JAVI AND OLGA AROUND THE WORLD: mayo 2011

From Vejer de la Frontera we went towards the Algarve, the Portugal’s south. Our first stop was Faro, the capital of the region. There we didn’t book any hotel, so we must to find it. If we were lucky, well, and if not, maybe we would have to sleep in the car. But we were lucky and always we found some place. We stayed one night in Faro, another in Lagos and two three nights in Lisboa.

FIRST DAY:FARO-OLHAO-TAVIRA. In Faro we took a short time to find an hotel. We arrived, saw an hotel, asked and they had some rooms allowed. It was 5 minutes walking away the down town. The hotel was not very good, it had old furniture but it was cleaned and the price was good: 40 € with breakfast. You could park the car in the street without any problem at any time. As was time to have lunch, we we looking for some restaurant. The first one we saw was a Mcdonald’s, so we aet there. Then, below a hot sun, we walked along the down town, wich nobody walking in the street and the shops closed, maybe because it was 3:00 0’clock in the afternoon. So, we decided to drive until the beach. The water was So, we decided to go. Our next stop was Tavira. It was a good decision, because is a very nice village, with a little river that crosses it and very good ambiente. We had dinner a pizza there and it was not expensive.

Then we come back to Faro, where there was more ambient, and then we went to the hotel.

very cold and it was very hard for us to enter in the water, but out was too hot, so we didn’t have any option. Also we saw the little shops along the seafront. After this, we went to Olhao, another city near. I read in a magazine that was a very nice city but we didn’t think the same. We didn’t find anything interesting and looked like not a very save place.

SECOND DAY: LAGOS-PORTIMAO. We arrived to Lagos at midday. One again we must to find an hotel, and this time was a little more complicated than in Faro. At the end, we found some apartments for rent. Some of them had a kitchen but ours was a normal room with a bathroom. We didn’t need any kitchen. They were picturesque and we had good views. The price was the same as Faro: 40 €, without breakfast this time. We visited Laos, which is nice, we had lunch and then we went to Portimao. In Portimao is where is La Praia da Rocha, a beautiful beach with big rocks and a little cave with an entrance and a exit, which we loved. After to see the beach and have a bath in the cool water with a lot of waves, we tourned to Lagos. The pedestrian area is also very beautiful with a lot of ambience day and night. There are shops and street painters. I fell in love of a picture and I thought in buy it after having a walk, but when we came back, the painter was not there. I regretted without having bought it so much. At night is full of restaurants and pubs. Next to the pedestrian area there is also a piece of the wall and a little fortress where you can enter and you have nice views. I don’t remember now the price of it. I think it was free, but if you have to pay, I don’t think you must to give more than 1 €.

THIRD DAY: THE CENTRE OF LISBON

The las three days of the holidays we stayed in Lisbon. Our first day there we visited all the centre. Lisbon has a lot of things to see and is a very nice city, although there are some parts that are left.

This time was no easy to find an hotel. We pass for a big street like Paseo de Gracia in Barcelona o the Elysian Fields in Paris and all the hotels we saw were luxurious and expensives. At the end we found an Ibis whose price was 57 € per night and we installed ourselves. We had a subway stop near and I recommend to move by Lisbon in public transport, is better, although the parkstations are quiet cheap. There are buses, subway and trams and work very good. The trams are ancient, so they bring a romantic air to the city. The best is to go first to a Tourism Office. They will give you all the information about the city, the city card, a lot of discounts to museums and other atractions and the sightseeing. They, in the office marked us a very good itinerary and thus you can see all the old town very well and you will not forget nothing. The old town is very nice, as the entire Lisbon, have a lot of monuments. In anyway you can find an sculpture, the most of them from the Barroque

There is a very curious building called La Casa dos Bicos, something like “The peak’s house”. Inside ther is an office but the front is full of peaks. A little more far of the old town there is the Saint George’s Casttle, from whose you’ll have a beautiful panoramic of the city and also the Saint Lucy’s, wich is a cathedral with a. When we arrived was closed but in fact the views are the same as the casttle.

A very important advice: never go to a Portuguese hospital. The are horrible!!! The thing was that I was wearing a few thongs, and a after all the day walking a lot an enormous blister went out for me. He did not want that one was bursting me because it was going to be worse and then I looked for a drugstore to see if they could treat it to me, but only a few plasters sold me. We were looking for a surgery but we didn’t find anyone, so we saw an hospital and we decided to enter. It was terrible and seemed we went in the third world. Really I can’t find no words to describe it but it was dirty, with a very bad odor and bad people. We were waiting for one hour but nobody attended to us and we left. I don’t know how are the others but this was horrible.

FOUTH DAY: THE VECINITY OF LISBON

The second day we went to the Betlem Tower, the Discovery’s monument, the Jeronimo’s Monastery and the Nations’ Park. The Betlem Tower is a tower which a lot of years ago was a fortress. Today you can visit the inside and go upstairs to have a panoramic view, you’ll find some canyons and some little exhibition of ancient guns. The Discovery’s monumento is from 200 or 300 meters by foot from the tower.

A little farer is the monastery, wich has a very nice courtyard. To this places we were by car because it was far, in the vecinity of the city, but sure that the public transport arrives there. After to see the monastery, we went to the Nation’s Park, where was held the Expo 1998. There is a very nice Shopping centre, a sciencie museum, some funicular cabs for 4 people that offers you a good view of all the area and the Oceanary. The Oceanary is an aquarium and is Amazing. Is divided into different areas and every area is an ocean. In every ocean we can find the typical animals who live there. Also there are some seas, like the Mediterranean. Also there are penguins, otters and a big aquarium with Sparks and another fishs that swimm together. It’s worth visiting it and if you go with children they will love it. We get a ticket which cost 16€ by person whicj included the Entrance to the sciencie museum, the Oceanary, the funicular cabs and a little train to visit all the area. Here, in Barcelona, only the ticket of the aquarium costs already 15 € at least.

After to see the Oceanary, we came back to the hotel because it was late and we were tired.

FIFTH DAY: THE NATIONS PARK, THE CHRIST KING AND THE BACK HOME

The last day, we came back to the Nation’s Park to take the cabs and we went to see the Benfica’s Stadium and the Sporting Lisboa Stadium. Both are fine. Benfica has guided tours but the day we went there weren’t. What a bad luck! The Sporting of Lisboa Studium is also very nice and have a very good Shopping centre. In the third floor, are all the restaurants together making a circle and all the tables are in the centre. So, for example, you can choose a piece of Pizza from Pizza Hut, a salade in a wok and some Mexican nachos. Was greate

To arrive to Lisbon, you must to cross the Tagus River and you can do it by two Bridges: the 25th april, which is red and remember to the San Francisco’s and the Bridge Vasco da Gamma, that was built for the Expo. In the 25th april there are toll cabs but there are open, so you don’t pay. But in the other there is a little toll in every side of the bridge that you mus to pay. So, the trick is to enter across one and to go out for other. That way you see both.

The last thing we saw was the King Christ, in the vecinity of Lisboa, in a city called Almela. It looks like the famous statue in Rio de Janeiro but more little and newer. You can go up with a lift to have a good view from Lisboa. We didn’t, but from down you have a perfect view of the 25th april bridge.

Is time to come back home. So, very happy for the good time we pass in Lisbon, we say good and leave the city.