Located within el Parque Maria Luisa, La Plaza de España was built by Spanish architect Aníbal González Álvarez-Ossorio to symbolize the country’s peace and bonding towards its American colonies. The plaza houses unique tiles (azulejos) for each of Spain’s provinces, and opens towards the Guadalquivir River – through which colonists used to send back findings from the “New World.” One can rent a boat for a small fee to paddle around the plaza, which we did.

This post consists solely of pictures of this stunning plaza.

We visited two plazas, the cathedral and a church on this day. I will describe the cathedral with one word: huge. And the second plaza with one word: captivating.

And we’re off. . . to the first plaza: Plaza del Cabildo. It was small and pretty. It would be a nice place to stop for a break if one was needed. (We will share pictures from the other plaza in the next post.)

La Catedral de Santa María (also called La Catedral de Sevilla)

La Catedral de Sevilla, in addition to being the largest Gothic temple in Europe and the world’s third-largest church, is an excellent example of Gothic and Renaissance architecture and represents some seven centuries of history. Its architecture is both beautiful and grand. It has four huge façades that combine to form 15 majestic doors. Since the cathedral was built in a Gothic architectural style, all the doors are beautifully ornamented. The decorations display different scenes from the life of Jesus. The major doors are the Door of Baptism, Assumption, Saint Michael, Saint Cristopher, Sticks, Bells, Conception, Lizard, Sanctuary, Forgiveness, Prince, Saint Miguel, and Palos.

Seville Cathedral was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.

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Our next stop was Lagos. We first walked by the fortress. It was built in the 17th century, as one of the main components of a system of maritime fortifications to defend the city, then headquarters of the military government of the Algarve. Significant restoration work has been carried out over the years and the fort is considered to be one of the best-preserved 17th century fortifications in the Algarve region.

To the coast! The coastal path is nice because it takes various forms (dirt, boardwalk) and provides numerous opportunities to get a birds eye view or go down to the water. And the rock formations all along the way . . . stupendous!

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As I mentioned in the last post, today was such a full day that I am devoting two posts to it. So here is Part II.

Quinta da Regaleira
I don’t have the words to describe this, so I am borrowing them from two websites.

First, from https://www.regaleira.pt/en/quinta-da-regaleira:

“Sintra was, in the 19th century, one of the first cradles of romantic architecture in Europe. Its own climate and the consequent nature attracted the eyes of those who, sensitized by the landscape, dared to retouch it with a stunning architecture in an edenic harmony conducive to the contemplation of the beautiful and sublime.
 
It is in this picturesque setting that we find at the outskirts of Sintra historic center,  the Quinta da Regaleira. Designed and built in the late 1800s, it reflects the sensibility and cultural, philosophical and scientific interests of the principal owner, António Augusto de Carvalho Monteiro (1848-1920), together with the virtuosity of the Italian architect and scenographer Luigi Manini (1848-1936). The culture and creativity of these two personalities resulted in an eclectic-revivalist architectural ensemble, with a particular focus on the Manueline, Renaissance, Medieval and Classical styles.”

And from https://visitsintra.travel/en/visit/monuments/palace-and-quinta-da-regaleira:

“With the aid of Italian architect Luigi Manini, Carvalho Monteiro transformed the 4 hectare estate into a palace surrounded by lush gardens, lakes, caves, and enigmatic constructions, places that hide alchemical meanings such as those evoked by Freemasonry, the Templars, and the Rose-cross. He shapes the space with mixed lines, evoking Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance and Manueline architecture. 

Quinta da Regaleira must be experienced. It is not enough to hear about its memory, landscape and mysteries. You must get to know the estate, contemplate the scenery among the gardens and constructions, admire the Palace, a true philosophical mansion of alchemical inspiration, and walk through the exotic park and feel its spirit.”

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I was uber excited for our day trip! I’d seen pictures of the places we planned to visit and could hardly wait to see them in person. It was going to be a really full day! So I had to break it into two posts.

It is super easy to get to Sintra from Lisbon as trains leave from Rossio station on a regular basis.

We went to Palácio da Pena first. The Palácio da Pena is one of the best examples of 19th-century Romantic revivalism in Portugal. This is my favorite description (from https://www.parquesdesintra.pt/en/parks-monuments/park-and-national-palace-of-pena/):

“The National Palace of Pena stands out as the renowned jewel in the crown of the Sintra Hills. The surrounding park, in close harmony with the magical character of the palace, triggers emotions of mystery and discovery. In its nooks and corners, our gaze gets lost amongst its charms.

The coloured tones of the palace, the pinnacle of Romanticism in Portugal and the eternal legacy of Ferdinand II, the King-Artist, opens the doors to the imagination of all those who cross its threshold, with the infinite shades of green painting the surrounding park establishing an idyllic scenario, frequently hidden under the veil of the mists that characterise the Sintra Hills. As if having stepped out of a fairy tale, this has been the place of dreams for all the generations who have passed here and gazed upon its magnificence.”

