Portugal in Depth

Some more details of the towns and cities we stayed in. This was our itinerary:

Nights 1+2: Lisbon
Nights 3+4: Carvoeiro
Night 5: Mertola
Night 6: Evora
Nights 7+8: Coimbra
Nights 9+10+11: Porto
Nights 12+13+14: Sintra

Also visited: Lagos, Silves, Vila Nova de Milfontes, Cape St. Vincent

 

Many of the traditional villages your guide book may describe as "must sees" are hauntingly beautiful towns that are worth a visit but can be too tiny to spend more than one night in. I'm talking one castelo, a town square, two coffee shops, four retail boutiques and three restaurant towns. It's charming, it's romantic and a nostalgic glimpse into a simpler way of life. If you want a vision of traditional village life, here it is.


If you're looking for more activity, you'll find a faster pace of life in the cities, which offer a wide selection of ways to spend your time and money. We shopped, (we were on a hunt for the perfect azulejos) ate, went to museums, soccer games and concerts. Here in the cities even more than the rural areas, the contrast between the old and new is so evident. The stories of the past are tightly interwoven into the essence of each place. Turn a corner from a glass lobbied office building, wind down one of the narrow European street, past paint chipped buildings, a tattered wooden door weathered and chipped by time, or graffiti strewn, broken glass windows. Ride the subway with suited up businessmen and angst filled fashionable teenagers listening to ipods, feverishly texting their girlfriends/boyfriends. The cities can take your breath away with the grandeur of beautiful architecture, palaces, museums, churches, many ornately decorated with marble or their famous tiles (azulejos.)

Portugal has a distinctly melancholy air about it. The distinction between the old and new, a sad song (perhaps the country's traditional fado music) that strikes a new chord with every new place you discover. I felt the proud enterprising spirit, cities buzzing with newness, and a relentless march towards the future of a new Portugal. I felt the love of traditional simple life. The enjoyment of a slow and quiet afternoon enjoying cafe com laite in your local town square. Portugal was an amazing way to experience both.