After months of storms and gloom, we were cheered by a sunny, cool Saturday, as were more than 20 others - an international collection of people from Portugal, USA, Brazil, France, Poland, Iran, Pakistan, Russia, and more.

The 10-kilometer hike delivered: sweeping vistas painted with yellow flowers, two waterfalls still full from the rains, streams to rock-hop across, and narrow trails close to the early spring growth. Exhilarating!

A typical vista along the way

Our first waterfall, slight but attractive, in its own nearly hidden hollow.

The more robust waterfall glinting in the sun. We all needed to rock-hop across a stream to reach it and then haul ourselves up a steep hillside to continue on.

A wooded stream emerges from the larger waterfall

Bucelas is surprisingly rich in tempting restaurants serving typical Portuguese cuisine, perhaps because its endemic, home-grown wine, Arinto, attracts many visitors. And the town has a refined version of Ginjinha, a cherry liqueur that tops the usual version in Lisbon. There’s even a museum dedicated to their wines.

Also, for more about Portugal from 2025, CLICK HERE to view the Portugal page in our original blog, Adventurephiles, or CLICK HERE for articles between 2017 and 2024.

“Oh, you must visit Monsaraz!” “You must visit Monsaraz!” We’ve known about this walled hilltop town in the Alentejo for years, but missed it when we toured around the wine country of eastern Portugal. So, on the way back from Andalucia, we stopped for a short visit during the chilly, rainy off-season. The town was quiet, but livelier (and dryer) than expected. And we could leisurely connect with local shopkeepers and café owners while enjoying the vistas.

(Note: We recognize how fortunate we were to be able to travel a bit like this despite the continuing flood and storm damage in many parts of Portugal and Spain. We hope that those much more affected soon find relief and an end to this calamity.)

Late sun in the afternoon gave us a lovely overview of the fields, olive trees, and vineyards below.

The castle and walls date from the 13^th century under Afonso III, though modernized in the 16^th century to confront the neighboring Spaniards. This plaza used to host bullfights; now it’s a festival space.

Typical narrow lane and medieval structures, as seen from our cozy hotel room in the middle of town.

The baroque church of Monsaraz was not open and had suffered some damage from the persistent storms of this season.

Several lanes head out of the plaza around the church, including the Rua Direita straight ahead toward the main tower of Monsaraz.

A wall-top view over the huge reservoir of Alqueva Lake, the largest in Europe. Fed by the Guadiana River from Spain, it spans the border.

One of the many gates to the city

The variable weather painted some interesting skies, including rainbows and this shaft of light in the evening. A sign of hope for a calmer time?

Also, for more about Portugal from 2025, CLICK HERE to view the Portugal page in our original blog, Adventurephiles, or CLICK HERE for articles between 2017 and 2024.

We just visited Córdoba in as off an off-season as you could choose: cold and rainy, with a series of drenching storms from the Atlantic that threatened any town set along a river. But we found so much to enjoy in the alternating periods of rain and sun – on the flowery narrow streets, at the grand plazas, in the local taverns and bars, or within the numerous inner courtyards or patios.

(For our separate post on the World Heritage Mezquita-Catedral, click here.)

This was the raging Guadalquivir River even before more storms pushed it higher and threatened many towns downstream, all the way to Tavira in Portugal.

The 1^st century “Roman” bridge, reconstructed by the Umayyads in the 10^th century, still withstands flood waters today.

The walls around old Córdoba date from the Roman and Umayyad period.

The tradition of internal courtyards or patios has persisted from Roman, Islamic, and modern times. This was one of twelve at the sumptuous Palacio de Viana. We appreciated how many patios, at private and public buildings, were open to view as we walked along Córdoba’s streets.

These grand, early 20^th century buildings within the newer part of town grace the large plaza, Las Tendillas, where New Year’s Eve celebrations take place.

The umbrellas come out and others hustle to cover as a sudden shower covers this 19^th century pedestrian boulevard connected to Las Tendillas.

Another eye-catching plaza, Corredora, has hosted bullfights at times and witnessed the horrors of the Inquisition. Its 17^th century porticos now mainly look out upon social gatherings of those enjoying the many bars and restaurants.

A small plaza, with a colorful entryway marking a boutique hotel, was lit up by the sun during one walk.

Orange trees abound throughout the town, plopping large fruit into the streets and plazas below them during storms. They’re a tradition from over a thousand years ago, bringing shade and sweet fragrance to the town, but oddly not edible fruit. The patterned paving consists of small, rounded stones of different shades.

Flowerpots arranged along walls form another pleasant tradition in town, honored by this statue. If she had been alive, that deshabille shift would have hardly protected her from the chill wind. And she would not have needed to water the plants either.

A typical lane in the medieval part of Córdoba. You could tell that those who were now in town had booked their visit a while ago: a few small tour groups, a few British who thought the weather had to be better, and some young backpackers.

The tabernas are everywhere in Córdoba, offering light meals or tapas in small, but inviting interiors. We had some excellent gazpacho here, while a grandfatherly Córdoban enjoyed a small plate of that Iberian ham on the counter.

Our last stop in a tavern crawl during a rainy afternoon and evening was the Ultimo Tango. This friendly fellow – who apparently rode motocross in San Diego for a few years – came in with a few other locals. He later claimed to be security for the bar, but most of the time provided informal entertainment, singing pop and flamenco songs along with the TV feed, or giving lessons in dancing flamenco.

One rainy-day expedition was a visit to the town’s archeological museum, with its engaging overview of cultural history in Córdoba. The collection includes many remnants of the Roman period, but we were enchanted by this elegant bronze statue of Apollo – reminiscent of Renaissance Donatello.

Street musicians adorn this simple Umayyad-era carafe at the archeological museum.

The San Pablo church, one of the many in town, includes this 15th century chapel for the Madonna del Rosario in the mudejar style.

The delicate decoration in mudejar style of a small synagogue from 1315, belonging to the once thriving Jewish community exiled in 1492. Now reopened as a museum, it’s just one of only three left in Spain, including two we visited in Toledo.

The post Terrain in Spain: Off-season Córdoba first appeared on Adventurephiles. (To enlarge any picture above at that site, click on it. Also, for more pictures from Spain, CLICK HERE to view the slideshow at the end of the itinerary page.)

For millennia, in Europe, wealthy cultures would build grand spaces where the devout could gather, spaces whose very solidness and materiality aimed to elevate the spirit to moral heights.

Few places can rival the Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba (Mezquita-Catedral) for its history of bringing so many people of successive faiths to worship. As empires faded here, their main religious centers passed to their successors: early Christians and Visigoths reused stones from the Romans; the Umayyad “moors” repurposed columns and stones used by their predecessors. And then, remarkably, the architects of Spain built the Catholic church, not on the ruins of the former mosque, but within it.

The result is a harmonious blend of architectural styles, noted by UNESCO as a World Heritage, which affirms the hope that different faiths can harmonize still.

(For our separate post about our visit to Córdoba, click here.)

From our perch on the famous bell-tower some 200 steps up, the Catholic church (itself a blend of Romanesque, Renaissance, and Gothic elements) rises out of rooftops protecting the several stages of the mosque dating from 786 to 966. The garden of orange groves and palms was originally the open plaza for Muslim worshippers. The tower is itself a transformation of the original Moorish minaret and a symbol of the city.

We came to Córdoba to celebrate our anniversary. Despite the weird successive storms that drenched the Iberian Peninsula during our visit, we loved being here. Plus, we lucked out with a few hours of sun during our walks. Here we are, sunlit, at the Roman bridge funded by the emperor in the 1st century BC. Behind us is the renowned Mosque Cathedral and the Puerta del Puente gate. Beneath us the Guadalquivir River flowed past turbulently.

One of the many exquisitely decorated gates along the imposing exterior walls of the mosque.

A section of the original mosque, with the noted double arches that bridge its innumerable columns, as conceived and built by Abd ar-Rahman of the Umayyad dynasty in the 8th century. He aimed to honor Allah with this grand space for many to pray.

Double arches link columns with no base, part of the later expansion in the 10th century. The lit chapels along the sides are even later Catholic church additions.

The harmony of Moorish arches, Christian iconography in gold, and Gothic tracery in the ceiling.

The exquisite inlay of the 10^th century mihrab, marking the direction of prayer, one of three chambers wrapped in Qu’ran verses and topped by complex domes.

A dazzling interplay of Moorish arches in a space that encloses the 14^th century Royal Chapel, the first church inside the mosque.

A glimpse of the 14^th century Royal Chapel, the original church set within the mosque after the Christian resumption of control in Spain. The space is closed to visitors so one can only have a peek through a scalloped window at the gorgeous mudejar tilework overlayed a bit by the Catholics’ heraldic emblems and golden lions.

Within a Moorish arch just outside the central nave and altar of the Catholic church, an elaborate, dramatic bas-relief shows Jesus carrying the cross. This is just one such carving for the complete visual narrative of the stations of the cross.

At the center of the 10^th century mosque, you find the ebullient interior of the Catholic church. This is the Renaissance barrel-vault ceiling of the choir stalls, with lunettes and frescoes of saints and prophets, all flanked by two baroque organs.

This thrilling 16^th century altar faces the church’s choir stalls.