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It was time to drive south. We decided to break up the drive to Lisbon by stopping in Aveiro.

Aveiro, also known as the “Venice of Portugal,” is a popular tourist destination located along Portugal’s Silver Coast. It is famed for its canals, Nouveau architecture and colorfully painted Moliceiros boats. Of course we took a boat ride through the canals! We had a tour guide, but I had trouble hearing him, so I just enjoyed the views.

The first thing we saw when crossing the pedestrian bridge into town were the tour boats.

Then what we would call “main street.”

We made a reservation and were assigned to this pretty boat:

And we’re off!

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After our fantastic visit to Porto, we were now looking forward to a seeing the scenic interior. We followed a route recommended by several folks in blogs or on travel sites. The round trip was under four hours, so we figured we would have plenty of time to stop along the way. (Little did we know that there were hardly any pull-offs/scenic overlooks – or even shoulders – on this entire route! I cannot count the number of times I wanted to stop and take a picture and/or enjoy the view, but was prevented from doing so because it would have meant stopping in the middle of the winding road.)

Our route:

Okay, now that I’ve vented about the lack of scenic overlooks or shoulders, I will tell you that this was a beautiful drive. We can’t show you just how beautiful it was due to said issue and rant, but we have several pictures to share. We’ll start with Peso de Régua.

The two pictures below were taken at Régua Dam, which is a concrete gravity dam on the Douro, where the river forms the border line between the districts of Vila Real and Viseu. It is also a lock.

The picture on the left below is of one “cruise ship” entering the lock while the other waits.

The picture on the left below is of the actual town of Pinhão. It is a lovely town in the heart of Port wine country at the confluence of the Douro and Pinhão rivers.

That was pretty much if for August 1st.

We chilled a bit the morning of the 2nd. I went to the coffee shop I’d found the day before. Our only “organized” plan for this day was to take a “Luxury Yacht Tour of the 6 Bridges and Douro Estuary.” Yes, by boat. I know, we live on a boat, but still. We thought it would be fun to see Porto and Gaia and such from the water. This is a description of the tour:

“Enjoy a memorable experience on a glamorous yacht, calmly navigating the Douro River while contemplating the main sights of the cities of Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia. Navigation is always carried out smoothly, with short breaks, so that you can contemplate the main sights and take photo sessions to later remember your trip. You can listen to your favorite music playlist on board by connecting your mobile phone via Bluetooth to our Marshall speaker. After viewing the six iconic bridges that connect the cities of Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia, it’s time to sail towards the mouth of the Douro River and observe the beautiful natural landscape of the Douro Estuary.”

The six bridges to which this refers are:
— Arrábida Bridge
— D. Luís I Bridge
— Infante Bridge
— Maria Pia Bridge
— São João Bridge
— Freixo Bridge

I’d neglected to take a picture of this church – Igreja de Santo Ildefonso, or Church of Saint Ildefonso – located across the street from our hotel before, so here it is.  This granite church built in Baroque style is decorated with over 11,000 classic blue and white azulejos. The tiles are painted depicting the life of Saint Ildefonso and stories from the Gospels.

Here are some pictures of our walk to the marina where the boat was waiting for us.

The huge building pictured on the right below is the Alfandega Congress Center. In other words, a conference center. It is a former-customs house.

We were the only ones who’d made it to the boat. Another group had reservations but were held up due to some transportation issues. So it was just the couple who owned the yacht, their dog, and us! We got comfy, Michael with a glass of wine and I with a tonic water. It was a nice yacht and the couple who owned it were delightful. The music coming out of the speakers was really nice. All good!

And we’re off!

You will recognize the picture on the left-hand side below as the D. Luís I Bridge. You can see one of the cable cars we referenced in a previous post in the right-hand picture below. We saw these before, but now from the water.

Pictured on the left-hand side below, are the old city walls and the end of the D. Luis I Bridge.

The next two bridges are very close together. They are the Maria Pia Bridge and the São João Bridge.

We are approaching the sixth bridge, Freixo Bridge. Now it was time to turn around and enjoy the same views on the return trip.

Pictured below on the left is the Pestana Palácio do Freixo. It is a 5-star hotel located in an 18th century palace. I would love to stay there! Given the good prices one can get in Portugal, we could afford to stay for one night if we counted it as a splurge.

We enjoyed our two-hour sail.

We saw the Porto Duck out of the water on our walk to the hotel. 🙂

This is a good article if you are interested in the history of the bridges of Porto:
https://www.portobay.com/en/in-portobay-blog/history-of-the-bridges-of-porto

We left Porto for Lisbon with a stop along the way in Aveiro the next day.