break free, but he didn’t. Morpheus sat in the cold of his cracked prison cell plotting his vengeance.

A century passed until he was able to punish Alex Burgess and now being regained his power he still felt a void within his soul, because nothing he did would bring you back. Only time could do that.

Present day, he sat on a park bench feeding the birds, replaying in his head your atrocious murder, he hated that was the last memory of you, how your eyes showed the fear and pain of dying too soon.

“Is the seat taken?” That voice he knew so well filled his ears, when looking up you stood before him, with a beautiful smile and the rays of the sun shining down on you.

“Y/N?” He asked, even when he could recognize you, it was unbelievable, you laughed and hugged him, he slowly pulled you in, taking in your scent, the texture of your skin, your eyes…

You sat beside him, holding his hand, he caressed your face, repeating to himself over and over that you were truly here with him.

“I’m sorry my love, I’m so sorry” he apologized, your eyes soften in sympathy with his affliction.

“No, Morpheus listen to me. The only thing I am sorry for is that I left you to deal with grief and anger, but I would do it all over again if I had to” you spoke sincerely.

“But you were murdered trying to save me and I saw how they dragged you like you were nothing. And Jessamy” he explained, bubbling with anger once again. You cupped his face in your hands, forcing him to look at you through his tears.

“I would take a bullet any day, for you. Jessamy loved you so much she risked her own life to try and set you free. Don’t weight yourself down with guilt”

You were so good to him and sometimes he felt like he didn’t deserve it.

Nevertheless, he did the one thing he couldn’t do all those years ago when he was trapped by Roderick Burgess, he kissed you. With so much intent, love and passion, the love of a man that had been waiting for you for almost three hundred years now, one lifetime was stolen away from you and Morpheus was determined to make up for the lost time.

He also promised that day, to find a way to free you from the ties of reincarnation, so you could finally be together for eternity and you could be free from the pain of waiting ages to be together for a limited amount of time.

#the sandman comics #sandman imagine #sandman netflix #dream of the endless #morpheus dream #sandman x reader #tom sturridge x reader #dream of the endless x reader #request are open #tom sturridge #sandman x y/n #morpheus sandman #sandman shitpost #morpheus x reader #morpheus

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go-learn-esperanto · 1 year

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Actually, have some European Portuguese (or Portuguese from Portugal) idioms and expressions that I love. (Some might also be used in Brazil. Others definitely are not)

1. Category: Expressions that exist because of the Lisbon Earthquake of 1755 (yes there's more than one in this category. No, we're not all 200+ years old but we still reference that earthquake every day)

Rés vés Campo de Ourique - It means that something didn't happen by an inch. This was because after the earthquake the Tsunami almost got to Campo de Ourique, a neighbourhood in Lisbon.

Caiu o Cabo e a Trindade - This means everything is going wrong. It comes from the fact that the earthquake destroyed two convents, Carmo and Trindade.

2. Expressions to say "Go annoy someone else" or just "Fuck off". There's a lot of these.

Vai chatear o Camões - Literally means "Go annoy Camões". Camões is a very well known poet and writer from the XVI century. It's a joke about saying to go annoy somebody who's dead.

Vai ver se estou na esquina - literally "go see if I'm in the corner".

Vai dar a volta ao bilhar grande - literally "go round the big billiard (table?)". Beautiful.

Vai tomar banho - literally "go take a bath"

3. Who the fuck thought of these???

Rebeubéu, pardais ao ninho - it means that there's a commotion and/or a lot of noise. To translate this literally is difficult because Rebeubéu is barely a word but it means something like "(onomatopoeia that means lots of noise) sparrows to the nest".

Montou-se ali um 31 - means the same as the last expression. Literally "A 31 was set up there". You can technically make your own expression with 31 and it will mean the same thing - chaos. Now the question is: What in the world is a 31? Well, until today I also didn't know. It's allegedly a card game.

Nasceu com o rabo virado para a lua - means that someone got lucky even when they did not deserve it. They got what they wanted but didn't do anything to get it. Literally "they were born with the butt turned to the moon".

Cu de Judas - It means far away and/or in a place difficult to find. Literally "Ass of Judas"... Ass in butt. This expression is used all the time.

4. Snork mimi 💤

Vou bater chocolate - literally "I'm going to whisk chocolate"

Vou para o vale dos lençóis (probably my favourite expression that I use all the time because the mental image is amazing) - literally "I'm going to the bedsheet valley"

Vou fazer oó - oó is an onomatopoeia for sleeping. Only used with babies or jokingly.

Vou nanar - technically it means "I'm going to sleep" as nanar is another verb for sleep but I wanted to include it because it's something that you will only hear said in familial situations. It's not informal in the street sense it's just that it's a sweet way to say sleep that it's just not said by anyone else besides your mum when she wants to ask if you're sleepy and want to go to bed. It's cute :)

5. The origin of this one is more interesting than the expression itself

Primeiro estranha-se depois entranha-se - it means that you might not like something at first but you'll start enjoying it with time. Literally means "First you find it's odd afterwards it's engrained". So, this was actually thought by Fernando Pessoa, also one of the most well known portuguese poets and writers. He died in 1937. Anyway, for this wasn't a title of a book or something. He wrote this for a fucking Coca-Cola commercial. Cursed information.

6. ???

Quem anda à chuva, molha-se - literally "Who's in the rain gets wet". It means "WHEN WILL YOU LEARN?! WHEN WILL YOU LEARN, THAT YOUR ACTIONS, HAVE CONSEQUENCES?!?!?!"

Pão, pão, queijo, queijo - literally "bred, bred, cheese, cheese", which is beautiful. It means "Exactly what I just said", "It means just that"

São coisas do arco-da-velha. Literally "It's stuff from the rainbow". It means whatever happen was unbelievable. In the good or bad sense. The most common way of saying rainbow in Portuguese is arco-íris but arco-da-velha is s synonym less used. Galicia still uses it a lot though.

Feito ao bife - (Used all the time!!!) Literally "done at the steak". It means you're fucked lol (aka you were busted and are in big trouble)

#bread‚ bread‚ cheese‚ cheese supremacy #languages #portuguese #european portuguese #idiomatic expressions #silly #portugal #the amount of expressions to say fuck off is honestly hilarious #I'm pretty sure I didn't put all of them

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calamitys-child · 3 years

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Huge tsunamis on the scale of the one that hit Japan in 2011 or the infamous boxing day one in 2004 are exceptionally rare in the British Isles but not impossible. There was the Storegga Slide tsunami in about 6000 BC which was basically a massive landslide off the coast of Norway that caused Scotland to get hit by 40m high waves. Before the Storegga Slide tsunami Britain was actually connected to the rest of Europe by a strip of land known as Doggerland, which was washed away by the tsunami and turned Britain into an island. There was also a huge earthquake off the coast of Portugal in 1755 that triggered a huge tsunami that destroyed Lisbon- that tsunami travelled north and devastated Cornwall and the South and West Coasts of Ireland. So yes a major tsunami in Scotland is possible, but luckily they are very rare in this part of the world

Previous anon here's a better educated answer than mine!!! That kind of landslide is I think what I was thinking of - all I know is essentially that this is NOT the geographical area for any seismic activity but we do have a volcano here, and that when I was wee my dad told me tsunamis could only come here if - to my fuzzy memory - "either another country fell in the sea or America exploded"

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projectomerta · 4 years

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Kindred Souls - Chapter 6: Shay

Sorry for explaining of some events of the game like no one’s heard of it before, but hey, it’s less than a paragraph.

