First we saw the fountain of tears (where Inez de Castro was assassinated back in the 14th century). She shared a forbidden love with Prince Dom Pedro. Sad.

Then, we ambled over to where Inez and Dom Pedro Met. We shared a kiss to commemorate the couple, who risked everything to be together!

Where we met Sara…

With time in Coimbra running short, we decided to take a guided walking tour before we had to leave. We contacted Sara at Go Walks! and she gave us a lovely tour.

Coimbra is on a hill, so there are many stairs strategically placed to make ascending more efficient.

The back of Sara as she enters Coimbra University. She is an alumna of the University and is getting a graduate degree in Tourism, if I remember correctly. She knows quite a bit about the history of Coimbra and Portugal, so she really does a bang up job with the walking tour!

Coimbra Law School

Joaonina Library, Built in the 18th century. One of the best ones in all of Europe at the time!

Coimbra Mathematics Department mural!

All Throughout Portugal, one sees the Islamic influence in the masonry and architecture!

Old Cathedral (Se Velha). This is a famous location for Fado singing.

After the tour was over, we said goodbye to Sara, the Quintas Das Lagrimas, and Coimbra. We were sad to leave, as we both really loved Coimbra. It’s a perfect blend of youth and exuberance with old world charm! We headed to Porto, wishing we could just finish our trip in Coimbra.

After a not so long train ride, we checked into our hotel in Porto. Arriving around dinner time, we decided to try Ode Porto Wine House. It had come highly recommended from an American woman when we first arrived in Portugal. “If you go to Porto, you *have* to try Ode Porto!. The guy who runs it learned how to cook from his Grandmother and he sources all his food locally.” She spent the next 10 minutes conveying the awesome food there, so were convinced!

Here is the dinner room. There are only 5 tables, so you are seated for *the entire night*. Each couple has a different arrival time, so you get special attention when you first arrive. We were couple number 2 over the course of the night, which suited us just fine.

Beef with Broccoli and Taters…Dennis was in heaven at this simple but excellently cooked dish.

My Breaded Cod with Potato and Wilted Greens, Also very good!

Dessert time! YUMMY!

I’d definitely recommend the Ode Porto Wine House. It’s expensive, but totally worth the price. It’s delightful to learn about the source of the food and how it is prepared, to boot!

Queen Elizabeth decreed this monastery be build in 1314, for the Order of Saint Clare. The grounds are very extensive, in part because of the wealthy local citizens and royalty who contributed though out history.

Apparently, in 1677, the monastery was abandoned as it was flooded by the Mondego river. Between 1929 to 1940, it was restored. It was opened after the archaeological excavations from 1995-2000.

After St. Clare’s, we went back to the hotel. It was a hot day, so I wanted to spend a few hours poolside. On the way back to the hotel, we saw this very neato little car:

Dennis went in search of a laundry facility while I searched for the perfect pool lounge chair. It was luxurious reading by the pool. Eventually, the Germans from the day before came out and I chatted with them about Coimbra. It was nice to hear what it was like 20 years ago. They said it was much less built up, but it’s managed to retain the old-world romance.

For dinner, we were craving pizza. So, we ended up at Pizzaria Santa Clara, which is conveniently located adjacent to the monestary. We got a thin crusted cheese pizza with olives and some garlic bread. It was delicious. The young gal working there was in her early 20s and she had quite a good handle on the English language. We enjoyed talking to her, although her boss did not appreciate us keeping her from the other customers!

It was the last day of our adventure tour, so we were sad to say goodbye to Pedro. He was an excellent guide throughout the tour and we really had a blast hanging out with him.

Stand in the place where you live…!

For our last day on tour, Pedro took us on a walking tour of the Jeronimos Monastery and the Portuguese Discovery Monument. It was a gorgeous warm fall day in Lisbon, so walking around with him was super.

