Portugal In January

As a Travel Agent, my Nana has seen the corners of the world. She is always off on some adventure whether it is Africa, Antarctica, or Timbuktu. I grew up listening to the endless stories of her many many journeys, so, when she proposed I come join her on a trip to Portugal, I was quite eager to join!

During her first few days in the country she went on a road trip with her friends Cindy, Betty, and George. I met up with them in Lisbon and the next day Cindy, Nana and I hopped on a jet to enjoy the beautiful sights of Madeira for the weekend.

I arrived in Lisbon late Wednesday night and stayed in a hostel. I spent all of Thursday wandering the streets of Lisbon, and then met up with Nana and the crew for dinner Thursday night.

Here are some shots of the trip!

A couple shots Wednesday night. I stayed at Rossio Hostel. It was a great location for getting around:

Thursday morning was super foggy and quite beautiful. I first headed out to Belém to check out the Jerónimos Monastery and grab a pastry at the world-famous Pastéis de Belém. Hot out of the oven, it did not disappoint!

Next, I headed back towards the center of town and checked out a couple great shops recommended by a co-worker, A Vida Portuguesa and the Conserveira de Lisboa. And then I spent the afternoon wandering the beautiful streets and alleys of the city. Stopping for a lunch of wine and mussels, and also checking out the castle. Some shots from the day:

Thursday night I spent with Nana and the crew. Friday morning we took off for Madeira. Madeira is quite beautiful! The first day we took a hop-on hop-off bus around to see a little bit of Funchal and the Island.

Our beautiful hotel:

Nana and Cindy with lobster soup and a local Madeira brew:

We took a 20-minute trolly ride up the mountain and enjoyed some amazing views:

A wooden sled ride you could take a couple kilometers down the mountain:

Church at the top of the hill:

On Saturday we hopped in a tour van. It was us three, 4 Germans, and the guide. I was quite impressed to learn that our guide could speak 6 languages. So, while driving around and making stops he would explain things in both English and German.

The view from a cliff-top:

One of the most commonly fished fish in Madeira is the Scabbard. It gets fished at 800-1500m, so it's a fairly deep swimming fish! We enjoyed some during our dinner on Friday, served with banana—the very popularly grown fruit of the island. Some Scabbard drying in the sun:

North side of the island:

Bridal Vail waterfall:

Sunday morning I grabbed some breakfast and headed back to Amsterdam. I would love to return to Portugal some day and spend more time, 3 days was not enough!