The 16^th-17^th century dome over the transept of the Catholic church.

The choir loft in the church presents a stark contrast between the Mannerist ceiling of the 16^th century and the dark wood of the choir stalls with the altarpiece in their midst. Each stall displays a carved scene from the life of Christ.

The bell-tower was originally the mosque minaret, or watchtower, from the 8^th century, with two sets of staircases that never met until the top. It was altered in the 16^th and 17^th century, partly due to damage and partly to add “modern” Christian elements.

The harmonious rooftops and whitewashed buildings of Córdoba, as seen from the top of the bell-tower, about 200 steps up.

(To enlarge any picture above at the site in Adventurephiles, click on it. Also, for more pictures from Spain, CLICK HERE to view the slideshow at the end of the itinerary page.) The post Harmonic Spaces: Córdoba’s Mosque-Cathedral first appeared on Adventurephiles.

In lovely weather, we enjoyed this delightful trek near Sintra.

The Pedra Amarela hike is notable for crossing 20 bridges made of tree branches reaching and a grand vista at its peak, a bit more than 400 meters in altitude. The trail was also notable that day for muddy paths, downed trees blocking the way, and streams swollen over their banks – all due to the hurricane that recently passed through. It was hard work, but we reached the top anyway.

Also, for more about Portugal from 2025, CLICK HERE to view the Portugal page in our original blog, Adventurephiles, or CLICK HERE for articles between 2017 and 2024.

The persistent clouds and rain held off for a few hours. So, we could enjoy a lengthy, bracing walk and lively conversation along the extended bay of Seixal off the Tejo River, with a few sidesteps to cork factories, lovely plazas, and an historic quinta. Then we topped it off with lunch in Amora, west of the bay.

Our walking group prepared for cold and wet, but kept stripping off layers in the warm sunlight.

A mural celebrates Seixal’s old cork factory (Moutet), whose building has become a hotel, and the carnation, symbol of liberation in Portugal.

The buildings of this bayside plaza still honor the seafaring and fishing activity here. Shipbuilding and ship repair remain an important industry.

The marshy edge of the bay at low tide. Various shorebirds patrol the muddy flats while local clammers muck around for their catch.

Quinta da Fidalga, Seixal. This building replaced the original 14^th to 15^th century one that collapsed in the famous 1755 earthquake. Until recently, the quinta was owned by relatives of 16th century explorer Vasco da Gama.

A nautical restaurant/bar docked in the bay at low tide.

These old buildings in Amora, west of the bay, have become intriguing bars: Selfie, Diamond (with the Buddha), Friends, and Heart Rock Café (!). At the far end, cartoon characters adorn the facades.

Also, for more about Portugal from 2025, CLICK HERE to view the Portugal page in our original blog, Adventurephiles, or CLICK HERE for articles between 2017 and 2024.

A Presidential Palace. A weekend of drama and music. A museum of illusions. A bohemian neighborhood. A literary club lunch with friends.

We suspect that the exploration list might just keep growing…

Up the Rebels

On the 5^th of October, 115 years ago, rebels in Lisbon declared the end of 800 years of royal rule and launched the Portuguese Republic. So, this was the perfect day to revisit that historic change by touring the Presidential Palace in Belém, six kilometers west of Lisbon. Here, from the early 18^th century, the country’s kings and queens ruled their people. Here, after the 1755 earthquake, Joseph I hid out while his minister Pombal rebuilt the city some six kilometers to the east. And here, since the fall of the monarchy, Portuguese heads of state welcomed leaders from around the world, wrangled over power and politics, made and remade their government – while enwrapped in royal splendor.

It was about time…at 1am on the 5^th of October 1910, using this watch now on display at the Palace Museum, 2^nd Lieutenant José Mendes Cabeçadas Júnior fired three cannon shots from a ship moored on the River Tejo. At that signal, the leaders of the rebellion moved to City Hall to declare the Republic was born. Ironically the current President is named Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.

The Presidential Palace as viewed from its boxwood gardens. Displayed on the façade of the building are large, tiled illustrations of the labors of Hercules. Is this an encouragement to modern politicians to work harder?

The patterned boxwood gardens of the Palace, looking out over the Tejo River, with the notable tribute to the Portuguese explorers visible to the far right beneath the umbrella tree.

A room we had seen many times on news broadcasts. This is the President’s official office, where he greets heads of the Portuguese political parties and world leaders. They are always sitting on that sofa. Sometime before the revolution, this had been a bedroom for Princess Amelia and, later, visiting dignitaries.

The so-called Golden Room, one of many formal spaces in regal style. The gilt, carved wood ceiling is remarkable.

Under a stunning ceiling, a visit starts at the formal reception room. Along the wall, a desk and patterned leather chair are flanked by two ancient lion-head fountains that still work.

Another sumptuous reception room dominated by a tapestry of King Alexander, who appears to extend mercy and graciousness to the family of the conquered Persian king Darius – a model for all rulers.

There are several gardens at the Palace, as well as land that has become a Botanical Garden for the public. Among the flowers we could see were these Bird of Paradise blooms.

The Waterfall Garden with a set of three graceful buildings constructed by Queen Dona Maria I in the late 18^th century. In the central cascade, that Hercules fellow is depicted bashing the many-headed Hydra.

Arts and Leisure

Some weekends the stars align and we find ourselves very, very busy. This last weekend spanned 500 years of entertainment (as well as much of Lisbon), from a sweeping Hamlet outdoors at the Jardim Botânico, to Dario Fo’s satirical takedown of authoritarians at Teatro do Bairro in Chiado (followed by some pretty tasty Mexican food), to the boisterous arena concert of Post Malone’s European tour near Belém. So much fun!

Swearing on Hamlet’s sword

Star power at Hamlet: Broadway actor Andrew Chappelle as Polonius with the King and Queen

The cast of Dario Fo’s Accidental Death of an Anarchist

Posty at Estadio do Restelo

Gang of four at the Post Malone concert

A Wrinkle in Time

The delights of Lisbon’s Museum of Illusions gave us the illusion of being kids again. Playing with the exhibits – wild, puzzling, tricky, misleading – was such fun. Then we did the grown-up thing and lounged on a deck overlooking Lisbon’s rooftops near Senhora da Monte.

No, it’s not an illusion…she’s younger than ever, he observes.

The rest of these pictures, showing how much we enjoyed Lisbon’s Museum of Illusions, however visually wild or just a bit misleading.

Marvilious Marvila Meetup

If you’ve been in Lisbon a while, you’ve likely been enticed to visit the district of Marvila. This old industrial/warehousing zone to the east of the city has been transformed from a decaying one to bohemian chic. Old buildings have shifted into new uses. Artist galleries have occupied warehouses. Gracious facades front new housing under construction behind. Bars and restaurants fill the charming and once merely functional spaces. We’ve long wanted to take a look and finally had the best of opportunities in a social event. That way we not only encountered the shifting texture of this old district, but we befriended a dozen people from around the world. Marvilious.

Gathered for a glass of wine in the garden of the sprawling restaurant Braço de Ferro, our group melds over the creation of a story based on what we had experienced in our walk around Marvila. We all agreed in our reactions: transformation, the old and the new, the evolution of the past into the future.

This baroque building was built by a successful wine merchant, José Domingos Barreiros, as warehouse and commercial space. It faces the same plaza as the equally attractive facility built by another wine merchant, Abel Ferreira de Fonseca.

Still competing for attention, this other center of a successful wine production and distribution business boasts a gloriously eclectic façade. Inside is a re-purposed space called Marvila 8, now a combination of galleries, restaurants, and a warehouse-sized drinking and dancing spot.

A DJ spins the music in expansive space to the back of Marvila 8.

A dragon of many mechanical parts hovers above drinkers, sober and otherwise, in the warehouse-y bar at Marvila 8.

At the north end of Marvila, there’s a new housing complex designed by Renzo Piano.

An attractive line of chimneys adorn this older building along Rua de Açucar, Sugar Street, named for another commercial activity in Marvila – as were Rua de Tabaqueria and Material de Guerra. One other section was devoted to bread making.

New housing under construction behind an elegant old façade.

Booking it from Down Under

It’s not often we have friends visit from Australia, so our get-together with the Weston family was a special occasion – lunch at the venerable Grémio Literário club and then a stroll along the sunny banks of the Tejo.

Reception room and bar

Us with the Weston family on the verandah

Garden of Grémio Literário beneath the outdoor verandah

Outdoors, in back

Amusing fountain in the garden

The post A Portuguese Potpourri first appeared on Adventurephiles. (To enlarge any picture above at that site, click on it. Also, for more pictures from Portugal as of 2025, CLICK HERE to view the slideshow at the end of the itinerary page. To see a slideshow of photos between 2017 and 2024, CLICK HERE)

It was a weekend filled with rivers and rocks. With eight other hardy, young souls we enjoyed a couple of days seatrekking, hiking among schist towns, flopping, and even talking into the night.

Saturday

The first day, we spent three hours on the pristine Ceira River near Coimbra, floating in just wet-suits thru deep channels or sliding over rocks, occasionally traipsing along rock-strewn paths or leaping from rock-faces into the water. Long into Saturday night, we explored inwardly instead – talking politics, philosophy, and personal challenges.