We were sad to be done with the tour, but excited to see how we would manage the second week on our own. We normally don’t have any problems in foreign places, but so far on our tour, we had really leaned on Pedro quite a bit. I figured we’d be fine, but there was a small bit of separation anxiety!

After the tour, we travelled up to the university town, Coimbra, and arrived just in time to get settled into the Quintas Das Lagrimas.

Jeronimos Monastery Grounds are beautiful to explore!

The Monastery Up Close!

Navigator’s Compass Mosaic

If I ever got a tattoo…

Us In Front of the Discovery Monument

All the explorers behind us were famous Portuguese explorers! Just a small selection of them: Ferdinand Magellan, Vasco da Gama, Bartholomeu Dias, and Gaspar and Miguel Corte Real. Oh to have been an explorer at that time! Talk about adventure! In their time, it was thought that water near the equator was boiling, there were monsters roaming the seas, there was an edge to the world that one could somehow drop off, there were giant cannibals who would eat you. Many ventured out and never returned because there was no way to accurately measure longitude, there was no understanding of scurvy, and the various empires were all racing against each other for first dibs of new lands.

I thought it fitting that our Adventure Tour ended at the Discovery Monument, a place which honors those who epitomize adventure!

At the end of the Adventure Tour, Dennis and I caught a train North to Coimbra; quintessential university town! We were excited about staying at the uber romantic Quintas Das Lagrimas.

When we arrived in Coimbra, it was late afternoon and quite hot (probably around 85dF). It felt nice, except we had all our bags and were a little fatigued still from our beach hike the day prior. We set to walking towards the hotel and arrived about 30 minutes later all sweaty from exertion.

At the gates of the hotel, we were confronted by a German couple who misread our sweat and backpacks for those of young/poor backpackers. They told us the entrance to the hotel was a different spot, for those who just want to tour the gardens-assuming we were not there to stay.

We assured them we were there to stay and had reserved a room several months prior as it was our anniversary. Immediately embarrassed, the German couple retracted their statements and said that if we should chance run into them later, they would recommend some things to do. Coimbra was one of their all time favorite European getaway spots, so they were eager to share the beta.

Here’s the lovely walk up to the Quinta das Lagrimas

Quinta das Lagrimas

Here we are enjoying the moon rise over Coimbra

Later that night, we wandered into Coimbra in search of Indian food. We found a Pakistani place, Guls Restaurant, with some fabulous curry and we loved their lassi’s (which were served in GIANT 1 pint glasses!).

Dennis was super happy, we finally had the chance to go mountain biking. Pedro drove us out to the country and we road down a gravelly jeep style road. It was slightly hilly, but beautiful terrain.

At the Bacalhoa Winery there were these odd sculptures out in front!

On the way out there, we stopped at the Bacalhoa Winery and bought some delicious Moscatel Roxo (Red). I wish we could have purchased an entire case, but we were going to be travelling over the next week and didn’t want to lug it around from place to place!

We also visited a Mom and Pop tile factory named Ceramica Do Lapidario (email them at lapidario at clix dot pt or call them at 212191123, for tour information and products). We met with the crafts people and purchased some hand painted mosaic tiles. It was neat to take a small tour and learn how they make the tile. The gal who painted our tiles has been doing so since she was a little girl.

Later that afternoon, Pedro drove us to another area and we rode the bikes downhill to a very nice beach. We lounged about on the beach for an hour and then called it a day!

The Guys!

Tough Biker Chick!

Dennis just after ascending the crux hill. It wasn’t that bad, but I think we all had to dismount and walk the last little bit.

View at the End of the Ride! Pretty Countryside!

We rode down to the little beach in the picture! It was super fun!

Our downhill excursion started at a high point of Arrabida National Park!

Taking a break to enjoy the view…The downhill ride was thrilling, but hard to take one’s eyes off the road!

We came from the notch in the ridge to the left! It was a long and exhilarating ride down!

We had the whole beach to ourselves!

Love VFF’s on the beach!

