Portugal

 Upon leaving Northern Spain we headed south to Portugal.  As you can see, we started in the Braga Region and continued south through the Alentejo Region ending up in the Algarve.

The city of Braga was our first destination at the Sanctuary Bom Jesus do Monte which is a pilgrimage site.  It consists of two Basilicas.  The Upper one . . . . 

And the lower one.  

Though the complex dates back to the 14th Century, the current lower Sanctuary was started in the 18th Century.  It is reached by climbing 577 stairs (the pilgrims were encouraged to do this on their knees!) and is designed in a zigzag pattern with chapels on various levels depicting, with life-size statues, the 12 stations of the cross    Unfortunately, the day we arrived was a religious holiday, The Assumption of Mary, and as such the place was an absolute zoo!  But we prevailed and took in the sights - or should I say, stairs (this was just half way).

The following morning we took off for Belmonte.  It was a beautiful drive - miles and miles of terraced hillsides.

But, as we approached our destination we noticed a lot of smoke and, sure enough, there were a number of wild fires burning.

We reached the Pousada Convento do Belmonte, a Monastery dating from the 13th Century, which is high on a hill overlooking a lovely valley.  It really was a gorgeous property and gorgeous setting (except for the smoke and ash).

Our side of the valley was fine but the other side was on fire in numerous locations.  It was a bit strange to be watching CNN Portugal reporting on the fires that we could see in real time from our rooms.

The next morning the fires seemed to be under control and it was on to Alvito.  This Pousada is a renovated 15th Century Castle and while much more basic that the other properties we have stayed at, it was just fine for one night. 

Both Posadas are located in the Alentejo Region of Portugal which means a lot of cork trees, vineyards, piñon pine trees, olive trees and storks!  The landscape is beautiful golden fields dotted with these majestic trees.  And, in this area, storks are considered good luck so you see huge nests perched atop tall poles.

Then it was on to three days in Lisbon.  We had planned one day to tour the city, one day to tour Sintra and one day to tour Cascais.  When we arrived we couldn't believe the hoards of people and heard that the castles in Sintra were overrun with tourists with 2 hour lines to get in so we crossed that off the list.  We did take the train to Cascais but again, people everywhere so instead of spending the day we had lunch and returned to Lisbon.  We couldn't believe this charming small town that we loved had changed so much.  Instead of taking pictures of all the people, we took a picture of the boats in the harbor.

So, two and a half days to take in Lisbon.  Our apartment was in the Graça neighborhood which is on the highest hill in Lisbon (there are a number of them) with a spectacular view of the city and a great location from which to do some exploring.

Though not as well maintained as some of our other favorite cities, its outstanding features are the tiled buildings,

mosaic sidewalks,

and, new to us on this trip, graffiti.  It seems that the government has sanctioned graffiti as a means of "decorating" old unused buildings.  Very strange.

Our last couple of days in Portugal were spent in Praia da Rocha, Portimão in the Algarve Region.  Here, as it is a major beach town, we expected a lot of tourists.  And, we weren't disappointed!

Here's the beach at 8 in the morning . . .

And, here it is a couple of hours later . . . .

Even with all the bodies, we had a wonderful kick-back day lazing on the beach and enjoying the beautiful coastline.

 

Fully rested, we are ready to head back to Spain tomorrow for our last couple of weeks.  See you soon.

Spain Part I

Upon leaving France we drove into the Pyrenees for a couple of days then looped through the Basque, Cantabria and Asturias regions and ending up in Galacia.  Here's our route.

Unlike the rest of our trip where we figured out the places we wanted to go and then found accommodations, in Spain a lot of where we ended up depended on where there were Paradors.  Twenty years ago when Dale and I went to Spain as part of our Around the World trip, our sister-in-law, Nancy, the Extraordinary Travel Agent, introduced us to Paradors in Spain and Pousadas in Portugal (more on them in the next post).  We have been fans ever since and always stay in them when traveling here.  After this trip, we think Jeff and Denise are fans too.

These are, for the most part, historic properties (monasteries, castles, manors, etc) that the government owns and has repurposed as hotels (as a way to save them).  They date primarily from the 10th to the 15th Centuries.  As you will see as you keep reading, they really are quite extraordinary.

Though I said they are primarily historic properties, there are also some that are "Paradors in Nature" and we stayed in two of those in the Pyrenees.

Our first stop was Vielha.  The Pyrenees are breathtakingly beautiful and the views from this Parador didn't disappoint.  After lunch on the terrace, 

Jeff and Denise went on a very strenuous hike.  They were so taken by the area that they went out for another hike in the morning prior to us leaving for Bielsa. 

