A digital travel diary. · WP v1.08 · Updated
I discovered Joe Bonamassa a few years ago on Spotify (with songs like Drive) being one of my favorites. I especially enjoyed listening to his collaboration with Beth Hart on Don't Explain. . When I learned that Joe would play at the San Jose Civic Center, I was excited to see him live and purchased excellent seats for the 8:00 pm show. . . We…
Read More: Joe Bonamassa at San Jose Civic CenterMariza is a world-famous Fado singer, and I was surprised and delighted that she was visiting San Francisco. Having just returned from Portugal, where Mariza usually performs in large stadiums, I was happily surprised to find I could purchase tickets to hear her live. . Here is a sample YouTube video of her singing:. . . . According to Wikipedia: . Mariza was born in…
Read More: Mariza at SF Jazz
At around 9:30, I ordered an UberX from the Torel Palace Hotel to Cais do Sodré Train Station, where trains to Cascais depart. We arrived at about 9:57, missing the 10:00 train to Cascais. However, we boarded the next train at 10:20 and arrived 40 minutes later.. . . According to Wikipedia (see more about Cascais):. Cascais is a town and municipality in the Lisbon…
Read More: Vising Cascais, Portugal
Friday, October 4, 2024 . Inna arranged a private tour of Sintra, and we met our guide, Nino (from Vangotourism), at 09:20, just outside our Torel Place Hotel. He had arrived in a Mercedes-Benz van, and we were quickly on our way to Sintra. There was heavy traffic on the way, but we arrived around 09:30. . . Nino is a local Portuguese guide who…
Read More: Visiting Sintra, Portugal
Monday, September 30, 2024 . On Monday, September 30th, at 18:00, after finishing sightseeing at the Buddha Eden Garden of Peace, we drove to Lisbon (LIS) airport, where I was scheduled to drop off my rented Nissan Qashqai at Hertz. . . There was some traffic on the way there, but we arrived at 19:00 and found the Hertz Rental car return near the airport.…
Read More: Back to Lisbon, Portugal
After visiting Obidos and Caldas da Rainha, we drove for 30 minutes to Buddha Eden Garden of Peace in Bombarral. . . Once we purchased our tickets (12.00 euros/person), we waited to board a train to ride around the gardens. We got off at our first stop and started taking many photos. The train is relatively slow and has a few stops. Next time, I…
Read More: Visiting Buddha Eden Garden of Peace, Portugal
After stopping at Obidos, we had some free time and decided to visit the spa town of Caldas da Rainha. . Once we found free parking in Caldas da Rinha, we strolled through the Parque Dom Carlos I, which overlooks a small lake with rowboats and large hospitals. . . If we had time, we would have liked to stroll through the park and enjoy…
Read More: Visiting Caldas da Rainha, Portugal
Monday, September 30, 2024 . After a delicious breakfast at Hotel Quinta das Lagrimas, we packed our suitcases and drove to Obidos. It was about 08:30, and some rush-hour traffic slowed us down on our way. . . We arrived in the vicinity of Obidos around 10:00 and parked in the unpaved but Free Parking lot. From there, we walked across the street and entered…
Read More: Visiting Obidos, Portugal
Sunday, September 29, 2024 . Since Inna had pre-purchased tickets for the 15:00 English-speaking Tour of the University of Coimbra Library, we ordered an UberX to get there on time. . . . . Arriving on schedule, we waited for our tour to begin at the Ticket Office. Our tour guide, Patricia, was excellent (with perfect British English pronunciation). She provided us with headsets so…
Read More: Touring University of Coimbra, Portugal
Saturday, September 28, 2024 . At around 17:30, we finally found our way to Hotel Quinta das Lagrimas (from Casal de São Simão). Although we arrived 30 minutes early, we could not find the car entrance, and both Google Maps and Apple Maps gave incorrect directions. . . We called the hotel, and the receptionist explained how to use the service entrance. Once inside the…
Read More: Visiting Coimbra, Portugal