We Hiked for 6.5 Hours to Get to Cabo Da Roca

View of the Atlantic

Can you see New York?

We completed a lovely but strenuous seaside hike to Cabo Da Roca (The Westernmost Point of Europe). The trail wound it’s way up and down multiple ridges which abruptly cliffed out into the Atlantic.

We scaled up and down these undulating spines and enjoyed the path most when it wasn’t covered by this evil spikey bush. At times, we each were writhing in pain as the little needles stabbed our calves and ankles. Luckily, Pedro usually charged ahead and managed to find the way. But he was the least prepared to bush whack, having worn 3/4 length pants.

Dennis at the start of the hike!

Us, about 30 minutes into the hike.

If you had binoculars, you might be able to see the lighthouse on the very farthest ridge to the left…Or maybe not!

Pedro Whacking the Bushes!

Dennis Following Me Through the Portuguese Beach Jungle!

You can barely see the diagonal path cutting through the bushes! Yeah, we went down that…!

Dennis 1 hour into the hike. You can see the sandy beach area where we started about 5 ridgelines back!

About 3 hours into the hike…We started near the very largest flat beach!

Around this point, we stopped for lunch, custom made by Pedro! He made us a codfish pasta salad with orange bell peppers, black olives, tomatoes, and capers (I think?). It was nutritious and delicious! I also liked that it was extra salty because I crave salt when I exercise. There were also a couple of sweet energy type bars and some fresh fruit (yay, bonus points!).

Foot Dangle Time! It was too slabby for it to turn out right…

Pretty Rock (Is it petrified wood, or is that just the natural pattern of the rock?)

The Evil Shrubbery I Loath

Pedro Leading us to the Lighthouse (Far Left of Frame, about 40 minutes away)

We had been hiking for 6 hours at this point!

Not There Yet, But Happy It’s Almost Over

The last bit of hiking is grueling; the combination of steeper and longer undulations with the evil shrubbery was really taking it’s toll.

When we arrived at Cabo Da Roca, we waited for a busload of Japanese tourists to finish taking pictures at the monument. Pedro had to jump in before the next busload started in on another round. Then, we were finally able to get the picture. We headed over to a café (we definitely had time for a coffee!) to wait for our taxi back to the truck.

What a fantastic hike!

Clare Bathed in Sunlight On Solar

Dennis Climbing Solar

Two days of climbing in a row, how lucky am I? We drive to Sintra and park the truck. From the truck, we wander around a bit and then head up to the climbing crag. I’m just itching to sample some granite…Pedro said we would climb underneath a castle on granite and I had him repeat it to me, just to make sure I wasn’t day dreaming!

More Pictures Below:

From the Truck parking spot, we saw this sign:

Then, we found the Fountain!

Pedro made sure we didn’t miss the yummy Ginjinha Liquor (which is served in chocolate cups!)

Super Yummy!

Dennis Enjoying the Sights of Sintra

A Gate Into the Magical Quinta Da Regaleira

A Fountain Outside the Quinta Da Regaleira

Main Entrance to Quinta da Regaleira
We promised Pedro we’d come back to see the Quinta after the tour was over. Since we had Pedro with us, we really wanted to focus on climbing.

Climbing!

The start of Solar was a bit wet. But, it was dry the rest of the way. It took 6 draws down low, then it did a jig jag past a gash and then there were a few more draws to top out. I placed one cam up high, but it was not really necessary.

I’m smiling because it’s a fun little start, for a grade IV. Just a little slabby!

I climbed Solar, then Dennis climbed it. Then, the batteries on the camera ran out. We explored the area up above, looking for the anchors for another climb that Pedro wanted to do, but we never found the bolts. The sun was getting low on the horizon and as much as we really enjoyed scrambling around on the ledges, we thought it was best to head back to the truck. Our stomachs were growling and it was definitely time for coffee and more pastries!