Fandom: Assassin’s Creed

Words: 1454

She entered her room and closed the door. Despite everything that happened, that led to those last three days of crying, she found herself smiling. The moment she had just shared with Shay at the Inn’s bar had done wonders for her, and it wasn’t over yet, she was just about to leave with him.

She still had mixed feelings about going back to the name “Wá:ri”. Though it was her birth name, she’d been called “Miriam Rhodes” for most of her life. Now that she thought about it, she didn’t even know why her father had changed her name in the first place. She felt like it was a sign of how he just couldn’t accept her for who she was, almost as if he was trying to hide a piece of her identity.

Wá:ri remembered that Shay was waiting for her, so she hurried to get ready. She grabbed her hair but instead of braiding it like usual, she simply ran her fingers through it and left it loose. She lifted her assassin robes by the shoulders and took a long look at them. They were black… The Rhodes’ color. She had always loved that color but now she felt uneasy about it. Suddenly she had an idea. I might be a “Rhodes” forever, but I won’t be an assassin anymore. She got a knife and took it to the hood, cutting it off by the base. The hood might have come in useful, but she felt good getting rid of one of the assassins’ trademarks from her clothing. Having done this, she put her robes on, wrapped her weapons up in a cloth, and left the room.

As she got to the entrance, she didn’t see Shay, which scared her for a second.

“He said he’d wait for you outside.” Said the Inn owner.

His voice startled Wá:ri, “Thank you,” she said.

She walked out of the Inn and immediately saw Shay waiting for her. That had been the first time she had ever taken a proper look at him. He really was handsome, especially for someone his age, though she wasn’t exactly sure how old he was. The sun shone brightly on him. From his hair arranged in a ponytail, to his chiseled face - hell, even the scar over his right eye looked good to Wá:ri… His clothes also complemented his image quite well… Suddenly the color black didn’t look so bad to her.

“I’m sorry I made you wait.” She said as she approached Shay, “Where are we going?”

“To Collins’ house.”

Wá:ri was shocked. “What?! My siblings could show up, you know that, right?”

“Don’t worry lass, Collins is out of town, he set sail earlier today. If they’re merchants, they know who comes in and out of the port.”

She let out a sigh of relief. Collins’ is safe. But are we safe?

“Let’s go, then,” said Shay.

As the two walked through the entrance, the maid came to greet them, with a forced smile on her face, which both ignored. Since they didn’t want anything, she took her leave, as Wá:ri and Shay moved to the upper floor.

“This looks exactly as I remember it…” Wá:ri commented.

Shay looked surprised. “You've been here before?”

“Yes,” she smiled, “I was here twice. I attended my first party here, when I was just thirteen years old.”

Shay seemed to hesitate before speaking. “Does it look that different from your house?”

“It’s about the same size, but they obviously have different tastes,” she chuckled.

“What do you mean?”

“My father isn’t exactly this… humble.”

She was right, as opposed to the Rhodes family ostensive showing of wealth and power, with gold touches on everything from the carpets to the cutlery, as well as the family’s color on most clothing, the Collins household looked like it had been kept the same since its construction. The walls were relatively empty, the carpets looked flat and, though some might find them boring, Wá:ri found them to be quite cozy. The rest of the house was scarcely decorated.

Shay opened the door for Wá:ri and let her go in.

“This is where you’ll stay,” he said.

“Oh, I thought you were taking me to your room.” Wá:ri joked.

“Well, it’s down the hallway, if you want to know. I’ve already told you I wouldn’t mind

a visit, haven’t I?” Shay said, with a shrug.

Wá:ri couldn’t tell how much of that was a joke anymore, but she was alright with it either way.

She gently threw her weapons on top of the bed, and sat on the edge. Shay had taken a seat in the armchair in the corner of the room, facing her. The room wasn’t that big, it was simple like the rest of the house. Apart from the bed in the center of the room, there was the aforementioned armchair and a bedside table. It smelled like pine, something the rest of the house lacked, but it was pleasant.

“So, why did you bring me here?” Wá:ri asked.

Shay was staring at the floor with an intense gaze. She knew she was about to see a side of Shay that was still unknown to her. With a heavy exhale, Shay turned his gaze to Wá:ri’s eyes.

“Lass… What I’m about to tell you is going to take a while…”

Over the following hour or so, Wá:ri keenly listened to Shay’s every word. He told her about his past life as an assassin, and how he became a templar. He told her about all of the people he had to kill, people he considered friends. Le Chasseur, Kesegowaase, Adéwalé, Hope, Chevalier, and Liam, his best friend. She finally heard about Achilles, as well. Though Shay told her all of his story, his whole narrative was focused on a single event - Lisbon. In 1755, Shay was tasked with retrieving a piece of Eden from Lisbon, something she had never even heard of until that day, and couldn’t really get a grasp on what it was. His interaction with the piece of Eden caused an earthquake, which triggered a fire, resulting in the deaths of countless people.

Now Wá:ri knew why he wanted to help her so much - he empathized with her. Just like she left her family because she didn’t understand her father’s reasoning, Shay left the assassins because he couldn’t go along with their moral code.

What should have stopped after almost a full day of conversation, without eating, carried on until it was dark, with Wá:ri explaining her story, as well. She told Shay, who was sitting next to her in the bed, at this point, about growing up in a Mohawk tribe and about how she was taken in by her father when she was eleven. She told him about life with the Rhodes family, especially with her siblings. How Francis and Layla would always argue for no reason, but never let go of each other in any situation, how Kevin and Robbie would spend their days laughing and playing together and how she never once felt alone, even though her siblings were already paired up by the time she became a part of the family. The evening ended with both of them exhausted from crying and laughing.

They went downstairs, to see what they could manage to make a small meal out of, as the maid was already gone. They found some bread in the kitchen, but that wasn’t enough, since they hadn’t eaten lunch, nor dinner.

“I’m going to check the cellar for food.” Shay left the kitchen.

“I’ll see what we have here, then.”

