Portugal

Costa da Caparica

A resort town just south of Lisbon. Not foreign-touristy - mainly Portuguese. The main tourist beach destination is the Algarve, on the south coast. Long, long beach - I walked on it for 5 mi. south and never got to the end.

Our Beach

The beaches accommodate thousands, but never seemed crowded, beacause they are so vast.

Boats In

In the "old days", it took 10 men to launch the boats.

Hauling Nets

The boats go 'way out to set the nets, then they are hauled in using a tractor-driven winch.

The Catch

Sardines, etc. The fishermen sort thgem into plastic bins by type. You can buy them practically still alive right off the beach.

Costa da Caparica Thistle

One of many wildflowers, including ice-plant and others.

Lisbon - Discoveries Monument

Commemorates Portugal's age of discovery in the 15th and 16th centuries. The Portuguese Discoverers were the first to round the Cape of Good Hope and sail to India (1497-8, Vasco da Gama),

Monument Plaque

The monk Henry the Navigator (Infante d'Henrique) was the brains and driving force behind the Discoverers. He died in 1460, but his legacy turned Portugal into an imperial maritime power and the richest country in Europe.

The Discoverers

The monument depicts a "caravel", the type of small (80', 3 sailed) ship that carried the Discoverers on their quest. At the forefront is Henry the Navigator. Holding the round object (an "armillary sphere", a sort of navigational instrument) is King Manuel I, whose wealth funded the Discoverers. Vasco da Gama and Magellan (likewise a Portuguese), are depicted on the other side of the ship's prow.

Lisbon - Jeronimos Monastery

King Manuel I (ruled from 1495) provided the funding for the Discoverers. He built this Gothic monastery and church using an intricate style of architectural decoration appropriately known as "Manueline". St. Jerome was his patron saint, thus the name.

Vasco da Gama - in the Monastery

He set sail from this spot (then a small chapel) in 1497, the first to sail to India.

Sintra: Moorish Castle

Sintra is about an hour's drive north of Lisbon. It was a cool retreat for the nobility in summer.

Sintra Architecture

An architectural detail of the royal palace in Sintra.

Porto

The home of Port wine, a sweet, fortified wine (20% alcohol) created by halting the ordinary fermentaion of grapes after 2-3 days by adding grape brandy. It is then aged for 2-100 years. athere are three basic kinds: ruby, white, and tawny, (the most typical)

Tomar - Convento de Cristo

This was a Crusader castle and then a convent of the Order of Christ, formed in 1314 when the Knights Templar were disbanded (they were too rich and too powerful to suit the tastes of Pope Clement V). Henry the Navigator was a Grand Master of the Order of Christ. It's huge - many three-storied cloisters, and many long hallways lined with "cells".

Batalha - Dominican Abbey

Celebrates a military victory by Joao I in 1385. Begun in 1388 but unfinished - abandoned by Manuel I in favor of the Jeronimos monastery.

Casa dos Vargos

A manor house hundreds of years old, once owned by the Governor of Macao (a Portuguese colony).. Now opened as a bed and breakfast by his great-great-great granddaughter, Pilar.

Their Private Chapel

Decorated inside with lots of beautiful gilt and tile. Unbelievable.

At Casa dos Vargos

That's Phil wearing the lamp-shade, in his own inimitable party style.

Madrid - Botanical Garden

That's another (giant) thistle, with a prickly Phil in the foreground. We also visited the Prado (Madrid's Louvre) and the Museum of Modern Art.

Costa da Caparica A resort town just south of Lisbon. Not foreign-touristy - mainly Portuguese. The main tourist beach destination is the Algarve, on the south coast. Long, long beach - I walked on it for 5 mi. south and never got to the end.	Our Beach The beaches accommodate thousands, but never seemed crowded, beacause they are so vast.	Boats In In the "old days", it took 10 men to launch the boats.
Hauling Nets The boats go 'way out to set the nets, then they are hauled in using a tractor-driven winch.	The Catch Sardines, etc. The fishermen sort thgem into plastic bins by type. You can buy them practically still alive right off the beach.	Costa da Caparica Thistle One of many wildflowers, including ice-plant and others.
Lisbon - Discoveries Monument Commemorates Portugal's age of discovery in the 15th and 16th centuries. The Portuguese Discoverers were the first to round the Cape of Good Hope and sail to India (1497-8, Vasco da Gama),	Monument Plaque The monk Henry the Navigator (Infante d'Henrique) was the brains and driving force behind the Discoverers. He died in 1460, but his legacy turned Portugal into an imperial maritime power and the richest country in Europe.	The Discoverers The monument depicts a "caravel", the type of small (80', 3 sailed) ship that carried the Discoverers on their quest. At the forefront is Henry the Navigator. Holding the round object (an "armillary sphere", a sort of navigational instrument) is King Manuel I, whose wealth funded the Discoverers. Vasco da Gama and Magellan (likewise a Portuguese), are depicted on the other side of the ship's prow.
Lisbon - Jeronimos Monastery King Manuel I (ruled from 1495) provided the funding for the Discoverers. He built this Gothic monastery and church using an intricate style of architectural decoration appropriately known as "Manueline". St. Jerome was his patron saint, thus the name.	Vasco da Gama - in the Monastery He set sail from this spot (then a small chapel) in 1497, the first to sail to India.	Sintra: Moorish Castle Sintra is about an hour's drive north of Lisbon. It was a cool retreat for the nobility in summer.
Sintra Architecture An architectural detail of the royal palace in Sintra.	Porto The home of Port wine, a sweet, fortified wine (20% alcohol) created by halting the ordinary fermentaion of grapes after 2-3 days by adding grape brandy. It is then aged for 2-100 years. athere are three basic kinds: ruby, white, and tawny, (the most typical)	Tomar - Convento de Cristo This was a Crusader castle and then a convent of the Order of Christ, formed in 1314 when the Knights Templar were disbanded (they were too rich and too powerful to suit the tastes of Pope Clement V). Henry the Navigator was a Grand Master of the Order of Christ. It's huge - many three-storied cloisters, and many long hallways lined with "cells".
Batalha - Dominican Abbey Celebrates a military victory by Joao I in 1385. Begun in 1388 but unfinished - abandoned by Manuel I in favor of the Jeronimos monastery.	Casa dos Vargos A manor house hundreds of years old, once owned by the Governor of Macao (a Portuguese colony).. Now opened as a bed and breakfast by his great-great-great granddaughter, Pilar.	Their Private Chapel Decorated inside with lots of beautiful gilt and tile. Unbelievable.
At Casa dos Vargos That's Phil wearing the lamp-shade, in his own inimitable party style.	Madrid - Botanical Garden That's another (giant) thistle, with a prickly Phil in the foreground. We also visited the Prado (Madrid's Louvre) and the Museum of Modern Art.