Lisbon, Portugal

Aflama district sweeping down to the Tagus River

Portugal has been a poor cousin to Spain when it comes to tourism. Similar in history, language, climate and culture, Portugal has not been as popular a tourist destination as Spain. Beautiful beaches, history, architectecture and cuisine, Portugal has it all.

The little country on the Iberian peninsula has been at the forefront of discovery in an era gone by. They conquered the Indian and the Atlantic Oceans and were the first to create a sea route between the east and the west. Vasco da Gama traveled east to India while Columbus discovered the Americas. The Japanese "Arigato" and Tempura have their origin in Portugal. They have contributed much more to the modern world than is spoken about.

Lisbon, as with any city in Europe, is a mixture of beauty and history. It is one of the oldest cities in Europe and boasts of castles, monasteries, churches and quaint neighbourhoods. 

Some interesting spots around town and a bit further away...

The Sé Cathedral

The Sé Cathedral with the Tram No 12

Built in the 12th-13th centuries over a Mosque indicating Reconquista, Sé Cathedral is an iconic structure in Lisbon. It has seen baptism, weddings and funerals of Portugal nobility. Located at the start of the Alfama district, it is served by 2 very interesting routes of trams - 12 and 15. Alfama, a district with narrow streets and alleys, the trams squeeze through them ferrying passengers from different heights in the district to the flat areas of Lisbon and vice versa. This route also passes along a few different tourist spots and also gives tourists a tour of the Baixa and Alfama districts. Some of the popular views over Lisbon can be found from the Alfama district.

Rua Augusta Arch and Praça do Comércio

Rua Augusta Arch and Praça do Comércio

The Rua Augusta Arch situated on the northern side of Praça do Comércio built in the 19th century is Portugal's symbol of recovery from the 1755 earthquake. Visitors can ride an elevator or climb a spiral staircase for some wonderful views from the top.

The Praça do Comércio faces the river Tagus and was built over the former Palace Yard that was destroyed in the 1755 earthquake. The side open to the river used to be a dock from where ships used to sail across oceans to the various Portuguese empires. Now the square has various cafes, shops and a tourist information centre. The tram to Belem also stops in front of the square.

Elevador Santa Justa

A few minutes of walk from the Praça do Comércio brings you to a 19th century elevator that transports you from the lower Baixa district up to Mount Carmo. There's a viewing deck at the top that provides wonderful views over the city. The day we visited Carmo church was closed. It is a beautiful place to visit too!

This elevator also provides an easier access to Bairo Alto and Chiada districts as well.

Views over Alfama from the Santa Justa Elevator on Carmo hill

The São Jorge Castle from Bairro Alto

Somewhere along Bairro Alto/Chiado

Belem

Belem is a neighbourhood that is a little further away from the main town of Lisbon but is one of the most beautiful places in Europe. There are enough things to do here for at the least half a day. Many of the earliest Portuguese travellers set sail from here or are associated with Belem. Most of the structures in this area are related to Portuguese glorious seafaring days. Most of the sights here are extremely crowded as is the tram from central Lisbon. Taxis are a better option to the crowded trams if there are 3-4 people traveling together.

Mosteiro dos Jerónimos 

This monastery is an ornate structure that is the highlight of Belem. This was built using the tax levied on spices that were brought into Portugal in the days when Portuguese travellers ruled the seas. Vasco da Gama spent his last night here before he left for India and the church associated with this monastery is also his final resting place. 

The monastery is very beautifully decorated with arches and carvings in stone. Very often there are large queues to get inside.

The arches and carvings at the monastery

The quadrangle surrounded by arched corridors and beautiful carvings

The church where Vasco Da Gama's is entombed

Padrão dos Descobrimentos

The monument was built as a symbol to honour the Portuguese explorers and the people who helped during the Age of Discovery. It is shaped liked a bow and has the statues of the explorers on the west and the financiers on the east. It also has an elevator to take people up to the top for a view across the town of Belem.

Torre de Belem

The Tower was built as a sort of fort to defend against attacks from the sea but was designed elaborately inspired by designs from North Africa.

The walk from Padrão dos Descobrimentos to the tower along the river Tagus with views over the 25 de Abril Bridge - similar in colour to the Golden Gate bridge but built by the same company that built the Oakland Bay bridge and the Christ the Redeemer (Brazil) inspired Christ the King statue. There are also lovely fountains and gardens between the Monastery and the Monuments.

Pasteis de Belem

Before leaving the Belem area it is time to try the Pasteis de Belem, a custard tart that has been in existence since 1837. Originating in the Monastery, this pastry has many forms and this particular form is called Pasteis de Belem which they claim is different from those found in Lisbon.