As she looked through the cupboards, Shay yelled something.

“Shit! Wá:ri come here, quick!”

Wá:ri didn’t hesitate for a second. As soon as she heard him yelling, she started moving. She ran out of the kitchen as fast as she could, but little after she took two steps out of the kitchen, she felt someone grab her from behind.

Schwing.

The sound of a hidden blade unsheathing sent her heart rate into overdrive and the cold feeling of that same blade pressing against her neck certainly didn’t help. She also felt something soft pressed against her back, which meant it was certainly not Shay.

“Good evening, sister.”

It can’t be… “Layla?!”

“Oh, you still remember your family? How sweet of you, dear.”

Shay came bursting into the room, from downstairs, “Wá:ri!” He yelled.

As he came into the room, Wá:ri could see his expression change from worried, to almost relieved, to desperate.

“I told you my siblings might come over…” She smiled.

#Assassin's Creed #Assassin's Creed Rogue #original character #oc #fanfic #fanfiction #Shay #Shay Cormac #Shay Patrick Cormac

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corisanna · 5 years

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Would it be uncouth to ask you about writing or story advice? I've been wanting to write a PMMM fic of my own, but I'm having trouble coming up with a plot that hasn't already been done to some extent between the spin-off mangas or Magia Record. As someone who seems to be pretty familiar with at least the mangas, do you think there's still room for new and unique ideas within the universe's established rules and restrictions?

Nah, no worries. Though I’m kinda in denial that anyone would want my advice. XD I still have trouble grasping how many people even read my stuff.

I haven’t read a lot of the various manga, actually. I read the original Oriko Magica and… meh. Haven’t gotten my hands on Tart or Suzune. I was intrigued by Kazumi Magica, though it has some sloppy writing.

But yes, absolutely. There’s near infinite room. In most fictional universes, really.

The Madoka Rescue scene alone opens a lot of doors. That’s what gave the opening for Tart Magica. You can look at historical figures and go one of two ways: How did the result come from a wish and what happened after? or How would this have changed if the figure could have made a wish? Wait, three: Did someone else make a competing wish?

Do a similar thing with other fictional characters. There’s a great Romeo and Juliet PMMM AU on AO3, for instance, in which the tragedy stems from Juliet’s wish.

One thing I’ve thought of and briefly mentioned in Infinity is the potential for magical girl alliances or guilds throughout history. How could that have played out?

Who else has fought Walpurgisnacht, where else and when? What major disaster (preferably before our lifetimes) was actually that witch? Krakatoa 1883? San Francisco 1906? The Tunguska Event in 1908? The 1755 Lisbon earthquake and tsunami? The 526 Antioch earthquake? The Grand Harbour of Malta tornado of 1551? What was the fallout?

What if a major world religion found out about Soul Gems? Hell, what if someone set herself up as a local deity using her Soul Gem?

What if myths and folktales about people wishing for something were spun off from magical girl stories that got distorted with re-tellings the way mythology gets warped? The Midas Touch comes to mind. So does The Monkey’s Paw.

Magia Record and Kazumi Magica have flirted with use of smart phones. But what could have happened when camera phones first became widely available? Were magical girls suddenly a kind of urban cryptid? Did people go out looking for them like a game of real-world Pokemon Go and get their asses dragged into labyrinths?

Was there any part of the series that you suddenly objected “hey, people would notice that!”? Pursue that. What would happen if various kinds of people noticed the thing? Like, does the JSDF go into some kind of internal meltdown every time Homura raids them? Do Yakuza factions get in wars each thinking the other is robbing them? Do they end up allies? What would happen if Homura– especially Moemura– slipped up and they got a brief picture of her? Does Homura pick up after herself or do people start finding shell casings and spent grenades everywhere she fought outside a labyrinth? What maintenance workers were sent to fix the pipe Sayaka and Kyoko broke in their fight and found the remains of a battle, and how did they react to slices in bricks and pavement?

The possibilities are endless.

And that’s not even counting crossovers.

#fandom #fanfiction #fanfic #PMMM #Madoka Magica

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tuscanwalker · 6 years

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Sept 13: Algueda, Walking Day 12 - 28 km

500 ft Gross Altitude Gain

Pretty reasonable walking Day today and my knee is getting stronger all the time. As we walked through and out of Mealhada, we must have seen 25 or 30 restaurants with the word Leitoes in their name. We found out tonight (google) that it refers to roast suckling pig, the specialty of the region. Oh well, another missed opportunity. The walking distance today was not excessive, the trail was mostly paved and flat and even the temperature only reached 28 while we were on the road. Even I find it difficult to whine.

Much of the route followed the old Estrada Real (Royal Road) though small ancient villages that look like they have been there forever. Nonetheless, our immediate interest was focused on small modern bars for cafe con leite and pastel de nata (custard tarts). At one bar, we met two couples (older than us we think) who live on the coast in Belgium. They are walking in the opposite direction to us (Santiago south to Lisbon) with a detour to Fátima along the way. Among other treks, both couples have walked the Camino Francis from Belgium to Santiago (over 2000 km) so they make us look lazy. One woman wore a t-shirt that said “I Walk, Therefore I Am” and she seemed deadly serious about it.

While we are definitely in wine country now, today we were also walking through vineyards that had nothing to do with our favourite beverage. Apparently kiwi is also a big crop here, but we are not use to seeing it grow and it was not until we saw some fruit that the light went on. Shortly thereafter a man in a panel van pulled over, rolled down his window and asked if we were walking to Santiago. When we said yes, he reached into a large cooler and pulled out two of the many bags it held. He handed one to each of us, wished us Buen Camino and drove off. Inside, we were pleased to find that each contained two small but lovely apples and a cold, half litre bottle of water. It almost makes you believe in miracles. The business card inside belonged to Nelson R. Simoes, Director Technico, Laboratorio de Enologia (Analises a Vinhos). While his gift was thoughtful and gracious, we did double check just to make sure that there were no business samples included as well. Note the friendly inhabitants.

Our pace is getting better as my knee improves, so we rolled into town about 2 pm, avoiding much of the worst heat of the day. Agueda is a charming little town of about 15,000 on the banks of the River Agueda which is a tributary Douro River (of Port Wine fame). Many of the central streets have been converted to pedestrian only thoroughfares and then covered by the colourful “umbrella skies” project. The lovely woman in this window was having a protracted conversation with the cat below.

