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[Cascais / Sintra, Portugal, May 16, 2025] A daytrip to Sintra tops the wishlist of many visitors to Lisbon. Its proximity to the capital, the magnificent architecture of its palaces and castles, and its status as a UNESCO World Heritage site all contribute to the draw. I would normally do a side trip like this on my own, but Sintra presented some unique challenges. Due to the palaces’ popularity, a timed entry… Read More
[Pico de Areiro / Santana, Madeira, May 14, 2025] I had been watching the weather every single day, hoping for a window of opportunity to hike one of Madeira’s best known hikes. At almost 6,000 ft, Pico de Areiro is the third highest peak on the island. An 8-mile round-trip trail connects it to Madeira’s highest, Pico Ruvio. In the Madeira hiking system, it’s marked as PR1. PR stands for “Pequena Rota,”… Read More
[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 was uninhabited when Henry the Navigator discovered it in 1419 and claimed it for Portugal. The archipelago… Read More
[Pinhao / Regua / Porto, Portugal, May 9, 2025] The Douro region stretches along the Douro river some 60 miles inland from Porto. For 2,000 centuries, people have been making wine here by building terraces for the vines on the hillsides. Since the 18th century, the region is the only place in the world that can legally produce port wine – the same way only the Champagne region in France can produce… Read More
[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 not having to look up all the sights myself. With our 12:30 pm lunch reservation looming, we… Read More