Day trips from Lisbon

Sintra

Located just outside Lisbon in the hillsides, Sintra is a charming, picturesque town with slightly cooler temperatures and some interesting sights to visit. It can make a good day trip or even an overnight. Parks, fountains and palaces, there's enough to keep you busy for a few hours or a couple of days.

Fonte Mourisca - A Moor inspired fountain in Sintra

Cabo da Roca

The western most point of mainland Europe, a drive to Cabo da Roca is very pleasant with wonderful views of the sea and charming villages. The coastline here is made up of cliffs and sandy beaches. 

Along the drive to Cabo da Roca

The lighthouse and the cliffs at Cabo da Roca

Practicalities -

Shopping - Cork products are very popular and there are ton of souvenir shops that sell them.
Public transit - A one day travel card is very handy for use on trams and even on the Santa Justa Elevator. 
Food - For a non-pastry diet, there's plenty of options too!
Views - Best free thing to do in Lisbon is taking in the views - there are plenty and all being with "Mirador"

Our 2 day Lisbon trip -

We arrived the evening of our first day to our accommodation at Emporium suites near Lisbon Cathedral. By the time we headed into town it started to pour! After some shopping in Chiada for groceries we headed to the Cathedral and walked up to Mirador del Sol. It was pouring cats and dogs by then and we headed back to our hotel disappointed.

The next morning we headed to Belem on a packed tram from Praça do Comércio. After waiting in line to get in to the Monastery we gaped at it for pretty long. Then we visited the peaceful and charming church associated with the Monastery. 

Walking across the tramstops we made our way to lay claim to the Pasteis de Belem and got some to take away which we had in the park across after shooing away some birds. It was raining off an on.. sometimes they go worse with the wind blowing in from the river. We walked to the Padrão dos Descobrimentos and then to the Tower of Belem. 

The return tram was way too crowded and it was raining heavily following which we decided to ditch the tram for a taxi which we used to get to the Santa Justa Elevator. We rode up and made our way to lunch at Jardim das Cerejas. It was full and we waited our turn. Amazing vegan food at very affordable prices!

We then started our long walk / climb across Chiado and Bairro Alto towards São Pedro de Alcântara - a view point with views of the Sao Jorge castle. After more walking, pasty eating and shopping we reached our hotel and realised it was still bright and the weather was looking right! So off we went again to capture some more pictures of the Cathedral and views from Mirador del Sol. We were treated to a rainbow too! We then took the 12 tram around town before heading back to our accommodation.

The next day we hired a car and drove out of Lisbon to rest of Portugal.

Here's a video from Rick Steves on Lisbon.

Alhambra

Spain - the land of flamenco, bull fights and lovely mediterranean weather. The description does not end there. It has a lovely history - a history as colourful and enchanting as any other country in Europe. Architecture that represents an eclectic mix of styles influenced by the different groups that ruled in it's long history.  Colours that just pop out under the warm, caressing rays of the mediterranean sun. 

Apart from all that I learned about Spain from pictures and movies, the biggest surprise, however, was the history. Spain has been ruled by Arabs, called Moors, for nearly 900 years. They had entered Europe through North Africa and Gibraltar and their strong hold was Andalusia which included parts of Spain and Portugal. They had left behind a rich legacy of castles and forts and even had left behind their influence on the food of the region.

One of the stunning creations of Moors and the Berber kings during their rule of Andalusia is Alhambra located just outside the picturesque town of Granada.

Alhambra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is an impressive citadel with a wonderful garden sitting pretty atop a hill on the outskirts of Granada. Constructed over many centuries, the palace and the gardens are awe inspiring with its various courtyards, Arabic influenced architecture, detailed carvings, gardens, orchards, spell binding views, reflecting pools and fountains. 

The major attractions inside the Alhambra are the Nasrid palaces and the Generalife gardens. The Nasrid palaces were built over different periods of time with some dating as far as the 13th century. Most, if not all parts have been maintained and are still intact. Due to the fragility of this area in the Alhambra, entry times are strictly regulated and bookings for them are sometimes sold out months in advance. 

One of the reflecting pools inside the Nasrid palaces

The Lions courtyard 

Innumerable courtyards with attractive and intelligently designed water fountains, reflective pools, arched windows, marble and stucco carvings and detailing take you around the Nasrid palaces. 

Every room in the palace boasts of arched windows with their impeccable views of the lovely town of Granada. 