Now, back to Coimbra for the final episode of our serial: Cathedrals. The old Cathedral has a typical story for the Iberian Peninsula. Christians built a church on top of a Visigothic site in the 5th Century, the Moors knocked it down to build a Mosque in the 8th Century and the Christians reconquered Coimbra in 1064 and built a Cathedral on top of that. It’s construction began immediately after the city was retaken and its Romanesque design (thick, high walls, small windows and even crenellations on top) make it look more like a fortress than a church. Probably not a bad idea if you are worried that the people you just threw out, might be back. In contrast, the New Cathedral was built in the 16th Century by the Jesuits as their mother church in Portugal. It’s architecture is Manueline (see earlier blog postings) and Baroque and it became the home of the Bishopric after the Jesuits were expelled from Portugal in 1759 by the Marquis to Pombal (the one who rebuilt Lisbon after the 1755 earthquake referred to before).

Tomorrow is a funny walking day. We will be walking about 25 Km and then we will call our 4* hotel in Agueda (yes another one, this is becoming embarrassing) who will have us picked up by taxi and returned here for a second night owing to a lack of accommodation where we end for the day. The following morning, a taxi will take us back to where we were picked up and we will continue for another 22 km to our next hotel. I am pretty sure that this is not how it was done in the 12th or 13th Century.

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danhaynam-blog · 6 years

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Lisbon

Lisbon welcomes tourists with open arms; every cab driver and even strangers on the street wished us a Happy Christmas or excitedly recommended sights we had to see. It’s an incredibly beautiful city as well. Cathedrals and castles top rolling hills terraced in red-roofed pastel and tile buildings in every direction as far as the eye can see.

The city was decked out for the holidays with tall Christmas trees in the squares, lights on all the buildings, and Santa Clauses roaming the streets handing out traditional Portuguese sweet-breads. The food and wine are quite good year-round, and of late there’s been a bit of a boom in the craft coffee and beer scenes. A merry place to spend Christmas, indeed!

We stayed in the Alfama neighborhood, Lisbon’s oldest and one of the few neighborhoods to largely survive the 1755 earthquake that leveled the city. Alfama’s cobblestone streets are too narrow for cars, so it’s a walking neighborhood. It was enchanting, but also a bit grimy to be honest. Stray dogs roamed the streets and barked through the night, and every once in a while you’d turn the street and get a whiff of trash or have to carefully sidestep what the dogs had left behind. At least it was authentic!

The best part of staying in Alfama was the sunset and sunrise walks we were able to take up the hills behind our AirBnB. A few minutes’ walk led to observation points looking out over the tiled roofs down the hills and out over Lisbon’s bay. We also found great views in the Principe Real neighborhood just across the downtown area from us. Both neighborhoods were lined with beautiful pastel apartments. Uber was an easy and affordable way to get between the two.

Lisbon still has tons of restaurants that are literally holes in the wall, many of them not on Google Maps or Trip Advisor. Some of them are undoubtedly good, but it seemed hard to pull apart the good stuff from the tourist traps (our AirBnB host, a local, said the same). We mainly opted for some of the city’s newer and more innovative places that are taking the traditional and spicing it up a bit. We found a wine and tapas bar that served local craft brews alongside traditional Portuguese bruschetta, and fast-casual place called O Prego da Peixaria that served up traditional Portuguese sandwiches with a twist in modern environs. Gin bars are a big deal here as well, as are pastry shops serving the local specialty pastel de nata. The city is a foodie’s delight, to be sure.

Cooking in has been one of the fun things to do on this trip. It’s a great way to relax after a long day of touring, and a good way to save some cash while increasing the vegetable intake and decreasing the sodium (yes, you actually think about how dried out you feel from constantly consuming restaurant food and its high salt content while traveling on a 10-week journey). In Lisbon, the grocery store providing ingredients was Pingo Doce, and the new ingredient was black garlic. A crazy gooey substance created by keeping whole cloves of garlic at a warm temperature for over a month, black garlic has a deep and earthy flavor that went great with couscous and quinoa grain bowls. I’ll have to look for it back home.

A couple of my favorite excursions in Lisbon were museums. The tile museum is cool, just because Portugal’s use of tile is so unique and the variety of work on display from the past five centuries is stunning. The traditional tile work shows painstaking attention to detail and extreme skill. There was some new tile work as well, from a currently active Japanese artist who regularly collaborates with peers in Portugal. Her work was clean and modern, and distinctively Japanese, but with echoes of Portugal.

My other favorite museum was an unexpected surprise, more of a factory tour actually. (I have a thing for factory tours). We thought we were going to a museum of architecture and technology (MAAT) but got there to find there was an option to go into another building, a grand and massive brick and steel structure. That building was the coal power plant that powered Lisbon until the 1960s.

Since the 1960s, all of Portugal has been on renewable energy (quite the feat) so the power plant has been decommissioned. The museum inside consisted of all the original equipment from the power factory, with modifications made to help viewers better experience what the power plant would have been like when operational. We walked up and into a furnace that weighed 120 tons and heated to 2500 degrees Fahrenheit. Today, it includes a lit-up floor that looks eerily like live coals, with speakers playing coal burning noises. I got a bit scared I might actually get burned alive… or get compacted like Luke in Star Wars!

Going down into the basement of the building after touring the furnaces, we found the ash room, or “power plant’s hell.” Here workers were subjected to extremely hot temperatures indoors, freezing temperatures outdoors, and extremely unhealthy particle pollution that led to their untimely deaths. Having seen this up close, I can now even more confidently say that coal and oil will not be making America great again.

No trip to Lisbon is complete, I suppose, without touring some of its historic architecture: cathedrals, castles, monasteries, churches, and convents — all hundreds of years old, and pretty much perfectly intact. Although, one of the most beautiful buildings we saw was the Carmo Convent that is decidedly not intact, since its roof caved in during the 1755 earthquake. Its stone vaults built in the 1300s still stand though, and framed against a bright blue, cloud-dotted sky, they’re surreal. Reminds me of Tintern Abbey, possibly my favorite old church in the world.Another standout was the Jeronimos Monastery, an absolutely massive and ornately decorated Gothic structure from the 1500s.

Over our six days in town, Lisbon charmed us with its architecture, history, and livability. It’s hard not to love a city that wakes up some time after 8 AM, calls any meal without wine breakfast, and has so many stunning views and narrow alleys that you’d need months to explore them all. From our AirBnB host Nuno, to our Uber drivers, to strangers in the street, Lisbon’s residents greeted us warmly and seemed genuinely happy to have us visiting their city. Lisbon was a pleasant stop on our journey and one I’d be happy to revisit some day.

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ashafriesen · 4 years

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7 Days And 6 Nights Portugal Itinerary

7 days and 6 nights Portugal Itinerary

Last year was a little low for me when it came to travel, due to family issues. Last November, when I realised that hubby was traveling to Portugal for work, I seized the opportunity. November is also a month when my Anniversary falls so this became a trip for just the two of us :). If you have been married like me for 16 years you will realise how much these breaks are important for bonding.

A lot of people combine Spain with Portugal but I would not recommend the same as there is enough and more to see in Portugal itself, especially if you are constrained for time.

