Oporto Portugal

 
 
Let’s begin with our tour from yesterday.
 
We took a private tour to explore the enchanting village of Sintra. Sintra is in the foothills of Portugal’s Sintra Mountains. It has a long history and is well known for its many pastel-colored villas and palaces. The Moorish and Manueline style Sintra National Palace have dramatic twin chimneys and elaborate tilework. Sintra is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
 
Our tour guides name was Andre. He was born in Lisbon and has a wife and young child. His English was easily understandable, and he provide lots of good information throughout the tour.
 
Some items about Portugal.
 
Unemployment is low at 2%.
 
Inflation is high for certain products. Gasoline is very high.
 
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Drivers of the economy include wine, cork, tourism, olives and olive oil.

 
Some trivia about cork. It takes 50 years for a new Cork Tree to produce cork. When it is removed it takes another 10 year before the cork is ready and this 10 year cycle continue.
  
 
As you get closer to Sintra you have about a 15-minute drive up a very windy road and enjoy spectacular views. Once you start you walk to the castle and other area you walk up steep paths or you can take a bus. We went with the walk.

We started our visit with a walk around Sintra Park to discover caves and trails. Next was a visit to the National Pena Palace, listed as an UNESCO World Heritage Site. The castle dates to the 19th century and is one of the most important examples of Portuguese architecture from the Romantic period. This palace is the most visited site in all of Portugal. 
 
Next, we visited the historical center of Sintra where we had free time to walk around and have lunch.  Tour guide Andre had told us that each area of Portugal is known for certain pastries such as Lisbon with the custard tart. He recommended we go to Casa Piriouita established in 1862 and have the Pillow Pastry and the Cheese & Cinnamon one. They each have official names, but we got what we wanted. LOL.

​The official names are: Travesseiros (flaky pillow pasteries filled with egg and almond cream) and Queijadas de Sintra (small, sweet tarts made of fresh chees, sugar, eggs and cinnamon) No calories. LOL. Both treats are tied to the villages history and baking.
 
We walked around for a while and found a restaurant to eat outside, and each had a sandwich.
 
Our tour ended with a drive through the natural wonders of the Sintra National Park. We passed several impressive palaces such as Quinta da Regaleira, Seteais, and Monserrate.
 
On our way back we drove by the coastline. It is beautiful. It was 

Dinner Menu from Waterside last evening.

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We dined at Osteria with friends Andrea and David. It was a wonderful evening, and we ended up dining for three hours between the amazing cuisine, service, wine and non-stop conversation. We were taken great care of by Waiter Jose and Sommelier Maurizio and Specialty Restaurant Maitre d’ Paolo. Buon Appetito!
 
We also had wonderful views of the beautiful scenery when we departed Lisbon at 7:00 PM.
 

Today's Daily Reflections.

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Keith got an early morning walked in, but this time walked inside and outside the ship. When he opened the doors to the Promenade Deck he realized it was quite windy. Keith was walking into the wind and reversed course walking towards the bow of the ship when the wind hit again so for the first time of this cruise he walked inside and finished up the walk outside on the pool deck where there was protection from the wind.  

Anne Marie did her morning walk after breakfast.

​Today we arrived at Operto, Portugal. Oporto is a coastal city in the northwest of Portugal. It is known for its colorful tile-decorated buildings, its iconic bridges by the Douro River, wine production and narrow cobbled streets surrounded by houses and cafes.

Porto is the second most populated city in Portugal trailing only Lisbon.
 
Major attractions include: 
 
Palacio Da Bolsa which is a monumental building housing the Porto Stock Exchange.
 
St Catedral constructed between the late 12th century and the 16th century.
 
Ponte Dom Luis 1 which is the iconic two tier metal arched bridge
 
Jardins do Palacio De Cristal which are the gardens of the Crystal Palace.
 
Torre Dos Clerigos which is a stunning 246-foot-high Baroque tower.
 
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Keith also got in Pickleball for the first time in several days and played with three other people including Victoria and Elizabeth

​We continue to enjoy every minute sailing Crystal Serenity.

Cheers,

​Anne Marie & Keith