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Purchased the final tickets for a family trip this summer with our nephews and their parents. Portuguese train tickets opened up this week for our day of travel. By buying them now, we paid less than half the price closer to the day of travel. We've now reserved our complete journey from Minneapolis, back to Minneapolis. Every ticket is digital via these apps. Alsa: bus, Spain and Portugal.Renfe: rail (high speed), Spain.CP: rail, Portugal.
Our backpacks wait near the front door for tomorrow's trip. We're strong proponents for traveling light, but we're bringing a few extra clothes this time because we won't be walking much more than a mile at a time with the packs. These 35-liter packs will still easily fit the overhead bins.
Arrived Nerja, Andalucia, on schedule after our overnight journey. Took a selfie on the grounds of our hotel for the next week.
We’ve been talking for months about revisiting this restaurant by the beach for paella. There was plenty paella to feed the six of us at lunch, including two teenagers. In the foreground, shrimp are being rinsed in a sink, and chopped-up wooden pallets wait to fuel the fire.
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).” Goofy photographic evidence was encouraged; pixelation protects reputations.
Rode a local bus to the hillside town of Frigiliana. Wandered through a maze of steep streets past whitewashed houses.
“Something light,” we said. Big plate for the (almost) 15-year-old (left). Almost nothing for the 13-year-old (right). Generous tapas for the rest of us. Time for a siesta.
Climbed up from Nerja’s Burriana Beach. Walked past avocado, citrus and banana trees, then an ancient aqueduct.
Nephews and their dad (and the rest of us, off-camera), about to board a bullet train to Seville.
A day of different spaces, starting with Seville’s massive Cathedral, ending with a flamenco performance in a small space. Here, the oval dome of the Cathedral’s Charter House exemplifies remarkable Renaissance engineering.
Explored the palace and gardens of the Royal Alcázar of Seville where ”less is more” is not a guiding principle. Later, as the temperature climbed to 110°, we dispersed to our hotel’s rooftop pool and air-conditioned siestas.
Walked from our Seville hotel to a bus station, long distance bus to Lagos (Algarve, Portugal), local bus to dropoff point, mile hike to a house we’d rented in the village of Salema for a week. Here, nephew #1 explores the roof, and eyes the Atlantic where he and his brother later swam.
While the boys and their mom enjoyed the beach and the waves, we 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 near where we’re staying.
Salema, Portugal, where we’re currently staying, has ducked Europe’s most extreme heat. Atlantic breezes make daily highs around 80° feel comfortable.
Hiked a trail starting a few blocks from where we’re staying. Excellent cliff walking, repeated ascents and descents, quiet beaches, an inland loop through arid countryside.
Vertiginous view on our hike today to our turnaround point, ruins of a 400-year-old fort built to defend against pirates. Salema, the village where we’re staying, borders Southwest Alentejo and Vicentine Coast Nature Park, so we have easy access to trails. Inside Forte de São Luís de Almádena.
9:30 a.m., Salema, Portugal: Dwight watered all the houseplants in Minneapolis where it was still night. Misters are on autopilot, but he prefers to run watering zones manually. The system has been reliable, but I find myself imagining additional fault-tolerant features to minimize the possibility of returning from a trip to racks of dead plants. I do need to improve the moisture sensors.
One final Southwest Alentejo and Vicentine Coast Nature Park hike before we leave Salema tomorrow and ride trains north to Lisbon. Click through for a map. The green line defines the boundary of the nature park. We will have stayed in Salema for a full week.
Local bus, local train, mainline train to Lisbon Oriente Station. Rode the metro, checked in to a rental apartment in a neighborhood of mainly Lisbon residents. Lisbon Oriente
Started our Lisbon explorations with a hike up to St. George’s Castle where we surveyed the city below. Walked down into the city where we focused on the Tagus River waterfront.
Rode an ancient streetcar through steep, twisty streets from our rental apartment to the starting point of a Rick Steves audio walking tour we’d all downloaded.
Stopped at the tiny A Ginjinha Bar (recommended by Rick Steves, no less), established in 1840, counter open to the street. 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.
They couldn't figure out how to rent three scooters, so dad and sons shared one scooter. Moments before, nephew #2 boarded and somehow managed to position himself in the middle.
