Trip to Northern Portugal

Raymond and I were fortunate this month to take our first vacation since May. The high season of the tourism/hospitality industry is June-September and businesses are allowed to enforce blackout dates for their employees’ vacations. So, much in need of a break, we decided to have a six-night mini-vacation on the Portuguese mainland.

After flying two hours we landed in the city of Porto and stayed the first night in the coastal town of Matosinhos. This was our first time back since our big trip to Portugal in 2022. It was lovely to walk the beach again and sample some of the food offerings we don’t have on Ilha Terceira.

We then stayed in the center of Porto for two nights at a sister hotel to the one where we work. It was a beautiful old building and we had a wonderful time – they treated us like VIPs! The above photos are from the Porto cathedral, its courtyard, and roof.

The hotel restaurant was lovely for breakfast (different from how we do it at our hotel, but very classy) and we splurged on a delightful dinner – our first in a Michelin-starred restaurant!

Above: a few views of the center of Porto and riverfront.

Three Nights in Guimarães

We took a commuter train to the nearby city of Guimarães for the second half of our trip. It was a return visit for us, having been delighted by the UNESCO World Heritage Site during our day trip four years ago. The city is known as the “Cradle of Portugal.”

Below, L to R: view from our seats at a little restaurant, Raymond at the entrance to our hotel, one of many little squares in the center of town, some beautiful architecture in another square, a ruined building near the castle.

Above, L to R: the castle (from which Portugal was founded in 1139), Raymond walking past the big fountain in the main square of Guimarães, the old church and old city call in Oliveira Square, and a detail of the quartzite stones laid in the main square at Raymond’s feet…imagine walking over thousands of square meters of sparkling crystals glinting in the sun.

Autumn on Ilha Terceira

Above, L to R: Raymond examining the monstera fruit (over 1 year maturing and counting), Archimedes and Nicodemus in the front yard, and homemade jam from the araçal fruit in the back yard.

Happy Halloween!