Update and sadness - long visit to Portugal - Cut Short only Oct

Wow! We have been to Portugal many times and have visited most of the sights you are visiting. Still, I wish we were going on your trip! Sounds like you will be visiting many interesting sites and towns while still taking time to enjoy the sights and just being there. I hope you have a great trip!

I’ll add onto Carol - I’ve lived here for six years and still haven’t visited all the sites you will hit in one trip.

You will love Castelo Rodrigo and the Coa Valley - and Quinta de la Rosa. I don’t know if I’m the one who wrote about them, but highly recommend both. Most tourists don’t find these gems!

Desfruta (Enjoy)!

kathrynj : I'm pretty certain several of your suggestions made the list.. Quinta de la Rosa was suggested by you - and was the "second" idea of my travel assistant at Portugal Trails. She had us a bit north of Pinhao to start - and I'm thrilled to be staying right on the river. It is a huge splurge for us - but looks gorgeous. By my estimate, this trip- even with several hotel splurges and pvt. tours- should be one of the least expensive we have taken.

?? Do you have any idea if the harvests will be over or still going mid-October??

Last changes caused me to drop a couple of nights each in Marvao and Aveiro - but was able to add time to Evora so may still make Marvao and the villages nearby. Think we will have some time to "fit" Cascais in while in Sintra or Lisbon. Just hope the weather holds. Although we are feeling rather like ducks after all the rain here this summer - so getting pretty good at puddle jumping.

Right now I'm in shock at realizing we have 1 1/2 weeks to get our acts together for the trip.

Unfortunately, the grape harvest will be over by mid October. I was there last September and they were in the middle of ‘crush’. The aroma of the grapes was amazing. There is a slight chance they might still be crushing the white grapes, as they are harvested after the red ones.

Ask them as Quints de la Rosa if the ‘pop up’ restaurant by the chef from Porto is still open. Sorry but I can’t remember the name of it. The food was great and the views were spectacular.

quilter17- this sounds like a fantastic trip! I hope you will be sharing trip reports as I am intrigued to hear about a lot of these places you are visiting. I'm already plotting a return trip to Portugal after our August visit- and it looks like you have many gems here!

In Tomar do have dinner one evening at Taverna Antiqua. It's an experience and the food was good.

Amber C: I will do. Mostly because I've gained so many insights from other's tales. And it will be a good review for my memories.

Chani: HA! went to add Taverna Antiqua to the "must eat" slot on THE spreadsheet - and it was already there. Must have been from one of your other posts. Can't wait to try.

kathrynj: I suspected the harvest would be complete (but one could hope). I will certainly ask about the pop up restaurant. Tho it may also be too late in the season for that kind of high profile site.

Before renting a car to go out to Cabo, seriously try to get an accurate weather forecast for the area. Sintra’s microclimate can be daunting. We were there in August. Weather in Sintra was cold and rainy while Lisbon was sunny and 80. We made the trip out to Cabo and saw absolutely nothing. The fog was so dense you couldn’t see the water from the edge. Total waste of time. Unless you have a specific reason for going, not sure I’d head to the beaches in November either. Windy and cool, and likely cloudy.

Based on our driving experience, I’d day that driving from Coimbra with a stop in Conimbriga, and presumably a stop for lunch, you’ll have precious little time to see Batalha on the same day. It doesn’t require more than a couple of hours to see it, but it’s lovely and worth the time. They closed at 4 on the day we were there. If it’s important to you to spend a chunk of time onsite, consider taking a day from Obidos.

Hi Quilter17,
Your itinerary looks amazing!
May I come along?
My daughter and I visited Portugal a couple of years ago ( hard to believe that 2 years have past already— I hate this pandemic!)

Here are a few suggestions/ ideas:

• Anyway, make sure your walking tour in Coimbra includes the University of Coimbra, otherwise book a guided tour on the university website. The guided tour is well worth it, and the price is great—only a few extra euros more than the regular ticket price.

• Make sure you make advance reservations at the Taverna Antiqua in Tomar. We didn’t have a reservation but
  were fortunate to find 2 seats especially since we arrived right before they opened for dinner.

• I’d considered taking the tile painting class in Porto, but we were under the weather so we skipped it. Enjoy!

• As a quilter (I presume you are, given your forum name) you’ll love all the lovely ceramic tiles everywhere, on the facades of buildings, homes, & churches! I took so many photos!

• Make sure you visit the Tile Museum while in Lisbon. I’d suggest taking a taxi, as not easily accesible by public transportation.

• One of my regrets was not buying some of the beautiful fabrics I saw on display in a large fabric shop in Coimbra.

• Do be careful when walking on the hilly streets of the many places you’ll be visiting (Sintra, Porto, Lisbon, Coimbra, etc...) as they can be slippery, especially when wet. Make sure to wear shoes with a good grip!

• When in Sintra, you may consider visiting the National Palace & The Monserrate Palace. We took the public bus to visit the latter palace, but in hindsight we should have taken a taxi. Having said this, check with your hotel because I didn’t see any taxis after our visit, and we waited a long time for the bus.

