[Funchal, Maderia, May 11, 2025] Parking was free in Funchal on Sunday. We took it as a sign to leave the car behind and spend the day in the city. As we headed out, we encountered a small parade part of the Madeira Flower Festival. We walked by the Madeira sign again, and I had…
[Funchal, Madeira, Portugal, May 10, 2025] Finally, the destination this whole trip was centered around was on the docket – Madeira! The 4-island archipelago is located just 320 miles west of Morocco and 500 miles southwest of mainland Portugal. The two populated islands are Maderia and Porto Santo, with Maderia being the larger one. Madeira…
[Porto, Portugal, May 8, 2025] Our only full day in Porto turned out to be a busy one! And this was without any planning on my part! My only contributions to the day were a couple of sights in the morning and the lunch reservation. The rest was up to the group and I loved…
[Porto, Portugal, May 7, 2025] A rail strike that had just started sent us scrambling for other transportation options to Porto. Luckily, our friend Vessi, who lives in Lisbon, was aware of all this and got us tickets for the bus a couple of weeks prior. The tickets only cost EUR6 for a 3-hour bus…
[Lisbon, Portugal, May 6, 2025] My second day in Portugal was also a workday, so I had limited time to sightsee. I waited for Teddy to arrive (a whole day late!), then I headed out for the Belem district of Lisbon. I was itching to see central Lisbon but I knew I wouldn’t have enough…