Here we are again, after an August at home with the air conditioner 24 hours a day, what could be better than going back to August 2017, when we did this tour of Portugal with a visit to Santiago de Compostela in Spain? It was a one-week tour by bus, which took us from Lisbon to the north, passing through Cascais, Obidos, Nazaré, Fatima, Braga, Santiago de Compostela, Porto, Aveiro, before leaving for Italy from Lisbon. All excellently organized by our trusted tour operator Movimondo and the Strabordo Association. So let's start taking a look at our very rich database of photographs, trying to select the most significant ones, and let's start from Lisbon, a city that is not easy for those who travel in wheelchairs but where we have traveled a lot, even with the metro, of which we show. a nice panel:
Rua Augusta:
at the end of Rua Augusta, cross the Arco Triunfal:
to enter the majestic Praça do Comercio, which juts out to the south into the estuary of the Tagus River:
and in the center of the square stands the equestrian statue of Don Josè:
We continue tapping here and there in the center of Lisbon: here is the statue dedicated to the writer Pessoa and located in Rua Garrett, outside the Café A Brasileira, historic meeting place for artists and writers:
the square called Rossio with the National Theater:
the Cathedral, built in the 12th century and rebuilt several times following the various earthquakes that have struck the city over the centuries:
From the Cathedral we went down through the popular Alfama district:
And now some pictures of the very interesting Lisbon Oceanarium, the large aquarium that remains the centerpiece of the buildings built for Expo 1998:
Let's now pass to one of the best known symbols of Lisbon, the sixteenth-century Belém Tower:
But the most important monument in Lisbon, a masterpiece of Manolina art and a UNESCO World Heritage Site is the sixteenth-century Monastery of the Jeronimos de Belém:
And we close the overview of Lisbon with the Monument to the Discoveries, a stone construction on the river bank that represents the enterprises of the Portuguese navy:
Vasco de Gama:
So, leaving Lisbon, let's see this blessed Atlantic Ocean; and to do so we go to Cabo da Roca, the promontory which is also the westernmost point in Europe:
Let's go back inland and go to visit the ancient village of Obidos:
Let's go back to breathe the sea air with the ancient fishing village Nazaré, today a renowned seaside resort also famous for the gigantic sea waves on which the world surfing champions compete:
Another UNESCO World Heritage Site is the Batalha Monastery, built between 1388 and 1438, which is considered the masterpiece of Portuguese Gothic:
And now some images of the first religious stage of this journey; let's talk about the well-known Fatima:
But the religious capital of Portugal, as well as the second city in the north of the country, is Braga, of which we begin by showing you the Cathedral:
and these are the gardens:
And here we are at the encroachment in Spain, for the second stage with a religious background. We are talking about Santiago de Compostela, the very famous pilgrimage and walking destination, reached by us more comfortably by bus. Let's take a look at the scenic Praza do Obradoiro, overlooked by the Cathedral, with a Romanesque structure but enriched over the centuries by Gothic, Baroque and Neoclassical elements:
and this slightly moved photo shows the so-called botafugueiro, the gigantic thurible that is swung in the cathedral by a group of young monks, amid the somewhat profane enthusiasm of the tourists:
And we close the visit to Santiago with the image of a nice plate of seafood, comfort of body and spirit:
Let's go back to Portugal to visit the capital of the North, Porto, a city with Roman roots, with a great history and a present strongly oriented towards culture and tourism. Let's go with the pictures:
San Benedetto station and its azulejos:
the Cathedral:
the Dom Luis I Bridge over the Douro River:
along the river:
the visit to the Sandeman production plant of the Port, with relative tastings:
and finally an important cultural institution, the Serralves Foundation:
We close our Portuguese week with a visit to a colorful coastal village, Aveiro:
In short, if you ask us if we recommend this trip, we answer yes, of course, both for the excellent organization and for the cultural, artistic, landscape and gastronomic realities that have been proposed to us.
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