A Bus Ride Reminiscent Of Mr. Toad's Wild Ride At Disneyland! From Sintra we took a bus to a city called Cascais on the coast. We were told it is a very scenic route. It would have been a nice ride if the driver wasn't driving like we were on Mr. Toads wild ride at Disneyland. He was going around the curves at such a pace we were sliding out of our seats. Jack was very nauseous. I usually never get travel sickness but was not doing too well by the end of the trip either. This was the worst bus ride we have had on the entire trip. The driving was worse than what we experienced in Africa … [Read more...]
Lagos
A Little Information About Lagos Lagos was our place to relax and settle in one spot for a while. It has a population of about 25,000. There is something for everyone, you'll find backpackers, surfers and families. You can't get many places with more sunshine than here. The temperature stays very comfortable throughout the winter. The day we left at the end of October it was 30C. Along with the rest of Portugal, Lagos has a rich history that dates back as far as 2000 BC. Originally it was used as a seafaring port by the Phonecians. This was also the base for the voyages of discovery. … [Read more...]
A Day Trip To Tavira
Quaint Little Tavira The Algarve is so easy to get around that you could stay in any one place and do day trips to almost everywhere else. We took a short 18 mile train trip a town called Tavira. The is called the Venice of the Algarve. A large canal called Rio Gilao runs through the center of the town reflecting elegant houses on each side. Having just come from Venice it definitely didn't compare, but it was quite charming. It is an old historic town that is very cute and quiet. It is packed full of buildings dating from the 16th to 18th century. For such a small place it has an … [Read more...]
A Brief Stop In Albufeira And Then On To Faro
We took a train from Porto to a town called Albufeira. It is amazing how you can get from northern to southern Portugal in a matter of hours. This ride was about 6 hours in total, including changing trains in Lisbon. The Perpetual Bus Ride We left the train station in Albufeira and had to take a short bus ride to a central bus station, and then another bus to the old town center of Albufeira. We would look for a room for the night. We got on the bus and missed the stop for the old town, the driver said not to worry, we could stay on the bus and and take the route again. We still didn't know … [Read more...]
Porto
Arriving In Porto And Finding A Hotel We took our second flight with Ryan Air, this one was 2 hours 20 min from Frankfurt to Porto. We flew over the Swiss Alps, it was beautiful as we flew over Spain and Portugal. Both countries were very lush and green. The Porto airport is brand new as well as the metro system that takes you into the town center. Porto is a very picturesque and charming city that is situated along the Douro river. The old town is on one side and the newer section on the other. As you cross any one of the six bridges from one side to the other you will get a … [Read more...]
St. Marks Square
We spent one day wandering around St Marks Square and St. Marks basilica. The basilica is a fine example of Romanesque-Byzantine style architecture. Some of it dates back to the 12th century. It is beautiful inside and out. It is full of old frescoes and gold gilding. The marble floors are in unique patterns. The square has a clock tower which gives you an amazing 360 degree view of the area. It is a totally different perspective looking at the rooftops of the city. It's very strange because from this view you can't see any of the canals. It looks like a normal city. The square is very … [Read more...]
Venice
Arriving In Venice, No Plans, No Map, No Guidebook And No Place To Stay We got our first views of Venice as we came in on the ferry from Corfu, Greece. We could see canals branching off from the sides of the main waterway. It looked surreal, like something you would see in Disneyland. Venetian buildings were lined up like doll houses right along the edge of the water. It was raining when we first arrived. We would have to change out of sandals and into proper shoes for the first time in months of traveling. We also had to put on some light coats. We had not planned to come to Venice. So … [Read more...]
Athens
We had traveled to Athens almost ten years prior to this. We wondered how things would have changed and how much prices would have gone up. A lot had changed since our last visit, they had the introduction of the Euro and the hosting of the Olympics. The airport seemed hardly changed, it still had a total lack of security. Last time we were here we walked past the customs officer asleep in a chair. Security was a little more beefed up this time. After traveling through some third world airports that ran much more efficiently, we couldn't believe the set up they had here. How did they … [Read more...]
Cold And Expensive London
Arriving In London With Nowhere To Go We got our flight from Capetown back to London. We had left the heat for freezing cold. It was very strange to be sweating one moment and then get off a plane to see your breath the next. We had a long eleven hour flight. It went well though. We saw some really neat views of the Sahara desert below. The sand has all kinds of interesting patterns. We also saw the Niger river meandering along for miles into the distance. Our flight was delayed and we got into Heathrow a bit later than expected at 8pm. We had not pre booked a hotel to stay at. We … [Read more...]
We Arrive In London
This won't be too exciting of an entry since London was basically just a quick stop as an entry point into Africa. Our flight went well from Vancouver to London. It was a red eye flight and unfortunately neither one of us got much sleep, if any at all. We arrived in soggy London at about 1:30 pm and soon made our way to our hotel. We caught the tube to get there. The pace and number of people that get transported on the system is mind boggling. There are thousands of people, all in such a hurry to get where ever they are going. You almost have to risk your life crossing through one of the … [Read more...]