Water, a scarcity in most of the Arab world is worshipped here. Pretty fountains and pools serve as temples to this highly sought after commodity. For most part of the palace and the gardens the sound of running water accompanies the visitor. Calming and soothing, they add an air of tranquility. 

The Generalife gardens

The Generalife gardens has lovely flowerbeds and orchards accompanied again by fountains and pools. Specially designed balconies with seats provide ravishing views of the surrounding areas and of the Nasrid palaces.

One of the courtyards with lovely foliage, orchards and fountains

The fountains of Generalife gardens

An attractive courtyard in the Generalife gardens

Spain has world class motorways clearly signposted and it is a breeze finding Alhambra. Regular buses ply from the town of Granada, a town worthy of a visit by itself.

Stunning Santorini

A group of islands in the Cyclades, shaped by an volcanic eruption that formed the stunning caldera. Fira, Oia and Imerovigli are just some of the names tour books throw at you. The views offered by this tiny island of Santorini are much more enchanting than their names. Made of 2 major islands - Thera and Therasia with the volcanic islands of Nea Kameni and Palea Kameni, Santorini is just a dot on the map far away from the mainland and Athens. What distinguishes this island from the zillion other Greek islands and makes it easily identifiable on any poster is the white washed walls with the blue domed churches. The color of the Aegean Sea down below matches the blue of the churches and many doors and fences. Every village on the main island of Thera is stunningly beautiful. There's pretty little to do other than taking in view after view after view to your heart's content.

The blue domed churches of Oia. One every few hundred feet.

The Windmills of Oia (Οία) 

The most photographed areas of Santorini. Most of the time from the old fort. Most of the pictures have two windmills but one was dismantled when we visited (the one on the left). 

Oia is the oldest settlement on the island. It is strikingly beautiful, much more than the crowded village of the Fira. Hotels and restaurants here are much more expensive than Fira or the quieter village of Firostefani. 

The large town of Fira

Bustling with tourists, vehicles and vendors, you can find the most activity on the entire island of Santorini at this village. There are numerous restaurants both with and without views of the Caldera, all offering free wi-fi. The ones with views are usually more than expensive than those without. Buses ply from here to all the other parts of the island. 

The villages of Oia (far left), Imerovigli (center) and Fira (right) from Nea Kameni

Sunset, the magical time of the day, from Oia and Fira

The points that offer the best views of sunset are taken up long before the actual time. Hoardes of tourists, with huge dSLRs or even cell phones mounted on the selfie sticks arrive and grab a front row spot. At Oia it is usually from the Fort or just around it. At Fira, it is end of the town on the way to Firostefani. It is not just the people on terra firma who wait for the sunset. Cruise ships time their departure from Fira port just around the same time and position themselves in the open Caldera for a unhindered view for its passengers. Low lying clouds prevented us from seeing the sun off all the way into the horizon. The little we saw of it was still magical and definitely worth the wait.

The Blue star ferry that serves the islands in Cyclades leaves the Fira port just before sunset.

A cruise ship positioning itself to offer the best view of the sunset in the waters below Oia

The volcanic island of Nea Kameni from Fira at sunset

The volcanic islands of Nea Kameni and Palea Kameni

The islands, bang in the middle of the Caldera, are served by tourist boats from the Fira port. With a variety of tours that take us to 2 or 3 of the islands on wooden sail boats powered by a motor, it is a good break from the main island for half a day. Plus, we get to see the same villages from a different point of view. There are about a dozen boats that arrive at Nea Kameni, the island with the volcanic crater, within a few minutes of each other. After hopping across the other boats and paying an entrance fee, there's a steep climb up to the craters on uneven terrain. The guide shows a few craters and brings the group back down to the waiting boats. The views from here across the Caldera are stunning. The sea looks bluer than ever. Then it is a ride to Paleo Kameni, the island with the hot spring. The boats stop quite a distance away and we have to swim out to the hot spring area. We chose to remain on the boat. After this we are dropped back to Fira port. Some boats continue to Therasia.

The steep hill down to the port at Nea Kameni with Fira in the background.

The hot springs at Palea Kameni

Souvenir and Food

The vegetarian version of the Greek delicacy of Moussaka with eggplant, cheese and pastry sheets.

Miniature houses and blue domed churches for sale as souvenirs

More colorful souvenirs

My last memory of this beautiful island that I hope to return to again, sometime in the future. The most photographed, most popular and the most serene of all blue domed churches, close to where we were staying in Firostefani.