Here are a few images and very short videos from the day. (To see our post about a kayaking excursion on the Mondego River near Coimbra, click here.)

Our intrepid crew. Other than us, the eldest person was just 34 years old!

We float together down the river

A bit of back-paddling through the lovely landscape

This spillway leads to the highest point for jumping (where Nancy leaped) and a startling rock face

Nancy takes the great leap of 7-8 meters (some 25 feet) into the river below the waterfall. This was one of over a half-dozen (optional) jumps or swings into the river.

A typical canopy of treetops gracing the river float.

We slide through this natural channel with some bumpy rocks

One of a few walks through the woods toward the river

Sunday

Second day of our rivers and rocks weekend. We hiked among the villages of the Serra de Lousã (aldeias de xisto), whose hillside homes are composed of fragments of schist, or plate-like rock. And we ended in the inviting limpid pools of the Fragas de São Simão, a river beach in a canyon 400 steps and a steep path down (and then back up).

Entering the canyon of Fragas de São Simão. The river cuts through the gap.

The 400 steps into the canyon

River beach and pools at Fragas de São Simão

Colorful glade downriver from the beach

Plaza on the way into Talasnal, one of the “aldeias de xisto” or schist towns

Talasnal, as seen from our hike

Intersection in Talasnal

Home constructed of schist, with a hillside vista

Resting with our team leader

A very full weekend.

The post Rocking River Weekend near Coimbra first appeared on Adventurephiles. (To enlarge any picture above at that site, click on it. Also, for more pictures from Portugal as of 2025, CLICK HERE to view the slideshow at the end of the itinerary page. To see a slideshow of photos between 2017 and 2024, CLICK HERE)

Our main goal was to do the Douro River valley and its towns, as you can see in our related post (click here).

But we were also enticed by other superlatives: the longest, the friendliest, and the most heraldic. So, we went a bit farther afield, to neighboring Viana do Castelo to visit old friends, to Bragança to see the home of Portuguese kings, and to Arouca for a dose of vertigo, swaying on the longest pedestrian bridge in the world.

Bragança, home of the Portuguese Kings

The town of Bragança, just a few kilometers from Spain, is a quiet one of about 30,000 people – except when Spanish tourists and motorcyclists descend on it for a weekend. Its cultural significance far outweighs its current importance: the 8th Duke of Braganza became King John IV in 1640 and restored the independence of Portugal from Spain. During his reign, Portugal became one of the great powers of the world. Moreover, for the next 270 years until the end of the monarchy in 1910, all the Portuguese kings – and the two emperors of Brazil – descended from the House of Braganza. We were staying just 90-minutes drive away, so we opted to visit this fount of history.

The castle keep at Braganca with its formidable walls. The legendary secondary tower to the back is called the Princess tower as legend has it some Princess was held captive here for love of a commoner.

The Romanesque exterior of this 15^th century Domus Hall is quite unusual, as was its purpose. The building served two functions, a meeting hall for community decision-making above and a cistern below to collect rainwater. We couldn’t see how that all worked, as the building was closed for repairs.

Figures and filigree and floral design adorn this wooden ceiling inside the Santa Maria church, dating from the 11^th century but much altered up to the 18^th century.

The elegant interior of the Santa Maria church, with its arched nave, baroque altar, and painted wooden ceiling.

Visitors can follow the outer walls of the castle almost completely around.

Another view of the castle keep and the Princess tower at Bragança.

Inside the outer walls of the castle, with the castle keep and the Santa Maria church just visible in the background, newer buildings have displaced the old medieval housing.

Along the river through Bragança a charming walking path takes one across several small bridges, alongside a marshy area where we saw a family of moorhens, and under a kind of amphitheater space. Delightful urban planning.

Viana do Castelo

We’ve written about an earlier trip to this charming and lively town and environs (click here to read the post). This time, we so enjoyed our reunion with old friends in their new digs here. Whether we were roaming the historic streets, bar hopping into the night, ambling along the pleasant Atlantic coastline, or just talking for hours and hours – they showed us why this corner of Portugal could make such a fine home.

Suspended in Arouca

On the way toward Portugal’s Douro River, we dared to cross the longest pedestrian suspension bridge in the world. Yes, the world.

Its name, 516 Arouca, tells you how long it is: 516 m (or just under 1,700 feet). Arouca indicates roughly where it is. Roughly, as we discovered, because currently the bridge can only be reached by hiking 1.5 kilometers (about a mile) up some 500 stairs, quite a distance from Arouca town itself.

We lucked out on a very hot day. A work crew, trying to restore the nearby landscape after a ruinous fire last year, offered to give us a ride. Park here, they said, at a slim pull-out off the main road – and hop in. Then they drove us 10 minutes along a rough road – dropping us by the entry gate just at 2pm, our reserved time.

Soon we swayed on the bridge’s swooping metal walkway. The Paiva River flowed far underneath us, some 175 meters (or 574 feet) below.

Mind the gap

Making the crossing together

The Paiva River below. If you look carefully about halfway up the hillside, you can detect the wooden platforms that initiate a 7-kilometer trail along the river from the bridge to another town.

The post Doing the Douro: Farther Afield first appeared on Adventurephiles. (To enlarge any picture above at that site, click on it. Also, for more pictures from Portugal as of 2025, CLICK HERE to view the slideshow at the end of the itinerary page. To see a slideshow of photos between 2017 and 2024, CLICK HERE)

There are many ways to “do the Douro.” The river starts in Spain and crosses some 200 or more kilometers of Portugal’s prime grape-growing terroir until it weaves through the city of Porto on the Atlantic.

And while this is often among the first places visited by foreigners to the country, we kept choosing other options in Portugal instead. Finally, we seized the chance to go.

You can take a wide variety of cruises along the river, stopping at towns and wineries.

You can take the train along the river’s edge, with the especially scenic Eastern portion typically managed by a vintage engine – as we did. Like us, you can drive, partly by the river and partly along the superb vistas atop the Douro’s 300-meter high hills (1000 feet). Or you can just find a tranquil spot, in Porto or along the way, to watch the river flow, while sipping a glass of Douro wine.

You can also enhance the natural experience or history with cultural ones, as we found in plenty at historic Lamego and carved into rocks at pre-historic Vila Nova de Foz Côa.

We even went a bit farther afield, as you can see in our related post (click here) for neighboring Viana do Castelo in order to visit old friends; Bragança, to see the home of Portuguese kings; and Arouca, to get a dose of vertigo, swaying on the longest pedestrian bridge in the world.

Douro River

A green patchwork of vineyards as we round a bend toward river town.

Our tranquil spot to enjoy some wine

Our tranquil spot at a vineyard

A typical vista across vineyards above the Douro River

More textured riverside vineyards

Along a narrow section of the Douro by train

A river bend near the Spanish border

A rocky canyon along the Douro, as the train rounds a bend

Historic, Inviting Lamego

Hilly Lamego sits in the heart of the Douro wine district, though not at the Douro River itself. Over the years, it has seen significant historical moments. In the 12^th century, the first king of Portugal, Afonso Henriques, who liberated Portugal from Spain and Moorish control, was crowned here, it is said, by the first ever Portuguese parliament of nobles. The church and castle from that time still stand.

Residents, however, speak of Lamego as a crossroads, a place easily accessible now to the larger cities of northern Portugal and Spain, as well as the Douro River, plus attractive to both the Portuguese and agricultural workers from former Portuguese colonies. Seven hundred years ago, Lamego handled extensive trade between Spain and Portugal, especially oriental spices and textiles. By the 18^th century, it flourished due to the port and champagne markets. And it has long been a key pilgrimage stop on the way to Santiago de Compostela, with a high altitude church where pilgrims gather.

The main gathering place for residents is this leafy elliptical plaza, with numerous places to eat and drink, along with a few businesses.

Lamego enhanced its standing as a major pilgrimage stop in the 17^th century when the bishop established the cult of Nossa Senhora dos Remédios (Our Lady of Remedies) as a healer of illnesses. A splendid baroque church honoring her overlooks the town – high, high atop a staircase of 686 steps and platforms. The stairs were started in 1750, but only finished in 1905. We climbed, but not on our knees, as pilgrims might.

This elaborately carved obelisk makes a distinctive fountain on the climb to the church of Nossa Senhora dos Remédios. Strange figures spew water into the fountain below tributes to the moon, on this face, and the sun on another.

The view from the 17^th century church of Nossa Senhora dos Remédios, about 130 meters (or 400 feet) above the main plaza. During this time, Lamego flourished from the wine trade along the Douro River, in part because the region was granted the first ever demarcation in the wine industry to ensure quality. Lamego also carved out a specialty with its Portuguese version of champagne. But soon British companies – the ones still famous for their port wines – colonized that part of the industry.

Apparently grateful to the nobles for making him the first king of Portugal, Afonso built the town’s cathedral, whose original Romanesque tower still stands at the right side of the later Renaissance and Baroque adaptations. The Gothic portal features incredible carved detail, including floral decoration, saints, and other figures engaged in somewhat dubious behavior.

The lovely rose garden in the cloister of the medieval cathedral, the Sé.

This stunning chapel is tucked to the side of the main Cathedral’s cloister, with its effusive baroque carving and tiled decoration.

