Preparation & Planning:-

Although I had visited the North of Portugal many times during my working years, and knew exactly, what I wanted to do, the sheer distance from my home being over 300 km, called for a local fixer.

Surfing the internet I came across the “Portugo.com” site, promoting “MIX & MATCH” tours, which could be adapted to the clients requirement. Soon after e-mailing my programme, i.e. Accommodation, Wine & Dine, River Cruise, Train, Historical & Cultural tours, PortUgo’s Peter Evens called to get the feel of the prospective client, and found that we had connections through our respective golf societies, and my wife had formerly dealt with him on that level. He had analysed my proposal and suggested some itinerary changes to better accommodate for the Boat, Train and Plane schedules.

The yearly gathering is mainly convivial/culinary/cultural, and the average age of this years 15 participants was over 75. Of the 15 participants, 10 arrived by plane from 5 different countries, 4 by car and 1 by motorbike from 3 different cities in 2 different countries. Some continued to travel by rent-a-car, before flying home again.
Peter took it all onboard and went ahead with booking and smoothing out the details.

About a month before the trip my wife and I did a trial run, when we met Peter for the first time in person. We now could appreciate on the spot, how meticulously he had prepared even the smallest details to perfection, fitting in as much as possible in the rather short time available.

Day 1 - Started well with a welcome reception at the Hotel Mercure Batalha Porto, offered by the youngest couple on the occasion of their 40st wedding anniversary, followed by dinner at the charming Guarany Café.

Day 2 – An early rise saw us on the second day cruising from Porto to Pinhão, where we stayed overnight at the Vintage House Hotel (Relais-Châteaux), a former Solar of the Taylor Port wine family.

Day 3 – Next day we visited Quinta de la Rosa for wine tasting and lunch on their pergola overlooking the river Douro. Returning to Porto in the afternoon was planned by train, but an unforeseen, countrywide railway workers strike might have left us stranded in Pinhão, were it not for Peter who managed to get a coach, coming up from Porto, to pick us up. The driver told me he had arrived at noon with a load from Lisbon, when he was told to go and rescue us in Pinhão. We checked in to Pestana Porto Hotel for the next two nights and then went for dinner at the nearby D.Tonho restaurant.

Day 4 – The morning of the fourth day we spent on a guided panoramic city tour and after lunch at Praia da Luz on the Atlantic shores, we were free to do our own exploring. The evening saw us visiting Graham’s Port wine cellars including tasting of course. This was followed by the apéro on the terrace overlooking the city of Porto and dinner in the Board Room of Graham’s Lodge, when another highlight were two fado singers and two guitar players, which Peter had specially arranged to come the 100 km from distant Coimbra, to entertain us.

Day 5 – Reading the feedback from my colleagues, it was one of the outstanding gatherings long to be remembered.

They all enjoyed every bit of it.

Max Zimmerli
June 2008

Like any country in Europe, Portugal has its own rich culture and heritage as well as beautiful tourist spots to boast of. It is famous for its beautiful cities as well as scenic countryside. So, if you are inclined to travel to Portugal, here are the ten wonderful and beautiful places that you should never miss.

1.) The Gulbenkian Museum

If you love history and culture, then this museum located in Lisbon is for you. There are a lot of ancient Egyptian artifacts here as well as paintings done by famous artist. The museum’s garden alone is enough to captivate the tourists’ awe.

2.) St. Jorge’s Castle

This castle is also situated in Lisbon. Once you get to the hill where the castle stands, be prepared for the view of the city and the river below you. You can also visit Alfama along the way.

3.) Praca de Comercio

This is a beautiful plaza that can also be found in Lisbon and is a must-see in this city. This faces the river, giving a wonderful view of that body of water. What is also nice about this place is that it is a part of the downtown of Lisbon, so it is a good place for you to stroll along.

4.) Belem

This is a wonderful neighborhood to visit if you love to see historical monuments as well as buildings. Here, you can see the Belem Tower as well as the Belem Culutral Center. You can also visit here the Royal Place of Belem, which is now the Presidential Palace of Lisbon.

5.) Chiado

This wonderful historical street in Lisbon offers any visitor a great experience when it comes to shopping as well as dining and partying. Here, you can also see and take pictures with Fernando Pessoa’s statue. He was a famous Modernist poet of Portugal.

6.) Ponte 25 de Abril

If you think the Golden Gate of San Francisco is magnificent, wait until you see this bridge. The man who designed this bridge was the same man who designed the Golden Gate. This bridge connects Lisbon to the Setubal Peninsula.

7.) Protugal’s Cristo Rei

If Rio de Janeiro has the Christ the Redeemer statue, then Portugal has Cristo Rei. This statue has a height of over 100 meters and is overlooking the Tejo River. Once you reach this statue, be overwhelmed by the magnificent view of the city and the river below.

8.) Aveiro City

This is the so-called Venice of Portugal because it also boasts of its own canals and bridges wherein you can take a leisurely ride on their moliceiros, which are comparable to the Venice’s gondolas. You will get to see so many beautiful historical buildings in this city like the Aveiro Cathedral, Camara Municipal, Carmelite Church, etc, or you can visit its parks like the Santo Antonio Park as well as the Dom Pedro Children’s Park. Aveiro City still has lots more to offer any visitor like surfing as well as wind surfing in its Costa Nova Beach and the river, or you can always go shopping at Forum Aveiro or the Rua dos Combatientes de Guerra as well as shop at Avenida Dr. Lourenco Peixinho.

9.) Coimbra City

This is another famous tourist spot where you will get to see the great University of Coimbra. Here, you can take leisurely walks in the university’s botanical garden. There are also lots to see here like the Roman ruins of Conimbriga as well as the city’s cathedrals.

10.) Evora

In Evora, you should visit the Templo de Diana, an ancient Roman ruins. Here, you will also get to see the Evora University, which was once an ancient convent converted into the university. You can also have a pleasant walk in Evora’s park, Jardim Publico.

I’m going to be in Lisbon this weekend and I understand that Portugal isn’t really big on Halloween. Nevertheless I was wondering if certain clubs/discos host Halloween themed parties.