Spain With Kids: Our Family Trip & Travel Experiences In Spain

Our journey started on not such a great note because our flights got cancelled a day prior, so we had to rebook and we reached a day later than expected and at midnight to Porto.

We chose an apartment very close to the Douro river, at a walkable distance to all the main attractions in Mouzinho Oporto tourist Apartments, a small but cozy studio apartment for two. Here are details of my 7 Day and 6 Nights Portugal Itinerary. Hope this helps you plan your vacation.

PORTO: Portugal Itinerary

On our very first day in Porto, it was pouring from the word go. It was super cold but we managed to cross bridge over the Douro river to go to the city across which is called Gaia.

The bridge that connects Porto And Gaia

While we all know Porto as a beautiful city by the Douro river and is famous for its Port wine, in actuality, Porto has nothing to do with Port wine! The Port wine actually was brought to the limelight because of the British and some of the famous and the oldest wine cellars belong to them and while port wine is actually produced in the Douro valley, 140 kms away from Porto.

The city of Porto along the Douro River

It is stored in Gaia in wine cellars and not in Porto. The ones to visit are Calem and Sandeman for sure. You can book online in advance or buy tickets over there, but do check on their tour timings online. They have fixed timings and if you just land up like us, you can waste a few hours with nothing to do.

The Calem Wine Cellar, Gaia Wine tasting in Calem

Enjoying my glass of port wine at the wine tasting in Calem

The entire city is located on hill tops, so you see bunch of old colourful houses from the river and its bridge. A walk by the river or a river cruise is highly recommended. The cruise is just 15 min and in that time you can see all the 6 bridges and go to the point where the river joins the sea. Porto has beautiful view points from where you can watch the sunset. Its undoubtedly is one city that has one of the most beautiful sunsets.

Beautiful sunset in Porto

The things to try when you are in Porto is definitely Portuguese Nata( an egg yolk Tart), Super Bock Beer and Francesinha( I am aware that this word is made by joining France and Sinha and I wonder if we had anything to do with it ????). A very interesting story around Nata is that it was discovered because the nuns used to use egg white to starch their clothes and a lot of yolk was wasted so hence this sweet was invented. It’s yummy, by the way. While I have an egg allergy, I tried it and loved it.

Superbock beer and Portuguese Nata- a must try in Portugal

Francesinha on the other hand is a lethal layers of sausages and meat combo with cheese and sauce on the top and the Portuguese claim that it’s so lethal that you can have this only once a month. There is a vegan version too, I skipped this one but if you are a meat lover, it’s a must do.

Francesinha

The best way to discover the city of Porto is by foot. The streets are cobbled so I would definitely suggest to wear comfortable shoes. I was grateful for my sneakers. I would recommend two nights and if you can extend then do visit the Douro valley tour from here.

Porto city view

P.s.- A lot of info here courtesy the walking tour I did with SANDEMANs NEW Europe

LISBON: Portugal Itinerary

On Day three, we took a train to headed to Lisbon. It’s just 2.30 hours by road or train from Porto. Luckily for us the weather was wonderful here, with an occasional shower here and there. Lisbon is a metropolitan city but the history and culture of Lisbon is as bewitching, or more, as Porto. We stayed in the Corinthia Hotel here but would not recommend it as it’s pretty much away from main tourist attractions. Stay in Alfama area.

Grafitti in Lisbon

If I could sum my entire stay in Lisbon, it would be in three words – history, culture and Gastronomical experience.

As usual, I started exploring Lisbon on Day 4, with free walking tours to understand the city and its culture well. This time I chose Take Lisboa tours and I found our guide Yuri extremely passionate about the history of the city which made the tour even more interesting.

If you look into the history of Portugal, it has had its share of downs, with invasion by Napoleon, the great earthquake of 1755 which nearly wiped out 85 % of the city and the reign of Salazar. They finally got their independence with the famous ‘Carnation Revolution’ in 1974 and it’s only after that their economy started growing. So it’s a European nation that’s still evolving. What will strike you is the friendliness of the locals and you will feel at home at once.

Lisbon has distinctive areas which you need to visit

Baixa – This is downtown, starts around a famous square (Rossio) and ends at Praca de Comercio.

Chiado/Bairro Alto – Here is where you find the night-life. Portugal is known for bar hopping and nightclubs.

Alfama – Old neighbourhood around the castle. This area was initially the habitat of prostitutes and had hamams as it was rich in hot springs. Legend goes, the word Alfama comes from ‘The Hamam’.

Av de Liberdade – Do not miss the “High-end” shopping in this area.

Belem – Here is where you find the most historic monuments and the famous pastry, Pasteis de Belem ie historic cream tart

Docas – marina area with restaurants and night life

Parque das Nacoes – The new modern area of Lisbon

Of these I would totally recommend walking tours of Baixa, Belem, Alfama and Chiado. You can explore these areas later at your ease in the day.

It’s also one of the cheaper European countries so will not create a big hole in your pocket. Of course, you still have to look out for pick pockets.

My absolute recommendations of things to do in Lisbon

Do the heritage tram route of 28 or 24.

28 number heritage Tram Lisbon

View points – Cafe Bellissimo near Carmo covent, Belem tower, and St George’s castle.

Eat at bistros, vintage cafes and michellen star restaurants. Food is reasonable unlike most other European countries.

Walk around in the Chiado area, Alfama, Belem and soak the culture. Visit the Jerenimos Monastery, museum of coaches, Lisbon Cathedral, Carmo Convent etc.

Cathedral at Lisboa- The structure that stands tall even after the earthquake

If you have time- visit the LX factory. An offbeat place with multiple boutique shops and restaurants. Loved the vibe there. The place is famous for products it makes from corks so definitely buy a bag, shoes or hats made of it. It’s a great tool for recycling.

A chocolate cafe at the LX factory, Lisbon

Learn about the famous poets of Portugal- Fernando Passeo, Luis De Camoes, Almeida Garret to name a few.

Posing with Fernando, the poet

*Go to a Fado concert- The powerful music style is described as nostalgia and longing. * Check out graffitis across the city. You will also realise where Mario Miranda derived his inspiration from.

Graffiti in Lisbon

*Drink Green Wine- yes, it’s a thing and has only 6% alcohol.

Green wine- a must try in Lisbon

*Do Tagus river cruise if you have the time. *The nightclubs and bars in Lisbon are open till 9 am!!! They really party! And Bairro Alto is your area to be.

You can walk everywhere but remember it’s all uphill and downhill mostly and cobbled streets. Uber is super cheap, so use that when needed.

SINTRA: Portugal Itinerary

Day 5, we decided to explore the lazy, small, historic town nestled in the hills about a 30 min ride from Lisbon called, Sintra. Being stationed a bit up it’s temperature is always a little lower than Lisbon unless I, like an eternal optimist decided that it’s going to be a sunny day and it really was!

