Day 8 - Azeitao and Lisbon
On our way back to Lisbon we made a stop at the Azulejos de Azeitao tile factory. Two things you quickly find out Portugal is known for are tiles and cork. We skipped the cork factory to stay in Lagos another day but enjoyed the tile factory very much. The tiles are made by hand from start to finish - starting with molding the clay into the squares or circles etc., glazing, baking, decorating and baking again. It takes months for the process to be completed for each tile.
3 methods to decorate the tiles - painting by hand, plaster mold and a rope method.
Our next stop was in Azeitao for a wine tasting at the oldest winery in Portugal - Jose Maria da Fonseca Winery. Started in 1834 and a huge producer and exporter of Portuguese wine.
Such a gorgeous building! The tour was interesting to me mainly because of the old beautiful buildings. In the building some of the best wine is aged in they were playing a sound track almost like monks chanting. Makes the wine better perhaps?
We had a little time to explore the cute town and Julie couldn’t resist this new look. A skirt and high heels in front of the barber shop😂
We arrived in Lisbon for our last night in Portugal and after checking into the hotel I just went out and walked around the central core for a bit. It was a spectacular day and I love the beautiful streets, squares and buildings. Lisbon is called the city of 7 hills so you always get a good workout walking. Here are just a few of my favorite pictures of the day.
Avenida da Liberdade - a grand and wonderful boulevard lined with this beautiful tile sidewalk.
Bottom left - the train station which has the prettiest Starbucks ever!
Pasteis de Nata - I might have eaten one more. Why not!
Saw lots of these small groups of students. It’s the start of University so apparently the older students dress in the black suits and take the new students around who must wear funny hats - kind of an orientation I guess? No one seemed to mind so apparently not hazing.
The Portugal portion of our trip was a tour with the Collette tour company. It is my second tour with them and as with the first which was to India I was very pleased. Our tour guide Maria was awesome. Very knowledgeable, organized and fun. The hotels were all good and the included meals better than we expected. The transportation system to get around Portugal is not currently what you find in a country like Italy, although their highways appear to be excellent so renting a car and driving is another option. Taking this tour allowed us to get around and see quite a few of the regions in Portugal, but for the next part of our trip we are on our own.
We met so many great people in the group from not just the US but Canada and Australia. That to me is part of the fun of a tour versus traveling alone. I enjoy both.
Great restaurant! Haddock fillet with shrimp rice and lemon meringue pie.
Our favorite new friends!
Now we are heading to the second part of our trip - flying today from Lisbon to Nice. South of France here we come! Goodbye Portugal - it’s been wonderful😘