Narrow medieval streets climb from the elliptical plaza.

Looking out at a lane along the castle walls made of packed stone, with one of the many castle towers in the distance. We are sitting atop the medieval cistern, a barrel vault made of rectangular blocks that gathered rain water to sustain the defenders of the castle. Each block is marked by the worker who carved it, to ensure he was paid for his effort.

The Porta do Sol, Sun Gate, at the castle.

Ancient Art in the Côa Valley

For tens of thousands of years, as far back as 25,000 years ago, inspired artists of the fertile Côa Valley limned the spirits of the plentiful animals around them into the valley’s rock faces. They etched in stone the fervor of huntsmen pursuing those animals for food. Miraculously saved from disappearing under dammed waters by a grassroots protest, and now preserved as UNESCO World Heritage art, those engraved spirits still hunt and graze and feed for visitors like us to see.

We did two hikes into the 30-kilometer long valley, where to date over 1000 inscribed rock faces have been found and painstakingly transcribed. One hike was at night, when flashlights could highlight the delicate lines of the engravings – before the constellations rounded out the tour. The other hike was in morning light when we needed to peer intensely at the barely visible artworks. Both were amazing.

The confluence of two rivers that have attracted settlers for at least 30,000 years. That’s the Douro on the left and the Côa on the right, with the hills terraced for wine growing.

As you can see from this one example on the left, the fine lines of these ancient engravings are hard to detect from photos taken during the daytime tour. On the right is the same rock, but with an overlay of the transcribed deer. Its body, not just outlined but filled with fine scratched lines, is the symbol of the archeological site.

Our first sighting, and an unusual one for the area, was this stag. If you look carefully, you can see the etched head staring out at you beneath the antlers

A typical set of engravings on a rock face about a meter (3 feet) high. At least a dozen animals mount the surface. You can probably detect the bull looking to the left just below the middle of the rock. And then there’s a horse overlapping it, but looking to the right. A goat stands around its hooves. And so many others join the herd above the bull. Some rocks appear to be “hot”: for whatever reason, they proved to be worthy of these engravings- while adjacent rock faces received nothing. Several people today have devoted themselves to creating detailed facsimiles of the original drawings, however complex the originals were.

When originally carved, and perhaps colored, this bull stared across the river at an identical one looking over toward it. Start with the tail and the bold line of the back to the left, then follow that to the right to see the horned head looking back at you – and its mate across the river.

Again start with the vivid back to find the upraised tale of this goat to the left, the horned head to the right, and then move down to the foreleg, bent as if the goat is moving.

Another goat. The boldest vertical line on the left is the chest of a goat rising to its delicately horned head. You can then follow its back and legs from there. Notice the representation of its beard beneath its jaw.

The horse looking to the left is pretty clear, but see if you can find the other horse overlapping it, with its head bent to the right to graze. And then there’s a goat emerging from the chest of the first horse. And two more moving up and to the right from that same horse’s back.

The post Doing the Douro first appeared on Adventurephiles. (To enlarge any picture above, click on it to view it at that site. Also, for more pictures from Portugal as of 2025, CLICK HERE to view the slideshow at the end of the itinerary page. To see a slideshow of photos between 2017 and 2024, CLICK HERE)

Sesimbra, tucked into a peninsula about an hour’s drive south of Lisbon, is an adventuring center.

It nestles within the extensive Arrabida Natural Park, a wild area known for its many hiking trails. And it invites kayakers, boaters, rock-face traversers, divers, and snorkelers to visit a shore line rich in geological formations, including caverns hollowed out by the sea. Or you can just plunk yourself down on a sizzling beach, staying cool in the waters of the Atlantic.

In temperate, somewhat foggy conditions, however, we paddled a kayak for a delightful half-day exploration of the coast.

The post Kayaking Sesimbra first appeared on Adventurephiles. (To enlarge any picture above at that site, click on it. Also, for more pictures from Portugal as of 2025, CLICK HERE to view the slideshow at the end of the itinerary page. To see a slideshow of photos between 2017 and 2024, CLICK HERE)

Rome is rich with artistic treasures at any time. Special exhibitions – like the ones we caught, the Caravaggio at the Palazzo Barberini or the Munch at the Palazzo Bonaparte or a few stray Raphaels at Villa Farnesina; or the ones we didn’t, like a Picasso collection – make an art lover want to linger for a long while.

(For other sights we visited around the city, click here to see the post: Rome Visit – Vedute di Roma)

Caravaggio at the Palazzo Barberini

In our travels, we’ve been fortunate to see so many of the paintings of Caravaggio. But we went to the Palazzo Barberini – and indeed decided on a fresh visit to Rome – mainly for the opportunity to see 24 of them together.

It was an exhibit that truly illuminated his genius – and wowed us. We saw again his mastery of light and dark for dramatic purposes. But the exhibit showed how he saw light as a tangible expression of the spiritual in this dark world and of the artist’s power to reveal it. Familiar with hardship and trouble, he also portrayed the human cost of being touched by the spiritual (as with saints, hermits, the artist, or Jesus himself) and how the divine elevated even the lowest ranks of people.

Here are a few of our favorites (including three from the Francesi chapel nearby). It’s worth taking some time with them to let those qualities shine forth.

The Conversion of Saul – in this chaotic scene, the light from the upper right blinds Saul and his captor, stuck amid the weeds and horseflesh, while even Jesus must be restrained.

Arrest of Jesus – this extraordinarily complex work of human frailty was the highlight of the exhibit. Judas, a somber Jesus, and a clad soldier are locked in an embrace while an apostle flees toward light from Judas’ all too human betrayal – and from the barely visible lamplight held by Caravaggio himself.

The Calling of St Matthew – One of three paintings commissioned for a chapel in Rome’s San Luigi Francesi church, this was a favorite of Pope Francis for showing the burden of being summoned from a mundane life to serve the divine. It presents the most remarkable interplay of light from a darkened Jesus on the right against Matthew’s dimly lit impulse on the left to stay obscure. Its complexity is very well discussed in a recent NYTimes piece.

David with the Head of Goliath – even the dead giant gasps in wonder at his defeat, while the troubled and pensive boy thrusts the reality of that death toward us from the dark

Supper at Emmaus – the already dead Jesus quietly startles two of his followers at a meal long after the Last Supper, while one grabs the table for support and light glows on the very attentive innkeepers

The Cardsharps – this work, which we know from the Kimbell Art Museum, revels in subtle details such as the wily advisor with worn gloves, the hidden cards, plus the glow of both the innocent and the guilty.

Sick Bacchus – an early work with the artist as a kind of madcap model in a greenish hue

Flagellation of Christ – brutality torments the divine in this very humanized portrait of a beaten Jesus, whose own light seems to offer grace to his tormenters

The Three Paintings about St Matthew from the chapel at San Luigi Francesi church – The Calling, the Inspiration (in writing the Gospel), and the Martyrdom, in which human brutality again contrasts dramatically with the call from heaven.

Martha and Mary Magdalene – in a more subdued but resonant work, the vain and earthy Magdalene is struck by the spiritual light that will convert her and is also reflected in her mirror.

Narcissus – another early work not fully agreed to be Caravaggio’s, but the dark pool of thought is remarkably well done

Edvard Munch at Palazzo Bonaparte

Art and Rome – a match. The Italian Renaissance and Baroque masters? Of course; the Caravaggio exhibit motivated us to come here. Expressionists and futurists of the 20^th century? Yes.

But we happened to pass the Palazzo Bonaparte one day and saw there was a Munch exhibition there. Anguished Norwegian visits sunny Italy…why not?

The renovated palace wasn’t of much interest. But the exhibit contained an extraordinary collection of familiar and unfamiliar work, while presenting a superb investigation of Munch’s artistic power throughout his long life.

Woman:Sphinx, 1894  A symbolist rendering of the stages of life, with the young one to the left facing the future and the broad sweep of the seashore, the mature sexual woman in the middle, and the sad aging woman on the right, nearly encased in her dress and the space. The ambiguous male isolated and framed on the right, with a downcast or thoughtful posture but squiggles and slashes of color, seems to stand apart from the female life cycle.

Vampire, 1895. At this time, as Freud brought sexuality and desire into the foreground, the bohemian lifestyle of many artists also pulled sexuality and love out of the prurient dark. In a meme that Munch re-used again and again – in a range of media – this strange embrace stands out. It was a friend who used the term Vampire. But for Munch (who originally titled this “Love and Pain”) it expressed the power of women for danger and comfort, the needs and fragility of men, and also a mutual yin/yang embrace.

The Scream, 1895. This is a lithograph of his famous painting, with the disturbance that transforms the landscape perhaps even more striking. The only stability is the railing extending endlessly, but that also hems in the figure. Meanwhile, the figure’s distress is ignored and isolated from the receding figures in the back.

Kissing Couples in the Park, 1904. Munch often used the image of a kiss, where the figures are distinct but the faces seem to merge with each other, again with a yin-yang concept. It was an image of love, the merging of two people, and of the threat of losing oneself. Here the blobby colorful elements of the landscape enhance the energy and vitality to be found in these amorous couples.