The Whimsical Pena Palace At Sintra

I did a private tour to Sintra with my friends, since hubby was busy. We walked through the city centre and the by-lanes soaking the entire vibe of the city.

Sintra

With My Friends in Sintra

The vibe of the town of Sintra

Things that we missed and would like to do the next time is the Moorish castle and the Quinta da Regaleira – A lavish mansion and fascinating gardens that contain hidden tunnels and secretive religious symbolism because apparently the person who owned it was a free mason.

Quinta Da Regaleira

Our guide Feliciano from GetYourGuide took us to this non touristy beach, Praia da Adraga, which had beautiful waves, caves and a cove from where the waves would break and come like a froth to kiss your feet. It had to be my most favourite place to visit.

Praia da Adraga beach near Sintra

Our last stop was lunch at a beach town Cascais further away where my girlfriends and I finished off a pitcher of Sangria, listening to some College romantics in a town square. Unfortunately, I don’t have pics of this place. This place also has the biggest casino so do visit if you like casinos.

This is how wonderful my holiday was. We were in Portugal for 7 nights and I liked just walking around the place. If I had to go back here are a few places I would like to add to my itinerary;

Aveiro – aka Venice of Portugal

Coimbra – Seat of oldest University of Europe

Evora – Old Roman Capital and centre of wine regions, Alentejo

Faro – Capital of Algarve, touristy beach region of Portugal

Geres national Park- to enjoy the amazing landscapes

Have any questions about Portugal? Planning a trip there? Comment below and I will get back.

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simonconsultancypage · 6 years

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A Visit to Lisbon

Torre de Belém

The D&O Diary’s European assignment continued last week with a stopover in Lisbon, Portugal’s hilly capital city, known to the locals as Lisboa. It is located on the north side of the Rio Tejo (known as the Tagus River in English). The city itself has about 550,000, but the city’s sprawling metropolitan area has about 2.7 million residents. Lisbon may not have the allure of some other European capitals, but it has an abundance of history and charm; a diversity of interesting neighborhoods to explore; and an abundance of great food, as reflected in the pictures below.

The city has two iconic landmarks for which it is well-known. The first it the Torre de Belém (pictured at the top of the post), located at the mouth of the Rio Tejo, where the river meets the Atlantic. The Torre was the embarkation point for the voyages of discovery in the country’s great era of maritime exploration. The other well-known landmark in the city is the Castelo de São Jorge, a Moorish castle occupying the most prominent hilltop in the center city. The Castelo is visible from many locations around the city, and from the Castelo itself there are sweeping views of the river and of the city’s historic districts.

The Castelo viewed from the Bairro Alto

The city was badly damaged by a terrible earthquake in 1755. Following the earthquake, the lower Baixa district was completely rebuilt on a grid plan. Today the area is largely pedestrianized. Then central north-south artery in the district, the Rua Augusta, leads through the Rua Augusta Archway into the Praça do Comércio, built on the location of the former royal palace, destroyed by the earthquake. The plaza leads down to the riverside and is a transportation hub and central gathering place in the city’s center.

Rua Augusta in the Baixa district, looking toward the Rua Augusta archway and toward the river

The Praça do Comércio

Inside the colonnades at the Praça do Comércio

The Praça do Comércio viewed from the Castelo

Just below the Castelo is the city’s oldest district, the Alfama, which spreads between the Castelo and the river. The Alfama is full of narrow, winding streets as well as a host of cafes, restaurants, and fado clubs (music halls featuring the traditional Portuguese music called “fado”). Within the district is the Miradouro de Santa Luzia, which affords great views over the district’s rooftops toward the river. Just next to the Alfama is the neighboring district of Graça. The Miradouro de Santa Graça affords great views of the Castelo and of the River.

Inside the Alfama District

The Alfama district and the Rio Tejo viewed from the Miradouro de Santa Luzia

View from the Miradouro de Santa Graça toward the Castelo

View back toward Santa Graça from the Castelo

On the other side of and above the Baixa district is the Bairo Alto district, whose hilltops afford beautiful views of the river and of the castle. Among the best overlooks in the city is the Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara, which provides one of the best views of the Castelo. There was a street festival at the overlook on the evening we visited, with street food, beer, and sangria. A great way to spend an evening. There are also many restaurants and fado clubs in the Bairro Alto’s narrow streets. We went to a fado show in the Bairro Alto at the famous O Faia club, where the music and the food were absolutely terrific.

An evening street festival in Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara, with views of the Castelo in the background

There are a number of interesting destinations just outside Lisbon. On Sunday, we took a driving tour of the city, with stops in the upscale seaside community of Cascais; at the Cabo de Roca, the westernmost point in Continental Europe, and at the mountainous community of Sintra, the location of several royal palaces, as well as extensive wooded parklands. From the terraces of the Pena Palace, we could see the ocean and we could also see all the way back to Lisbon (about 20 miles).

Cascais

Cabo de Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe

Pena Palace, in Sintra

The Castelo dos Mouros in Sintra, viewed from the Pena Palace

There are clearly many great reasons to visit Lisbon but arguably above all the best reason to visit Lisbon is the food. We had some terrific meals there. One of the traditional dishes served in most restaurants is bacalhau, which is salted cod. It is said that there are 365 different ways to prepare bacalhau; we enjoyed several of them, as shown below. The high point of gastronomy while in Lisbon was the meal at O Faia, where I had a dinner of octopus.

Grilled bacalhau

Bacalhau à Brás (salted cod, shredded potatoes, eggs, and black olives)

Grilled octopus, at the O Faia fado club (yes, I ate the whole thing)

Other European cities may be more glamorous, but I am here to tell you, Lisbon is a great place. I have been there twice now, and both times as I was leaving, I was already plotting my return.

Lisbon, viewed from the far side of the Rio Tejo

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lawfultruth · 6 years

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A Visit to Lisbon

Torre de Belém

The Castelo viewed from the Bairro Alto

Rua Augusta in the Baixa district, looking toward the Rua Augusta archway and toward the river

The Praça do Comércio

Inside the colonnades at the Praça do Comércio

The Praça do Comércio viewed from the Castelo

Inside the Alfama District

The Alfama district and the Rio Tejo viewed from the Miradouro de Santa Luzia

View from the Miradouro de Santa Graça toward the Castelo

View back toward Santa Graça from the Castelo

An evening street festival in Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara, with views of the Castelo in the background

Cascais

Cabo de Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe

Pena Palace, in Sintra

The Castelo dos Mouros in Sintra, viewed from the Pena Palace

Grilled bacalhau

Bacalhau à Brás (salted cod, shredded potatoes, eggs, and black olives)

Grilled octopus, at the O Faia fado club (yes, I ate the whole thing)

Other European cities may be more glamorous, but I am here to tell you, Lisbon is a great place. I have been there twice now, and both times as I was leaving, I was already plotting my return.