• I highly recommend INComum for a truly delicious and memorable meal while in Sintra. Advance reservations recommended.

Wishing you a fabulous trip!😊

P.S. Here’s my trip report where you may find more details. 😉

Say hello to Mario when you go on his Megalithic tour!

Thank you both (Pricilla & Wanderlust) - good heads up info.

I was not going to look for fabric (stash is too huge) but will keep an eye open in Coimbra. I just scheduled a city, univ. & library tour with GO Walks. Also a tour in Conimbriga with her as we head south. Looking forward to them.

We will stop in Batalha for the night - as it is "between" Coimbra & Obidos.. Just using it as a pass through and "filler". The monastery looks interesting for an hour or 2 - I agree.. then onward.

WLust - thanks on the info about fog at the shore. We aren't going for the beaches - just to see the headlands and rocks and some of the palaces just outside Sintra. May still rent the e-vehicle -- it looks kind of like an electric ATV - DH may have fun just puttering around. So you are right - we will check the weather before heading out.
The great thing about this trip is in most places we have a couple of days - so can be flexible about our sites to visit.

Now on to packing - and getting my "booster" shot this afternoon.

Nice comprehensive plan! We like to stay put longer too.
We did Batalha and Alcobaça the same day. We much , much preferred Acobaça, the architecture, the royal tombs to Batalha. In fact we did not care for Batalha after seeing Alcobaça. Read up on King Pedro and his beloved Inés who are entombed at Alcobaça. Their story took place in Coimbra. Look at La Quinta de las Lagrimas as a possible place to stay. We were very pleased with our stay there. Excellent restaurant too.
We made one mistake which was staying in Obidos. You can see it in two hours. Crowded with day trippers, exists for tourism. The only saving grace was staying at the Pousada do Castelo where we could escape inside. Parking was difficult.
We loved the Minho region and stayed in Guimares.
Enjoy this lovely country. The Portuguese people were so kind to us.

Ah this itinerary just keeps getting better and better. Do you have your food tour in Porto booked already? If not, here is the one we went on and loved it: https://www.airbnb.com/experiences/683389

Amber & Suki - Thank you both for the input!

Batalha - is just a stop over for us - Will do Alcobaca as part of a loop drive (maybe on our way to Obidos). You are right - it looks much more interesting. Obidos "hotel" is outside the walls (closer to parking) a bit more "family" pension feel (whole lot cheaper). Just noticed that "auto correct" above has changed the hotel name (after 3 attempts).. it is Casa Do Relogio... not Religion ;-} ! The plan is to just use the town as a location for starting/ending day loop drives. And - hopefully, Nov. will be a bit quiet.

I do have all the tours planned - and do have one for food/markets scheduled in both Porto & Lisbon. DH & I find this type of walking tour after arriving into a new town - really helps get the lay of the land and find fun & good places to chow down!

I used my contact at Portugal Trails to book most of our day tours. Just told her what we wanted to do/see and "poof!" we're booked. I usually do all that research for tours/recommendations etc and the booking. Was kind of nice to really focus on the route, timing, some of the hotels, and what we might want to see in each region. Then handed off the "want" details to her.

Tomorrow - laundry and find the packing cubes (they have been in hiding for 2 years now).

Just wanted to wish you safe travels today, quilter! Can't wait to hear all about this trip. So jealous of you.

Day 0: Flight from TPA to EWR was uneventful. Biggest pain was trying to upload the COVID test results and PLF into the United App. Since we were checking bags - did what was missing at checkin. Few people flying from TPA. So short lines, helpful staff and easy security. Same at Newark - United still didn’t recognize our PLF on the app. So had it checked again (do it prior to trying to board). Nice flight, packed, decent food in “cattle class”! Arrived on time, masks pretty much everywhere inside. Our transfer to Sintra was waiting and a lovely drive to our hotel. (Chalet Saudade).
Now I’m relaxing, then short nap and wandering this afternoon. Received a huge packet of information from Portugal Trails (our trip coordinators). Onward!!

Hi quilter17,

Thanks for the update. Looking forward to reading about your adventures, in progress, or upon your return!
Wishing you a wonderful trip!

Several weeks ago there was a thread on the VALUE OF A TRAVEL AGENT: This will morph into a real time testimonial.

As my earlier post indicated - our trip started Thursday with a wonderful day in Sintra (booked for 5 nights at Chalet Saudade). Had a lovely walk and delightful dinner at INComum (just across from Guest house)... Friday an afternoon private tour of Pena Palace with guide Miguel Duarte was probably the best and most fun we ever had. Our interest in the Order of Christ opened many avenues of information and questions. In the evening, my husband began to feel what he thought was something "sinus like" coming on so did little on Saturday. Early Sunday morning he suffered a stroke and passed. Thus the the trip ended abruptly. I am now back in the states. Some day I will return and complete this.

