Photos from our 10-day Road Trip around central Portugal:

Starting with the amazing Douro Valley wine region. Even the drippy, overcast skies could not dampen the majesty of this place. We plan to return often to see it in every season. Less than 2 hour’s drive from home.

View from our airbnb. This made the sketchy water pressure and hard bed worth it.
Hotel "rooms" at one of the quintas (wineries.)
This is how the owner of the restaurant did the bill for our dinner. On the paper tablecloth.

Driving down the N2, our first stop when leaving the Douro Valley was Lamego. Then Viseu, where we had a great lunch and pleasant walk-around but rain prevented photos.

The Sactuario Nosso Senhora dos Remedios. It took almost 100 years to build in the 1700's.
Referred to as the "stairway to heaven" there are nearly 700 steps up from the city. No - we did not attempt it. We hope to return in better weather to photograph it from the bottom looking up. It is majestic.

We meandered slowly down the scenic N2 over two days before arriving in Evora.

We saw many places where there had previously been forest fires followed by replanting.
We saw hundreds of hikers along the N2.
Many cork trees. The timing and percentage of bark that can be harvested is carefully controlled.
We saw storks in several locations in their giant nests. They mate for life and return to the same nest every year after wintering in Africa.

Evora in central Portugal is an old Roman village surrounded by mostly flat land. The heart of the Alentejo wine region. Gets quite hot in the summer. We spent two nights here and ventured out to see the surrounding area.

Arrived in Evora.
This old sweetie later wandered down to the restaurant below & let me pet her.
See translation in sign below...
Definitely weird...
...and Creepy.
Evora has a lovely combination of old and new architectural styles.
The temple was originally constructed in the 1st century. The remains have been meticulously preserved.
Many excellent wines from this region.
My computer monitor is bigger than this TV.
Pano turned the van into a smart car.
We drove out of Evora to the hilltop town of Monsaraz.
The views from Monsaraz are gorgeous. We hope to return to this area some day. It is very popular for star gazing/photography because of the lack of city lights to spoil the pure darkness. Towns are restricted to just a few lights.
Even better views from up on the castle wall.
The lack of railings makes it pretty scary, though.
Lots of bike groups riding up the steep route.
Obviously, I thought the steep, narrow roads were cute.
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I could do a coffee table book of all the creative art erected in the town round-a-bouts in Portugal. This one is an hommage to their firefighters.

The next day we drove west to the Setúbal and Sesimbra area just south of Lisbon. It was a very warm & sunny Sunday and the beaches (praias) in the park along the coast were jammed. Parking was pretty creative.

Portugal navy patrol ship just off Sesimbra. With just 37 ships total including two submarines, it's a good thing no one bothers us.
Our cool hotel in old Setúbal.
The first wings I've seen served in Portugal and possiby the best I've ever had.

After spending the night in Setúbal (a nice enough city), we headed north, skirted around Lisbon, then up along the coast stopping a couple places along the away and ending in Óbidos where we spent the next two nights.

So many stork nests "condo style" in the major power towers.
More art in the center of round-a-bouts.
Old-fashioned windmills replaced by modern wind turbines.
Google maps can get you into some tight (literally) spots. Following directions to a restaurant in Ericeira, Wayne had to turn our too-large car left here. It took about 8 forward-backward moves, but he made it unscathed. We were happy to park safely at the church and go forward on foot.
A mountain of packing crates. Lots of fruit & vegetable companies on this route.
Óbidos - photogenic little walled city. Very touristy but worth a few hours to walk around.
Looking out from our airbnb apartment.
Loved the shadow these trees cast on the ancient city wall.
The view from our apartment by day...
... and by night.
Heard lots of sirens. Fires are a constant threat here.
Stores selling canned sardines and similar "delicacies."
Playing with my camera from our balcony window.

We day-tripped from our base in Óbidos  to nearby Peniche, Foz do Arelho, and the monastery at Alcobaça.

Coastal town of Peniche; surfers' paradise.
Being a Monday, the stunning inlet & beach of Foz do Arelho was practically empty on this perfect weather day.
Folks can choose the quiet, warmer inlet waters, or the crashing waves of the sea.
The monastery of Alcobaça was beautiful and serene.
Better than fiction, read about the true tragic love story of Pedro (Peter) and....
...Ines who are in these tombs. So sad. Also a 2018 movie. http://www.centerofportugal.com/the-tale-of-peter-and-ines/

On the last day of our road trip, we stopped on the way home in Tomar to see the famous Castelo dos Templários e Convento de Cristo (Castle of the Knights Templar with the Christ Convent.) It was huge and even more impressive than we expected.

 

I caught pictures of cleaning ladies at two different sites.
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This is a truckload of cork bark we saw while driving back north. It was a great trip but we were excited to be headed home.
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