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Our
touring of Portugal, a small country on the western fringe of the Iberian
Peninsula, began in its capital, the port town of Lisboa (or Lisbon as we call
it). There we saw treasures along
the banks of the Tagus River, including the Belem Tower, a former military
outpost guarding the river, and Jeronimos Monastery.
Of course, we also enjoyed seeing the city’s Bull Ring (thankfully with
no bull fight but Portugal, unlike Spain & Mexico, does not allow bulls to
be killed in the ring) and then strolling the streets and enjoying local
shopping.
From
Lisboa, we went north along the coast to the ancient (and unchanged) town of
Obidos. Fascinating!! Then we
proceeded north again to Fatima. There
we saw the famous Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary.
We continued along the coast passing quaint fishing villages and lovely
harbors. We then went to the town
of Oporto, Portugal’s second largest city, known for its fortified beverage,
Port. Ed was in heaven!
Looking through his camera lens from Oporto across the Duoro River to
Gaia, he could see numerous well-known port houses sitting in a row on the
opposite bank (i.e., Warre’s, Sanderman’s, Barros, Graham’s, Osborne,
Fonsecca, etc., etc.) True Ports are bottled only here in Oporto.
The British and the Portugese make sure they are available to the rest of
us through great marketing efforts! Of course we visited the Port houses and
sampled their wares.
From
Oporto, we turned inland to our northernmost destination of Guimaraes.
This town is referred to as the “cradle of Portugal” because born
here was the country’s first king, Alfonso Henriques.
We then proceeded south and remained along the Spanish border as we
passed through the valley of the Duoro River, the spot where the port grapes are
actually grown. Seeing these
terraced vineyards chiseled out of schist mountains rising hundreds of feet from
the river was breathtaking. We continued south to Evora, whose medieval center
is classified as a World Heritage Site. It
houses a Roman temple as well as a gothic cathedral.
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LISBOA
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ANCIENT MOORISH DISTRICT |
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MONUMENT TO PORTUGESE
NAVIGATORS |
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PORTUGAL & LISBON IN PARTICULAR |
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JERONIMOS MONASTERY FIGURES ABOVE THE MAIN ENTRY |
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JERONIMOS MONASTERY CLOISTERS |
EASTERN COAST
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BEAUTIFUL MEDIEVAL |
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ANOTHER VIEW OF OBIDOS |
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SANTA MARIA MONASTERY |
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OUR LADY OF FATIMA BASILICA |
TOMAR
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16th CENTURY TOWN HALL |
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12th CENTURY MONASTERY INSIDE THE |
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WINDOW OF TOMAR" ADDED TO THE
MONASTERY IN THE 16TH CENTURY, |
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1 OF 7 CLOISTERS IN THE |
CONIMBRIGA/COIMBRA
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RUINS OF A PORTION OF A |
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REMAINS OF A NOBLEMAN'S HOME |
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THE INTERIOR |
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SAME NOBLEMAN'S HOME ORIGINAL MOSAIC TILE FLOORING |
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UNIVERSITY OF
COIMBRA |
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UNIVERSITY OF COIMBRA 18th CENTURY LIBRARY WITH |
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FORMERLY A
CARMELITE MONASTERY |
OPORTO
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A VIEW ACROSS THE
DOURO RIVER FROM |
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INTERIOR OF
CATHEDRAL OF |
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14th CENTURY
NARROW STREETS |
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OLD SAILBOAT USED
TO TRANSPORT |
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PORT AGING IN
BARRELS AT |
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VIEW OF OPORTO
FROM ACROSS THE |
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CITY HALL |
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WALLS OF THE TRAIN STATION |
NORTHERN PORTUGAL
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10th CENTURY CUT GRANITE |
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PALACE OF MATEUS |
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GARDENS AT PALACE OF MATEUS |
EVORA
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1st CENTURY ROMAN TEMPLE |
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12th CENTURY CATHEDRAL IN |
ALGARVE
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HOTELS, CASINOS & BEACHES OF THE |
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LIGHTHOUSE MARKING THE SOUTHWEST |
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CORK OAK TREE RECENTLY STRIPPED |
MADIERA ISLANDS
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COAST OF THE ISLAND OF MADIERA 600 MILES SOUTHWEST OF PORTUGAL |
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FLOWER VENDORS IN THE OPEN
AIR MARKET |
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TASTING ROOM AT BLANDY'S WINE LODGE, |