BUT - I wanted to report my experience and the support I received the 3 days after his stroke. I had used Portugal Trails (Filipa) as a booking agent and planner for many of our activities. Among the extensive support material they provided a 24 hr emergency number. I called at 5:30 Sunday morning and reached Filipa (it was her personal phone) she immediately called the EMS (who also were so professional and supportive, even ordered a cab for me to the hospital in Lisbon). Filipa kept in touch with me via text and phone throughout the day at the hospital (offered to come and act as translator if needed, called car & driver to take me back to Sintra). As I returned to Chalet Saudade I was greeted with tears. We had talked several times to the staff and Portugal Trails had called to let them know what had happened. They had dinner brought in for me and arranged for extra nights if needed (and offered a suite for more space and privacy - I declined). Another agent, Vanessa, whom I had touched with only once in the last 20 months came to the guesthouse to be certain I would be alright.

Monday came and I made an appointment at the funeral home that is handling all the final arrangements (PM me if you want to know how very smooth that process became - we had an arranged plan for an international situation). Again P. Trails arranged for car/driver into Lisbon & back. Since I was comfortable with heading home (and ready) they worked to rebook me on United for Tuesday, made an appointment for a drive-through Covid test (25E) - car there and back, and had a car pick me up on Tuesday morning to the airport. I had the same driver Monday & Tuesday - he was almost crying as we parted at the checkin gate. Of course, P Trails also cancelled all the hotels, rental car (2) and many private and small group tours they had booked. And I cancelled the few I had done in a few moments - thanks to wifi & email. I had booked several through Booking.com and it is a breeze to click and cancel since all are in one file on the site. Others were easy 'cause I had a "hotel" file with their info easy to find..
Since our trip was largely meant to support local tourism this year - my final plan with Portugal Trails is - to pay all the private guides and retain some % to recoup their lost commissions on the other canceled services - It is only fair. I have had check up emails from Filipa to make certain I have made it home and am surviving the loss.

As horribly as events unfolded - I cannot say enough for the friendliness, caring and support of the staff at Chalet Saudade, Portugal Trails and citizens of Portugal. I do hope to return someday and check off that #53 country = and counting that was so important to my husband.
Thanks for reading and allowing me to inform and "dump". I so appreciated all the input and ideas from so many of you as we planned our exploration of Portugal.

I am so sorry for you. As hard as this is for you, I think this is the way we would all like to leave this earth, doing something we love.

Quilter17
My heart goes out to you and I admire your strength to compose such an interesting post for us from your travels especially through this unexpected, difficult time of life. Your husband was a very fortunate man to have you in his life. Thank you with my sympathy.

I am so very sorry for your loss.

I’m tearing up reading this. I am sorry for the loss of your husband.

So sorry for your loss. I cannot imagine having to deal with everything the way you did, but you have shown remarkable grace through such a stressful time.

Quilter17, I am so sorry for your loss of your husband. Remember the good times you had together.

I am so sorry to hear of your loss. I hope the memories you and your husband shared sustain you. You are a remarkable person.

Quilter17,
I’m so sorry to hear about the loss of your dear husband....
I will be keeping you, and your family, in my prayers.

I am so sorry for your loss and hope you will return one day to finish your trip. It was heartening to read of the kindness and care your received from the Portuguese people. My thoughts are with you and your family.

I thank you for sharing one of the most difficult trip reports ever. You handled everything with much courage. I too am glad you had the help of your travel agent and many compassionate people in Portugal. Please accept my condolences.

I am so sorry for your loss. It was good to hear that you were helped through this by such kind and compassionate people.

Oh, quilter, I am so sorry. And through your loss and shock and sadness in an unfamiliar place, what blessings you received from strangers. What a gracious and caring person you are to take the time to share that with us and how strong you are to have done all you had to do. And, yes, when the time is right, you will be back.

Quilter, I am so sorry for your loss. You must have been in shock for much of the time. Thankfully there were many decent and caring people to help you. I wish the best for you as you adjust to your loss.

There are no words adequate to express my heartfelt condolences to you. I also lost my husband suddenly several years ago. I am sitting here crying for you. God Bless you.

I am so sorry for your loss. Thanks for the post as it is refreshing to hear that there are still people doing their best to help us in our times of need. Kudos to your agent.

I am so sorry for your loss. It’s heart breaking.

How kind of you to recognize all the people who helped you when you most needed it. Your attitude is inspiring. Thank you for posting.

I am so very sorry for your loss. Glad that you had caring people who were there and helped you through such a difficult first few days.

My thanks to each and every one of you for your kind thoughts.

I am already looking toward the day I am able to "drag" friends to explore the last two items on his "must go there" list: Iceland and Egypt. We were lucky enough to have begun a "must go back to" list. It got longer every week as we reminisced. It was pretty much everywhere we had already travelled.
He encouraged the dream of travel with everyone in our family - and I hope to help the younger generation explore many of the places we loved so much.

I, too, am sorry for your loss. To say it's a bummer is an understatement.

When you are ready I hope you resume travel in his honor. And I would be glad to give you a quick itinerary for Iceland.

Heartbreaking.
My condonlences for your loss.
I cannot begin to imagine the pain, the heartbreak, the sense of loss by yourself in a foreign country.
Thankfully the tour agent, the driver, the hotel staff and everyone else around you came thru for you in your hour of need.
It restores my faith in humanity and the basic goodness of people.