Monday, February 25, 2019

A Visit to Lisbon, Portugal

Great Group Travel 

Earlier this month, Tacey and I were part of a group of 40 travelers from the Philadelphia area visiting Portugal. The trip was planned for us by Gate 1 Travel and they really did a great job. We left on a Thursday evening, arriving in Portugal on Friday morning and then spent Friday through Monday seeing the sights of Lisbon and neighboring areas with the help of an expert guide before leaving early on Tuesday to return to the US. It was an amazing trip, allowing us to experience so much in just a short time.


We had traveled in 2017 with about half the group on a trip to Iceland, and enjoyed reuniting with old friends. We were just as glad to meet a group of new friends with whom we could share the Lisbon experience. Together, our group of 40 traveling companions spent the first day getting to know Lisbon with Pedro, one of the amazing local guides who work with Gate1 Travel, the tour operator who arranged the trip. Over the next few days we visited Sintra, Cascais, Nazaré, Cabo da Roca, Óbidos, Nazare, and Fátima. We saw sights. We took photos. We ate seafood. We drank wine. We smiled a lot.

What follows are a few photos from our trip that I’m happy to share. 

Some views around Lisbon
Some views around Lisbon
Lisbon's ancient aqueducts
Walkways everywhere are limestone mosaics. This is flat ground!
Limestone mosaic walkways as art
A beautiful walkway in hilly Lisbon
A beautiful city park, with a monument in the distance
The monument mentioned above
A monument to Portugal's seagoing history
The famous Belém Tower at the waterfront
In Sintra, the town and the fortress walls above
The castle in Sintra
Tacey shops in Sintra
Cabo da Roca, the western-most point of Europe
The seaside town of Cascais
Tacey and Deke in the seaside town of Cascais
Seafood lunch in Cascais
The seaside town of Nazaré
Seafood lunch of squid and grouper in Nazaré
Fortress walls of Obidos
Fortress walls of Obidos
Walking the fortress walls of Obidos
Some of our group in Obidos
Great seafood everywhere
Great seafood everywhere
Octopus for dinner
At Ramiro, showing us the lobster for dinner
We began with clams and shrimp
Portugal is known for these very large tiger prawns, 10" long
Our full group, in front of the famous Belém Tower


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