Portugal road trip part 4

Part 5
Alcobaca, the home of the Mosteiro d Alcobaca, as well as Obidos, Batalha and up to Coimbra is in the region called Centro. We came to Alcobaca for one reason to visit the monastery and we were happy we did. The city is near Batalha and very close to Nazare. The exterior of the Cathedral is not anywhere near as ornate as Batalha’s, but it is a much longer and higher Cathedral and the ladies at the ticket counter will be happy to inform you of such! The Cathedral houses the remains of Pedro and Ines, two historical figures that we seem to follow everywhere (in Obidos our room was called Pedro and Ines). Don’t miss touring the monastery and especially the kitchen!
From Alcobaca, we felt we didn’t have time to visit Nazare, so we opted to see it from afar and drove to the lookout town of Sitio. This town gives you a spectacular view of Nazare as the cliffs have a height of 110 m. It also has an impressive bull ring and 17C Sanctuary of Nossa Senhora de Nazare. Costs 1 Euro to go near the icon. The fun part of Sitio are the traditionally dressed older women selling snacks. We bought some very good cashews and had pictures taken.
Our next day was to leave Obidos and stop in Tomar and Fatima on our way to Coimbra. Of course it was raining, but Tomar was worth the wet shoes! The Convento de Cristo is HUGE! The main church is not large at all and a bit of a disappointment UNTIL you gaze to the unique and magnificent Altar! The dormitory section of the Convent went on forever! A few of the dormitory rooms have been opened so guests can visit. Tomar is a beautiful city on a river that even in the rain was enchanting. The town is easy to stroll in and this city would have also made a good base.
And how could anyone be so near one of the largest shrines in Portugal without stopping in Fatima. This is where 3 children saw Mary’s apparitions multiple times. Not being Catholic, we observed the pilgrims with amazement. The devotion to walk on your knees the distance from one cathedral to the Basilica and around the Chapel of the Apparitions was curious to us, but we could view the love of these pilgrims. We happened to stop on a Saturday and more buses than I had ever saw in my life were parked, but not a lot of people were milling about, because the pilgrims had completely filled the new modern cathedral (poss. 30,000 people). The square in front of the Basilica has held up to 300,000 when Pope Francis visited.
Next stop Coimbra!
Coimbra is a university city on a hill. We stayed on the other side of the river at a very posh Quinta das Lagrimas. We are getting a bit tired of the car at this point and decided to take some time and not see as much as we may have been able. The Quinta is next to the gardens, where Pedro and Ines fell in love and then Ines met her end. (Can’t get away from these two.) Our time here was to walk around the city, visit the university and the renowned Library and rest. We accomplished this mission plus had some very good cod and a very special “romantic” dinner at the Quinta. We didn’t quite fit the bill of the rest of the guests when we loaded up bags of dirty laundry hauled them thru the lobby to drive to the laundry mat. Just up the hill and looking toward Coimbra university was the cleanest, best Wifi, and best view of any laundry I’ve been to. Chalk one up for googlemaps!
In the evening we had Fado on our list as Coimbra also has their special take on Fado music. We didn’t really like the idea of staying awake until 10 pm to catch a show, so when we found the concert at 6 pm. We jumped at the chance. Very lovely, not too long and very informational as afterward the men performers served port and answered questions. (Casa Fado Ao Centro)
On to the Douro Valley…

Part 6 and the last..
We are now driving thru a different topography. Gone are the rolling landscape of the Alentejo’s, now we find ourselves in mountainous areas topped by wind turbines. Not much planted here, but a good place for the grazing of animals. As we make our way closer to the Douro River and Valley we see more cultivating of these steep valley walls to the grape. Aside: if you wish to see lush grape vines do not choose to visit before June. The grape vines here are seriously pruned back to just a 1-2 ft. stalk which will grow lush leaves and fruit another 2-3 feet tall.
We stopped for lunch in the sleepy town of Peso da Regua. Here we try one of RS advised restaurants and meet owner Paula, who immediately spied our RS book and asked to read what was written about her as she had never read it before. After a very lovely lunch, we visited the Douro Museum. Very worth whiled and informational on the history of the valley and it’s child… Port Wine! I loved the exhibit of guessing the various scents!
On ward to our home for two more nights, a location I hope would be half as good as it looked on the internet. No disappointments! Casa do Visconde de Chanceleiros was wonderful! Beautiful property, quiet and offered spectacular views and had the house kitchen that was warm and lovely! They offered dinner, which we took advantage for both evenings with home cooked recipes and abundance of good wine! We also met several other travelers and ended up chatting over local Port until late each night in the house’s smartly decorated living room.
We spent a leisurely day in Pinhao and took a cruise up the river that ended in of course, a glass of Port. We stumbled upon a local smoked meat store and tagged on to the lesson and tasting another couple was receiving. After a purchase we drove the small road back up to our casa and settled on a chair by the pool to take in a finally sunny day.
Leaving the Douro Valley by our despised but mostly accurate navigational system, we headed over more mountains with even more narrow sharp twisting roads on our way to our last stop in Portugal, but not our last on this 4 week road trip, Guimaraes, the birthplace of Portugal.
Here we also booked a Pousada, the Mosteiro de Guimaraes. A more conservative Mosteiro with many rooms and restaurant, which appears to be in the old dining room of the monastery. The monastery is not in town, but a good down hill walk, which we elected to find a taxi for the return. Guimaraes is a lovely town and our visit coincided with a national holiday so most things were closed. We wandered the town had a very nice lunch at Café Oriental (c. 1925) and was basically lazy the rest of the day. Our excitement was hunting down a very popular burger restaurant and people watching as we waited 45 min for a table. Yes, the burger was good, but you can’t beat our American beef.
Well, that ends Portugal. We drive to Santiago de Compostela for the second leg of our road trip and across the northern coast of Spain.

Thank you for your detailed and informative trip report. It brings back memories of my short trip around Portugal after a mission trip last summer. It’s obvious that you did a great deal of preparation and equally obvious that your planning paid off in some memorable experiences.

You basically had a similar itinerary to ours and stayed in several of the same hotels. It is a joy to read! Thanks so much.

Thanks for the wonderful, detailed report. We just booked our Lisbon/Fatima trip for 8 days next February. Your report will help me plan our trip.

Enjoyed every detail of your trip report! Very similar to our tour 2 years ago. Sounds like you experienced the best of Portugal. Obrigada.

Loved your detail report. Can't wait to hear all the rest. Portugal has been on my list...now it is going near the top. Thanks!