After finishing the Camino, we took a 10 hour bus to Lisbon, Portugal. We could have driven it in 7 hours, but of course people had to stop for smoke breaks. They also kicked a young man off the bus when we crossed the border into Portugal because he did not have a passport or identification card.  The bus was not too bad, and we decided to stay in Lisbon for 7 nights. The reason for this was that we were tired of moving every day. We did not stay in the same albergue for more than one night while on the Camino. We wanted to drop our luggage and not move it for a while. Also, there were two day trips from Lisbon that we wanted to do, and it was more cost effective just to take roundtrip train tickets to these cities than to spend the night.

Our hotel in Lisbon was amazing, and it was the best one we have stayed at yet. It was an old, 3 story house located in the old quarter. It had hard wood floors, big windows, clean rooms, and most importantly it was quiet. We got a king sized bed in a triple room on the second floor, and it felt like we were living back in Chattanooga on East Brow Road. They had free breakfast every day with coffee machines and the like. They also had a huge kitchen, dining room, outdoor patio, and they played jazz music all day throughout the house. The staff was also friendly and very helpful, which is also a bonus. It just felt like home. We did a lot while we were in Lisbon, and some of the highlights were riding the old tram 28 throughout the city, visiting the Fado Music Museum, the Se Cathedral, and the views from Eduardo Park.

For two separate days, we took a train to the small, resort towns of Sintra and Caiscais. Sintra is an old town situated on a hill where the Portuguese royalty would build their weekend homes. It is located about 30km from Lisbon, and while we were there we took a tour of one of the homes and its grounds. It had grottos, tennis courts, a chapel, main house, and beautiful gardens all around the property. We spent about 3 hours wandering around. We came to the bottom of some large, dark steps in one of the grottos, and stepped right in a big pile of poop. Some smart tourist decided that they would relieve themselves in the dark, and did not realize that everyone would probably step in it. As we came out of the grotto, everyone was washing their shoes in a nearby fountain with sour looks on their faces. The rest of the town was beautiful, and it was full of other homes and local vendors. The second day, we went to the beach town of Caiscais. There, we laid out on the beach for hours and people watched. The Atlantic was freezing, and we did not get in, but the sun was warm, and it was a good day for relaxing. We also visited the local light house, and perused the shops around town during the afternoon.

We then visited the small town of Evora, which is located in inland Portugal. It is an old, Moorish town that has a lot of churches and historical sights. When we arrived at our guesthouse, the owner said that we were the only ones staying the night, and we had the whole place to ourselves. She gave us the keys and directions, and set us on our way. The house is of Moorish architecture so all the walls are white, the wood is dark brown, and there are small windows to keep the heat out.  It was very quaint, and it was nice having the entire 3 bedroom house to ourselves. The first day there, we went to the Bones Chapel, which was made entirely of human bones from local graves in the XVI century. The purpose was to provide a reflection area for locals to think about human life. It was eerie, but worth the look. One a side note, the region near Evora is where half of the world’s cork is produced and exported.  You can buy anything from hats to postcards made out of cork. One observation we noticed was how dry all of Portugal seemed to be. We felt that if someone was to light a match, the entire country would burst into flames.

After Evora, we took a bus to Lagos, which is a beach town in the Algarve region of Portugal. We stayed in Lagos for two nights before making a trip to Sagres, about 30 km away. We stayed at a place called Lagos Shared Rooms, and Cosimo, the owner, was very helpful. He made our trip there that much better. We laid on the beaches for a few days, and the beaches in the Algarve region are tucked in between rock outcrops. This provided breathtaking views, and nice walks along the cliffs. We wanted to visit another small beach town, so we headed to Sagres. Here again, we read, laid on the beach, and just relaxed. It was the end of the tourist season, so the crowds were none existent. We had a choice to make: either spend two more days at the beach or go ahead and take a bus to Seville earlier than expected. We had such a good time in Lagos that we went back for two more nights to stay with Cosimo.  Once our time was up at the beach, we headed to Seville to pick up Morgan’s sister Grace, who was arriving from the States. On our 8 hour bus ride to Seville we had to ride next to two British girls who both wore matching “I love sex” t shirts. They were both drunk for our 6:30 AM bus, and fell asleep on the bus station floor waiting. As you can imagine, they made the trip much more enjoyable. (Insert sarcasm)

Once we got to Seville, we had a day to sight see before Grace arrived. Since we have been mostly travelling solo, we felt like the Queen was coming, and we had to entertain. We wanted to make sure she had a good time, so we planned out our events for the next few days. In Seville with her, we went to a Flamenco show, the Alcazar Palace, the Cathedral, Plaza de Espana, and ate a lot of tapas. It was a great city with lots to see and do. We also had a great hotel with a balcony located in the old quarter. It was the quintessential Spanish city.

The next post will explain our journey from Seville to Morocco and all that we did there.

Cheers,

David and Morgan