Lisbon, viewed from the far side of the Rio Tejo

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golicit · 6 years

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A Visit to Lisbon

Torre de Belém

The Castelo viewed from the Bairro Alto

Rua Augusta in the Baixa district, looking toward the Rua Augusta archway and toward the river

The Praça do Comércio

Inside the colonnades at the Praça do Comércio

The Praça do Comércio viewed from the Castelo

Inside the Alfama District

The Alfama district and the Rio Tejo viewed from the Miradouro de Santa Luzia

View from the Miradouro de Santa Graça toward the Castelo

View back toward Santa Graça from the Castelo

An evening street festival in Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara, with views of the Castelo in the background

Cascais

Cabo de Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe

Pena Palace, in Sintra

The Castelo dos Mouros in Sintra, viewed from the Pena Palace

Grilled bacalhau

Bacalhau à Brás (salted cod, shredded potatoes, eggs, and black olives)

Grilled octopus, at the O Faia fado club (yes, I ate the whole thing)

Other European cities may be more glamorous, but I am here to tell you, Lisbon is a great place. I have been there twice now, and both times as I was leaving, I was already plotting my return.

Lisbon, viewed from the far side of the Rio Tejo

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troop2017 · 7 years

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I finished my last post by noting that we were expecting rain the following day and so would be van bound.

To a certain extent this is what happened. I went out for a walk in the morning to try to find the Mercadona that, I thought, was a mile and a half up the road somewhere. I was trying to get there and back before the rain was due to hit. Halfway there I still had over a mile to go – google maps has a habit of giving you the distance ‘as the crow flies’ and then giving you the real distance when you press the start button – or so it seems to me anyway!

So I decided to turn back after popping into the local garage (where I discovered the diesel was priced at 1.08 per litre), as I thought I probably wouldn’t avoid the rain otherwise. As it happened I was right, but that didn’t stop Calv from giving me a really hard time for not making it to the shop!!

Calv was keen to cycle on the tracks that we’d found the previous day, so he donned his wet gear and went off. I got on with some chores (and had a bit of a read of my book) and he cycled about 25km and came back really happy (and really wet).

The rain, once it started, was unrelenting, and then we had a real surprise when it turned to snow and started laying. When we woke in the morning it was to a carpet of white!

A snowy March day in Salamanca

We therefore changed our original plan – to cycle into the city along the river (there is a very good path along the river from the campsite), and decided to catch the bus instead. The bus stop is about 3/4 mile from the campsite and the cost was 1.40 each, each way. The bus drops you on the Gran Via (and to return you get on exactly where you’re dropped off) and from there it is easy to find the sites.

It’s probably best to head for Plaza Mayor first as this is where the Tourist Information is situated. We didn’t we kept walking along the Gran Via and came across our first monument, the Convento de San Estaban. We weren’t sure it was open at first as there was some sort of emergency services exercise going on. It cost 3 Euros each to get in and was definitely worth it, with the cloisters, staircase, confessionals and, of course, the church to see.

Cloister at San Estaban

Stairs with the sculpture of Mary Magdalene

Te church at San Estaban

On leaving San Estaban we headed up past the cathedral(s) and one of the many university/college buildings. Then right up towards the Plaza Mayor where there were numerous eateries and bars to choose from.

We then wandered fairly aimlessly wondering at all the amazing buildings that we saw at every turn – literally! We found a church, Vera Cruz, that looked nothing extra special really from the outside, but when you went in it was amazing (we didn’t get any pictures as there were people in there praying).

Walking back down from here we came across a house inscribed ‘Casa de Muerte’, or ‘House of the Dead’. Under the window sills there were skulls (not real ones; well I don’t think so anyway…!) Calv had wandered off to take some more photos while I was looking at this and a Spanish guy started talking to him (he thought he was scared of his dog). This gent, Antonio Grande, was a very interesting man; a former English and History teacher he had spent a lot of time in the UK, including Portsmouth, our home town, and Swansea, my dad’s birthplace.

He told us the best places to visit and a very brief history and I decided to ask him about the ‘House of the Dead”’ – he told us that apparently a woman married and lived with 3 husbands in this house. All 3 of them were murdered and apparently sealed in the walls, where they were found hundreds of years later when renovations were made…. There are other legends detailed in the link that I’ve included above.

Thank you Antonio Grande for bringing our visit to Salamanca to life :)

We then wandered a little more and headed to the Scala Coeli (3 euros each), 200 steps up 2 towers from which the views are amazing. You can also visit the Papal university here, but unfortunately this didn’t open until 5pm. The views were indeed amazing and we could also see into ‘the shell house’ opposite (unfortunately closed at the moment due to renovations), but so-called as the outer walls are covered in about 300 shells.

Finally it was time to visit the cathedral, or rather cathedrals. There is a new cathedral, started in 1513, and the old cathedral, started in the 12th century. They are actually connected and you can pay 4.75Euros each to visit both.

The new cathedral is beautiful and has several chapters ranged around the outer walls and 2 organs, 1 considerably older than the other. It is much larger than the old cathedral, which also has 2 extremely old organs of it’s own. It was also severely damaged in the Lisbon earthquake of 1755 and has undergone some re-building following this. For me this was a more interesting visit.

(Apologies for the quality of the photos – Calv was taking so many photos that the battery on his camera ran out. Before we got to the cathedral…)

We then visited the cathedral towers, more steps! As we emerged out into the open at the top it had just started snowing again. Again there were amazing views from the bell tower – I lost Calv when he went into the ‘clock workings’ room and I didn’t see him so carried on down to the bottom. I had to employ my limited German to ask the 3 girls who he’d taken a photo for earlier if they’d seen him! ‘Yes, he’s looking for you!’

We were now pretty tired so decided to head back to the bus – we definitely slept well!!

We also only saw about a quarter of what there is to see in Salamanca. It wasn’t on our radar in any way before visiting – it definitely is now :)

More details of the city can be found here:- Salamanca history

Salamanca – what a wonderful surprise I finished my last post by noting that we were expecting rain the following day and so would be van bound.