At noon, after checking out of H2otel / Aquadome in Unhais de Terra, we drove the Nissan Qashqai to Casal de São Simão to hike along the wooden floorboards to the famous "Passadico das Fragas de São Simão." . . Upon arrival at 14:00, we were hungry and decided to stop for lunch at Restaurante Varanda do Casal. It was an unexpectedly fancy restaurant at…
Read More: Hiking Casal De Sao Simao, Portugal
Friday, September 27, 2024 . At around 09:30, we started our one-hour drive from Unhais da Serra to Piodao. The road was extraordinarily twisty and narrow, but it had beautiful views of the surrounding hills and mountains. Some of the hills were purple (perhaps Jacaranda)? . . Upon reaching Piódão, we parked our car and added extra layers of clothing, as it was a chilly…
Read More: Hiking from Piódão to Foz d’Egua
Thursday, September 26, 2024 . From Belmonte, we drove to Covilha to see the New Hand Lab. The drive to Covilha was more difficult due to narrow, one-way roads. We finally arrived at 14:15, a few minutes ahead of its opening hours (14:30 - 17:00) . . We waited for the New Hand Lab to open. When it did, a person who worked there let…
Read More: Visiting the New Hand Lab, Covilha
Thursday, September 26 . After we finished breakfast at 10:45, we decided to explore Belmonte. After heavy rain, hiking would be challenging in muddy conditions, so we decided to hike on Friday instead. . . I programmed Google Maps on my iPhone with directions to Belmonte, and we started our drive in our Nissan Qashqai. On the way there, we took a wrong turn and…
Read More: Visiting Belmonte, Portugal
Wednesday, September 25, 2024 . At noon, we drove our Nissan Qashqai from the Ventozelo Hotel & Quinta in Ervedosa do Douro to the H2otel/Aquadome in Unhais de Serra. . During our two-hour drive, we stopped for lunch at DouroSerra Restaurant in Valongo dos Azeites at 13:00. We had made lunch reservations in advance (to avoid problems getting seated). . . When we arrived at…
Read More: Relaxing at Aquadome, Portugal
Tuesday, September 24, 2024 . I woke up at 07:00, showered, shaved, and dressed. I packed my remaining clothes and chargers and prepared to check out of the Gran Cruise House in Porto, Portugal. . Inna and I walked downstairs to the hotel's restaurant for our 08:00 breakfast. We sat at our usual table and ordered scrambled eggs, cheeses (Azores and Ricotta), and deli meats…
Read More: Visiting Douro Valley, Portugal
On the way to Ventozelo, we briefly stopped at the Fundação da Casa de Mateus in Vila Real. . . . . According to Wikipedia:. The winery buildings date from the 16th century and were modified in the 1800s. Architect Nicolau Nasoni was involved in the project to construct the palace, which took place in the 18th century, possibly between 1739 and 1743, according to…
Read More: Visiting Fundacao da Casa de Mateus, Portugal
Although Inna visited Portugal in 2022, I had only visited Lisbon and Santiago de Compostela during a Celebrity European Cruise in 2003. . . . For my upcoming birthday, Inna planned an exciting trip to Portugal with stops in Porto, the Douro Valley, Covilhã, Coimbra, and Lisbon. . . . . . Date Flights Loc Hotel Car rental Activities . 9/20 TAP Portugal TP238 SFO…
Read More: Visiting Porto, Portugal
. After many years, we returned to Felton to hike in the beautiful Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park. Inna decided to follow the river to the Cathedral Redwoods. . . . We followed the Pipeline Road (which parallels River Trail) from the parking lot to the Cathedral Redwoods, a small grove of giant sequoias. It was a pleasant day to hike among the giant redwoods.…
Read More: Hiking Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park
Inna and I decided to try walking a new trail in Burlingame. She heard that the Sawyer Trail South is an easy, paved trail along the Crystal Spring Reservoir. . We arrived and parked our Tesla near the trailhead. The two-hour round-trip hike was straightforward, and we managed a breakneck pace (3/5 miles/hour). . . . It was a straightforward, enjoyable hike, and we hope…
Read More: Hiking Sawyer Camp Trail South in Burlingame