Up the hill to the castle

As the wait for the trolley was quite long we decide to walk to the castle.  On the walk up there were two long escalators which helped but it was still a hard climb.

See the castle at the top.

The views are amazing

Waaaayyyy up at the top!

The sun is setting so we venture back.

The next day we have a city tour.  This is the Belem Tower.

This monument is called the Discoveries.

Then we tour the Mosteiro dos Jeronimos (Jeronimos Monastery) 

Famous explorer Vascoda Gama

Lisbon

We leave Porto on a nice sunny day.

The view from our hotel.

Our next stop on the way to Lisbon is Fatima.  Fatima is home to the Sanctuary of Fatima, a Catholic pilgrimage site.  Here we saw people crawling on their knees towards the festivities.  Apparently back in 1917 apparitions of Our Lady of the Rosary appeared to three shepherd children.

The town consists of lots of shops selling all the same thing related to the Sanctuary of Fatima.

Then we arrive in Lisbon at our hotel.

It’s much warmer in Lisbon and we head out towards the river to explore.

There is a weekend market happening.  This mosaic tile pattern can make you feel a bit disoriented!

The jacaranda trees are in bloom and all over the city.  They’re beautiful.

Beautiful tile work.

The gateway to Plaza Espana.  Beautiful city!



The trolleys are popular in Lisbon as it is quite hilly.

Day Two in Porto

Sightseeing in Porto

The main plaza

The Palacio da Bolsa

Depending on the occasion sometimes there are red carpets on the stairs.

Beautiful tile work

Going for a tasting of port.



Very smooth but too early in the day to knock this back!

A lovely market with lots of choices for lunch.

Castle of Guimaraes 

We board the venicular…

At the top is Sanctuary of Born Jesus do Monte

We then go to dinner.  It is really raining this evening.  We head to Lisbon tomorrow.

Heading to Porto

It’s beautiful and green as we make our way west to Porto.

They grow grains for livestock.

We stop at Mateus Palace.

The reflecting pool.

Beautiful manicured gardens

We arrive in to Porto.  Unfortunately the weather is cool with periods of rain.  

We are taking a cruise on the Duomo River.

Cruising down the Duomo is colourful.  They are adding more color to the buildings to brighten up the city as the use of stone can make it appear very dark especially in winter.



Another boat with tourists.  Years ago these boats were used to transport kegs of port.

The use of tile is common.  Due to high humidity some surfaces are easily damaged.  The tile is a good option.

Hospital

Church of the Clerics

Palacio da Bolsa