Les Flâneurs

Douglas, MA and the family portion

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Soper) — Sun, 07 Jun 2026 05:00:00 +0000

Friday-Saturday, June 5-6.

Family, friends and food. That pretty much sums up our time back in New England.

The trip from Gettysburg to Dick and Dorothy's home in Douglas, MA, took us about 7 hours of (mostly) interstate highway driving. The trip was uneventful -- always a plus -- and the first two or three hours took us through more stunning Pennsylvania scenery. Susan and I have driven through the Keystone State many times but I can't recall being so struck by the luscious scenery and often dramatic vistas we were treated to this time.

Anyway, we arrived late afternoon and spent a lovely evening sipping chilled sparkling wine on their patio before another of Dor's scrumptious meals (stuffed shells à la Cathy Van Halsema).

We eased into Saturday morning with coffee and a light breakfast before heading out to Rhode Island for lunch. It has become a tradition of sorts for the four of us have lunch at the Matunuck Oyster Bar. Even though they are still in the construction phase of rebuilding after their fire of over a year ago they still pack 'em in and Dick had the foresight to make reservations. Anyway, the temporary tent system works fine and is close to the water which made the air inside cool and comfortable.

temporary quarters

Susan had a salad with grilled chicken and Dor had her favorite: lobster roll

Dick had three "stuffies" - stuffed Quahog clams

I had a scrumptious clam chowder with a a glass of Alagash ale

Note in the photo above the Westminster Crackers. They're made in Rutland, VT where we lived for nearly a dozen years. Curiously enough we lived on Westminster Street in providence for eight years.

After a leisurely lunch -- leisurely as some of you have discerned from many previous posts -- is how we like to travel. I suppose that explains why even when we travel to Europe we like to be independent, on our own schedule and not at the whim of someone else.

Anyway, from Matunuck and Rhode Island we crossed over into Connecticut. Dick drove us through a number of quintessential New England villages through the countryside as we made our way to Priam Vineyards. Part of the Connecticut Wine Trail, Priam is perched on a lovely bluff and provides outdoor and indoor seating.

Dick and Dorothy choose a local chardonnay and Susie and I split a very generous four-wine flight of local whites (including one rosé) -- which we thought just OK. We sat outside enjoying the sun, interessting conversation with table "neighbors" and very nice live acoustic guitar music.

From the vineyard we made our way to the town of Wethersfield in Connecticut where we were to meet up with the MacDonalds at Lucky Lou's Bar and Grill. Unfortunately Glen was under the weather but we were joined by niece Christina and daughter Kiera.

I had a delicious lamb gyro with potatoes (as did Christina), Susie had a chicken gyro, Kiera pasta and Dick and Dorothy each had a salad.

The food was tasty, the beer cold, the conversation warm and lovely.

After dinner the six of us strolled around the village before saying our goodbyes. We had no sooner returned to our cars than a terrific wind, rain and thunderstorm pelted us as we left town. Whew talk about timing.

All-in-all a lovely day meandering through rolling hills, reconnecting with family, enjoying good food and fellowship.

Tomorrow we return to Providence for lunch with friends Andrea and her mom Barbara and dinner at Dick and Dorothy's tomorrow night with niece Mallory and her dad Steele.

Keep travelin'!!

Gettysburg National Battlefield Park

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Soper) — Fri, 05 Jun 2026 05:00:00 +0000

Thursday, June 4.

Today we focused our attention on exploring the Battlefield.

According to the Gettysburg Foundation, the Park comprises nearly 6,000 acres and includes some 1,300 monuments, most of which were originally laid out by the veterans themselves. More soldiers were killed during the battle than in any other battle on American soil before or since. All this makes Gettysburg one of the most unique battlefields in the world. . .

After a mediocre breakfast at the hotel we set off for the park visitor center where we picked up a map for the park's suggested auto tour. Consisting of 15 stops along a 24-mile plan the driving tour covers the battle from July 1-3, 1863 chronologically while also providing ample opportunities for stopping and exploring specific aspects of the battle in greater detail.

I won't bore you with the details of each and every stop; as with the Flight 93 memorial I'll let the photos speak for themselves and hopefully give the folks who have never been to Gettysburg an idea of how special this place is. And for you who have been to this incredible slice of our country's history think about going back sooner than later. Life is short.

Anyway, if you want an extensive list of each Gettysburg monument, its respective photo and details you can find more information right here. You can also download a large version of the tour map as well as a short guide to the park on the NPS website right here.

entrance to the visitor center - opened in 2008

two of my favorite people

The first stop on the driving tour was Reynolds Woods where Union General John Reynolds was shot and killed in the open hours of the battle on July 1.

the view along Reynolds Avenue

The next stop was at the Eternal Light Peace Memorial. Established in 1938 it commemorates the 75th reunion of the Gettysburg veterans and to "a nation united."

From the Peace Memorial it was a short drive to the Oak Ridge observation tower.

We then made our way to Barlow Knoll. Named after Union General Francis Barlow this site is located on the grounds of what was then the Gettysburg alms house complex. All that remains today is the Old Alms House cemetery, which is not part of the Park.

Francis Barlow statue

The auto tour soon lead us along the confederate lines west of town where the number of monuments is fewer than on the Union side. However some of the individual state monuments are wonderful works of art - Mississippi, North Carolina and the massive Virginia memorial to name just a few.

Mississippi

North Carolina

Virginia with General Lee atop Traveler

note the small sign warning about defacement of the monument

We stopped for a light picnic lunch in Pitzer Woods where the Longstreet Memorial is located. Although we are fervent Unionists and loathe the secessionists generally, one has to be softened somewhat by the monument to this man. Captured in mid-stride, perhaps realizing how things were not going well for the confederates, he is caught thinking about what to do next.