The island of Santorini

Enchanting Switzerland

From young I have been watching Bollywood movies, more specifically Yash Chopra's, that show rolling meadows dotted with pretty flowers, snow capped mountains in the background, healthy and cool cows grazing with their Swiss-style cowbells, clean air and cool breeze... Snapping back to reality, you wonder if that is indeed Switzerland or some place in heaven! After having spent just 5 days, I can vouch that it is indeed Switzerland!

Before we embarked on our Swiss adventure, we wanted to take a peek at Germany. Arriving at Basel, Germany was just a hop, skip, jump away. After looking at a few places, we finally decided to visit just one spot in the black forest as we didn't want to miss out much in Switzerland. Looking at both Freiburg and Triberg, I decided upon Triberg because it not only looked like a typical German village but had a large number of stores selling the famed black forest cuckoo clocks!! As a bonus there was also a waterfall!

Triberg im Schwarzwald - German Black Forest

Arriving at Basel airport that had exits for both France and Swiss sides, we picked up our rental car and drove down to Triberg im Schwarzwald passing the beautiful old town of Basel on our way. The scenery and climb up to Triberg was spectacular with black forest styled houses along our route. After parking our car at the car park close to the waterfalls we hiked up to the falls in sweltering afternoon heat. By the time we got to the first view of the falls, we were tired from all the traveling and decided against going further. Further, the option of shopping for a couple of cuckoo clocks was even more lucrative! Traveling downhill, we ended up at the House of 1000 clocks - Haus der 1000 Uhren. 

Cuckoo clocks in Triberg in the Blackforest

This place was absolute wow! It was covered with cuckoo clocks of varying sizes, designs, styles and of course prices. Even with a budget it wasn't easy to pick a couple. After much walking around and bothering the English speaking sales assistants with my constant flow of questions we finally found two to our liking and had them packed. Our next stop was at a cafe.. how could we leave the area without a spoonful, and a little more of the famous black forest cake? After biting into a slice of rich and heavenly blackforest cake and drowning that with some coffee, we returned to our car for our drive to Zürich.

We drove through the check point at the borders (Switzerland is not part of the EU) and through some Swiss towns with their symbolical church steeples to arrive at Holiday Inn Express Zurich Airport, our halt for the night. Just before the hotel we stopped at the supermarket Migros that was closing to pick up a few staples to keep us going through our trip. Dinner at subway gave us the first shock. About CHF25 for 2 foot-longs (roughly 17GBP)!

Zürich - Lucerne

After an uncomfortable night in an extremely warm room and a poorly serviced breakfast, we were out on the road again. After a futile attempt to locate Üetliberg for a bird's eye view of Zürich, we drove to the city center to view it from human's POV. We were lucky to find a parking spot near the Fraumünster. Took a short walk around the Limmat river, taking pictures of the various points of interest - The Grossmünster, Rathaus, the quay along the river and few interesting side streets and cafes. We got our first view of snow-capped mountains in the distance and were looking forward to see it closer. After the quick walk around we returned to our car and started our drive towards Lucerne.

Lucerne was a postcard picture city. A sprawling lake with the modern glass KKL on it's shores; connected to the old city by the picturesque Kapellbrücke (Chapel Bridge). Ample parking at the railway station made it easy for us to walk around. Lunch was at the fly-infested railway station. The food wasn't too bad. Shooing away the flies was, unfortunately. We took a walk around the railway station area, photographing the Kapellbrücke and the swans along the lake. After some ice cream and expensive souvenir shopping we returned to our car to start our drive to Lauterbrunnen, the most anticipated destination in this trip.

The sky was overcast and it soon started raining heavily. However the scenery was fantastic. Lovely sights of lakes and waterfalls. After driving along the shores of the Aquamarine Brienzersee, we reached Bernese Oberland. The air had turned much cooler here and there were snow-capped mountains much closer to us. We drove straight to the hotel we had booked for the next two days - Hotel Oberland. It was right along the main road and we had a room on the third floor whose windows opened to the amazing view of the waterfalls and the snow capped peaks of the region. It was a view that kept us enchanted through out our stay and a vision we will never forget for the rest of our lives. Since we had quite a long day, we did not venture out much and instead had a pizza at the restaurant and went to bed early.

Bernese Oberland - Lauterbrunnen - Mürren - Buchalpsee

The Lauterbrunnen valley at Stechelberg

Day 3 of our trip started with heavy rains again and I was extremely disappointed. What a waste! But to our joy the sky soon cleared up and the sun was out nice and bright. After a good breakfast where no one hurried us, we spoke to the owner of the hotel for ideas. She told us about a fest happening in the village of Mürren and advised us of the route to take. We got into our car with our warm coats and hats and proceeded to Stechelberg to board a cable car up to Mürren.

