EUROPE 2025 : COIMBRE AND EVORA

Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 September

It's always fun to stop at a supermarket when you are on a roadtrip. You don't only stock up on padkos but it's an insight into local daily life. And you get a chance to have a second cup of morning coffee.

Heading South we went to the Conimbriga Roman site; with it's well preserved floor mosaics.

Then we headed into Coimbre. We stayed at the very funky Zero Box Lodge.
A converted garage where rooms are windowless wooden boxes; pitch dark with the lights off to give us an excellent night's sleep.

We had a long climb up from the riverside to the university on the hill. It's one of the oldest in Europe, founded in 1290.

The pre booked ticket to the Baroque Joanina Library (1728) gives you just 10 minutes in the actual library.

The ticket also includes the palace and the best part of all- The Cabinet of Curiosities; a weird Victorian style display of mostly natural history oddities.

We were all tired so we had dinner at Bixos, the rooftop restaurant at our hotel.

Every morning we like to stroll out to find a bakery for coffee and a pastry or toasted sarmie. Portuguese cakes and pastries are amazing.

On Sunday we stopped at Tomar to visit the Convent of Christ en route to Evora. The castle was completed in 1160 as the stronghold of the Knights Templar in Portugal. The Charola ( round church) dates to 1190.

Evora is a lovely town. We visited the Chapel Of Bones and the Roman Forum.

We loved roaming the streets;stopping at a bar or a restaurant, enjoying the balmy autumn weather.

EUROPE 2025 : PORTO

Thursday 18th and Friday 19th September

I had decided we would stay in Vila Nova Da Gaia on the opposite bank of the river to Old Porto to make parking easier. That didn't really work out but the Charm Hotel run by the lovely Clara was so awseome we'd definately do it all again.

Bolt and Uber are so reasonably priced in Porto your best option is parking a little way away and getting a ride to your hotel. Drinks with a view only 50m from the hotel.

We had dinner in Afurada. Clara recommended Arazem do Piexe and we had the best meal of our trip so far. Everything in Porto has become more touristy and very busy. We found our happy place, somewhere between it all.

Bolhao Market.

Historic Magestic Cafe.

A bottle of Vinho Verde at a street cafe with live music.

Eating with locals.

Lots of walking and lots of hills and stairs.

In the evening we did a cruise on the river for a different perspective.

We tasted Port.

For dinner, Clara directed us to a small, local Taverna over the road from the hotel.