SINTRA SUPER SHOW

Sintra was one of the highlights of the trip.

Sintra, from the Moore Castle

SEVILLE then home

Didn't get much of a chance to do the Seville part of the trip, so here it is.

After an enforced stay in Tavira, due to a pulled muscle, I finally managed to have 2 days in that famous city. My plan was to go to Cordoba but time was short so had to give it a miss.
However, Seville is just a two and a half hour bus ride which makes it very accessible from Tavira. Before I left I had a skirmish around the Internet and found the addresses of some hostels and did a screen print from Google maps which was invaluable for guiding me to a hostel 100mt from the Cathedral. 

terrace of the Sevilla Inn hostel

There are two bus stations in Seville and I wasn't sure which one I would be arriving at till I got there. After getting my bearings it was simple to find my way through some narrow twisting streets to the Sevilla Inn hostel. As I was only staying for one night, the cost of 16 euros didn't seem too excessive in a 6 bed dorm. (that cost included 2 euros bedding payable for only the first night) Luckily the only other person sharing the room was an Irish English teacher, called Danny, who was temporarily without a flat to live in. 

The huge cathedral has a bell tower which is obviously originally Moorish in style, very similar to the minarets seen in Morocco. Inside, massive columns support the highly decorated roof and the main altar is encrusted with enough gold to solve Spain's economic woes. The cathedral, or the bell tower are often referred to as 'La Giralda'.

altar dripping in gold

La Giralda

Seville Cathedral

tomb of Christopher Columbus

The next place I saw on the first afternoon is the Plaza de Espana which is a semi circular construction built in 1928 for an exposition in 1929. Its in the Moorish Revival style - the many arches and entrances definitely have a Moorish element about them. It was Sunday afternoon and it was crowded with thousands of Spaniards, as well as tourists.

a bit like Venice

Plaza de Espana, Seville

On Monday morning it was time to visit Real Alcazar, next to the cathedral. This place, which is in effect a king's palace, is bordered by extensive gardens. Here again, the Moorish influence is very strong in the design and decoration of the buildings, the later parts are from the renaissance period. 

Alcazar Palace

The immense gardens are also very impressive. Although I spent 2 hours wandering through the countless rooms and gardens, I think twice that time would have only just been enough. Fantastic!

a tiny part of the garden, Alcazar

Moorish water garden, Alcazar

I left Seville and headed back to Tavira ready for the journey back to the Czech Republic. It had been two weeks of summer and now I had to go back to the winter.  

TAVIRA. Mad dogs and Englishmen

Since I arrived here, about three days ago, its been a welcome rest from the noise and manic activity of Lisbon. When I came here to the Algarve part of Portugal, I had the pre-conception of a land of English beer, fish and chips, and semi wealthy bored red faced Brits reading yesterday`s news from English news papers. So far not quite as bad as my premonitions, but the weather makes up for everything. Staying with some very old friends, Nigel and Christine whom I see about every ten years, and have made their home here. 

The Stevensons´

Their house lies about 7km from Tavira which is just along the south coast of Portugal from the more well known Faro. They have a couple of crazy dogs, so hence the title. Its been a restful few days punctuated with riding a scooter and a borrowed bike. Tavira has the feel of a lazy seaside town and fishing harbours.

Tavira river waterfront

Roman bridge. Tavira

The economy of these parts is probably mainly tourism and secondly salt production. The salt marshes are perfectly suited to making salt because of the lengthy hot season, so this part of the coast is dotted with hundreds of salt pans where the seawater evaporates leaving thick layers of salt.

salt pans

a tree house

The Spanish border lies about 10km along the coast from here which is useful for a trip to Seville which is about 3 hours by bus. I will hopefully make that trip in the next few days. 
But finally, I saw something in Tavira that brought back some memories of my summer in Spain, on the Camino de Santiago. The yellow arrows painted on the kerbs in Tavira were exactly the same as the ones I followed for 5 weeks on the trail to Santiago. ´Very odd´I thought until a visit to Castro Marim today. There´s a castle which stands overlooking the river between Spain and Portugal, and there I saw the scallop shell Camino symbol and more yellow arrows. It is the beginning of a Portuguese Camino route, all the way up the eastern side to Santiago. 

scallop shell camino sign in Castro Marim

yellow arrows

So that´s all for now and here´s a very basic movie to give a idea of what the place looks like. D

GOING SOUTH

It’s the third day here now and then to Tavira, in the south, tomorrow. Had another wander around the city using a day pass which is probably the most convenient way of getting around.

Plac de Comercio

One of the places I came across is by the sea south of the Old Town, a square called Plac de Comercio. Lisbon seems to be littered with huge monuments such at the super grand archway to the square. 

Feeding Frenzy

Down by the water’s edge seemed to be very popular with the fish. The brown cloudy water was the attraction – raw sewage running into the sea at a couple of places. 

Chestnuts roasting

It is the chestnut season which was obscuring  the streets with white smoke from the typical roasting burners. 
Once again on the number 28 tram, which is the most useful of all the trams, I happened to notice a guy carrying something instantly recognizable to anyone older than 40 – a rather dog eared record sleeve. No prizes for guessing the name of this album. Maybe there’s a good market for memorabilia of the 70’s.

the Dark Side of Lisbon

To the west of the city, the 28 tram terminates at the city’s most exclusive cemetery. The family tombs are incredibly elaborate affairs, from the size of a small garden shed up to the proportions of a small house. This form of burial is a tradition here but only for the very wealthy.

