Sailing

Sailing: the fine art of getting wet and becoming ill while slowly going nowhere at great expense.

Sunday 21 February 2016

Luscious Lisbon



Lisbon is a delightful city.  It is one of the oldest cities in the world and the oldest in Western Europe.  Between the 15th and 17th Centuries, Lisbon was the centre of the great naval explorations and the age of discovery. However in 1755 a massive earthquake destroyed over 80% of the city.  Today hilly, scenic Lisbon is a vibrant modern city that clearly cherishes and maintains its past.
View of churches and the harbour
From another aspect
Our hotel was near a large mall, El Centro Ingles (actually run by a Spanish company), that contained the largest supermarket we ever saw.  The deli section alone was a big as our entire local supermarket in Canberra.  We never saw so many cheeses and small goods.  The shop was almost like going to a museum.
Cheeses as far as the eye can see
Legs of ham
Octopus anyone?
The waterfront is the heart of the city.  The Praça do Comércio is filled with tourist and locals alike and extends into the city in a pedestrian mall lined with shops and restaurants where buskers entertain the passersby.  We spent many hours going up and down this mall taking it all in.
Praça do Comércio
The statue of Christ as in Rio
One day we walked up the hill to explore the Castle of São Jorge.  This Moorish castle from the 10th Century sits on the hilltop overlooking the historical centre of the city.  We walked all about the ramparts and marvelled at the camera obscura which gives a 360 degree view of the city in real time. 
Castle of São Jorge on the hilltop
On the ramparts
Afterwards we took up the offer from a vendor cart and had a ‘wine with a view’.  This was a great little business which sold a glass of wine to visitors who could then sit on the outer wall of the castle admiring the skyline of the city and watch the sun set over the harbour.  Terrific.
View from the castle.  The bridge is the same design as the Golden Gate in SF
The rooftops of Lisbon
We spent two afternoons exploring the parish of Belém in the southwest of the city.  To get there we took one of the iconic Lisbon trams.
Lisbon Tram
Belem is situated along the Tagus River and the waterfront is a wonderful public space of plazas and monuments.  The weather wasn’t ideal on the days we went there but we still loved walking along the waterfront while we hunkered down from the wind and showers.
Monument to the great navigators
Closeup
Mosteiro dos Jerónimos
We found a fantastic naval museum at one end of the massive monastery complex.  Portugal has a proud naval history and the museum contained hundred of models of boats of every description.  Then in the last 20 minutes before closing we came to the chamber that contained full size boats from the royal family.  We would have loved to have spent another hour in this chamber alone.
 
15th Century Caravel
Old fishing boat - love the sail plan
The royal barge last used to escort Queen Elizabeth in the 1950's
For us though, perhaps the main attraction of Belém was Pastéis de Belém, a fantastic cafe established in 1837.  We had just stumbled upon this cafe to get some shelter from the rain, not realising it is actually quite a famous place.  As we entered we were presented with a rabbit warren of dining rooms decorated in iconic Portuguese tiles and filled with memorabilia.  The atmosphere was buzzing and friendly.  We ordered their signature custard tarts which, warm from the oven were just to die for.  On our second day in Belém we returned to the cafe and stocked up on take away for the train trip to Madrid.
After the feast with more to go
Baking the custard tarts
So ended our time in Portugal.  We had assumed the Portuguese culture would be similar to the Spanish culture but Portugal is quite a different country and we liked it very much.  We will be back.

