After leaving Aveiro, I stopped at Nazaré on the way to Sintra. I had checked one website and supposedly there were “giant waves” forecast. I got there though and the waves were just average (about 30 feet). Talking to another person while walking down to the fort, they told me about the site, Surfline, that they use and said was always accurate. I did get to see inside the small Chapel of the Miracle, or Ermida da Memória da Nazaré,…
I visited Porto last November and it became one of my favorite places in Portugal. Now I have another favorite, Aveiro! I stayed at the great Triade Apartments. I had a studio apartment, kitchen, it was a great location and there is parking on the square. There is a small grocery store around the corner so I picked up some items for breakfast. I arrived too early to check in; I left my car, and went out exploring. I headed…
Another place in my “1000 Places to See Before You Die”, I decided to spend a night and day in the Bussaco Forest or, in Portuguese, Buçaco Forest. History The Carmelite monastery, the Convento de Santa Cruz do Buçaco, was built in 1628 in the protected Mata Nacional do Buçaco. A wall was built by the monks to protect and conserve the forest. It is about 5 kilometers in circumference. Originally there were just two doors, the Coimbra and Sula;…
Estremoz I wanted to go back to Estremoz. I had been here about a year ago, visiting Evora and Estremoz. But it rained most of the two days I was there and I wanted to see more of the town. So I started my second long Portugal road trip here. I stayed in the great Pousada Castelo Estremoz or Pousada da Rainha Santa Isabel, again. Because of the weather last year, I missed the beautiful patio and courtyard of the…