Portugal

[mlr]

I have been saving my vacations days all year. (I get 20, I have taken 5.) The plan was to go to Spain & France - spend a week mainly in Galicia with my friend Stephen, then a week in Paris, etc. on my own. We decided several weeks ago to fly from BCN to LIS, rent a car, and drive up to Galicia, then back for a weekend in Lisbon.

But the plan morphed.

We both began to think why not just spend the entire week in Portugal - which neither of us have visited. Also, some extra expenses this year (new car, much needed house repairs) plus general uneasiness made me rethink spending €€€ on a second week. Even though the boss cleared me for two weeks, I made a reservation to arrive in BCN on Friday, October 1, and depart on Monday, October 10. (Of course I'll leave open an impulsive option to extend my stay a few days.) We will fly to Lisbon on Saturday and spend the next week mainly in Portugal. (If we get close to the Spanish border in the vicinity of Salamanca or Zamora, my car may not be able to resist - those are two places I really want to see.)

If you know Portugal and have an opinion about what to see or what to avoid, I'm all ears.

Comments

[gorkabear.livejournal.com]

In addition to Paulintoronto's suggestions for the Lisbon metro area, I deeply recommend Porto. From Porto, a quick visit to Vigo is not out of the question, since they're very close.

Salamanca is really beautiful, but Zamora is a god-forgotten place. Salamanca is in the way of Portugal to Europe via Spain, so it is also very easy to get there.

Food is excellent in Portugal, as well as coffee. They put Spaniards to shame constantly with their "savoir-faire". Eat as many "bacalhau" as you can (cod).

[paulintoronto.livejournal.com]

I've never been to Zamora, but I second the view that Salamanca is really beautiful. I loved it.

[gorkabear.livejournal.com]

My mother is right from the province over Salamanca, León. It's one of Spain's largest and it spots 4 main in-province regions. The one where she comes from is close to Galicia and they speak Galician as well

[gorkabear.livejournal.com]

Oops... León is north of Zamora

[mlr.livejournal.com]

The cathedral in Zamora is a really nice Romanesque building - at least from the pictures. But if the town has a 'get-me-out-of-here feeling, sometimes better to spend the extra hours in a more welcoming place.

[mlr.livejournal.com]

thanks & thanks for the heads up on Z.