Monday 15 February 2016

The Algarve Portugal



We really enjoyed our 5 days on the Algarve Coast.  The Algarve is a popular tourist destination and it is easy to see why with its beautiful, clean sandy beaches, spectacular scenery, mild climate, friendly locals and laid back lifestyle.  Fortunately we were there in the off season so we got a fantastic deal on an upmarket apartment and avoided all the crowds, which at the height of the season can be notoriously rowdy. 
View of the Lagos bay
Typical Algarve town
We took the bus from Seville to Lagos, Portugal, an easy 4 hour trip.  Lagos has a big marina that we wanted to check out.  We ducked onto the docks, started chatting with some of the residents and found out there were two Oyster 39 yachts just like Songster at the marina.  Not that many of these boats are still around so it was a real treat to see two in one spot.  The owners were on board one of the Oysters and we ended up having a long cuppa with them comparing notes and getting ideas for modifications and improvements.  I am always amazed at how easily new friends are made in the yachting community.
A sister for Songster
We checked out the small town museum, took long walks on the beach, inspected the harbour entrance and chatted with some dinghy sailors who turned out to be members of the British Olympic sailing team in Portugal for training.  
Steam punk sculptured wind vanes at the town museum
Shells on the beach
Surfers (in February!) and the British Olympic team practicing
Rough Harbour entrance
One morning we heard a lot of music coming from the town square.  I looked out our windows and saw lots of children dressed in all different costumes gathering below.  It was children's day in Portugal and all the schools come together in the town square.  It was fantastic.  The kids were so cute and the teachers, also in costumes, looked like they were enjoying themselves as much as the kids.  
School groups gathering for Children's Day
Lots of Zorros and swords
Deck of cards
Playing with streamers
Robin Hoods
All over bar the clean up
We decided to check out some other marinas in nearby Portimão, a 40 minute ride on a local bus.  The marinas were a bit basic and far from town, but the town itself was lovely.  .  An excellent museum on the waterfront was a little gem and a great find.  Portimão had a thriving sardine fishing industry.  Their exhibit of the history of the fishing industry was so well done.  The museum had acquired all the machinery and stock from the canning factory and had fantastic displays and videos of the entire process from catching the sardines to the finished tinned product.  The canning factory shut down in the 1980’s and now the area seems to survive on basic agriculture and tourism.
Bringing in the catch
Processing the fish
Packing the cans
The end product
The whole area of the Algarve is definitely one we want to return to on Songster.
An interesting nesting site for storks

Monday 8 February 2016

Sassy Saucy Seville (but not a barber in sight)



Bob had been putting off a much needed trip to the barber until we reached Seville but in our 2 ½ days in Seville we never came across a single barber shop.  Perhaps the requirement to sing Rossini was just too much for the barbers and they all left town!  Never mind, Seville is a vibrant and fun city that held many attractions that more than made up for the apparent lack of barbers.
A few weeks too early for the opera
We arrived in Seville mid-afternoon and immediately hit the streets.  Just over the bridge near our hotel was the Torro del Oro, a 12th Century watch tower on the River Guadalquivir, now a naval museum.  The small museum had some wonderful models of old ships, including Magellan’s Victtoria and Columbus’s Santa Maria, and fantastic views of the city.
Torro del Oro watchtower
One of the great ship models
This is one of the tallest buildings in Europe
View of the Cathedral from the tower
Just down the road from the tower was the Plaza de Torros.  Bob suggested we take the 20 minute tour.  I had some reservations but thought a tour of a bull ring might give me insight to the Spanish mindset.  I also thought that bull fighting had gone the way of fox hunting in England.  I was shocked to find out that there are still 3000 bull rings in Spain and ‘shows’ are held from April through October.  Each ‘show’ lasts about 2 ½ hours with 3 bulls being sacrificed.  It was all pretty gruesome and horrid.  I must admit it only made me more confused about the Spanish outlook.
Plaza de Torros
Inside the bullring.  They were selling small bottles of sand from the ring for 6 euros.
Dragging out the bull - quite horrid
The torreador's outfit
The next day we went to the Real Alcázar.  This royal palace was first built by the Moors in the 12th Century and continued to be added to for the next 500 years so contains elements of Moorish, Gothic and Renaissance architecture.  The palace is still used by the Spanish royal family when in Seville and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  

We spent hours wandering around the large tile and tapestry lined halls and picturesque gardens.  There was even a maze, not as good as the one at Hampton Court, but fun nonetheless. 
 
 
Winter gardens of orange trees and date palms
Underground pool
The peacock giving us a good show
Ornate ceiling of gold
Tapestry several hundred years old
We next went to the Plaza de España, a lovely public space.  The huge plaza is bordered by a crescent shaped building of stone and tiles with a balcony along its front and at ground level are ceramic tiled alcoves commemorating all the provinces in Spain – a real people’s place.  There is a moat around the perimeter of plaza for people to row small boats under pretty arched bridges.  Horse drawn carriages ride around the fountain and buskers are everywhere, including some fantastic Flamingo dancers.
Plaza de España
Horse drawn carriages
The rowing moat
 
Fantastic Flamingo dancers
 There is so much to see in do in Seville, or you could sit back in one of the many plaza cafes, have a drink and just enjoy.