The plan is:
- 2 nights in Lagos, from what I hear a touristy but fun beach town
- 3 nights in Lisbon, the capital
- 2 nights in Porto, the home of the drink, you guessed it, port
Saturday, June 24, 2006
Next stop is...
Portugal!
The plan is:
The plan is:
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3 comments:
Porto, huh? I've never been there, either. And Ryanair DOES fly there from Stansted. But jesus, I need to do some work at some point. Dammit... nope, no Porto for me. DAMMIT!
Was it Porto or Lisbon you were having problems finding accommodation in? If it's Lisbon, I'd suggest to pony up for a cheapish hotel. Lisbon is truly one of Europe's coolest cities.
As for Lagos... I think touristy is the wrong word for it. "Touristy" implies that there is a tourist industry run by Portuguese people. Which is not the case at all in Lagos. It's more of a "colony of foreigners". Seriously... I met two Portuguese people in Lagos. But if you ever wanted an English breakfast, you'll be able to get a good one in Lagos.
Three tips for Lisbon:
-Take a day trip either to Sintra or to the coast west of the city (Cascais/Estoril). There are commuter trains going to both places. Sintra is an old Portuguese royal city, and it's awesome. I'd suggest going there. Cascais and Estoril are beach resorts, but they are old-school beach resorts, so the buildings are much more attractive than the average beach resort. And if you're a degenerate gambler, Estoril has the biggest casino in Europe.
-Eat some African food. There are tons of Cape Verdean, Angolan and Mozambiquan restaurants in Lisbon. You will get ridiculous amounts of food for very, very, very little money. 'Tis good value.
-Venture into Belem. It's 6 km west of downtown, but they have the Monasterio de Jeronimos there (very cool Manueline architecture) and the Torre de Belem. AND, even more compellingly, they have the original bakery that serves Pasteis de Belem. Pasteis de Belem is a custard pastry you will see around town everywhere, and there is a bakery in Belem has has been churning them out for like 150 years or something like that. I'm almost positive it will be in your Let's Go - it definitely was marked out in Robbie's. You haven't lived until you've had a Pasteis de Belem (or 30) fresh out of the oven.
Oooh, I'm long winded today!
Porto... c'mon.... what's two days?
Bah. Can't. I'm concurrently working on 5 assignments, applying for PhD programs, moving out of my apartment, and watching the World Cup. I need to make headway on all of that now. No Porto for me.
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