#Convento de San Estaban #Gran Via #Salamanca #Salamanca cathedral #Salamanca cathedral tower #Salamanca cathedral towers #Scala Coeli #Snow in Spain #spain #Spain buses #Spanish cities #The Dead House #travel

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mariannemorris · 7 years

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View of the city of Lisbon

I’m home. It took a while, but I made it. The trip was long… it actually took 2 days. Started out normally enough, a bit late boarding the plane but not unusually so. But then we sat out on the tarmac. And sat. And sat. Finally, we went back into the terminal to sit there until they figured out if they could fix the problem with the plane. And then they bussed the lot of us to a hotel for the night. Sounds like an ordeal but it was actually kinda fun… the hotel was on the other side of the city, so we got a bus tour of an area I hadn’t managed to get to. I got to drive right under the aqueduct, which I was sure I was going to miss altogether. The hotel was quite nice, and we were provided with a lovely buffet dinner. I spent a few hours talking to my fellow passengers over food and wine… people I would never really had the opportunity to talk to if we had just got on the plane and gone. I made a couple new friends. And when we did finally get going, it was almost like being at a social event. People were wandering the aisles chatting, instead of just sitting there watching the inflight entertainment. Not too bad at all.

I’ve noticed a few things about the Portuguese. They run on their own version of time… and nobody seems to get irritated at delays. People just go with the flow, and things work out. Every place seems to shut down for a few hours in the afternoon. I was told they go home and have lunch with their families. Maybe have a nap. I think North Americans should take note… they seem to be much happier than the average person here.

People in Europe seem to have normal shaped bodies. I saw very few insanely thin women, bulked up men, or obese people. I also noticed that by comparison, at 5’7″, I am tall (here I am on the short side of average). I noticed this while on a crowded metro in Lisbon. I was one of the tallest people in the car. I wonder if this is because of all the additives we have in our food…. because the food in Portugal seems much fresher and less processed. The bread is stale in two days, the egg yolks are almost orange instead of pale yellow, and the majority of the supermarket is fresh produce, meat, cheese, fish. Not nearly as much in packages. And of course there is always lots of wine. It is local, inexpensive, and very good. And a part of life. Here, if you drink wine with every meal people would think you have a problem.

The cities there do not seem to be built for the car. There are areas that are pedestrian only, and lots of people on foot. While I might see lots of pedestrians in downtown Toronto, outside of that it’s not as common. Women in Portugal do not wear heels as a matter of course. It’s not practical at all given the cobblestone streets and the hills… you’d be likely to break an ankle if you tried to navigate the roads in stiletto heels. Almost everyone in Portugal speaks more than one language. Chatting with the woman who runs the art supply store in Albufeira, I asked how many languages she spoke. Five. Finding someone with both our official languages here is unusual. And while I speak bits and pieces of a few different languages, I am only able to have an actual conversation in English. I really should work on that.

Europeans seem to see a value in old things that we in North America don’t. There is history everywhere. Yes, I understand we are a much younger country, but I returned to a flap about a heritage building in Toronto being unexpectedly demolished. Even in my own neighbourhood we have a grand, old building presently being “rebuilt”… oh they saved the facade, but the rest of the building had to go. Why not just renovate and restore? From what I understand it was structurally sound… but I digress…

I’ve just started going through my hundreds of photos from the trip. I had some interesting ones that I haven’t posted yet, along with my shots from the couple of days in Lisbon. If you’ve been following along, it might be of interest to check them out. I loved Lisbon…. and kinda wish I had more time. I got to see the Castelo de Sao Jorge, the Santa Justa lift and the Carmo Church ruins, but missed the Jerónimos Monastery and the Belem tower. I guess I’ll get to those next time. And there will be a next time.

Oh, and if you happen to be interested in visiting the area I was in, the villa I stayed in is rented out when not otherwise in use. You can check it out on the website allgoalgarve.com.

Lisbon is build on a hill, and all the roads are crazy narrow. I saw a bus have to navigate one of these corners… it’s amazing they don’t do any damage.

Some of the roads are still cobblestone. It’s easy to forget cars use these roads as well. I often saw people walking in the middle of the road.

This is a castle just like I had imagined a castle to be. The moat is no longer full of water, now it’s grass and flowers.

It never actually rained on this day, though the following day it rained like hell. I didn’t care, I was sitting in an airport.

There are a couple old cannons along one wall in the courtyard area. Look at that view…

There were these little windows all around the closed in areas. I guess so you could see an advancing army

I was trying to get a shot that showed how high up I was… some of the walkways were really narrow the stairs steep. I got a bit of vertigo being that high up. I

A quiet little corner to contemplate life. I have to admit I was having a bit of a hard time processing I was walking around in a structure erected in the 1100s. Mind blown.

This lovely courtyard had beautiful views of the city.

These guys were just hanging around on the castle grounds. Obviously not afraid of people… they just ignored everyone.

The Castle is high up on a hill, so the views of the city are pretty amazing.

I think I took this during my trek up the the Castle. On the map it looked like it was right beside the metro stop. It was up a giant hill, which started right beside the metro stop.

There is art everywhere in Lisbon. Every fountain is something to admire.

This elevator connects the lower neighbourhood of Baixa with the upper area of Carmo. Beautiful design by Raoul Mesnier du Ponsard.

The terrace allows you a beautiful view of the city. You can see the Castle in the background (to the left). I’m standing on the platform with the Carmo church behind me.

This old church and convent was damaged in the earthquake of 1755. It was left standing as is.

There were some buskers gathering a crowd at the bottom of this hill. The cross street is one of a few pedestrian only areas.

Lisbon is a city built on “seven hills”. Again, I found myself walking either up or down, vary rarely finding flat.

The Europeans understand how to do food. I wandered into this place because it was raining,and was astounded. Its like a gourmet food court, with beer and wine, of course. You sit at these long tables and talk to whoever happens to sit beside you, which for me was two lovely Irish women touring the city. A fun way to have lunch.

I wandered into a few different churches while in the city. All had beautiful architecture with high vaulted ceilings. Lots of gold in the alter areas. The light was beautiful.

Artisans had set up tables lining the passageways surrounding the Plaça do Comércio. Lots of beautiful handmade trinkets and jewellery.

A road closed off to traffic, where the restaurants have set up tables (with heaters and tents) in the middle of the street for patrons to enjoy their food and the atmosphere

Intricate details everywhere I looked….

And some bits and pieces leftover from my Algarve photos (click on a pic to go through the slide show)…

Another building slated for restoration.

I love all the shutters on the windows.

Standing guard over an elaborate wrought Iron gate…

The traditional tiles around the doors and windows are just lovely. Sometimes they will cover an entire wall.

A rusty, elaborate door knocker

I love all the old doors and windows I’ve been finding around here…

Dogs lounging around the neighbourhood

This hasn’t been restored yet, but I’m sure it will be…

Closeup of the Albufeira church roof

This looks very different than the road work done in Toronto…

Thus building was up on a hill, so you can see the levels beneath it.

Another balcony, this one with a stained glass window

Walking along the beach… the view from high up on the cliff

The Leftovers: Lisbon and the Algarve I'm home. It took a while, but I made it. The trip was long... it actually took 2 days.

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