Mürren was a calm and quiet village with gorgeous views of green meadows and the neighboring snow capped peaks. We arrived early enough in the day and there were hardly any tourists around. Even though this was higher up in the mountains it was still warm and we had no use for our coats! We walked to the other end of town clicking away zillions of pictures and marveling at the views around us. With some time left for the fest and parade to start, we spent some time on a playground with the snow capped peaks for company. We soon found ourselves joining a stream of people heading to watch the parade. We found ourselves some spots to watch and the parade started with lots of cheer. There were the famous Swiss cows with their traditional cow bells, other villagers with their handicrafts and many groups dressed in the traditional costumes. We also got some freebies like candies and cheese. After the Parade, we walked down a different route and found a Chinese cafe for lunch. One of the cheaper places to eat, we found the food worthy. We rode the cable car back to Stechelberg and took our car to Trümmelbach falls.

Trümmelbach falls is fed from the snow melting from the peaks. An elevator takes us through a shaft carved inside the mountain and leaves us at the head of a trail. It's a climb up from there to various levels. The waterfall flows inside tunnels and sometimes out in the open. There are galleries and platforms to view the waterfalls that thunders and roars down the mountain. We viewed from a couple of different levels before returning as the steps and trail was getting cold and wet higher up. 

We drove and parked our car across from our hotel. Later in the evening we followed a walking trail in Lauterbrunnen to catch glimpses of the train that goes up to Jungfrau, a traditional church and the roaring river flowing from the Trümmelbach falls. Our dinner was at the restaurant - some Swiss Rosti and spaghetti before falling asleep watching the gorgeous views from the window.

Day 4 was again warm and bright and we so badly wanted to see an alpine lake. We again asked the owner for some suggestions and she suggested Buchalpsee. After some discussions, we decided to go ahead and do the 3 hours rouhd trip hike. We drove to Grindelwald, parked our car and took the gondola up to First. When I was planning for our stay in the region, I looked at both Grindelwald and Lauterbrunner. There were many who recommended Grindelwald. I chose Lauterbrunnen for the small town feel and I must say I was not disappointed and in fact was hugely relieved that we stayed there instead of Grindelwald. Grindelwald was a busy Swiss town with loads of tourists, cafes and traffic. 

The ride up to First was again with enchanting views. We had picked up some sandwiches, salad and water from a Co-op store in Lauterbrunnen. Even though it was a good 30+ minute ride, the sun was beating down and it was pretty hot even up at that altitude. We got off at First and started our hike amidst even more enchanting scenery. We encountered some cows with their dangling and jingling cowbells up close and continued our hike with three snow capped peaks of Wetterhorn, Schreckhorn and Eiger keeping us company through out. We reached the twin lakes of Buchalpsee about an hour and 45 minutes later and settled down in a scenic spot. We were quite hungry by then and the food from Co-op made up for a good picnic lunch and were gone in a jiffy. After a ton of pics, dipping our feet in the cold waters of the lake and noticing that there were not many around us, we started our return hike. It was quicker this time and we reached Grindelwald just over a couple of hours later.

Lake Buchalpsee

After our hike to Buchalpsee, we felt we had achieved the purpose of the visit. There seemed to be nothing left for us to see or do. We still to stick to our initial plan of visiting Geneva as we were flying back home from there. We drove through a hail storm along the shores of Lake Thun to reach Hôtel La Tour d'Aï at Leysin pretty late in the night and all the cafes and restaurants were closed. After a quick dinner of some ready-to-eat stuff, we tucked in for the night, tired, but content.

Geneva

Jet D'Eau

After an interesting breakfast, we were all set to spend our last day at Switzerland. We started our drive along the shores of Lake Geneva and reached Geneva airport a little past 11 in the afternoon. We returned our car, had a quick lunch at the airport station, checked our bags into a locker and took a crowded and warm train to the city. It was an extremely warm and humid day and we were highly uncomfortable by the time we reached the lake from the station. There was a gallery like set up along the shore of the lake and we were happy to rest under the shade watching the Jet D'Eau and the people hurrying across. After a long break, we walked around the few streets surrounding the lake. After the excitement at Bernese Oberland and the Jungfrau region, Geneva did not excite us much. It seemed to be just like any other European city.

Clouds were closing in and a storm seemed to be brewing up. It was pretty cool by this time and we started our walk back to the station to board the train to the airport.

We bid good bye to Switzerland, an expensive heaven on earth, and boarded our EasyJet flight back home.

The Bernese Oberland was nature at it's best and I'm hoping to return someday.

Our Germany - Switzerland route on Google Maps