Susan's favorite statue

The auto tour took us past the striking monument dedicated to William Wells and the 1st Vermont Cavalry.

From the 1st Vermont Cavalry monument it was a short drive to another of the most important stops on the tour: Little Round Top. The views of the battlefield from here, especially of Devils Den, the Wheatfield and Peach Orchard beyond, are grand indeed.

the rocky outcropping is Devils Den

We left Little Round top and drove down past the Wheatfield where the 5th Michigan Infantry was heavily engaged, and skirted the Peach Orchard.

the 5th Michigan monument in the Wheatfield

monument to the 88th New York, part of the Irish Brigade

We eventually left the central portion of the battlefield and drove along the tour to Spangler's Spring and the observation tower on Culp's Hill skirting Evergreen Cemetery making our way back to the final phase of the battle: Pickett's Charge and the Copse of Trees. Also known as the High Tide of the Confederacy the war took it's final turn against the South right here. This sacred space has always been protected by an iron fence, which harks back to a much earlier time.

Copse of Trees

the 69th Pennsylvania

the Copse of trees seen from the Confederate viewpoint

After the tour we drove into downtown Gettysburg and found a handy enclosed parking garage (out of the sun was a bonus). After strolling for a short while we stopped at Lulu's for an ice cream (not the finest thank you very much). We had to pop into a nearby store called the Chocolate Market. They did indeed market lots of different chocolates and for those of you keen on such things, it's connected directly to the year-round Christmas shop right next door.

It was time for a a little down time so we made our way back to the car and back to the hotel.

After relaxing for a couple of hours we returned to the center of town and the parking garage (we think this is the only one in town), which is located behind the Hotel Gettysburg. Just outside the entrance to the garage Susan spied a couple of historical markers. It turns out the garage is on the location of the home of John Getty, yep the founder of Gettysburg. Next to the marker was a boulder memorializing the very spot where the first company of local troops were enlisted in 1775 to join Washington's fledgling army.

From the garage we walked through the Hotel Gettysburg back to the center of town and stopped briefly in a couple of shops. It was then on to find a place to eat. Unimpressed by a number of places we looked at -- the menus all seemed to favor the same sort of food it seemed to us -- we opted to return to the Sign of the Buck but this time chose the tavern side of the hotel. (The restaurant and tavern are connected to the Union Hotel.)

So we bellied up to the bar and spent a couple of wonderful hours chatting with other patrons and swapping mixology stories with the bartender. (If you go, ask for Angela.)

Our cocktails were refreshing and tasty and the food delicious -- small plates consisting of deviled eggs, house-cut fries with three different dipping sauces, followed by bowls of Tuscan bean soup.

It was a grand way to end a lovely day -- wish you had been there!

Tomorrow we head off for the family portion of our trip back East: first stop Dick and Dorothy's in Douglas, MA for three nights before heading to Maine to see Susan's sister Joyce and her husband Avery.

Stay tuned!

Return to Gettysburg

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Soper) — Thu, 04 Jun 2026 05:00:00 +0000

Wednesday June 3.

The trip from our hotel west of Cleveland to Gettysburg would take us less than five hours and that would give us time to maybe get off the interstate and explore some of the backroads of western PA. Susan learned that just off the PA Turnpike at the Somerset exit was the Flight 93 Memorial. It was about three hours to Somerset and another 20 minutes or so to the memorial park.

What an incredible place! Words do not do justice to this small slice of our nation's history but perhaps a few photos might. You really have to be there to realize the enormity of it all.

From the entrance it's another 2.5 miles to the visitor center and crash site.

visitor center on the left and restrooms and trail head on the right

the views from atop the visitor center plateau were pretty spectacular

the walkway represents the final flight path of flight 93

visitor center entrance

Inside the visitor's center is a very moving series of news clips and timelines depicting that day on 9/11/2001 which was, at times, hard to watch for those of us who remember it so clearly. This year is the 25th anniversary too.

continuing along the flightpath

looking back toward the visitor center

the wall of names in the center and just beyond is the crash site

We drove down to the memorial plaza and walked to the crash site along the debris field to the wall of names of the 40 men and women on flight 93 (no children we were told).

tokens of remembering

a portion of the wall

a look back up to the visitor center

On the way out we stopped at the Tower of Voices. Made up of tubular wind chimes, the winds have to be up to at least 12mph for it produce sound. It was a pretty still afternoon when we were there so it remained quiet.

Across Rte 30 (the Lincoln Highway) is Patriot Park. This is a memorial to the 7,000 men and women who have died during what was referred to on the signage as the Global War on Terrorism. There is one flag planted for each person.

Returning to Rte 30 we drove to Bedford, PA where we got back on the Pike. After another 20 miles or so we got off and made our way back to Rte 30 through Chambersburg and on into Gettysburg and our hotel. The drive was lovely and leisurely and we didn't mind that a bit.

Once we were settled in and unpacked we drove to the Peach Orchard to pay our respects to the boys of the 3rd Michigan -- and their compatriots of the 3rd Maine and 2nd New Hampshire who served alongside them in the Orchard on July 2, 1863.

the 3rd Michigan monument in the Peach Orchard

small stones on the right mark the connection of the 3rd Michigan and 3rd Maine

the 3rd Maine monument

the 2nd New Hampshire monument with the 3rd Maine center and 3rd Michigan in the distance

We drove a short ways along the Confederate lines looking for the James Longstreet memorial which we could not find. We'll rectify that tomorrow.

From the park we drove back into downtown Gettysburg and parked along the street. The parking meter caused us a short few minutes of anxiety before we figured it out then off we went in search of a place to eat.

