We (Vivienne, Virginia
[Viv’s sister} and Pierre {husband}) arrived at Porto around 5pm and went to
our hotel the Pestana Ribeira which is a great hotel and highly
recommended. Located on the Douro river
in the buzziest square in Porto the location could not be bettered. Tourism now represents over 25% of Porto’s
GDP and the hotel is thriving and expanding so much so it took over Lonely
Planet’s top restaurant recommendation that was next door and replaced it with
a rib & beef restaurant. We wanted
seafood and went to Terreiro in the next square on the recommendation of the
concierge. Good restaurant; I had the
baked cod which was excellent.
The next day we were
booked to go on a Douro cruise. The night before Virginia had asked at
reception how far it was to the quay and was told two minutes. The next morning at 7:50 we asked where was
the quay to be told it was on the other side of the river. Total panic as it was a 30 minute walk. We grabbed a taxi and told the concierge to
ring and hold the boat. We get to the
quay at 8:05 only to be told that no the boat was back where we started. Now in the mode of total panic communicated
to the driver who went the wrong way down one way streets but got us there just
in time. Travel is not about the
destination but the journey. The river Douro
cruise is a must do however it is a long day.
You pass under the bridges of Porto which are spectacular. The most impressive was designed by Eiffel
but is no longer being used. You pass through
landscape that generally gets hillier two big locks and then reach the terraced
vineyards of the upper Duoro some 3 hours into the trip. We finally disembarked at Rigua only to be
told that our train trip back on an old train had been cancelled and we would
be taking a bus back at 4:30. Miffed we
then caught a tourist mini train, toured the town which had nothing except a
port tasting cellar, finally caught the bus and got back around 6:45.
The lunch on the boat
was mediocre and we struck gold for dinner that night at Jimao restaurant. We were lucky as there was a cancellation
just as we walked in. The Tapas were so
good we booked to come back. Both times
the food was phenomenal and the bill for 4 people was 100 euros including a bottle of
their best rose.
The next day was wine
tasting at Porto Cruz across the river followed by lunch on terrace garden. We
then took a taxi to Placa Libertad. I left the three of them and went
for massage. Longer walk than expected but discovered Rua de Cedofeita
which was a pedestrian street that led to the university and full of quirky
shops and people. We ate that night at Casada
Pasto Das Palmieras which was an interesting restaurant recommended by followed
by chocolate at Café majestic.
Next day we went to
the museum of Serraves which had several exhibitions of performance and modern
art. Woeful would be a generous
complement. My test is simple. Could I with my very limited visual ability
replicate the work. If yes I deem it
crap. By contrast in The Hague we went
to the Martinhauss museum where we saw 6 Rembrandts and Vermeers Girl with a Pearl
Earring. No chance of a copy by yours
truly. For lunch we ended up at Dom Peixe in
Matosinhos. Again highly recommended and
we were subsequently told it is one of the best fish restaurants in
Portugal. The street is filled with
outside barbeques grilling the fish but Dom Peixe with its white table cloths
is the best.
We then caught the
metro back to the Sao Bento station and that night ate at Jimao. We had different Tapas which were again
superb. If you go to Porto this is the
restaurant but you have to book.
The next day was a bit
of a shambles. We were catching the train to Lisbon and were thinking we would
catch the 10:00 am unfortunately we learned you have to go to the station to
book the seat allocation. We should have
done this earlier but the result was we had to take the 1pm. We got to our hotel at around 5 and ended up
having dinner at the Clube de Fado.
Service was good, food average and we heard three different fado
singers, all women. Not cheap but there
is a passion when they sing. Chico a former boyfriend of Virginia’s, had booked
the four of us to go.
The next day he had
booked Vivienne and me to go to Sintra.
We managed again to just catch our train at 10 and got there at 10:45
where we finally caught up with our tuk tuk driver. We then spent 2 hours driving around the
hills of Sintra looking at the amazing castles, forts and mansions. By now we
had seen 9 cities and their sights and were tripped out. Also Sintra was packed both cars and
tourists, we were quite happy with the external views and the guide knew the
best viewing locations. We caught the
train/subway back and had a rest. That
night we went to Cascais to have dinner with Chico, his younger daughter and
his 5th wife at the Mar de Inferno.
The company was charming and the evening was entertaining. There is an incredible interchange of people between
Portugal and Brazil. Of course with the Olympics on Portugal was one of the few
countries that could listen to the Brazilian commentators.
The next morning Chico
organised another tuk tuk tour of Lisbon by Vico. This time we lasted 3 hours and saw some
amazing views of Lisbon. The best sight
was the burnt church of Sao Domingoes. The
church was destroyed in the 1755 earthquake rebuilt and then damaged again by a
fire in 1950. The church is still in
operation and the atmosphere quite amazing.
The tour finished at the Jeronimus Monestary. The queue was over 500 people but the guide
to us to skip the queue and just go to the church where the entrance is free
and which contains the graves of Vasco de Gama and Luis de Carnoes who is the #1
national poet of Portugal and who wrote about Vasco. So we ticked of that box and then walked down
to the Belem Tower. Again a big queue so
we passed on going inside and caught a taxi back. That night we had a terrific meal at the MOMAgrill
which is highly recommended. Pierre had
discovered this restaurant on a previous visit.
