Lisbon, Sintra and Coimbra

Anyone coming to Portugal would invariably visit Lisbon. Except for transfers through the Airport, we had never been. So we decided to make a trip. Lisbon is only 3 hours by bus or Train from where we live in the Algarve. We decided to sample both: up by bus, return by train. Also visited Sintra, a tourist must do, and Coimbra, an expat favorite to live. Finding our next home is also part of these forays. 

Transportation

Bus and Train travel in Portugal is cheap. More so for seniors who only pay half. We love train travel generally; it is our most likely mode of transportation. A train to Lisbon from the Algarve could be as little as €10. Bus as little as €5. After using both trains and buses, our consensus for Portugal is …. bus. In buses, the air conditioning is a given. Train cars, hit or miss. With buses, the bus driver may help you load your luggage in the luggage compartment, but for sure, the bus will not start moving while you are still loading. Not so on trains, where you are trying to load your luggage up two steep stairs, while holding the door open, and hoping the train will not start moving. Then try to find very limited places to store your suitcases. 

Luggage

All that whining about loading luggage aside, we have only been traveling with small backpacks. Gone are the days when we needed to carry 100kg of baggage with us like turtles. It is joyous! So far we have gone ten days without anything other than a small day pack, and we could go much longer. The only thing limited is shoes; this method requires that we go the whole time in a single pair of shoes. Admittedly, usually by the end of the trip we are also carrying a shopping bag with found items I could not resist. 

Lisbon

Lisbon is the capital of Portugal and by far the most populous. It is a lively city with a robust nightlife. Young demographic and also attracts young people for vacations. Lisbon is the new thumping party city in Europe. It does not matter which nightclub or bar you go to, because you will end up out in the street partying. That seems to be the culture here. I don’t know how bars get their glasses back. Finding lodging where you have a chance of sleeping at night is a trick near the city center.

It is a hilly city. Being as old as it is, roads are very narrow. Driving here would be a real mistake. We walked most everywhere but there was also a cable car system and buses and funicular system. 

Lisbon is chocker full of history. It is the second oldest capital in Europe. Who is first? Athens. Surprisingly, Lisbon is older than Rome, by centuries. Other fun facts about age: Portugal has the oldest borders. The borders between Spain and Lisbon have not changed since 1139, making Portugal the oldest country in Europe. 

Earthquake

Earthquakes have been a topic of our blogs before; Lisbon is not the first city we have visited where an earthquake has defined its history, but this earthquake did a number on Portugal. It was a 9.0 earthquake and lasted for several minutes. The time was 1755, an age when knowledge of science was little and most explanations based on religion. It was All Saints day and happened about 10:00 am. What happens on All Saints Day? People light candles for their lost loved ones, and then go to church. So at 10:00 when the earthquake hit, thousands of candles were burning around the City. The Cathedral, and almost all churches, were completely destroyed. Of course, this is where most of the people were at the time; 50,000 died. Fire burned for weeks, completely destroying the city. A tsunami followed that forever changed the coastline of Lisbon and also wiped out some villages down in the Algarve. 

The biggest impact of the earthquake in Lisbon on All Saints Day is it shook people’s faith in God and religion to the core. Clergy decreed that the earthquake was God’s punishment for their sins. But if that were to be true, why were all the churches destroyed, and not brothels? In Portugal this was a turning point to adopting scientific views about some of Earth’s phenomena. 

More Lisbon

There is a golden gate bridge here! And it’s the same red color as the one in San Francisco. The same plans were borrowed by Lisbon from the San Francisco version; the reason, it is supposed to be earthquake proof. 

Another sight you cannot miss is a massive Roman aqueduct. It is almost completely intact. Amazing given its 2000 years old and withstood a 9.0 earthquake. 

Our visit to Lisbon was pleasant. Weather is cool and variable, contrasting the constant sunshine in the Algarve. There are several Michelin rated restaurants to sample, and the aforementioned nightlife. We found a quiet cocktail bar crafting interesting drinks. And a night market with live entertainment. An all-woman group led by an accordionist. We could not understand the words, but we gathered that the songs were rather risque. As another reveler told us, if it’s an accordion, the lyrics are naughty. We also took time to visit a rather unimpressive botanical garden. 

Sintra

A quick train ride from Lisbon is Sintra. Sintra seems like a Bavarian town dropped down in Portugal. There are a couple palaces, with the associated gardens, in a green hilly landscape cloaked in perpetual fog. No where else in Portugal is like this. One of the palaces was used by the Portuguese royal family up to the early 1900’s and is restored to that condition for visitors.

So, we thought Lisbon was hilly. Sintra is ridiculously so. In addition to the palaces, there is a ruin of a Moorish castle atop the highest point. 

We chose to spend two nights in this tiny town to really see everything; most people do it as an excursion from Lisbon. This was one of few poor travel decisions on our part. While there is a lot to see and do in Sintra, it is not an overnight destination for many. So there was nothing open for dinner or even breakfast, most bars closed by 8pm. Our hotel room did not have any coffee supplies, so it was a long wait to 10:00 am to get my first cup of coffee. 

While we were here we visited the coastline. One of the beaches here was just named as one of the most beautiful in the world. And a nearby city popular with expats: Cascais. We fell in love with Cascais for a moment, it really reminded us of La Jolla. We even stopped into a real estate office. Cascais is more like La Jolla than we thought. Houses here cost just about the same as they do in La Jolla. Probably will not be our next address.

Coimbra.

Coimbra as an expat destination is the other side of the coin. It is the home of a rather large university, one of the oldest in the world. The reason it is popular with expats however, because it is affordable. What else is Coimbra known for? It is hilly. Seems to be a theme in Portugal. We noticed everything is cheaper in Coimbra than in our touristy home or Lisbon. Dinners were about half the price. It is along a pretty river and not far from the sea. Coimbra has a lot going for its modest cost of living. That being said, it has some rough edges. 

Travel Plans

Next Month we have a trip planned further North. We will get to Aveiro (Portugal’s Venice), Porto, and the Douro Valley for some wine and port tasting, and hopefully lovely scenery.