Susan was looking at the menu of a place called the Sign of the Buck when a threesome walked in and one of the guys said to her "this place is good". And so in we went. And yes the food was good and, it being Wednesday, all the wines by the glass were half price. We each had a scrumptious salad (Susie's was caesar with chicken, mine was a chopped with shrimp) washed down by Cremant de Loire. Not a bad way to end a very special day for us both.

Tomorrow we head back into the park for the auto tour and who knows what else!

Back on the road again

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Soper) — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 05:00:00 +0000

Tuesday, June 2.

It was a gorgeous day in west Michigan as we departed for the east coast. Having replaced our electric vehicle with a hybrid (a Honda CRV if you must know), we were eager to tackle our first major road trip in more than three years. Yes, yes we did the trip to Sault Sainte Marie Ontario and a trip to Chicago but we were keen to drive back to New England to see family. And that would have required God knows how many stops to charge yada yada yada.

But enough complaining. It was a pretty quick drive to our first stop, Cleveland. From our condo we drove right to the Cleveland Museum of Art to check out the Manet-Morisot exhibition now underway. And what a place! Located at the edge of an large oval green space close to the Botanical gardens and the Museum of Natural History this place is truly amazing.

And Grand Rapids please take note: the museum is free and ticketed exhibitions are free for military!

It was a moving experience for the both of us to revisit (once again) so many paintings of two of our favorite artists Edouard Manet and especially Berthe Morisot.

The exhibition was well laid out, easy to navigate and very well signed.

Just to give you a quick sample of Berthe's work:

A Summer's Day, 1879

And this:

Woman Sewing, c. 1879

And just one more:

Interior, 1872-73

From the exhibition hall on the lower level we moved upstairs and visited several of the galleries dedicated to Impressionism, Realism. We skipped through the Abstract Expressionism to visit the photography gallery which was dedicated to early images of France during the time of Manet and Morisot.

I was particularly taken by this image of Notre Dame taken by Charles Soulier from the early 1860s:

We made our way back down to the main floor and enjoyed a cup of coffee (our afternoon "hot beverage"in honor of Sheldon from the Big Bang) while soaking up this the incredible open space.

We were fortunate to strike up a conversation with a fellow who has long since retired from the Cleveland Symphony where he played the viola. What began as a simple "where do you live?" turned into him sharing some wonderful stories with us.

From the museum we made our way back to our car and allowed Google maps to navigate us out of the nexus of meandering streets and residential neighborhoods to our hotel in Streetsboro (SE of Cleveland proper, getting us on our way to PA). When checking in, I learned there were not a lot of options nearby for food but one recommendation was for a Mexican restaurant, Don Patron. So after settling in off we went for a meal of tacos with sides of rice and beans washed down with as tasty cerveza.

Back to the hotel we relaxed until bedtime. Tomorrow it's off to our next stop, Gettysburg National Battlefield Park. We'll spend two nights there which will give us a good full day to pay our respects, particularly to the men of the 3rd and 5th Michigan regiments who suffered terribly in the Wheatfield and Peach Orchard on July 2, 1863.

Stay tuned!

Richard and Pauline's Portugal notes

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Soper) — Wed, 27 May 2026 01:15:36 +0000

[For anyone reading this journal you know that we met up with our British friends Richard and Pauline in Porto, 31 January to 6 February 2026. What you might not know is that while we had to leave on February 5 to return to Lisbon they remained in Porto for an extra day. And so, here are a few of their photos as well as Richard's detailed travel notes to finish out the trip. It's always fascinating to view your trip from the perspective of someone who was right there with you the entire time.]

Our friends Steve and Susan were keen to escape severe winter weather in Grand Rapids, Michigan. They had not visited Portugal before. They flew to Lisbon on 24 January 2026 and enjoyed six days there, including one when they were entertained by [Richard and Pauline's friend] Graça. On 31 January they travelled to Porto, to join us there for five days. They had planned to make the journey by rail, but severe storms in central Portugal prevented all train services between Lisbon and Porto, so they had to come by bus, although in fact their journey time was little different.

Saturday 31 January

2. Meanwhile, in St Albans we awoke at 6am to find an email and text from TAP Air Portugal saying that our 1010 flight was postponed to 1150! so we went back to sleep until 7.15am. We left Ellis Fields in our Vauxhall Astra at 8am, and had a smooth drive on M25 and M23 to reach Gatwick airport long-stay car park by 9.15am. We had smooth passage through Security in the South Terminal although, inexplicably, both Pauline’s bags were side-lined for inspection. Our plane took off at 12.15pm, after much queuing. There was no word from the flight deck. Cabin crew announcements were garbled/unintelligible. We landed at 2pm. Porto airport is huge! A long walk to passport stamps, where we both had our finger-prints and photographs taken. We took a taxi to Hilton’s Cenica Hotel in central Porto: 35 euros, including tip.

3. While we were checking in, Steve and Susan appeared: they had recently arrived. We have adjoining rooms: 306 (us) and 307 (them). We unpacked, and then joined Steve and Susan in the bar for a welcome drink, courtesy of the hotel! At 5pm we (not Steve and Susan) went for a swim in the hotel’s very good indoor pool, with adjacent jacuzzi! At 6pm we all walked out and eventually found authentic Portuguese dinner (bacalau, francesinha) at Restaurant Salmao, where we were the only customers.

