We are making plans to spend some wonderful weeks in Portugal and Spain in May of 2024. Would be great to see you two and spend a day wondering around with you.
Also - if you were to put a plan together for family or friends...would you recommend this type of itinerary? Since you two are now locals, we thought it would be great to obtain your knowledge and thoughts; as well as where not to stay in these cities. And perhaps your tops things to experience in each.
Hi Matt & Laura, I like your itinerary. Spending 3-4 nights in each city will allow you to explore them a bit more. Lisboa has a lot of things to offer - you should be able to google the top things to visit in Lisboa and pick out places that you think you like the most. Our fav would be Belém (for the tower as well as pasteis de Belém (the best in the world for sure), Tile museum (you'll find a panoramic view of the city before the big earthquake), Tram 28, Sintra castles etc. When in Faro, be sure to do sea kayaking, visit Tavira and the beaches. Hope to see you in Coimbra. We can be your tour guide :-). Porto is mesmerizing with a lot of places to see. If you have time, you can also stop by in Braga (about 30 mins north of Porto, reachable via urban train). It is a beautiful city full of flowers. Let us know if you have additional questions. Take care, Efti & Rustam
Hiya! Going to be in Coimbra May 14+15 as part of a 20th anniversary vacation, would love to see you for coffee, ice cream, etc.! Sent you a Facebook message with contact info. Really excited to see Portugal!
Darn it!! I’ll still be here on the west coast those two days. I’m back visiting my folks for a few days. It’s my dad’s birthday. Email me, we’ll chat about stuff to do in Coimbra. First name.last name@gmail.com
Choice and Chance; two threads in the tapestry of a life, you can choose here to park, but the tree houses where to fall. Boa Sorte! Nicely written Rustam
Wow! A year already. Great for you two! Starting to plan our vacation there next year. Thinking 3 weeks with two in Portugal and one is NW Spain along the coast. But maybe Bilbao. Maybe we meet up for lunch or dinner somewhere fun....that doesn't sound difficult. But we will avoid the gazpacho! Hilarious. Retirement is fun but not as fun as we see vicariously through you both. Wish we had the neve to move over there.....Cheers. Matt and Laura Nicholson.
Love it! I too believe luck is what you look for and find in all sorts of places, depending upon one's mindset and sense of presence. Even a tiny portion of gazpacho can equate to good luck if it leads, as it did, to long-term laughs, wonderful memories and a free tour of an incredible palace! And parabéns to you both on your 1-year Portugal anniversary AND the successful completion of A1 and A2. Lastly, I smiled all the way through your blog post. Thank you!
I wonder if the waiter asked the chef, 'E tudo???" I wish we had the visual, but maybe in our minds, we'll even make the amount smaller, but I don't think that's possible.
Rustam and Efti
How are you two? Loving life? I bet.
Matt and Laura Nicholson here.
We are making plans to spend some wonderful weeks in Portugal and Spain in May of 2024. Would be great to see you two and spend a day wondering around with you.
Also - if you were to put a plan together for family or friends...would you recommend this type of itinerary? Since you two are now locals, we thought it would be great to obtain your knowledge and thoughts; as well as where not to stay in these cities. And perhaps your tops things to experience in each.
Hope to catch up in '24
4 nights Lisbon
3 nights Faro
3 Nights Seville
3 nights Coimbra
4 nights Porto
3 nights a Coruna
1 night Lisbon - fly home next morning.
Cheers to you both,
Matt and Laura
Hi Matt & Laura, I like your itinerary. Spending 3-4 nights in each city will allow you to explore them a bit more. Lisboa has a lot of things to offer - you should be able to google the top things to visit in Lisboa and pick out places that you think you like the most. Our fav would be Belém (for the tower as well as pasteis de Belém (the best in the world for sure), Tile museum (you'll find a panoramic view of the city before the big earthquake), Tram 28, Sintra castles etc. When in Faro, be sure to do sea kayaking, visit Tavira and the beaches. Hope to see you in Coimbra. We can be your tour guide :-). Porto is mesmerizing with a lot of places to see. If you have time, you can also stop by in Braga (about 30 mins north of Porto, reachable via urban train). It is a beautiful city full of flowers. Let us know if you have additional questions. Take care, Efti & Rustam
Hiya! Going to be in Coimbra May 14+15 as part of a 20th anniversary vacation, would love to see you for coffee, ice cream, etc.! Sent you a Facebook message with contact info. Really excited to see Portugal!
Darn it!! I’ll still be here on the west coast those two days. I’m back visiting my folks for a few days. It’s my dad’s birthday. Email me, we’ll chat about stuff to do in Coimbra. First name.last name@gmail.com
Choice and Chance; two threads in the tapestry of a life, you can choose here to park, but the tree houses where to fall. Boa Sorte! Nicely written Rustam
Wow! A year already. Great for you two! Starting to plan our vacation there next year. Thinking 3 weeks with two in Portugal and one is NW Spain along the coast. But maybe Bilbao. Maybe we meet up for lunch or dinner somewhere fun....that doesn't sound difficult. But we will avoid the gazpacho! Hilarious. Retirement is fun but not as fun as we see vicariously through you both. Wish we had the neve to move over there.....Cheers. Matt and Laura Nicholson.
We’ll happily meet you for dinner, lunch, coffee, or whatever- but not for Gazpacho 😏
Love it! I too believe luck is what you look for and find in all sorts of places, depending upon one's mindset and sense of presence. Even a tiny portion of gazpacho can equate to good luck if it leads, as it did, to long-term laughs, wonderful memories and a free tour of an incredible palace! And parabéns to you both on your 1-year Portugal anniversary AND the successful completion of A1 and A2. Lastly, I smiled all the way through your blog post. Thank you!
That soup will always make me smile. “E tudo”. 😏😅
I wonder if the waiter asked the chef, 'E tudo???" I wish we had the visual, but maybe in our minds, we'll even make the amount smaller, but I don't think that's possible.
Happy 1st Anniversary! 🥳
Great travelogue and Alhamduliah your car was spared 🙏