Portuguese Impressions

I am finally back, trying to find the suitable words to express the incredible experience of visiting Portugal. Portugal definitely is a whole world to discover..!

...We wake up in Ericeira to the sound of the birds welcoming the new day, open the door and see the bright sun's glittering light reflecting in the ocean, which spreads right in front of us.

Image by Arek

Later on when in Lisbon we hit the streets and walk on the patterned cobbles up and down - surrounded by the white, yellow or azulejos covered buildings with their beautiful big windows traditionally painted in white and dark green.

Image by Arek

We smell the old city from every nook and crack but feel that it's also as new as ever... We pass by the girl in the company of her 6 dogs (1 is sleeping in the baby carriage) on our way from a walk in Alfama.

Image by Arek

We visit a bookshop very close to Fernando Pessoa statue, and right in front of it we pass a magic place, one of the oldest and most famous cafes in Lisbon - A Brasileira.

Image by Arek

We get into the car with TI and ZÉ and set off to discover this beautiful world. After many kilometers of castles and vilas we find ourselves in a very old and picturesque town Óbidos.

Image by Arek

We stop at a little local restaurant to ask for grilled bacalhau with some fresh vinho verde and while we wait we amuse ourselves by looking at the town's narrow streets with white walls of houses covered with flowers and at the Medieval Óbidos castle. It is calm, quiet and the beauty is all around us... it seems we went back in history...

Image by Olga

We continue exploring the magnificent history of the country with a trip to Alcobaça, where our friends amaze us with the romantic story of the most famous Portuguese couple Pedro e Inês... and we make a small break to have some coffee. People here say that ever since coffee arrived in this country, it has never changed its flavour. Even if the machines change or the waiters change, the coffee is always good :)

Image by Arek

We walk along the bank of Tejo in Belém and let ourselves be carried away by the river to the ocean, where the surfers take advantage of the waves. Centuries ago, the brave Portuguese sailed off from here in caravels to conquer new territories and discover the whole new world!

Image by Arek

Is it necessary to go to touristic places? I don't think so... Maybe it's better to have a look what artists will bring to the streets today... Will it be a show of clowns, another pavement painting or the street theatre? Or just an old man singing same songs we've just heard at a cafe in Baixa?

The evening approaches, but the night is still young. The world comes together. The old people dance to disco, the young people sing fado and we are experiencing this whole new world with a huge smile on our faces - a sea of emotions and impressions... When it is almost midnight, we walk in through the Rua Augusta Arch just to find ourselves enetering MUDE - fashion and design museum and taking part in an exhibition and a live music party.

Image by Google

With a little help from white sangria

Image by Olga

or Super Bock - all the impressions would end up whirling around and a warm feeling would settle inside us... Here, in this place called Portugal we magically found so much warmness, history, beauty, great food and hospitality...