Sunday 1st February

4. Breakfast (8.45am) was excellent. A huge variety of food was constantly replenished by pleasant, friendly, efficient staff. The coffee machines were the sole weak spot, but one of the waitresses was happy to make hot chocolate for Richard! If the available bacon, sausages, scrambled egg, mushrooms and fried potato were not your fancy, a chef was on hand to cook you a boiled egg or an omelette to order! At 10.15am we walked 5 minutes (in rain) to Trindade, the hub of the Metro system, and bought tickets to Jardim de Mooro, just south of the mighty river Douro, which the train line crosses at a great height on the impressive Ponte Dom Luis. From there we made our way on foot (in rain) to the World of Wine complex where, after coffee, we toured the Cork Museum and the Pink Palace (all about rose wine): both were fascinating, and fun. Between these tours we had lunch in the WoW restaurant, with good view of Ponte Dom Luis, albeit often shrouded in cloud. For dinner we enjoyed well-cooked burgers in the hotel restaurant.

Monday 2 February

5. From Trindade we took the Metro north-west to Casa da Musica, an iconic concert hall opened in c2005. The concrete structure didn’t look its best in the rain. It turned out that unless we took a self-guided tour we couldn’t see the interior, and the restaurant wasn’t due to open for two hours. So we left the building and admired the roundabout outside, which featured an impressive monument celebrating the victory of the Portuguese and British over Spain in the Peninsular War. Next, we took an Uber to Se/the fortified Cathedral. First (because it was due to close for lunch) we toured the Bishop’s Palace, which is pleasant and spacious and has superb views across the Douro and of the bridge. The Cathedral itself is strange: mostly plain and austere, but the east end is full of bling/gold leaf. Outside we walked down 100+ steps and found lunch at an hotel near the river. We walked west to the church of Sao Francisco, where we toured the church (extraordinary, entirely decorated in fantastic carving covered in gold leaf) and then the museum and catacombs. Apparently, all burials were in churches until 1866, when the state decreed they should be in cemeteries. Back at the hotel we swam, and relaxed in the jacuzzi. We joined Steve and Susan for aperitifs, and then walked 5 minutes to O Antunes restaurant, established in the 1980s, where we had bacalau and dorade in a very pleasant ambience.

Tuesday 3 February

6. It was Richard’s 76th birthday. We celebrated at breakfast with Buck’s Fizz, whereupon the lovely staff brought a mini birthday cake with candle, and our waitress Catarina sang “Happy Birthday” in Portuguese!

What a start! We walked in rain to the Art Nouveau Majestic Cafe for coffee, then took an Uber across the Douro to Graham’s Wine Lodge, an extensive set-up, where we enjoyed a tasting of three different ports, paired with cheese, chocolate and pastel de nata. In the restaurant, Vinum, we had a tasty light lunch, with impressive view of Ponte Dom Luis and the roof-scape of Porto, in intermittent mist; and the waiter brought Richard a platter of truffles to share, inscribed with “Happy Birthday”! Returning to the hotel, we relaxed, went out for a short walk in incipient rain, and then joined Steve and Susan for aperitifs. We walked in rain to O Antunes where Richard had a sirloin steak, beautifully cooked, and the others had salmon, pork and beef. Richard’s cheesecake dessert came with a candle: a truly celebratory day.

Wednesday 4 February

7. An Uber took us to Sao Francisco, where the ancient No 1 Tram starts its 25-minute route westward. We took it to its terminus, in sight of where the Douro meets the Atlantic Ocean, and we walked and admired the sheer daunting power of the waves crashing over the sea wall. An Uber took us north to Serralves, where we had a good buffet lunch. We toured the grounds, including the impressive Tree Top walk, the parterres, and the powder-puff pink villa (closed for re-decoration). An Uber took us back to the tram terminus, and we took the tram to Sao Francisco. Another Uber returned us to the hotel for swim and jacuzzi. For dinner we repeated burgers in the hotel restaurant.

Thursday 5 February

8. Steve and Susan spent the morning packing. We walked to the restored Mercardo do Bolhau, off rua Fernandes Tomas, and admired a huge range of stalls selling, especially, high quality fruit, vegetables and flowers.

Back at Cenica hotel we chatted with Steve and Susan until 1.15pm when they took an Uber to the bus station to return to Lisbon for their flights to Grand Rapids the next day. We had lunch in the hotel restaurant. We took the Metro from Trindade to Sao Bento, where we looked inside the old railway station and admired the wall tiles there. We walked down rua dos Flores, intending to visit Palaccio de Bolsa. But this can only be done by conducted tour, and the next one in English was nearly an hour away. So Pauline took a photo of Prince Henry the Navigator, who was standing outside. We walked sown to the Douro, and along to the Ponte Dom Luis, and across it! in strong westerly wind competing with the full river swirling westward just below. On the far side we climbed up to Jardim de Mooro and took the Metro back to Trindade. Pauline’s pedometer showed that this day we had taken nearly 12,000 steps! We had a quick swim and jacuzzi, and went out to dinner at Luffa, a few doors down from O Antunes. A really tasty meal.

Friday 6 February

9. After breakfast we packed, and checked out, leaving our bags at Reception. We walked south down the length of Santa Catarina, then west to admire imposing buildings in Aliados, then north to near Trindade for coffee, and finally east to Mercardo Bolhau for lunch at Cafe de Gina’s: vegetable soup, sardines, codfish, vegetable rice, cheesecake, sangria. Back at Cenica we retrieved our bags and took the Metro from Trindade to the airport. Our tickets cost 5.8 euros! and the journey was barely 30 minutes, faster and far cheaper than the taxi. Security and passport inspection were quick and efficient. Our plane took off at 6.50pm, 30 minutes late, and landed at Gatwick a shade ahead of schedule at 8.35pm. We were back at Ellis Fields by 10.50pm. It was dry and clear, 8 degrees C.