The Death of Marat, 1907 Munch had a long turbulent affair with Tulla Larsen that ended with her attempted suicide and with a gunshot wound to his hand. Munch’s troubled mind about women, due to the attraction and psychic threat he felt with them, is evident here. In the painting, he echoes David’s famous painting of the killing of the revolutionary Marat by a woman. The emotional temperature is extreme with the two figures oriented in opposite directions, blood dripping on the sheets, and streaks of clashing paint across the canvas.

Bathing Man, 1918. In the early 1900s, Munch put himself in a sanatorium, sobered up, and found a new mental stability. He embraced the naturist movement of healthful seaside activity and living. In this painting, the main figure gingerly steps over rocks in order to merge into a landscape much more placid than Munch’s prior work, with brilliant sun-dappled colors. Many have seen a sense of rebirth from the end of World War 1 in this motif as well.

Digging Men with Horse and Cart, 1920 Munch saw the beauty in nature and how the manual labor of his countrymen fit harmoniously into it. Like van Gogh, the brushstrokes express the vitality of things out in the brilliant sun.

The Artist and His Model, 1921 With a room canting toward the viewer, rendered in brilliant colors, lushly and impressionististically, Munch renders an ambiguous but provocative scene. The bed suggests an intimacy that the two figures, clad so differently, contradict. Instead they look heatedly out at us, the viewer, with darkly shadowed faces. The woman seems much like earlier Munch portraits of threatening Salome figures.

Girls on a Bridge, 1927 Munch did many wintry landscapes later in life, capturing a subtle energy in nighttime scenes with mysterious, shadowy figures. This evening scene – a later version of a setting he continued to paint many times from 1901 on – seems much different. It’s an image both tranquil and hopeful, but full of resonant meanings. The girls are set on a bridge similar to the famous Scream, both on their way, but also caught between beginning and end. They stare into the distinct, but oddly transformed shadows of the town in the water, as if reflecting on life itself.

Self Portrait between the Bed and the Clock, 1943 Throughout his life, Munch did many self-portraits. Toward the end, he depicts himself as a nearly skeletal figure in prim suit, almost as stiff as the clock with no hands, facing his own shadow along the floor. With Time looming to one side, the nude woman and bed on the other side affirm the life-force of the body, birth or re-birth, and his own past – as do the paintings by the artist on the back wall.

Hidden Treasures – Villa Farnesina

When we return to cities we have visited before, we like to find less touristed, quieter pleasures. So, in Rome, we visited the 500-year old Villa Farnesina in the Trastevere section of the city.

There we discovered a celebration of love – in public halls frescoed by Renaissance masters like Raphael and del Piombo, on window panels where nubile mythic figures still cavort, and in lusciously painted private rooms. With few others around us to share them.

The Loggia of Cupid and Psyche, currently the entryway of the Villa – by Raphael and his workshop. This lushly decorated hall alludes to the full complex and lurid story of the beautiful woman Psyche, who captivates the god Cupid, son of Venus. Cupid bargains with Zeus to help Zeus with his love affairs in exchange for elevating Psyche to immortal life so Cupid could wed her. The two ceiling panels show Cupid’s plea to Zeus in the far panel and then the wedding party in the near one. Other scenes from the story and mythic figures fill the corners and arches, making the loggia quite lively visually.

A closeup of the wedding scene on the ceiling of the Raphael loggia. Cupid and Psyche are seated on the right side of the table, with the winged Bacchus pouring much wine and the three Graces blessing the event. Zeus seems to be connecting with a woman across the table.

In another large colorful room of the Villa, Raphael’s fresco The Triumph of Galatea doesn’t depict the main story. That’s a sorrowful tale of a romantic triangle where Galatea cheats on the one-eyed giant Polyphemus with a lovely shepherd boy who is soon crushed by a boulder that Polyphemus hurls. Raphael instead chose to glorify his “idealized beauty” as a Venus whisked up to heaven from a seashell amid a kind of orgy of lovemaking, winds, waves, and even blowing horns (on the left).

The richly colored ceiling and walls of the Galatea room by del Piombo depict a myriad of stories from Ovid and astrological references to the birth date of the villa’s owner Chigi. To the right, Luna guides the moon across the skies. To the left, a startling angel heralds the slaying of Medusa by Perseus, while a few heads seem to discuss where to go for lunch.

Window treatments like these throughout the villa, in a style reminiscent of Pompeiian art, feature countless enchanting figures in a perpetual dance.

In the Chigi bedroom upstairs, scenes of love and lovemaking abound under a golden coffered ceiling. The main wrap-around painting by Bazzi (known for some reason as Il Sodoma) is another marriage scene in which Alexander the Great offers a crown to seal the deal with his great love Roxana. Notice to the right of Alexander the painted colonnade leading onto a virtual landscape.

Also in the private area for the Chigi family, this salon room by Peruzzi celebrates the Roman deities that Chigi liked with trompe-l’oeil frescoes. Enlivening the space are virtual statuary, imagined views past large columns over the countryside (with correct perspective visually), and rich detail.

The post Rome Visit – Inside with the Arts first appeared on Adventurephiles. (To enlarge any picture above at that site, click on it. Also, for more pictures from Italy, CLICK HERE to view the slideshow at the end of the itinerary page.)

Vedute di Roma: Scenes of Rome. In centuries past, paintings and lithographs of Roman sites by such artists as Piranesi became wildly popular, prized as artworks in themselves or remembrances of Rome’s imperial past.

We hadn’t visited Rome for 19 years since we made several trips here while living in neighboring Umbria. So our aim was largely to wander across the city. In doing so, we too found scenes of grandeur, beauty, or charm…in an unfamiliar church, a meandering lane, a well-known site glimpsed in passing, or atop a Roman hill. Here are some digital “vedute” of our memorable moments.

(For the artwork we visited during our stay, click here to see the post: Rome Visit – Inside with the Arts)

Central City

We strolled through various sections of the old city near the nearly impassable plaza with the Trevi Fountain and across this equally thronged square in front of the Pantheon.

The ancient rotunda of the Castel Sant’Angelo seems even larger behind the allegorical travertine statuary from the late 19^th century on the Vittorio Emanuele II Bridge that crosses the Tiber.

The Piazza del Popolo from a lookout in the vast Borghese Gardens. To the left sit the twin churches dedicated to Mary; to the right, behind the trees, is a third church, Santa Maria del Popolo which contains notable works by Caravaggio, Raphael, and Bernini. The red clay rectangle in the middle was an impromptu tennis court featuring qualifying matches to promote the upcoming Rome tennis tournament.

The 19^th century interior of the Rome Opera House, quite a surprise after entering the brutalist concrete exterior and passing thru the mundane lobby.

If we returned to the 1950s and 60s along the glamorous Via Veneto, Nancy would have had to hide from paparazzi photographers as they buzzed about for photos of the rich and famous. The street still winds in an S-curve past hotels and a handful of cafes, but the glamor – as well as the paparazzi – seems to have gone elsewhere.

It was a bit of a surprise to come upon the Spanish Steps, another renowned gathering place, as we left the green space of the Borghese gardens and exited the endless tunnels of the Spagna metro station. It’s still charming even with very little space left on the steps.

On a holiday afternoon, Roman families and tourists buzzed around the renowned Bernini fountain at the center of the Piazza Navona, site of the first century stadium of Domitian. We did not line up to enter this imposing church of St Agnes in Agone to view her skull or encounter a devil wearing Prada like the model on its façade.

Palace of Justice – This massive neo-Renaissance and Baroque wedding cake from the late 19^th century along the Tiber heralded the unification of Italy as a kingdom and the establishment of its capital in Rome.

A statue of an elephant carrying an obelisk enticed us to enter this church, Santa Maria sopra Minerva, just behind it. Inside, we discovered the only remaining Gothic medieval interior in Rome, though much freshened up in a neo-Gothic restoration. And over a dozen masterworks in its chapels.

Suddenly, a Michelangelo marble. To the left of the altar at Santa Maria sopra Minerva stands this 1521 statue of Christ, looking a bit like the artist’s David – with subsequently added modesty draping.

In a sumptuous chapel at Santa Maria sopra Minerva gleams this brilliant fresco by Fra Lippo Lippi of the Annunciation, attended by a suitably awestruck crowd.

Trastevere

During our visits some 19 years ago, the Trastevere was a slightly seedy section, literally “across the Tiber” from the usual tourist sites of Rome. Our only experience then was a wonderful dinner at the edge of the district in conversation with residents.

For our return this time, we took a small apartment in the district and started to explore. It’s much more touristy now than before.  But we’re pleased we chose to wander its grey-tiled streets and ancient pastel buildings, its endless outdoor dining, its baroque churches, its diverse graffiti, and its laid-back atmosphere.

A typical Trastevere street near our apartment – pastels, tiles, brick, and food.

Looking down the Tiber at the Garibaldi Bridge and an island formed in a bend of the river. To the left, you reach the heart of Rome, with Campo dei Fiori and Piazza Navona nearby. To the right, the Trastevere district.

Like the rest of Rome, Trastevere is filled with baroque churches, typically less familiar than those on the other side of the Tiber. Santa Maria in Trastevere is the most extraordinary for its wondrous colors and patterns, all framing a 14th century mosaic in the apse.

