Portugal – our last week

On our last day in Obidos – saying goodbye to our friends at the Aurora i Ocaso. Such a friendly cafe/ restaurant – with a very cool vibe

Nuno the mixologist/artist with his dog

Amanda, me, Tariq, Paul and Francisca (manager)

This restaurant/cafe has a fantastic view and great music.

They serve a small selection of good Portuguese food and plenty of cocktails.

We also said goodbye to our neighbours, Uri and Alexia

Thanks Uri for a lovely meal at the Royal Obidos. Farewell, and good luck with everything.

The next day we set off for Aveiro, about 2 hours up the coast. It’s known as the Venice of Portugal.

So we naturally took a boat ride up the river.

It was incredibly hot, but a little breeze on the river helped.

The 2 boatman entertained us all with their banter making it an enjoyable 45 mins.

Several bridges were covered in ribbons

So many fabulous places to eat by the riverside. We got beers and snacks which included these lupin seeds. They are a big thing in Portugal – it was only later we realised we should have popped them out of their shells first.

Went for a walk after to look at the salt flats.

This long legged bird was the only other visitor to this harsh environment.

Short walk back to our air bnb for 1 night in Aveiro.

The next day we drove another 3 hours up the coast to Braga, just north of Porto.

We wanted to do the Bom Jesus staircase which was apparently 575 steps, though it didn’t seem that long.

The view from the top. There are statues doubling up as drinking water fountains at each level.

The steps lead up to the Bom Jesus de Monte sanctuary, with beautifully kept grounds, serene nooks, chapels, grottos and the church at the top, which was made into a basilica in 2015.

Extremely detailed depictions inside the basilica and a majestic organ.

Inside one of the grottos, where it was cool, with seats, drinking water and an unusual ceiling.

Braga is 590 feet above sea level and has more than 30 churches giving it the nickname of the Potuguese Rome.

We found the city to be sophisticated and elegant. It has received a lot of investment which shows virtually everywhere.

Even McDonalds was housed in an upmarket building.

We saw a lovely rose garden and a massive fountain.

before having dinner in a lively square

Fabulous tiger prawn linguine! And the end to a glorious day in Braga. Then back to our air bnb for the night 🌙

After taking it in turns to drive the 5 hours back to Santander, Spain, it was time to get the ferry back to Plymouth.

We only just made it though, as we forgot about the 1 hr time difference in Spain. Thinking we had plenty of time, when we stopped to get more water, we realised we only had 1 hour left to drive all through the Spanish mountains…

Luckily Paul’s specialised driving got us to brittany ferry terminal with 30 mins to spare – what a relief!!