Portugal 2 weeks continued...
I drove up the coast and stopped at many of the beaches along the coast: Carrapateira, Bordeira, Aljezur to name a few. The coast is breathtaking, it reminded me a lot of California around the Pacific Grove area, and Santa Barbara Area. I then went inland to Monchique which is in the mountains. The topography changes a lot, there are lots of pine trees, eucalyptus trees, and mountains. Again, the country is so beautiful. It seemed to me to be so clean and unspoiled, but they don't have 32 million people living in Portugal! Monchique is a place where people go that want to do some nice day hikes. It is kind of like going to Tahoe, but not quite as high. When you finally get to the town there is a cute square where you can have something to eat at one of the many cafes.
I drove back to Portimao for another night. Next day I drove to Evora. Stayed at the Best Western Hotel in the old city. Very nice property. The old city is like a maze. streets are narrow and everything is white so it is easy to get lost. Another reviewer mentioned using a guide which would be ideal. I only had a day to walk around and see the sights, and there is a lot to see. From there I went to Lisbon.
Lisbon! Beautiful drive, you go over the twin to the Golden Gate Bridge! I found a fabulous place to stay, and loved every minute. I extended my visit a day I liked it so well. Casa De Santos, close to everything, excellent property! Lisbon is a beautiful city and 3 days isn't long enough, but parking is expensive and I had a car in the garage, so I drove back to Lagos where I had to return the car.
I drove over 1000 KM, saw some of the most beautiful country, it was breathtaking! I would highly recommend taking some time to visit Portugal! I was concerned going to Portugal about the language. I was surprised so many people spoke English, and in the cities, almost everyone does! The country is very clean, the people are very nice, I thought the food prices were reasonable to inexpensive, taxis expensive, gas expensive, and in the cities parking with a car challenging. I traveled in end of April 2015, made all my reservations as I went using either Agoda or Booking.com