July 2022, we had a family vacation in Southern Spain and Portugal: my partner and me, our two teenage nephews, and their parents. We’ve traveled many times together, so this was an easy, mostly relaxed trip.
You can find further trip posts, including daily microposts, here.
1. Nerja,Spain
We arrived Nerja, Andalucia, on-schedule after an overnight journey from Minneapolis. It was late afternoon as we walked from the bus stop to a Parador where we’d stayed in 2019.
Next day, we went to a restaurant for lunch, next to the Playa Burriana (beach), below the hotel. We’d been talking for months about revisiting this restaurant for paella.
There was plenty paella to feed the six of us, including two teenagers.
Another day we divided into three teams for a scavenger hunt I’d created for the GooseChase app. The theme of six “missions” was “Nerja Rocks (Literally).”
While Dwight and I went off exploring, our nephews generally preferred to stay by the beach, enjoying the water.
Dwight and I rode a local bus to the hillside town of Frigiliana, then wandered through a maze of steep streets past whitewashed houses.
Another day we took a trail up from the beach.
We walked past avocado, citrus and banana trees, then an ancient aqueduct.
2. Seville, Spain
After a relaxed few days in Nerja, it was time to get moving and experience a bit of culture. We took a bus from Nerja to Malaga, then a high-speed train to Seville.
We knew Seville would be really hot, so we planned accordingly. We stayed 3 nights, giving us 2 full days for sight-seeing. We concentrated sight-seeing in the morning when it wasn’t so hot.
Weeks earlier, as soon as they became available, I booked entrance tickets to Seville Cathedral for the first morning, and the Royal Alcázar (palace) for the second morning.
One afternoon my brother-in-law, Dwight and I ventured out for a bit of exploring in the fiery heat. The biggest surprise was this huge building in a park.
Each afternoon, as planned, we were glad to retreat from the 110° heat to the hotel. Dwight had picked out this hotel from satellite photographs because it met all our criteria: it was near the main sights, and it had a large roof area, including a pool.
One evening we went to a one-hour flamenco performance in a small space in a former palace.
I suspect our nephews might’ve found the performance a bit long.
3. Salema, Algarve, Portugal
A long-distance bus took us from Seville to Lagos in Portugal’s Algarve. A local bus, then a one-mile walk took us to the village of Salema where we would be staying for a full week.
We’d rented a house from its Swedish owner. The architecture is somewhat incongruous next to traditional Portugese homes, but it was a great place to spend a week with the family.
The house has 5 bedrooms, so the boys got their own rooms and we still had a spare bedroom.
The village center was a steep walk from the house. The family spent much of the week at the beach and just, generally enjoing a slow lifestyle.
While the boys and their mom enjoyed the beach and the Atlantic waves, the rest of us hiked to a supermarket where we filled backpacks with fresh produce and meats for the grill.
We got in a pleasant hike and stocked up beyond the limited selections at two small stores in Salema village.
Salema borders national park, so we had easy access to trails just a few hundred yards from the house. The cliff-walking was excellent, with repeated ascents and descents, punctuated by quiet beaches.
One day we took a local bus to Sagres, almost to the extreme end of Portugal. From Fortaleza de Sagres (fort) we looked down at a beach that was popular with surfers.
We had many of our meals in the house, but sometimes we headed down the road to one of the local restaurants.
4. Lisbon, Portugal
We arrived in Lisbon after riding a local bus, local train, and a long-distance train.
From Lisbon Oriente Station we rode the metro, then checked in to a rental apartment in a neighborhood of mainly Lisbon residents. The apartment was large (two floors) and the boys each got their own bedroom. The whole thing was no more expensive than one standard hotel room.
We were in Lisbon for 5 nights. On the first morning we walked up to Lisbon’s Castle where we took in a fine view of central Lisbon.
Next morning, rather than walking into the center of Lisbon, we took one of the city’s creaky, swaying, crowded streetcars.
Over two days we used a free audio guide produced by Rick Steves to introduce us to Lisbon.
One stop on the tour was A Ginjinha Bar, established 1840, with a counter open to the sidewalk.
Here, purely in the interest of scientific exploration, my brother-in-law bought two shots of the only beverage on sale: one for him to share with my sister-in-law, and one for Dwight and me.
We stood on the sidewalk, sipping the strong cherry-infused distilled alcohol. The nephews might’ve had a taste, but I’m pleading the Fifth.
Another day we went for a boat ride on the Tagus River.
On the last full day, inspired by what we’d seen from the boat, we explored an area about two miles up-river from downtown Lisbon. We took in a nautical museum, and this beautifully restored electric power plant.
Throughout our stay in Lisbon, the boys had been begging to ride rental scooters. We’d declined because the streets were too busy.
Along the river, there was a designated trail, so we caved and agreed they could rent scooters. Ultimately, they could only figure out how to rent one scooter, which the boys and their dad rode for a considerable distance.
Next morning, it was time to go home: a subway ride to the airport, then Delta flights from Lisbon LIS to Boston BOS, then BOS back to MSP.