As its streets darken at night, the mood of Trastevere lights up. Even the renowned Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere becomes a spectacle.

It was tricky to find this gem on Gianicolo Hill that rises out of the Trastevere neighborhood along the Tiber. In the early 1500s, the master architect Bramante designed this exquisite little temple tucked away in a cloister of San Pietro in Montorio– supposedly on the site where St Peter was martyred. Funded by Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain, the tempietto still nests amid the church, the Spanish embassy, and a Spanish Academy.

Though nearly obscured by the graffiti overlay, this impressive wood door still seems ancient atop the worn stone step and within the imposing arch. Above the door and under the ironwork, it says “The Jones.”

No one seems to mind the graffiti on so many of the buildings. This image of Pope Francis – who had died shortly before we arrived – was not typical, but was a welcome sight.

Another typical street in the daytime.

Botanic Gardens, Gianicolo Hill

We found Rome so busy and buzzing with tourists that we cherished the quietude of Rome’s green spaces. It was a special treat to find the Botanic Garden, a 12-hectare (30 acre) swath of nature on Trastevere’s Gianicolo Hill.

Mostly overlooked by visitors, this gem was once the private demesne of the adjacent Villa Corsini. For nearly 150 years, however, its three thousand species of plants from around the world, its Japanese garden, its butterfly house, and more have provided a treat for the Roman public – and a green respite from such busy sights as the Vatican, just 10 minutes away.

Half a dozen cupolas and the Campolide Hill poke up from this Roman landscape on an evening, just across from a giant baroque fountain, at the high point of the Botanic Garden.

A pond for reflection within the Japanese garden

Exquisite harmony of trees and bushes

Beetles throng these Turkish Irises

A splash of red from these large bougainvillea flowers in another section

One of the park’s pleasant lanes passes by the bright green of new leaves

This plant, related to mint and sage, sports a name as unusual as its appearance: Jerusalem Lampwick.

Our walk passed this section of old trees. Many species of elm and oak cover the hillside garden.

A bamboo forest

Here’s looking at Yew…spring growth makes this evergreen quite lively

The post Rome Visit – Vedute di Roma first appeared on Adventurephiles. (To enlarge any picture above at that site, click on it. Also, for more pictures from Italy, CLICK HERE to view the slideshow at the end of the itinerary page.)

Bordalo Pinheiro

Some five years ago, we first visited the museum devoted to the work and life of Raphael Bordalo Pinheiro, the master ceramic craftsman of the end of the 19^th century. We thought it was about time to enjoy it again, especially with a new exhibit involving another major Portuguese artist.

An exuberant life-sized image of Pinheiro himself, with a cat that he frequently represented, along the boulevard in front of the museum.

An impossibly elaborate ceramic censer for spices, in an “Arabian” style, presented as a thank-you gift from Pinheiro to his financial backer at the Bank of Portugal. The difficulty he faced with his creditors is sculpted into the censer, as a combat of lion and snake at the top, and Jesus judged by Herod in the middle.

Pinheiro also exhibited a masterly touch at illustrations, frequently in very fine detail and subtlety. Much of his work was satirical and political, skewering in metaphoric ways the faults of politicians and the indifference of the populace. Here the people dance obliviously while politicians celebrate their destruction of the Constitution, History, and Public Wealth – with various freedoms going up in smoke. Some things never change.

Pinheiro’s delightful ceramics were inspired by nature, the history of art especially Art Nouveau, Arabic tilework, and his own fancy. Here are two examples.

The museum was arranged differently from what we recalled on our first visit in 2020, plus it featured a special exhibit this time – a revisiting of work created by Julio Pomar in 2005 to celebrate the centenary of Pinheiro’s death. Pomar (whose museum we have also visited) used the molds created by Pinheiro himself, but transformed their castings in even more fantastic – and often frightening – ways. This example adorned a bull’s head with crab claws for horns and leaves for ears.

Pinheiro at Palacio Pimenta

Right across the street at the old Palacio Pimenta is a wonderful museum on Lisbon history, whose garden is filled with some of Pinheiro’s work. It’s a bit of a treasure hunt to find the ceramics within the formal garden, but the pond is pretty obvious – and lots of fun.

A notable set of ceramic tiles in the Art Nouveau style, where a seemingly abstract image turns out to consist of an array of tiles, in each of which paired butterflies hang on a sprig of wheat. These tiles also adorn a wall of the Palacio garden.

The other attraction of the Palacio Pimenta garden are the peacocks. This one kept unfurling his feathers to attract the females, but continued to be snubbed while we were there. We thought he looked nice.

The Gulbenkian Museum

We shouldn’t need a reason to visit the wonderful art collection assembled at the renowned Gulbenkian Museum. But we had an extra motivation due to its impending loss for at least 16 months, as the museum was to close for renovation.

Over the years, we’ve posted some favorite works from the museum.  Here is our fond last look, stressing one of its best features: how some items interact with others or with the garden environment. The masterpieces of art will be back; we hope that the interactions only improve.

“The Blessings” by Rodin hovers over us like a gift from the skies

Toward the end of the long circuit through the museum, Monet’s wife rests on a Renoir divan

Two contemplative Rembrandt paintings in one corner face a wild, lascivious Rubens in an opposite corner. But then one notices the luscious brown tones of the room itself.

The Asian collection includes Persian, Egyptian, Turkish, and other beauties – as well as these luxurious rugs.

This delicate blue agate piece joins 15 other Qing Dynasty containers in seducing one’s attention away from huge Chinese jars and ceramics, as well as from the window to the outside world.

This Canova bust, glowing in natural light, placidly follows visitors across the room gazing at a turbulent sea storm by Turner.

A room of 18^th century furnishings

Turn a corner and this imposing Nimrod, from 9^th century BC Assyria, leads the way to the rest of the collection, never more so than with afternoon light revealing every detail of the carving and its alabaster material.

One of the oldest items within the small, atmospheric chamber of ancient Egyptian works is this spoon from 1400BC, whose fanciful figures play on an equally fanciful date palm tree.

The post Re-visiting Two Special Museums first appeared on Adventurephiles. (To enlarge any picture above at that site, click on it. Also, for more pictures from Portugal as of 2025, CLICK HERE to view the slideshow at the end of the itinerary page. To see a slideshow of photos between 2017 and 2024, CLICK HERE)

At the edge of forested Monsanto park, on a plateau looking out over the Campolide valley, we took a walk into a community of older Lisboetas and newer immigrants called Serafina. It was all new to us after recently moving nearby. But it seemed to be one of the communities established for the former farmers of Monsanto when they were displaced during the Salazar dictatorship.

On its streets – in the shadow of the old aqueduct – we found a mix of aging one story buildings and others newly built up with added levels. Residents seemed quite close, greeting each other by name in passing. We saw few shops to serve them, but the extensive parochial church of Sao Vicente de Paolo seems to offer support and charitable help to many.

View over the aqueduct that crosses the Campolide valley and toward Amoreiras hilltop.

To us, these streets felt more like a village in the midst of the big city.

Somewhat interstellar mural at the gateway to the neighborhood

Quirky wood sculptures nearby in Monsanto park

(To enlarge any picture above, click on it. Also, for more pictures from Portugal as of 2025, CLICK HERE to view the slideshow at the end of the itinerary page. To see a slideshow of photos between 2017 and 2024, CLICK HERE)

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Peace, liberty, the future…celebrators and demonstrators – directly acting on their right to express their views – repeated these themes during Portugal’s country-wide celebration of its liberation from the dictatorship of Salazar’s fascist regime.

On 25 April 1974, fifty years ago, three banned songs rang out over the radio. Junior soldiers marched on Lisbon, rejecting the iron fist of the dictatorship on behalf of the people, and peacefully tossed out the despised leadership. Red carnations happily, not guns, ruled the day – the result of a chance meeting with a soldier that day by a woman carrying a surfeit of carnations.

Today, on 25 April 2024, we shared in the celebrating and demonstrating of rights won in 1974, marching for a hope-filled world.

Remembering the Carnation Revolution

Fifty years ago the tanks rolled through Lisbon to overthrow the dictatorship, hands raised in V’s for victory or upraised fists – and putting carnations in the muzzles of their guns. Along the parade route, the crowd again cheers a soldier carrying a carnation, not a gun.

The festivities were surprisingly political, with many protests and demands for change alongside commemoration. These red flags herald communist youth. Earlier in the day, a broadcast “solemn ceremony” at the Portuguese Parliament saw heads of each party arguing against other instead of delivering pious sentiments. What better way to celebrate democracy, we thought, and a free country.

Young drummers on the march in the green of Portugal’s flag

Gay rights group with the sign, “Equality in every face.”

Women’s rights group with the signs on the left and right, “Gypsy women also made the 25th of April”; ” 50 years since 25th of April – the Revolution is for Women”. The middle sign (“25th of April began in Africa) acknowledges that the rebellions in the former colonies, notably Mozambique and Guine-Bissau, stirred the change in Portugal itself.

Portuguese in spirit!

(To enlarge any picture above, click on it. Also, for more pictures from Portugal as of 2025, CLICK HERE to view the slideshow at the end of the itinerary page. To see a slideshow of photos between 2017 and 2024, CLICK HERE) The post A Comemorar 50 Anos de Democracia – 25 Abril first appeared on Adventurephiles.

