Santarém, Portugal. Little did we know what it would take for us to “walk” from the Santarém Train Station to our accommodations. Geography makes a difference, it almost did us in.

Evora, Portugal. After spending four lovely days in Setubal, we boarded the train bound for Evora. We had to backtrack to Lisbon and change trains at Oriente Station. It was an easy transition and a fairly short ride to Evora. It was our first foray into central Portugal, which is known for the region’s high temps. We had no idea just how high those temps could soar.

Setubal, Evora and Santarem. All three cities were new destinations for us while spending a month in Portugal. Each offered its own historic charm and hospitality. Our first stop was Setubal. We rented an apartment and spent four easy carefree days relaxing before adventuring further.

If it’s Monday, then it’s market day in Espinho.  And what better way to get to Espinho than by train and a good long walk along the coastal boardwalk.  It all makes for the perfect day.

• This post has been updated and newly published based on our return to Espinho in 2023.
• This post includes an in-kind collaboration

Cartão de cidadão. Or, citizen card of Portugal. This is a little story about how I applied for my Portuguese citizen card – citizenship – through family linage.

Good Eats. If you’ve been with us for a while, you know we spent the month of October 2023 in Portugal. We visited Setubal, Evora, Santarem, Espinho and Porto. A few places were new destinations for us and we’ll be writing about them and offering highlights, photos and travel tips. For Espinho and Porto, we’ll be updating our previously published content and sharing the best of our travel tips.

Coronavirus outbreak, it’s the headline being heard around the world. Wherever you are in this vast world of ours, you’ve surely read the headlines, or listened to a broadcast, about the spread of the virus. The news is inescapable.

When the calendar page turns to the first official day of summer, I begin counting the days until the first official day of fall, as if I can hurry along the seasonal changes.  I can appreciate the beauty of summer with green grass, flower blossoms and wearing flip flops, but I am not a fan of heat and humidity.  Humidity tends to suck the life out of me so when the air cools in the fall, I feel as if I can breathe again.  There are those who profess they love the fall season but worry that winter is just around the corner.  I’ll take winter too.  One can layer on the clothing to stay warm, but only so much can be taken off to stay cool in the summer heat. You know what I mean?

It’s no secret that Porto, Portugal is our most favorite city in Europe.  Well, at least of the cities we’ve actually visited.  We think of the city as our home-away-from-home and we spend as much time as we can in Porto.  So when a friend asked for a few suggestions (aside from the obvious tourist sites) for spending time in the city, I pulled together a list of our favorite insider tips.  Then I thought, why not share the adventure?  So, that’s exactly what I’m doing.

Although we didn’t know very much about Sintra, before our 3-day visit, we did know that Pena Palace was the attraction that visitors flock to by the millions.  And, that the views from the hilltops were reportedly breathtaking.  It was with those notions in mind, and the forecast of a clear day, we chose to visit Pena Palace on our last day in Sintra.  Here’s how we did it.