Conclusion

10 Special words of appreciation for Steve. First, he found the Cenica hotel, and indeed we enjoyed a special rate there thanks to his Hilton Honours membership. It was a splendid hotel in every respect. Secondly, Steve was willing and adept at summoning Uber taxis for at least ten journeys in and around Porto.

11. Although the weather was often cool, cloudy and windy, and sometimes it rained, it was early February, so what d’you expect? And the only activity that we couldn’t undertake was a cruise along the river Douro - from which all craft were banned, because of its height and fast-flowing. If we return to Porto we will hope for a river cruise, and try harder to get inside Casa da Musica and Palaccio de Bolsa.

Lisbon to Porto by train

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Soper) — Tue, 10 Feb 2026 06:00:00 +0000

I purchased tickets a couple of months earlier in hand (and on our phones) ready and waiting. Since we will only be taking two trains this trip (from Lisbon Oriente station to Porto Campanha station and back to Lisbon) we opted for point-to-point instead of rail passes.

Although the Man in Seat 61 recommends Omio we used the official Portuguese train website (cp.pt), which he also suggested. Like The Man said it was a bit clunky but worked fine. Oh, and don't try to create an account unless your a Portuguese national.

Anyway, after a few quick screens we downloaded our 1st class tickets on one of the high-speed Alfa Pendular train. As some of you know we always choose 1st class on trains; the cost is usually not much more than 2nd class and you get better access to luggage storage on board and more seating space, both of which are much appreciated by travelers in their golden years.

The trip will take less than 3 hours (each way) and costs €180 for the two of us roundtrip. Not bad.

And if you're really interested in train travel in Portugal here's a map of their rail network.

I should say that as things turned out the trains running north from Lisbon (and south from Porto) were all cancelled while we were on our trip in early February of 2026. This was due to the severe storm that blew threw the country with incredibly high winds creating a large swath of destruction and damage particularly between Coimbro and Fatima. As a result we (and many others) were forced to take the buses back and forth.

Portugal 2026

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Soper) — Mon, 09 Feb 2026 06:00:00 +0000

Getting around: Public transport is generally good, especially in large cities like Lisbon and Porto, although we learned that some transport systems operate independently of one another so don't expect to find one card fits all. There is a Porto Card but I believe that also includes a number of (discounted) entrances to museums, etc so you will pay a premium for that.

We found that one of the best ways to get around both cities is either an Uber or Taxi; they are both inexpensive, reliable and prolific (especially Uber).

Bus services outside the cities are reputed to be reliable and inexpensive but we simply don't have any personal experience in that. We used the Rede Expressos bus from Lisbon to Porto and back and it didn't didn't take much longer than the high-speed Alfa Pendular - and it was much less expensive.

It should be pointed out that since the funicular accident in Lisbon a few months back, all the other funiculars and elevators in the city are shut down. We were informed that since they all use the same (old) cable system they will not reopen until the problem that caused the accident is discovered and the other systems repaired if necessary.

Communication: Smartphones are absolutely necessary but here the key word is "absolutely." We have been using our phones almost exclusively for transport and other tickets for several years now, but in Portugal -- so far - they still rely on lots of paper. The Porto Card seems popular for travelers but again we have no experience with that and don't know if it is available electronically.

Oh, and please learn how to say hello, goodbye, thank you, and please. Most Portuguese we encountered spoke pretty good English but hey it's their country. We should give their language a try. It goes a long way.

Accommodation: We used air BnB in Lisbon and Hilton hotels in Porto and Lisbon. Our accommodations were very nice and both centrally located, especially the apartment in Lisbon. The Cenica hotel in Porto was wonderful - we give it a big thumbs up - with an indoor pool, jacuzzi and breakfast available for an extra fee of course, unless you are a member of the Hilton Honors program. And the staff were in a word incredible. Our Hilton hotel in Lisbon, the Doubletree Fontana Park property, we give a thumbs down for reasons which I enumerated in my final travel journal entry.

Eating: We ate quite a bit of Portuguese food, which can be a bit heavy. Lots of potatoes and fish of course so you have plenty of options. Generally VERY reasonably priced too!

Sights: In winter some sights close down for refurbishment or remodeling during low season. You might want to check with the local Tourist Information office in either city before venturing off on your own.

Speaking of Tourist Offices - make sure you find yourselves inside the OFFICIAL tourist office. In Porto especially there are offices that list themselves as Tourist Services with a large "i" out front -- these offices are usually in red. These are for-profit.

People: Wonderful, friendly and always willing to help. Often the four of us would be standing on the street looking at a map or a phone and a local would come up and ask if she or he could help. I'm sure they have their share of jerks, but most everyone we met were pleasant and kind to us.

Go or not? Absolutely. If you go on your own I would recommend staying for at least a week in each city. Get to know it, the feel of it, get to know your way around it.

Day 12 in Portugal

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Soper) — Sat, 07 Feb 2026 06:00:00 +0000

Thursday-Friday 5-6 February

We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast in the hotel with Richard and Pauline. While the staff of the hotel were incredibly friendly and yet very professional, we had gotten to know rather well a young woman on the breakfast staff. She was always there early every morning, always smiling, friendly, willing to help and was professional in the bargain. She even sang Happy Birthday in Portuguese to Richard! Catarina is her name so if you have breakfast at the hotel ask for her.

Afterwards our friends went out to explore parts of Porto unseen by us, while Susie and I prepared to leave for Lisbon. We were pretty much all put together last night and had to tweak a few of the packing cubes this morning. We had a midafternoon bus so we hung around the hotel and caught up with Richard and Pauline one more time before we had one more round of hugs and said our goodbyes.

