We arrived in Lisbon last night, and this morning it is already time to leave. No offense, Lisbon - we'll be back soon to really visit!
Our rental car on this trip is a hybrid, which makes me want to drive really slowly the whole way in order to avoid using any gasoline. Mindy didn't seem to think that was a good idea, so we rocketed out of Lisbon at 120km/hour as the locals blew past us, easily 20-40km faster than we were going.
Escaping Lisbon starts along the 17km long Vasco de Gama bridge - truly an engineering marvel!
I guess it was low tide, as we saw dozens of people out digging for clams(?) in the mud that stretched several kilometres at the edge of the river.
Along the bridge and continuing on our drive through Portugal, we saw Algarve storks, with their giant nests (even though they are expected to migrate to Africa for the winter, so I wonder how many more there would have been in summer months). Most of these nests were large by any standard; I'm not sure if this one was giant for a reason, or if these birds just weren't very good at making nests...
Looking to break the monotony of the drive, we stopped at the charming little town Mora and found a pretty square for a nata tart and a drink.
There was WiFi, so I looked up to see if other little towns along the way would be worthwhile side-trips. The town of Estremoz near the border with Spain had a Keep that looked worth a photo.
My heart started racing as we approached this beautifully preserved medieval town (with goats pastured on the fields leading to the walls) and saw we would have to cross a draw-bridge to get into the city walls toward the Castle of Estremoz.
We followed the quiet cobbled streets and alleyways uphill toward the Keep at the top.
What an incredible sight of the church and fortress in the protected land, with stunning views of the surrounding area!
The most secured building in the whole place doubled as a jail in medieval times - thick stone walls and metal reinforced windows within the stone walls of the Keep, behind the stone walls protecting the city. Now it is the incredible restaurant A Cadeia Quinhentista, showcasing the best in the flavours of the region. I tried partridge with truffles, mushrooms, chestnuts and grapes while Mindy had a rich mushroom tortellini. The food was delectable and the setting was incredible.
The thick, stone window ledge beside me had some very old graffiti (behind glass, now).
After a much longer stop than anticipated, we were back in the car heading toward Seville.
Facing another time change - so it was later again than it felt - we got to the hotel late and ultimately to bed approaching 2am. A reasonable bed-time by Spanish standards!
Our rental car on this trip is a hybrid, which makes me want to drive really slowly the whole way in order to avoid using any gasoline. Mindy didn't seem to think that was a good idea, so we rocketed out of Lisbon at 120km/hour as the locals blew past us, easily 20-40km faster than we were going.
Escaping Lisbon starts along the 17km long Vasco de Gama bridge - truly an engineering marvel!
I guess it was low tide, as we saw dozens of people out digging for clams(?) in the mud that stretched several kilometres at the edge of the river.
Along the bridge and continuing on our drive through Portugal, we saw Algarve storks, with their giant nests (even though they are expected to migrate to Africa for the winter, so I wonder how many more there would have been in summer months). Most of these nests were large by any standard; I'm not sure if this one was giant for a reason, or if these birds just weren't very good at making nests...
Looking to break the monotony of the drive, we stopped at the charming little town Mora and found a pretty square for a nata tart and a drink.
There was WiFi, so I looked up to see if other little towns along the way would be worthwhile side-trips. The town of Estremoz near the border with Spain had a Keep that looked worth a photo.
My heart started racing as we approached this beautifully preserved medieval town (with goats pastured on the fields leading to the walls) and saw we would have to cross a draw-bridge to get into the city walls toward the Castle of Estremoz.
We followed the quiet cobbled streets and alleyways uphill toward the Keep at the top.
What an incredible sight of the church and fortress in the protected land, with stunning views of the surrounding area!
The most secured building in the whole place doubled as a jail in medieval times - thick stone walls and metal reinforced windows within the stone walls of the Keep, behind the stone walls protecting the city. Now it is the incredible restaurant A Cadeia Quinhentista, showcasing the best in the flavours of the region. I tried partridge with truffles, mushrooms, chestnuts and grapes while Mindy had a rich mushroom tortellini. The food was delectable and the setting was incredible.
The thick, stone window ledge beside me had some very old graffiti (behind glass, now).
After a much longer stop than anticipated, we were back in the car heading toward Seville.
Facing another time change - so it was later again than it felt - we got to the hotel late and ultimately to bed approaching 2am. A reasonable bed-time by Spanish standards!
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