It was a quick trip to Vienna to visit with my son to a place that Nancy and I had not visited for 15 years. But he and I filled the days in this beautiful city – with art, music, beer, Austrian wine, Viennese food, and lots of walking. We ate just one pastry, after the opera; the imperial cityscape offered confectionery enough.

The Hofburg palace at night, a 19^th century confection among so many others

A typical 19^th century street

Interior, Stadttempel synagogue. It’s now 200 years old and quite splendid in its restoration of a very theatrical space. Here we learned of the many highs and lows for the Jewish population during the time of Imperial Vienna. This is the only synagogue in the city that survived the 1930s: its records of Jews living in Vienna made it too valuable for the Nazis to burn. We were horrified to learn that Adolf Eichmann himself came here to supervise the use of those records.

At night, the city hall of Vienna, the Rathaus, looks somewhat like a wedding cake. You can tell that we enjoyed some excellent glühwein before a superb dinner nearby. Around us ice skaters also delighted in an elaborate network of trails and rinks laid out in front of the building.

Another view of the city hall, designed in the late 19^th century as a pastiche of historical styles.. Surrounding it in winter is an elaborate expanse of open spaces, ramps, and bridges like this one for hundreds of people to skate along an icy course.

The weather was so good during our stay that we could enjoy outdoor seating at a boat-shaped café along the inner channel of the Danube River, right near the oldest part of town. Hours and hours drifted by.

The cathedral of Vienna, St. Stephen’s, with its Gothic exterior and geometric roof. All lanes seem to pass it at the center of old Vienna.

A lane in the small section of medieval Vienna with non-medieval graffiti

An unusual clock from the Jugendstil period, the Viennese Art Nouveau. Though the 12 life-sized figures commemorate Viennese art and culture, the rest is a subtle ad for the life insurance company that paid for it. Decorations remind us of Time, death, and divine punishments.

The soaring café at the Kunsthistorische museum, a palatial building built to display centuries of art. We also visited the modern art collections of the Albertina and Leopold Museums, as well as some contemporary galleries.

In a room packed with chiaroscuro paintings styled after Caravaggio, his Crowning of Thorns at the Kunsthistorische museum stood out, as great art should. The drama, the horror, and the hope for a better world thrilled us. There are just too many stunning masterpieces in the museum, including a whole room of world-renowned Breughel paintings – or Rubens, or Venetian painters, etc. Spending time with just a few, like this Caravaggio, made for a rewarding experience.

The five tiers of the Vienna State Opera house. Unhappily, the Vienna Philharmonic was performing in NYC, so instead we relished a night at the opera – enjoying the hall and exploring all the glitter of this late 19^th century building, including the Mahler Hall that celebrates great opera conductors of the past. We opted for a new piece based on Orwell’s Animal Farm, with some challenging music and wonderful costuming.

Alex suits the opera house well, as he reflects on an upper floor of the grand staircase.

The post Sweet Vienna – a Happy Return first appeared on Adventurephiles. (To enlarge any picture above, click on it. Also, CLICK HERE to view the slideshow at the end of the Austria itinerary page.)

We traveled by bus to the north of Portugal at the edge of the border with Spain, a hilly region called Minho. Minho is well known for its special “green” wine, the Vinho Verde, as well as its dairy products. Three of its most interesting towns were fortified from the Middle Ages on to confront the Spanish and French, but then and now welcomed pilgrims on the trail to Santiago do Compostela.

Ponte de Lima

We stayed in the countryside close to the town of Ponte de Lima, named for its old Roman/medieval stone bridge and the Lima River running through it. It’s a lovely town with three massy towers defining the town walls that used to keep people out centuries ago.

Main street of the old town along the Lima River with one of the stone towers included in the former defensive wall facing the river.

The bridge at Ponte de Lima. The near part is Roman and the farther part is medieval. Pilgrims have long crossed it on the way to Santiago in Spain, stopping at the elegant 18^th century church mid-way across and sleeping at hostels on the far bank.

Splendid plane tree (sycamore) allée along the river.

Apse of the 15th century church Igreja Matriz under charter from Dom João I. The church contains some elegant woodwork and an elaborately baroque chapel, but we loved this simple barrel vault and stone setting.

Modern rose window in the 15th century church of Igreja Matriz in Ponte de Lima.

The main boulevard away from town was brilliantly decorated for the holidays.

Riverfront of Ponte de Lima at night

Valença

The border with Spain, the Minho River, peacefully joins two member states of the European Union. The Portuguese forts at Valença and Monçao once confronted the powerful kingdom of 17^th century Spain. Now they are historical curiosities, their moats greenspaces. And the once militarized walled towns charm tourists from everywhere.

In any season pilgrims still journey through the picturesque, hilly countryside to admire the towns and pray at the religious sites, then cross the Minho to reach Santiago de Compostela.

Four visitors to Valença enjoy the moment after peering across the Minho River toward now friendly Spain.

The fort at Valença is a superb example of 17^th century military technology, comprised of a complex array of star-shaped ramparts and defensive structures all enclosing the old town within, a lattice of narrow streets and old buildings. Valença was apparently quite successful repelling Spanish and French invaders from the 13^th century on. After we climbed up to its northernmost walls, we entered a long, dark stone passage by this gate. In the tiny turret a sentry would have been watching Spain carefully.

Green vegetation has softened the cascade of defensive walls at the norther end of Valença.

The richly green moat and defensive ramparts at the southern end of Valença.

These residential buildings adorn the eastern ramparts of Valença.

The central plaza of Valença, Republica, tucked within the nearby fortress walls. The red “carpet” at the bottom left is a painted welcome to pilgrims passing through toward Santiago. The carpet continues along the lengthy north-south axis of the town, which is still divided into two parts by a thick stone guard station and moat. These once defended the southern part in case the northern section was breached.

Two Romanesque churches still greet pilgrims on the trail to Santiago at the northern end of Valença. This colorful interior of Santa Maria of the Angels, featuring a triumphal arch and a layer cake of an altar, dates from the 18^th century.

Another important stop for pilgrims is this small church honoring Sao Teotónio in a plaza with his statue. He was the first saint beatified from the new Christian land of Portugal after the defeat of the Islamic rulers in the 12^th century.

Monçao

These Spanish fortifications opposed Monçao across the Minho River. Peaceful vineyards occupy the valley today. Monçao’s fortifications once rivalled those of neighboring Valença, but much of the old structure has disappeared. It was much easier to imagine how they looked after experiencing the impressive strength of Valença.

A different sort of presepio, or manger scene, at a broad plaza in Monçao.

Many small towns of this area offer inviting plazas centered on Renaissance or Baroque fountains, such as this one in Monçao with its mist glowing in the wintry light.

Another view of Spain across the Minho River at Monçao. Now many bridges connect the two countries, including pedestrian ones for the pilgrims to Santiago.

The post Greening at Fortified Towns of the Minho first appeared on Adventurephiles. (To enlarge any picture above, click on it. Also, for more pictures from Portugal as of 2025, CLICK HERE to view the slideshow at the end of the itinerary page. To see a slideshow of photos between 2017 and 2024, CLICK HERE)

It’s no wonder that those who want a balance between city and country life find Viana do Castelo so welcoming in northern Portugal. It’s a town of 85000 people at the heart of the Minho region where the Rio Lima meets the Atlantic Ocean. Its wealth and beauty were founded on shipbuilding and shipping. (For a look at the countryside, click here to read our post on fortified towns.)

You can understand that balance right away if you start up high, by arduous stairs or zippy funicular, at the 200-meter (375 foot) elevation of the Santuário church of Monte de Santa Luzia. There you can savor a panoramic view of river and ocean, central city and hillside extensions. And you can wander into the woodlands on the mountain to travel back 3000 years to Iron Age ruins. Breathtaking!

Atop Santa Luzia

As this partial vista might show, the panorama from atop Monte de Santa Luzia was once considered the third best overlook in the world by National Geographic. Here you can see a new bridge over the Lima River. Not visible, at the heart of the old town to the right, is the older bridge built by Eiffel, which still carries traffic across the river.

The Santuário church of Monte de Santa Luzia, whom Dante recognized as the saint to cure problems with the eyes, was built in the first half of the 20^th century, replacing a hermitage also dedicated to her. Pilgrims with eye problems journeyed there in prayer. For the farsighted, it’s visible from all over the town below.

The domed interior of the modern Santuário church of Monte de Santa Luzia echoes thousands of years of church architecture.

The Citânia ruins behind the church at the mountain top tell the story of 1300 years of life here, from the Iron Age through the Romans of the fifth century AD. They illustrate how valuable the site of Viana do Castelo was. We could readily see how the open panorama allowed control over the river and surrounding hills for trade, while the fertile hilltop position made it very defensible. Here you can also see the fascinating construction style of earlier circular or elliptical buildings as well as the sloped brickwork of one of many defensive walls. The wall continues around to the back where the walkway crosses it. The later Roman style of rectangular construction appears to the far right of this view.