The end of the line! (No 28) 

My sleep on Saturday night was fitful to say the least. It was a repeat of Friday night with huge crowds of revellers who only dispersed a few hours before sunrise. On my way out to the metro, to begin the journey to Tavira, 250 km south, a massive cleanup was going on. I must admit I was looking forward to an uninterrupted night’s sleep. 

After a normal Saturday night

Finally, the main terminal station, Oriente, is more like an airport than a railway station. 

My train to Faro

The train left perfectly on time, getting me to Tavira some 4 hours later, on a perfect summer day. D

Night before I left. From the Grand Lift

SINTRA, LAND OF FAIRYTALE CASTLES

I suspect that for many people the name Sintra wouldn't raise an eyebrow. It certainly was like that for me only a few months ago, but what a place! Lord Byron wrote to one of his mates , "I must just observe that the village of Cintra in Estremadura is the most beautiful in the world." Meaning of course that its a real cool place, and it is. If it was good enough for him, its got to be good enough for me.

It's called 'Lord Byron Snack Bar'!!!! Really

red letter box

phone box

I came across a telephone box and a letter box that were straight out of England. One is painted white which just isn't cricket - what! and the other looks identical in shape and colour. Perhaps thats why his Ludship felt so at home in Sintra.

From this super little village full of souvenir and cake shops, which were far too tempting to resist, there is an excellent bus service to carry you up to two castles.  The first is the remains of a Moorish creation, over a 1000 years old, high above Sintra. The views are great, all the way to the  Atlantic Ocean. 

Moorish Castle. Sintra down on the right.

One German visitor remarked to me that it is every child's vision of a fairy castle and looking at it, I had to agree with him.
Continuing on the bus, we arrive at the incredible Pena Castle which is perched  on a rocky peak, slightly higher. This highly stylized mountain top embellishment came from the over active brain cells of an aristocrat with money to burn, or with money that grows like grass, as the German so aptly put it. The ideas for the design came out of Moorish architecture, Baroque and Gothic, along with a few odd ones of his own. Its built over the remains of a monastery which was badly damaged by an earth quake in the eighteenth century. 

Walt Disney could have had a hand in this!

This area was inhabited long before the Moores made their presence felt. There  has been a bit of careful digging going on and an ancient burial place has been found. Maybe its advisable to keep dogs on leads here.

The Skull and Bucket. A good name for a pub!

Just another picture, of a ghoulish sea monster guarding an entrance at the Pena Castle. It would turn any man's socks cold.

Sea monster

 And finally, the movie you have all been waiting for. Pena Castle.

I LOVE LISBON

It's mid afternoon now and had a great day exploring Lisbon. From the point I stepped off the bus yesterday, from the airport, I somehow felt Lisbon was going to be one of those places to remember. I had already reserved a cheap room on the internet in the centre of the old town, called Biarro Alto, and found the hostel easily from memory. Google Street View is amazing!

Bottles waiting for their doom

Sleeping here  has competition from the many bars and restaurants that line this narrow cobbled street, but I have convinced myself its normal so sleep is possible. 

a loner

This morning looked as if there'd been street parties all over town with empty beer and wine bottles lining the pavements and window sills. 

wonder how the inhabitants feel

A party

Couldn't work it out until I spoke to the girl, who is an absolute mine of information in the reception here at the hostel. In appears that its only recently that shops have been allowed to sell alcoholic beverages, which are much less expensive than in bars, and so the bar owners are just a bit pissed and the street cleaners have quite a job on their hands, not to mention the racket that the outdoor enthusiasts are kicking up. 

as if on cue, right below my window

I think that's enough about bottles, so what about today so far? It was an hour earlier than I thought when I stepped out into the street and the first quest was to find a cafe for my first fix of coffee and croissant. The place I found was a step back in time, with an interior more like a Turkish bathroom than a cafe.

Great coffee though

Lisbon Metro

I bought a day ticket for the public transport in Lisbon and what a useful thing it has turned out to be. Have spent about six hours hopping on and off trams and one ride on the metro. 


The  tram number 28 seems to be the tourist choice as it goes all around the old town and up to St George's castle. One problem I encountered is that whole tourist groups use this tram, making it almost impossible to get on at times. The views from this relic are fantastic. Rather funny was the panoramic view point with a mosaic depicting the landmarks that could be seen before the gardener died.

one of the many towers

I think there's problem here. 

All that's left to do now is to upload the video. The new version of the editor sucks so sadly no effects. But anyhow it has some shots of clouds, jazz musicians, a ride on a tram complete with very fat man, a still of the castle (which should be moving???) and a excruciatingly painful rendition of fado in a restaurant near the castle. If I was trying to eat while that was going on, I'd have asked for my money back. D

PORTUGAL AND SPAIN

Tram travel in Lisbon

Tomorrow, I'll be flying to Lisbon where I intend staying for four days. During that time I'll take a trip to Sintra and explore Lisbon. Hope to find some of those fado clubs, to hear some of those songs that are so evocative of that place in Europe. After that, I'll be heading about two hundred kilometers south to Tavira where I will stay with some English friends who have lived there for the past four years. 
From Tavira, it is an easy distance to Seville and Cordoba in Spain. The attraction of Cordoba is the cathedral, set strangely within the walls and halls of a massive mosque from the days when the Islamic Moors were in Spain. 
So that's it in a nutshell - and I'll try to upload some information and pictures whenever possible. D