Clare Leading Astrolabio (I placed a couple of supplemental cams on my way to Bolt number 3).

The View from the Top Floor of Hotel Cidadela…Not Bad!

After 6 days in country, I finally get to go rock climbing. Yay! We drive from Uchas Country House, back towards Lisbon and stop in Cascais for some beach cragging. We park the truck, grab our gear, walk down the stone steps, and we’re there!

Dozens of bolted climbs await. I have a hard time picking which one I want to do first. We head over to the easy moderate section and I fire up a climb. I climb Adamastor and Astrolabia and then it starts drizzling. The rock becomes very slick, so we decide to call it a day.

We checked into Hotel Cidadela, which used to be a 4 star hotel. It’s been knocked down to 3 stars, but it still has the amenities one needs. It also sports a very nice private pool area. We ate dinner there one night and it was adequate, but definitely nothing special! Better bet is to eat somewhere in town!

More climbing pictures below.

Steps Down to Cascais Crag

The Block Sector (With Advanced Climbs: Martine 7b, Cristo 7c, and Taxi 6b)

Dennis Descending to the Crag

The Back of the Sector Bloco…with Bicepes (I didn’t get to climb it, it was wet by the time I warmed up – SAD)

Clipping the First Bolt on Astrolabio

Of Course I Placed Pro at a Sport Crag…but hey, that 3rd bolt was way too high!

Too Bad Adamastor isn’t longer!

The high point of our journey along the Postman’s Way!

Beautiful Fall Colors!

Our adventure of the day was to do a lovely and historically significant 13km loop hike in the Rio de Frades area. In a not so distant past, this huge area was serviced by one postman, who would routinely hike along this path to deliver the mail. In this hilly and mountainous region of Portugal, it was quite the task! I imagine the postman being a superbly fit guy!

Later that night, Jess made us a very special meal of roast lamb, potato, garden greens, and rice. The food was so amazing it’s just hard to describe the level of deliciousness. The best I can do is a picture:

And, here’s another one of Jess, Pedro, myself, and Dennis about to devour a very special meal!

For more pictures of our fantastic hike, click on the following:

Here’s Dennis at the start:

On our way out we went uphill to the right. On our way back, we came from the left!

In the sign, it looks like two people doing the “Kid N Play” dance move, but that is a sign for hikers!

We love this part of the Postman’s Way! It’s so beautiful!

Another example of the great hiking signage in Portugal. The tree behind this sign is a fig tree. A woman was eating fresh figs right off the tree when we approached. She offered us one, but unfortunately, I was still stuffed from breakfast at Uchas…!

More Fabulous Signage!

Dennis on Postman’s Way…Do you see the colored bar markings to the left of him, on the rock, behind?

This notch was carved into the rock during WWII, if memory serves, to allow trucks to go up to bunkers where munitions were being stored.

The old road and the bunkers…Portugal walked a fine line between helping the allies and pacifying the Nazi’s. From what I was told, they were duplicitous for self preservation reasons. I’m not a history buff, this was just my impression while I was in Portugal, after talking to a few different people.

Pedro and Dennis on the Postman’s Way

Crossing a Bridge on Postman’s Way

Looking back at the road we ascended!

Village of Cabreiros

An old Famel 76 motorbike we saw in Cabreiros

Dennis poking fun at the hikers in the Cabreiros sign.

Map of the hiking region…Pedro is pointing to where Uchas Country House would be if it were on the map!

Cathedral and Cemetery along the Postman’s Way

Another Village Along the Postman’s Way

Pedro and Dennis heading back to the truck.

Octavio & Jess (Uchas Country House Owners!) and Clare & Dennis
We are standing in front of their huge outdoor oven. I want one!

It rained all day, so we lingered around Uchas Country House. We caught up on email and spent time reading books in the cozy main house. In between storms, we took a tour of the farm. Jess showed us how the eggs are collected from the hen house and how various veggies are harvested.