The Uber to the bus station was quick and smooth and it was our first time with a female Uber driver. Anyway, we had to wait for just a short while before our bus left for Lisbon. The trip back south was uneventful except for passing through a couple of torrential rain storms, which had apparently caused one car to flip over. We saw lots of flooding in the lowlands and of course much damage to whole swaths of trees caused by the recent wind storm.

Once we got to Lisbon Oriente train station -- where we had previously picked up our bus for Porto - we grabbed a taxi to our hotel. It was rush hour and 15 minute trip took 45 with occasional drizzle (outside the car not inside).

Walking into the hotel we made our way across a black barrenness; the floor was glossy black stone and reflected the lights from the ceiling which made it appear that you were looking through glass through the floor. The lobby had no sitting furniture and it was dimly lit.

Anyway, we took the elevator to our floor and were straightaway struck by how much the hallway looked like a prison.

The room itself was goofy. The bathroom was walled off by black glass although some of the panels were clear so you could see right through from the larger portion of the room right into the bathroom! Weird.

But we enjoyed a glass of wine in the bar, and ate a light meal before turning in, having an early call Friday.

The next morning we took a taxi to the airport -- a 15-minute ride -- and began the very long process of returning to the United States.

Lisbon airport is, in a word, a mess. They are poorly organized, poorly signed and a maze of general confusion. We checked in and made our way through security -- one of seemingly a half dozen times we would go through security on this trip.

But our flight to Newark was uneventful and as usual the food nearly inedible. There was a nice and quite friendly young man sitting at the window seat in our row, next to Susan, with whom we had a long and very warm conversation. That went a long way to helping the time pass!

Arriving in Newark we had to pass through passport control, pick our bags up and then recheck them -- something that makes no sense to us although it went smoothly. But it was finding how to get to our connecting flight that was a puzzle. We finally asked a policeman and then a airport staff member for directions and then made our way through security once again for our connecting flight to Grand Rapids.

Truth be told we were in no rush. We had (hold for it) an 8-hour layover and so we cooled our heels. We did have a light, exorbitantly priced lunch - whipped feta with cucumber and pita for Susie and roasted Brussel sprouts for me, along with a small glass of beer for each of us.

After hanging around the bar, which was comfortable I must say, we made our way to the gate. Here's where the fun began. Our boarding passes from Lisbon listed gate 72 but my United app said 111. So off to gate 111. After a while our gate changed to 81, then 80, then 86, and finally I got a text from United saying our gate was 135. Fortunately all of these were in the same terminal, and frankly we didn't mind the exercise so much. But the airline's confusion remains puzzling.

We boarded on time although the plane had to be deiced before we could depart. We usually travel in warmer months so we had never seen this before. Anyway, we both agreed it was quite fascinating to watch how they bring up two large trucks one on either side of the plane and spray the plane down. Whatever they did worked and we made it right on schedule to Grand Rapids.

Our friend and neighbor Don Trap was there to meet us, braving the late night cold and we were home by a little after midnight and in bed by 0100. We had been up for nearly 24 hours and had eaten little. On top of it somewhere along the travel line I picked up a cold or some sort of European bug, which seems to single me out. . .

Day 11 in Portugal

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Soper) — Thu, 05 Feb 2026 01:00:00 +0000

Wednesday 4 February

Breakfast once again at the hotel of course (it's part of the deal), but really it is quite a robust buffet with a wide variety of items to choose from. The four of us then took an Uber down to the riverfront, specifically to the church of Sao Francisco where we could board the beginning of the No. 1 tram which would take us close to the Atlantic Ocean.

We waited just a few minutes before the no. 1 lumbered into view. After disgorging the few passengers on board it reversed direction and allowed a new wave of sightseers to get on - including us naturally.

trying to figure out when the next tram will arrive

Similar to the old trams (also known as trolleys) in Lisbon that have become iconic for the city, this one certainly lived up to its reputation as being vintage: nearly everything on board was old and in sore need of refurbishment. Not like some of us I suppose. (If you want to know more about these trolleys, or streetcars as they were known earlier, visit the Market Street Railway online.)

rattan seats

arriving at the terminus, the tram is quite the star it would seem

Anyway, it was a lovely ride along the river all the way to the Atlantic. The line ended at the Jardim de Passeio Alegre in the Foz de Douro district.

There were few people out along the oceanfront, the occasional runner and serious walker and a handful of tourists like us. We soon reached a point that was cordoned off undoubtedly due to the high winds and waves, the latter making quite an impression on us. And of course Portugal is still in the midst of a severe coastal warning as I write.

very nice promenade close to where the Douro empties into the ocean

looking back upriver you can see the tram at its terminus on the left in the distance

the open ocean

not many folks out and about

WCs in the park -- a handy feature

the barriers preventing access to the beach

Next to the barriers at a point where we couldn't walk on any farther was this seemingly empty and abandoned building.

The sign above the entryway reads Camara Municipal do Porto which translates as City Council of Porto.

But if you search online for that phrase you get this building: my how things have changed.

Our next objective for today was the Serralves Foundation Contemporary Art Museum and Park. The museum held little interest for us but the park sounded very nice. From the ocean front it was a bit of a hike and all uphill so we took an Uber which dropped us off right outside the main entrance.

Once we walked onto the grounds we were all struck by the very angular and cold architecture of the buildings.

the freestanding gift shop at the park entrance (left)

to the museum entrance

And inside we were equally struck by the open and empty spaces, also angular and rather cold.

interior second floor (1st floor European)

But first things first and that meant lunch. We walked upstairs to the museum restaurant which had a nice view of the park below. It had just opened for service and we were the first to arrive. The layout was simple: an open buffet for a set price and then drinks. Period. The spread had a very nice look to it and the food was delicious.

