July 17-19, 2024
John and I loved Lisbon and its surrounding area when we visited in November 2021. In July 2024 it’s still lovely – but a lot more crowded.
We did a Guruwalk this time, so learned a little more about the history – especially about some of the street art.
Our guide took us to the oldest bookstore in continuous use in Europe (and still a bookstore).
Our guide focused on history of the 20th century under Salazar. King Carlos I and his eldest son were assassinated in 1908, leading to a political vacuum and revolution in 1910, when the First Republic attempted to govern the country. Unfortunately, conflicting powers put the country through 8 Presidents in 16 years and the instability brought a coup in 1926. The President under the new regime, Oscar Carmona, brought in finance minister Antonio Salazar. Salazar kept a central view as tensions grew, and was eventually named Prime Minister in 1932 – and maintained absolute power until his death in 1970 (even after losing his Prime Ministership in 1968 after a prolonged coma. When he woke – everyone pretended he was still Prime Minister due to fear of the man and his level of control). Although a perfect example of “absolute power corrupts absolutely” – he was not an isolationist, and made Portugal one of the founding members of NATO and led Portugal through significant financial gains, though all feared his secret police (the PIDE).
Overall, the hilly city is navigable by foot (with the occasional use of an elevator or the many hidden escalators) and by tram (a day pass is €6.4). Food is reasonable, but like a lot of Europe – rents are escalating making it difficult to afford living near the city center.
The next day we sailed to Porto in northern Portugal. Porto sits on the north side of the Duoro River, the other side is the city of Vila Nova de Gaia which is where you’ll find the port tastings – like with a lot of choices – it had to do with taxes. Like Lisbon, Porto is very hilly, but knowing where the hidden escalators and elevators help make it more manageable for one’s legs. The city charms many visitors – including J.K. Rowling who lived in Porto for 18 months teaching English while writing her first Harry Potter book, likely influenced by the many griffon statues and young academics running around the city in their black robes.
3)tawny 10 year-very sweet and smooth- strong blackberry finish (and my favorite)- (note: red ports lose color with aging)
The city of Vigo, in northern Spain, was one of the first to be liberated from the Moors, and resisted invasion by the French under Napoleon. Napoleon did take the city – but most people lived in the country. The families and nobles banded together and attacked the soldiers any time they left the city, essentially creating a siege and starved out the soldiers. Now it’s a fun city that displays a quirky sense of humor in its art.
We spent the afternoon enjoying wine and mussels while listening to a live band in a square. I really enjoyed Vigo – my lack of photos is more of an issue with my photography talent and not of the lovely, lively city ( a furnished, bills paid 3BR, 2 bath with narrow terrace and view of the water rents for about €1100 per month, should anyone be curious).
And now we leave sunny Spain for the Emerald Isle.
With whom did you book the guruwalk in Lisbon?
GuruWalk.com
Thank you. I’ve never heard of guruwalks before, but I’ll definitely check them out for my ’26 world cruise.
I just took a look at Lisbon, and there are a lot of them. Do you remember which one you toured with?
Thanks Carolyn. Looks like there are many guruwalks in Lisbon. Do you happen to remember which one you tool?
John booked it – I’ll try to see if it’s still on his app. Looking at the logos – I’m pretty sure we used 1 2 Tours