Overview of another section of the Citânia ruins. Once again, we see the elegant and strong construction realized by setting the building blocks at angles. In the back, you can also see a frequent early style of building: an inner circle with an enclosing outer wall forming a kind of patio for the residence. Rooves once topped these foundations. Artifacts discovered at the site show the extensive trade with other locations and the wealth of the societies here, though the earlier peoples largely practiced agriculture and ranching. This seems to have been a great place to settle down.

On the streets below

Later, while walking through the town below, we could see that the charm begins with its diverse architectural heritage: from the age of Portuguese exploration (Manueline Gothic) through its commercial expansion as a port (Baroque and 19^th century forms). Its narrow lanes weave around the city, decorated by simple window-framing and the ever-present wrought iron balconies. Despite the evident commercial activity, the charm continues along the riverfront boulevard near the Eiffel bridge and the adjacent hillside parks.

A typical lane in the center of Viana, with iron balconies and windows framed in grey stone. Though nothing looks ancient, it all feels congenially old.

The elegant gothic windows of Palácio dos Abreu Távora, or Casa Carreira, have gazed on the central city since the 16^th century (though remodeled in the 18^th ). Walking to its left you can find the palatial railroad station; to its right, the ancient Lady of Charity church.

Viana is in the north of Portugal, but we did not expect to meet up with moose.

The central plaza of Viana, República. The Christmas lights snaking up and down the front of these buildings – not to mention that moose again – hides some of their beauty, but the antique charm is still evident. To the far left, the stolid blockhouse of the ancient City Hall peaks out.

There’s lots of rich sculptural detail on this 16^th century Italianate almshouse (Misericórdia) at República plaza right next to the Baroque church of the same name. For obvious reasons, it has been called the House of the Porches. A strangely Incan sun shines above a top row of wise women, with a set of not so wise men in their proper place on the columns below them.

An austere façade next door hides the effusive interior of the 18^th century Igreja de Misericórdia, or Almshouse Church. Its full-out Baroque altar and chapels are rivalled by the extensive, elaborate tile pictures along the walls. These illustrate various Biblical stories from the Old Testament, like the crossing of the Red Sea or David and Saul, as well as the New Testament. Each is framed by more decorative tile plus a moral legend about charitable acts on a text below.

The reverse view of the 18^th century interior of the Igreja de Misericórdia, or Almshouse Church. You can see more of the wonderful tilework and the gorgeous 18^th century organ. But whoa! How did we not notice that vine-festooned ceiling at first? It’s painted in the “grotesque” style: an ornamental arrangement of human and animal figures amid vine-y tendrils.

In front of a Renaissance-era fountain at República, this wind band of fine young musicians drew a crowd of festive children.

Viana offers some engaging museums of high quality. The Costume Museum shows off traditional Minho dress. At the Decorative Arts Museum, located in another palace, we were quite surprised by the extent and quality of its collection. Superbly curated and rounded out by explanatory texts, the pieces demonstrated the wealth of the trading town as well as its links to distant locales. All of us were seduced, for example, by this handsome 17^th century piece with 18 finely drawn scenes in tortoiseshell inlay, a product of trade with India. And that was just the first room!

The Decorative Arts museum also displayed some fine ceramics like these from all over northern Portugal. The central one demonstrated a Japanese quality as cranes hid in the rushes. The plate on the upper right presented a surreal river scene. Below that, the spirit of summer sways amid Moorish decoration.

About ten minutes walk from República, within the São Domingos church, this elaborate nativity scene, or presepio in Portuguese, attracted many visitors from Viana itself. The main event is at the bottom of the center.

Viana represents itself with a heart-shaped symbol that derives from the Catholic emblem of compassion, the Sacred Heart of Jesus. These days that symbol also celebrates its position at the vibrant heart of the region’s vineyards, forested hills, and beaches.

The post Heart of the Minho: Viana do Castelo first appeared on Adventurephiles. (To enlarge any picture above, click on it. Also, for more about Portugal from 2025, CLICK HERE to view the Portugal page in our original blog, Adventurephiles, or CLICK HERE for articles between 2017 and 2024.)

“Wonderful, wonderful Copenhagen,” sang Hans Christian Andersen about the 19^th century town in the old film. And he didn’t even see the modern Danish design and the sleek metro, as we did – returning to the city after a quarter-century away.

Nor could he yet visit such museums as the two astounding private collections we found: the David for Islamic art (what managing global Danish enterprises and a law degree could acquire) and the Glyptoteket for sculpture (what brewing lots of beer and an inheritance can buy).

Now Copenhagen is even more of an engaging city to explore or relax in.

The City

Old buildings dating from HC Andersen’s time or earlier line this heavily visited canal in the city, Nyhavn (or Newport). Undeniably it is lovely, but the scrum of tourists undercuts the charm.

For hours, we lounged at a local bar along this canal, savoring the pleasant day and saluting the tourists on the canal tour boat. They sidled by a number of private and rented boats puttering along the same canal, with passengers celebrating whatever they wanted to celebrate with picnics and drinks. The cost of living here is not cheap, but to us it seemed worth it.

A look at old spires and Danish architecture along the main boulevard of the central city.

On a lovely afternoon, in front of the grand dame hotel, the d’Angleterre, the locals avoid the nearby “show” canal filled with tourists to linger at one of the city’s main plazas. Nancy had stayed at that hotel forty years ago and Barry thirty years ago, but this time we opted to stay elsewhere as the cost would have been about $1300 per night.

The Danes are surely trying to outdo Amsterdam in city biking. They estimate each resident of Copenhagen owns 1.5 bicycles plying the 400 plus kilometers (300 miles) of wide biking lanes.

With cycle traffic in the central city far greater than car traffic, the streets become surprisingly quiet.

Most of the cycles are upright city bikes, and we saw few with electric capability given how flat the city is. Many were outfitted with carts in the front to carry groceries, children, metal-bending parts and whatever else would fit in.

Tired of pedaling? Below ground at this spot is the Christianhavn station for the metro, whose brightly lit, driverless cars arrive every minute or two to whisk people all around town.

A good introduction to Danish design comes from the Danish Architecture Center itself along the main river through town. Inside, its displays show off buildings of note and showcase design principles to enhance social and esthetic pleasure in the city.

The huge expanse of Tivoli Gardens is filled with traditional amusement park activities and literally countless food options. We did not stay long on a very rainy afternoon, and were a bit overwhelmed by the throngs of children and visitors, but we did find a few congenial spots like this one called Magic Sky.

We have no idea if Andersen hung out for drinks and story-telling slams at the public houses, but the neighborhood pubs are as revered in Copenhagen as in England. They have long underpinned localities with the social mixing and bibulous conviviality they offered. Sadly, here too, they have been disappearing rapidly as home entertainment usurps the social.

We re-visited two palaces in town that we recalled only slightly from our earlier stay in Copenhagen: the ancient Rosenborg Castle and the more “modern” Amalienborg. The latter held limited interest for us, with re-creations of some royal apartments in a limited section of the palace.

Inside and out, however, the Rosenborg was a charmer, remaining much as Christian IV designed it in the early 17^th century for a summer residence.

Lushly paneled and painted Winter Room within the summer palace. It’s one of the best preserved of Christian IV’s original rooms from the early 1600s.

The marbled effusion of the Marble Room, with its frothy meringue of ceiling.

Everyone crowds into the room with the crown jewels to admire royal crowns through the ages and other bejeweled trinkets. Here is the elaborate, dazzling crown for Christian IV’s inauguration in 1596 – it weighs 3 kilos, or about 7 pounds. Heavy is the weight of the responsibility…to keep it on one’s head.

The Museums: the David Collection and the Glyptoteket

As is our custom in cultural capitals, we like to tour museums we have not visited before, especially the small treasures often once private collections. The David Collection, now a public museum, is a world-class assemblage of Islamic art with innumerable objects that span 1200 years and the vast sprawl of Islamic empires.

This colorful tapestry medallion of gilded silk and cotton from early 14^th century Iraq/Iran shows the borrowing of Chinese technique.

This 10^th century ivory casket, carved from a single tusk, comes from Moorish Spain where the Umayyads settled after being displaced from northern Africa.

A hypnotic bronze door knocker from the Middle East around the 10^th century.

A stylish wood panel with classic geometric patterns and calligraphy from the eastern Ghaznavid and Ghurid empires of the 12^th century, stretching from Iran through northern India.

The Glyptoteket museum houses the private collection of Carl Jacobsen, son of the founder of the Carlsberg Breweries.

He loved sculpture, so the primary artwork consists of statuary from Egyptian dynasties, Roman and Greek periods, as well as French and Danish sculptural work from more recent centuries. The collection also includes a small, but brilliant sampling of masters of 19^th century French painting including Impressionists.

This neoclassical sculpture sits in The Winter Garden – the central plaza of the Glyptoteket museum. In effect it is a greenhouse, flooding the trees and other plants with light from the glass roof…plus a pleasant cafe.

Here, from the 13^th century BC in Egypt, Rameses II pals along with the god Ptah. The kings publicized their capabilities by associating themselves with powerful gods.

Mummies from the Mummy Room of the Glyptoteket – a very popular section of the museum.

The post Old/New Friend: Back in Copenhagen first appeared on Adventurephiles. (To enlarge any picture above, click on it. Also, for more pictures from Denmark and Greenland, CLICK HERE to view the slideshow at the end of the itinerary page.)