After lunch we bought tickets to the outdoor sculpture park, deciding to skip the museum inside. Here we were reminded of the Meijer sculpture gardens in Grand Rapids.

beginning of the walk around the park

Plantoir by Oldenburg and Van Bruggen

Plantoir and The Curious Vortex

The Curious Vortex by Olafur Eliasson

Unfortunately the powder puff pink Art Deco villa was closed for renovations.

The Teahouse and Tennis court, closed for the season apparently

Near the Teahouse I met Gil and his Harris Hawk named Tawny. The park hires a company to bring their hawks to discourage the seagulls. Gil told me that Tawny was in training at the moment but had great prospects. Anyway, the company he works for has seven hawks and perform their service all over the city.

A few minutes walk on and up a flight of series of stair cases found us admiring the views of the lower levels of the park - creative, imaginative and very informative with the occasional signage talking about the trees, the birds etc.

Soon we found ourselves strolling on the treetop walk.

From the treetop walk we made our way back to the entrance and ordered an Uber which returned us to the trolley terminus just in time for the next one (they run about every 20-30 minutes) heading back into the city.

Leaving the trolley we walked up to the nearby River Market. A gorgeous 19th century red metal structure, it once held an indoor market for the locals. As we soon discovered it is now a venue for casual drinks, music and the occasional artisans market which was then underway. We all thought the space a bit disappointing compared to the markets we have seen in Italy and France where they are well utilized for food, meats, produce, household goods, clothing etc.

There is a nice view of the small park that is home to a superb statue commemorating Prince Henry the Navigator.

Market building

Looking down to the statue and the river

inside the market hall

rather empty today

We walked back down the hill to the trolley stop to meet up with an Uber back to the hotel. It was time for a bit of rest and relaxation before dinner.

The four of us met back in the hotel lobby about 6:30 and walked across the street and down a half block hoping to find Monteen, our dinner venue for the evening. We found it easily but . . . it was dark and temporarily closed. Not wishing to continue strolling around looking for a place to eat we returned to the hotel for a lovely last evening meal together.

The food was delicious but, as always, it was the conversation that was both lively and warm. We didn't say our goodbyes just yet though. We will meet one last time for breakfast Thursday morning before we head for the bus station and Lisbon. Richard and Pauline will spend one more day in Porto before they fly home to England on Friday and we fly home to the US.

Day 10 in Portugal

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Soper) — Wed, 04 Feb 2026 01:00:00 +0000

Tuesday 3 February

Today is Richard's birthday! And one couldn't hope to spend such a day of celebration in a better place than Portugal. But then that's me and I'm here. And frankly the weather notwithstanding we are enjoying ourselves immensely.

After breakfast at the hotel we walked downhill making our way to Santa Catarina street -- the pedestrianized area we experienced our first night here. Our goal this morning was to see the Majestic Cafe -- and so we did. Glorious, old and weathered, not unlike Porto itself I suppose. Still, for a brief moment one felt thrown back to a time where life moved at a different pace, although you wouldn't know it from how fast the wait staff moved delivering coffees and pastries.

Santa Catarina street

Once outside the cafe we ordered an Uber for the next and major objective of the day: one of Porto's acclaimed Port lodges. In our case it was to be Graham's lodge.

views from near Graham's restaurant

We hadn't booked a tour and the next one in English would require us to wait for some three hours so we opted to do just the tasting.

One is faced with a dizzying array of tasting choices of ports as well as prices for flights. We opted for a tasting of Graham's 2018 Late Bottled Vintage Port (a Ruby port), a Graham's 1997 Single Harvest Tawny, and Graham's Quinta des Malvedos Vintage, all paired with chocolate, cheese and pasteis de nata (custard tarts).

Our guide was thorough, knowledgeable and very informative. The wines and the the accoutrements were, needless to say, excellent (but I said it anyway).

The tasting room runs along the backside of the lodge and connects with both the shop and the lodge restaurant, all with views of the city.

Vinum is the lodge restaurant and following our tasting we opted to stay here for lunch. Which, as things turned out, proved to be a very smart move. The food was superb and reasonably priced; the staff helpful and very professional. In the summer it must be wonderful to sit out on their terrace and sip port while watching the city in the distance. For us today we, like everyone else, opted to remain inside where it was warm and dry.

Below are a few views from the restuarant.

They brought a scrumptious little amuse bouche of codfish salad with a pequita pepper on top.

the bread was their own sourdough with olive oil from the company's groves

I had a fish and seafood soup that was absolutely incredible with tiny shrimps, pieces of grilled monkfish and mussels all in a luscious fish stock. Richard, the birthday boy, had roast beef with mustard, Susan had wild mushrooms with rice (also very rich), and Pauline had a variety of croquettes (very popular in Portugal) of mushroom, meat, and cheese.

Seafood soup

Richard's beef dish

Susan's wild mushroom rice dish

I ordered a glass of 30 year tawny port which we all tasted.

4.5 liter bottle of 30-year-old Tawny Port -- no we didn't drink it all

The restaurant offered a nice plate of chocolate truffles for Richard's birthday - a wonderful pairing with the port!

We took an Uber back to the hotel and planned to meet up at 6:30 in the lobby to head out for dinner.

That evening we returned to Antunes for another delightful meal.

Steve's Portuguese steak with onions and potatoes

Richard's sirloin steak

Pauline's grilled salmon

Susan's pork loin with roasted potatoes

Richard had cheesecake for dessert!

Tomorrow it's a trolley out to the Atlantic Oceam.

Day 9 in Portugal

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Soper) — Tue, 03 Feb 2026 01:00:00 +0000

Monday 2 February

After breakfast at the hotel the four of us grabbed our coats and umbrellas and headed off to the Trindade. Our first objective for the day was to visit the Casa Musica, an event facility that Pauline's friend Graça recommended. Located in the Boavista neighborhood just west and a bit north of our hotel, it is apparently one of the more well-known stand-alone music halls in Portugal, perhaps in Europe.

