Last day in Lisbon

Toured Lisbon with my guide and his dog

We went to some off the beaten path places not mentioned in the guide books.

From the top of the arch at Praça do Comércio.

The highlight was a part of Lisbon known as the LxFactory.  It is a collection of small shops with local goods and from local artists.  It has a completely crazy bookstore with an art area on the top level.  There is this fun Italian who makes all these insane contraptions out of discarded items.  He teased me about my horrible command of the Portuguese language while showing me each contraption.

After stopping at a  bike store / cafe, the weather turned rainy so we spent the rest of the day at the Modern art museum.

Would I return to Lisbon?  Absolutely. Led by the wine industry, tourists are starting to go to Portugal so I think this will be a very different place in 10 years. You can see so many of the old buildings being restored all over the city.

Am I ready to go home?  Absolutely. It's been a great trip but it is time to go home.  I fly home tomorrow through London.  See you on the next trip.

My favorite Lisbon picture

Back in Lisbon

Back at the Four Seasons.

I spent the early part of the afternoon shopping in Lisbon with my new friends from Mexico City.  I love people who bring extra bags just for shopping.  We hope to meet again on another Duvine biking trip and have promised to email each other when planning.

After shopping, I went to Belém to visit the rest of the tourist sites.

Belém Tower built in 1515 and was the last thing the sailors saw as they left Portugal.

Monastery of Jerónimos built by King Manual (1495) of which the unique decorative style of Portugal takes it name.

The restored cloisters in the monastery are a perfect example of this Manueline architecture. 

Best gargoyles ever. You can't tell from the picture but these are all different animals including a monkey, a cat and a cricket.

National Coach Museum. This would have been much better if there was more light and didn't smell like mildew.

After seeing all the sights, I treated myself to some pastel de Belém from the famous Pastéis de Belém cafe.  Here I met two interesting people - one from California and one from the Czech Republic. Each works a bunch and saves up money and then quits their respective jobs to travel for many months before returning to work again. Rinse repeat. Sounds like fun.

The last thing to see in Belém is the  25th of April bridge and, way in the distance, the Cristo Rei.  Do these look familiar?  The bridge was built by the same group that build the Golden Gate so looks very similar and the Cristo Rei is a replica of the giant Christ statue in Rio. 

L'AND Hotel and Vineyard

Due to the growing wine industry in Portugal, a number of new hotels are springing up.   This hotel opened in the last few years.

There is a main building with the reception, spa and restaurant.

The rooms are located in single story buildings behind the main building.

I mention the single story building because the rooms have sky lights over the beds. The rooms are arranged as suites with a living room, bedroom and massive bathroom.  Each room has a private outdoor space with a plunge pool in the back and a porch with a fireplace in the front.

Picture of dinner -  Filet with bacon wrapped potato gnocchi.

Today, we return to Lisbon.  My legs are exhausted and I can't possibly bike another foot.

Day 5 Biking

Today was the last and most challenging day of biking.  33 miles from Evora to Montemor-o-Novo. Lots of hills along the way.  More farmland and cork trees.

Here's the gang getting ready to leave the hotel in Evora

We are staying at the L'AND hotel and vineyard.  Dinner is at the hotel's Michelin starred restaurant.

The hotel is new and has more modern decor than the other hotels we've stayed.  I'll include pictures of the hotel tomorrow.  I took a nap and when I awoke it was too dark to take pictures.

Day 4 biking

28 miles from the hotel to Arraiolos, noted for its colorful and hand-stitched woolen tapestries.

A highlight of the ride was going past a large herd of cattle all wearing bells. It was like riding past a concert of ding-donging bells.

The last 3 miles were a climb into Arraiolos where we stopped for lunch in the square.

After spending some time in Arraiolos, we enjoyed a guided tour of Evora.  Evora is a UNESCO world heritage site settled by the Romans, expanded by the Moors and then reconquered by the Christians.

The massive cathedral is different from the typical Catholic cathedrals and is much more fortress like inside.  It was meant to be a place of safety for this often fought over area.

The absolute highlight of Evora is the chapel of bones.

Built by Franciscan monks to remind us to cherish life as it is short and we will all one day become bones, the walls and columns are all decorated with carefully laid out bones. Real bones taken from relocated cemeteries.

Tonight we have dinner in Evora and another 30+ mile ride awaits us tomorrow. 

Convento Do Espinheiro

Considered a national monument of Portugal, Convento Do Espinheiro is a 15th century convent converted into a hotel.  

Besides being luxurious, the hotel contains the original chapel and has converted the old wine cellar into a first class restaurant.

Pictures of the chapel and restaurant

Dinner last night - some kind of cod dish, followed by prawn, pork and Sao Tome chocolate dessert. 

Day 3 Biking

Best day of biking so far. 40 miles over rolling hills from Vila Vicosa to Evora. The weather has been cool and I could have done with less wind but it was still spectacular.  I'm glad I packed my wool biking layers.  The landscape changed too - cork tree groves replaced with larger herds of cattle and corn fields and tomato plants and farming that more closely resembles upstate NY.

We stopped at a ceramic shop in the town of Redondo.  Last night, we were talking about how horrible the Portuguese are at marketing. They have excellent products but either no one knows about them or they make it very inconvenient for people to buy them. For example, not everyone takes credit cards. Sure enough I bought some large items at the ceramic shop and wanted to ship them home. The first thing out of the woman's mouth is that it is too expensive.  The guide just rolled his eyes.  These people need to understand that Americans are not afraid to spend money. I finally convinced the woman that I was ok with the extra shipping charge.

Lunch during the ride. That's pork underneath the egg.

We are staying at another excellent hotel, Convento Do Espinheiro.  Obligatory picture of my room.

Dinner is at the hotel tonight.

Tomorrow, we have another 20+ mile ride followed by a tour of Evora.