For our last day in
Lisbon we went to the Igreja do Carmo which was the largest church in Lisbon. The roof caved in on the 1 November 1755
earthquake which was All Saints Day and meant that all the churches of Lisbon
were packed. The King ordered that the
church should be kept as is as a monument to the dead. The Sao Domigoes church was the site of the
Inquisition and its square was where all the victims were burnt. Voltaire made great play of the fact that the
most Godly places in Lisbon were destroyed while Alfama the centre of
prostitution in Lisbon escaped the earthquake relatively unscathed. The church includes an archeological museum.
You can catch an elevator
up 5 euros round trip. The queue was
again enormous. There were 4 of us so we
took a taxi. 10 euro for the trip and
you were dropped right outside the church on the square. The walk down is quick and easy.
We had a late lunch at
MOMAgrill again, caught the 20:15 to London, and then the night mare of trying
to go through Heathrow after 11pm. If
you can, never arrive at Heathrow after 11 pm.
They shut the epassport gates and there was 1 guy processing some 400
people. It took us 45 minutes to go
through the gate.
After four days in
London we were kindly driven to Terminal 5 at London Heathrow where I was
singed for 65 pounds because Vivienne’s bag was overweight by 2.5 kilos. We flew to Athens and drove to our first stop
Naplio. It had been described in an
article as one of top 10 villages in Europe and the car rental guy said it was
the best place to visit in Greece. It is
a spectacular place filled with Greek families on holiday.
We were staying at the
Amfitriti Palazzo neat door to Lonely Planet’s star recommendation the Pension
Marianne. The view from both places at
the top of the hill is truly spectacular but getting there is a challenge. The hotel sent you a video of how to get to
the car park above the hotel which is a first for me. When we got to the car park it was jammed
full but by some miracle someone was just going and we grabbed the spot. I left the car there for the next 4 days and
we took taxis. LP says that heights come
at a small cost namely several flights of stairs. It is more than that 5 euros to be exact
which is the price of a taxi ride from the town rank to the car park. We walked up once and it nearly killed
me.
We went to the town
beach twice. Lots of pebbles so I
invested in a new pair of flip flops. A
massive and impressive fortress the Palamidi started by the Venetians and
finished by the Ottomans overlooks the town.
You can climb the 999 steps to get there or pay 30 euro for a taxi to
take you there and wait. No surprise as
to what option we took.
We visited the War
Museum which describes the War of Independence versus Turks and then the terrible
suffering in WW2. The Greeks gave stick
to the Italians but then the Nazis took over.
There is an excellent film with English subtitles. The other museum is the archeological museum
which contains the famous suit of bronze armour. Well worth a visit. Lots and lots of mini statues of female
votaries but no males. Why I asked the
museum guide? No one has a clue she
replied.
The buzz in the town
at night is great. We had several excellent
meals at the To Omorfo (2x)and Ta Famaria Tavernas. House rose at 3 euros per half litre jug is
great value.
After 4 days we set
out for a final destination Porto Cheli.
On the way we stopped at Epidaurus and saw the famous theatre. I would
rank this as a must see in Greece. You
can hear the coins dropping on the centre stage while you sit at the highest
point in the amphitheatre. The setting
is very lush and green and the views are amazing.
We then drove another hour
to Portocheli and the Villa Grace. Eight of us in total sharing a 6 bedroom
villa with an infinity pool on Ververouda beach. The party comprised Ann & Anthony Mayer,
Jan & Peter Arnold, Owen & Janna and Vivienne and myself. Thanks to Ann for organising the stay. The next six days were spent drinking a lot
of rose, and eating a lot of Greek Salad and seafood. The night we arrived we ate on the harbour
front at a restaurant Ann had booked called Ostria. The setting was
spectacular, the food and service less so but it was Saturday night and the
town was hosting the world jet ski championships.
Monday was a rest and
recovery day and on Tuesday we went to Spetses where I met Vivienne 44 years
ago. The island had changed. It now had
museum dedicated to Katarinma bouboulina founded in 1991. When we stayed in Spetses the only means of
transport was horse drawn carriages. There
were no motor cars or motorcycles.
Unfortunately this has changed and there is a constant roar of scooters
and motorcycles in the main square. We
retreated to the old harbour had a pleasant lunch, caught a horse drawn
carriage back and returned to the mainland by water taxi. It was a trip down memory lane but
unfortunately Spetses had lost its charm.
Our next big trip was
to drive to Erimoni and take a water taxi to Hydra. Unlike Spetses Hydra had not succumbed to
motorisation and had kept its donkeys and it's cool. We ate at what is one of the most spectacular
restaurants in the world for views, Sunset.
We took the ferry back to Erimoni which is a quaint and basic port and much how
Spetses had been 44 years ago.
The final trip was to Hintsia
Beach on the advice of our cleaner. The
bay is another picturesque scene with a great taverna on the beach. While I don’t see us returning to Spetses, a return
to Greece is a definite possibility.
Our final dinner was
again on the harbour at the Taverna Padadias which has mixed reviews on Trip
Advisor but I found to be more than pleasant.
Try the Red Mullet for a main course if you are in Greece.
In summary it was great
to be back in warm climates. Thanks
again to Virginia organising the Portugal trip and Ann for organising Villa
Grace in Porto Cheli.