The route from Vielha to Bielsa was one of the most jaw-dropping drives ever.  We went through a gorge that had to be experienced to be believed.  Pictures don't come close to the grandeur we saw but we'll try.

While Vielha was a more modern ski chalet, Bielsa was all Alpine.  Very cozy.  

And, again, the views . . . . 

Then it was on to the historic properties.  First up was Hondarribia.  As it sits on the Bay of Biscay, this town was very strategic in protecting Spain from attacks by sea.  The Parador is the Castle of Charles V and dates to the 10th Century.  

The walled part of the city is full of brightly colored houses and narrow streets . . . . 

and, of course, a church.

. . . . . but there is also a wonderful newer section full of restaurants. . . . . .

. . . . . . and a Boardwalk leading you to a very large beach.

All in all, a wonderful stay.

Next was the Cantabria region and the town of Santillana del Mar whose origins date to the 8th Century and has been declared a national monument.  The Parador Gil Blas is the prior 17th Century Palacio de los Barreda Bracho.  

You could almost see the nobility sweeping down the staircases and enjoying themselves in the salons on every floor.   This photo is of the "salon" onto which our rooms opened.

As Santillana del Mar is a pedestrian town (no cars allowed), we had a pleasant day of strolling around enjoying the magic of this small town.

The countryside surrounding the town was also quite beautiful.

Then we were in for a real treat.  We needed a place to stay between Santillana del Mar and Santiago de Compostela.  Parador Corias, in the Asturias region, seemed to be in just the right location.  It is a National Historical-Artistic Monument known as El Escorial of Asturias.  It was one of the largest Monasteries in Spain (and still houses two monks) and the original building dates to the 11th Century.

This was truly one of the most interesting "hotels" we have ever stayed in.  We actually had a guided tour of the Monastery (read "hotel") and Church!  It was the most important Monastery in the region, overseeing 37 churches.  It really was an amazing stay.

And, what''s a Monastery without a church.

After Corias we traveled to Santiago de Compostela in Galicia. The Caminos de Santiago, the routes Pilgrims have been taking to this town for over 1,000 years, wind their way through Spain, France and Portugal.  We were here 20 years ago and thought it was magical.  And Denise did a Camino starting in Sarria (walked 65 miles) in 2019.  So we were all rather excited about visiting this special city once more.  The Parador was built as the royal hospital in 1499 to accommodate the pilgrims traveling to Santiago.  Though it has always been known as one of the top Paradors in the chain, we found that it has not aged well so were somewhat disappointed.  It is, however, still a beautiful building to see.

And from which to view the pilgrims arriving into the square.

And, the crowds!  The town was teeming with Pilgrims and tourists.  It was a zoo!  Very different from what we experienced in the past.

But, the good news was, we were able to get into the church, a Romanesque cathedral started in 1078, which was closed when Denise was here in 2019.  It's this church to which the Pilgrims come as it is believed to be the burial place of St. James the Great.  The most spectacular we have seen by far.

Our next Parador, Santo Estevo, that proved to be a convenient stop on our way to Portugal just happened to be on the Cañón del Sil (Sil River Canyon), Northern Spain's answer to the Grand Canyon.  And, it also happens to be another Historic-Artistic Monument, a Monastery that dates back to the 6th and 7th Centuries.  As we approached the Parador (which is miles from the nearest town) we drove through a tourist parking lot with a policeman to whom we had to show our reservation.  Only those staying at the Parador can drive up to it.  The tourists had to walk or take a motorized "train".  Like Compostela, the majority of the building is open to the public though the hotel is reserved for guests.

As we were out in the middle of nowhere overlooking the canyon, we had to take in the surrounding area.  So, after touring the monastery, we went off on a hike.  

Gorgeous!

And, of course being a Monastery, there had to be a church.

The next day as we left for our next Parador in Verin, we took a drive along the Canyon and stopped at the Miradoiro de Vilouxe, a lookout spot.  In our attempt to find it we ended up taking "poodling" to a whole new level.

But, we persisted and we were awarded with absolutely fantastic views.

We are now at our last Parador for a while as we head to Portugal tomorrow to take in all that country has to offer.  While not the historic monument to which we have become accustomed, it is a traditional Galician country house with beautiful views of the Fortress of Monterrei.  This includes three walled areas; a castle, of which all that remains is the keep; Santa María de Gracia, a Gothic-style church; the Palace of the Counts of Monterrei, which houses a small museum of sacred art; and the former pilgrim hospital, which for many years provided lodging for pilgrims traveling to Santiago de Compostela.  

(and, yes, that is a forest fire which luckily was put out by the next day)

And, here is the church.

But, don't worry, we will return.  We have a lot of Spain yet to cover.

Adios y hasta luego!