OFF-SEASON IN PORTUGAL
by Rich Henke and Rena Tishman, February 2002

Our frequent flyer accounts were overflowing. Late February looked like a perfect time for a quick trip to London to go to the theatre and do a quick loop around Southern England. But when it came time to plan the trip, Rena said "lets go someplace new". So we changed the routing from London to Lisbon, Portugal, a destination that had never been on our list of "places to go". Off-season travel eliminates the problem of finding available lodging when you travel without reservations. The weather in Portugal at this time of year was only slightly colder than Southern California. We took out umbrellas and rain jackets but had sunshine for most of the trip.

Lisbon is a beautiful city, built on 7 hills, some so steep that pedestrians take elevators to reach the upper levels. The many large plazas feature historic statues and artsy fountains surrounded by fashionable shops. The number 28 electric tram that travels up and down the hills on both sides of the city center was a highlight of the trip. The ride afforded spectacular views of the waterways from which Portuguese explorers such as Vasco da Gama had set sail in search of spices from foreign lands. Riding public transport provided a convenient way to sample the character of the different neighborhoods constituting Lisbon.

After Lisbon, we spent a few days in the center of the country around the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Èvora. Here we rented a car for 2 days to visit some of the many megalith sites dating from 4000 to 3000 BC. We visited a veritable Portuguese Stonehenge, a site consisting of a huge oval of 95 rounded granite monoliths out in the countryside. Another World Heritage Site nearby (the 2nd of 6 that we visited!) was the fortified hilltop village of Monsaraz. We spent the night in this immaculate all white village taking photos in all directions from the top of the castle walls.

Porto in the North of Portugal is the country's second largest city and the most impressive in our view. The old center (another World Heritage Site) is best viewed by walking across the upper deck of the Ponte de Dom Luis Bridge, which crosses the Douro River. This 3-foot wide pedestrian path is just inches away from the steady stream of traffic that uses this bridge. The city is known for the production of Port. The grapes are grown nearby and we got into the spirit by visiting one of the many tasting rooms.

Aside from the 2 main cities, we spent a single day in a number of towns, just enough time to walk around the historic centers and visit the many castles and monasteries. Working our way north, we arrived at a town in time to enjoy their famous Thursday market. As usual, we spent most of our time walking, photographing, and eating fresh pastries.

Traveling by bus and train worked very efficiently in this small country, which extends for less than 300 miles from north to south. Inexpensive lodging abounds; our average cost for a clean double room was less than $25 per night. Overall, we spent less than $30 per day per person, including everything, even our rare rent-a-car. Food is plentiful and cheap but the heavy meat diet can get very tiring. Vegetarians will have a real challenge finding dishes other than soup, salad, and bread. The language was difficult. The people were delightful. We sampled their unique Portuguese "Fado" music, which is a special flavor of folk music having a large following throughout the country.

On the way home, we arranged stopped in London having just enough time to relearn how to get around this fun city and to see a few plays and musicals. Nowhere on earth can be found such a concentration of theatre at a very reasonable cost. We saw the musical "The Lion King" which had the most elaborate costumes and set of any production we have ever seen. The trip was only 18 days long, probably our shortest-ever foreign excursion. We could have stayed longer.