I loved Jess’ tour of farm life. Having spent a good portion of my youth living on a mini-farm, it was nothing new to me. However, for Dennis, I think it was interesting and helped to bring perspective into my adolescence. It’s one thing for me to say I woke up at 6:30am to milk the goats and when I got home from school, I brought in the eggs. It’s another thing entirely, to walk around the farm and actually see somebody doing those things!

It was also cool to see what sorts of vegetables they can grow in that part of Portugal. We noted a lot of the same fall veggies as we have; squash, cauliflower, broccoli, and beans. They had already harvested the potato and the corn, which was stored for fall and winter.

Later in the afternoon, Octavio and Jess shared a video with adventures offered by Nomades. The video was awesome! Nomades takes people canyoneering, rafting, and rock climbing. They also offer team building activities to corporate clients. It is a separate business than the Uchas Country House, but some of their Uchas clients who come for a “get away” weekend, to be treated to the bed & breakfast may also want a little adventure!

We also had fun sharing our YouTube videos with them. I showed Pedro some of my climbergirl adventures and he was impressed with the abundance of mountaineering trips I’ve done. Pedro liked the videos and soon he was sharing videos of himself as well.

We discovered when Pedro is not leading Adventure Tours or Climbing Expeditions, he’s the lead singer of a rock band! His band does great covers of American Rock hits, but Pedro also writes and performs his own stuff. He’s very talented. If I lived over there, I’d be a groupie because his band is totally awesome. It’s called Garra Banda de Rock.

We had a fantastic dinner later that night. In a masterful way, Jess showcased the bounty of the farm while at the same time treating us to food unique to Portuguese cuisine. Dinner was fantastic and I ate way too much! We enjoyed the dessert wine and chocolate and then went to bed, excited about the next day’s adventure.

Our adventure tour started with wet canyoneering on a beginner’s section of the local creek. Octavio at Nomadas.pt was the lead guide and Pedro was our assistant. We spent the morning rappelling down slick rock precipices and waterfalls, jumping and sliding off of mossy rock walls, and swimming through pools of water.

Octavio once said canyoneering is like an adult version of the playground and I think he’s right. Once we got used to maneuvering the creek in our wetsuits, we had a blast. The many pictures following prove the point, canyoneering is fun!

Pedro and Clare marveling at the goats in the streets!

In the afternoon, Pedro took us to a small mountain village called Covas Do Montas. It is a Nationally Protected mountain town; it’s population is dwindling but there is a very important history which must be preserved for future generations.

The village is full of goats and since I love goats, Octavio thought I should go check it out. It was a fun little half day afternoon adventure thanks to Pedro’s expert navigation of the windy mountain roads! I hadn’t seen that many goats in one place since the California State Fair in 1992!

All Ready to Go Canyoneering

Starting with a Practice Rappel, Notice Pedro giving me a Fireman’s Belay!

Dennis Practicing Jumping (Octavio gave us a quick tutorial about how to jump and then we got to try it!)

Dennis and I jumping!

Where we jumped from…not too high, but still a bit nervy!

Me swimming with a helmet on…it’s odd!

In the fall, the creek is low. So, we had to hike some sections of it.

Other sections were really deep, so we swam!

I was having a blast even though the water was cold.

One of the slides in the playground!

Dennis about to splash down.

I had to get my climbing fix!

Dennis rappelling a waterfall.

A Meditative Moment

The Big Daddy Waterfall!

Getting ready for the Big Daddy Waterfall

Here I go!

Dennis jumping and Octavio looking on.

It was scary for me, but I jumped!

Pedro Jumping

Octavio blasts off!

At Covas Do Montas…

This goat is headed to the restaurant for dinner…or is he going to become dinner?

Inside the Restaurant (which used to be a one room school)

Goats on the mountainside!

Walking Around the Primitive Village

We Caught up to the goats on the mountainside!

The Goat Village!

Pedro and Dennis in Covas Do Montas