Designed by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas and opened in 2005, we thought the building looked a bit tired outside and inside. We had hoped to go to the top floor for the view but the restaurant wouldn't open for another couple of hours. And we didn't feel like paying to look at the auditorium -- for my money the place was oddly laid out and a bit East German in the overall feel. Of course, I never visited East Germany during the hot days of the cold war but it seemed like something they might have put together.

There was a cafe inside but nothing of note to even photograph. Oh well. C'est la vie.

We left the building and our mixed feelings behind us and walked across to the enormous Rotunda (roundabout) de Boavista. The roundabout was home to a park that was in the serious throes of rehabilitation. What had caught our eye when leaving the Metro and walking to the Casa Musica was the enormous column and statue group around the base. It certainly deserved a closer look.

This memorial commemorates the victory of the Portuguese and the British against the French troops that invaded Portugal during the Peninsular War (1807–1814). The lion at the very top is shown destroying the eagle that represented the French imperial troops.

Around the base are sculptures of soldiers and civilians, the latter representing the 4000 people of Porto who died in the Porto Boat Bridge disaster of 29 March 1809 when the Ponte das Barcas pontoon bridge they were crossing to flee from Napoleon's troops collapsed.

From the roundabout we took an Uber to the Porto Cathedral. Rain continued to haunt us wherever we went and crossing the windswept terrace in front of the cathedral entrance was daunting. But we managed to get inside the ticket office where we queued up behind a half dozen or so other folks seeking shelter as well as a determination to buy tickets. The woman selling them announced in no uncertain terms that if we wanted to see the Bishop's Palace next door (we did), we needed to go there now because her "colleagues" were soon leaving for lunch.

leaving the Uber

Below are a few views from the cathedrals' terrace - a lot of Porto looks like this.

And here's the terrace:

The palace itself was an interesting maze of rooms generally well-signed in both English and Portuguese. I kept wondering to myself what do one or two people need with all this space? What do they actually do there/did there? Sadly, no one was around to answer my questions. But some of the art work was very nice and the views from the windows quite stunning.

camellias in bloom

Looking down to and across the Douro River

Leaving the palace and braving the windy rain we returned to the church and strolled inside. The tile work here, like so many other churches we have visited in Portugal, is truly lovely and often quite striking.

The cloisters

One of the side chapels off the cloisters

three recent bishops are buried here

Below are a number of images from inside and out to help give you a sense of the place - more than one can even begin to describe.

João Gordo (died 1833), a knight has his own tomb in a small room off from the cloisters

From the church we made our way down a serious series of flights of stairs in search of a place for lunch. We ended up eating off the bar menu in the Pestana Vintage Hotel.

checking out a tapas bar

open space facing the waterfront

One of the six bridges crossing the Douro

Richard had grilled sardines and three of us had the root vegetable salad with burrata. The food was outstanding and the green wine (vinho verde) equally so.

the bar

Leaving the hotel we started our crawl back uphill. But we didn't have far to go in search of our next objective the church of San Francisco.

across from the church this caught our eye

If you go to Porto this is one place you must see. The exterior of the building is drab and lifeless and doesn't even look like a church at all. But inside the church is fantastic. The interior is nearly all done in a baroque style with nearly everything covered in gold leaf.

entrance to the church is on the right up the stairs; left is to the church catacombs

The floor of the church is literally covered with what look like wooden doors with numbers on them. When I asked a guide what these were he said they were the empty tombs of the people once buried in the church. The bodies had been removed to the catacombs next door.

Leaving the church by the stairs we walked into the building next door that houses a small, equally stunning sanctuary and a few small rooms with various donated treasures such as two sedan chairs, paintings and the like.

But it's on the lower level that holds something fascinating, at least for me - although my companions were equally taken by the catacombs. Again, one can see the same numbered wooden slabs on the floor but also the walls are covered by niches which hold remains as well. There are several rooms at the end of which is also an ossuary of a large piles of bones beneath a small glass floor.

it was unclear to me who this coffin belonged to

individual ossuaries at the end of one room

Leaving the church we took an Uber back to the hotel where we rested before dinner. The vertical nature of this city does make one a bit weary to be sure.

Ready for dinner we thought we might eat in the hotel since the weather was rather nasty. But we soon learned that the hotel's restaurant was closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. I found the nearby restaurant Antunes on Google maps and asked at the desk if they knew anything about the place. The clerk laughed and said that's the one we always recommend to our clients.

So off we went to Antunes, and we couldn't have been happier with our choice. The atmosphere inside was warm and inviting, the place staffed by the most engaging of characters and our waiter was funny and really very skilled at his job. He was fully of witty banter and spoke several languages quite well.

We all had fish - Susan, Richard and Pauline had dorade with roasted potatoes and veggies. I enjoyed codfish with onions and what looked like potato chips ("crisps"). They were in fact homemade potato chips that were more like thinly sliced potato disks. For dessert I had a glass of port, Richard had a raboulada (like French toast), Pauline diced fruit cup, Susie crème brulée. Everything was delicious - so much so that we decided to return the next night -- but meat this time. Stay tuned!.

trust me there is a large piece of cod with onions and picked vegetables under those potatoes

Tomorrow we check out the Majestik Cafe and head off to a port lodge.

Day 8 in Portugal

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Soper) — Mon, 02 Feb 2026 01:00:00 +0000

Sunday 1 February

We began our first full day in Porto with breakfast at the hotel.

The four of us then got our act together and left the hotel for our first day's outing. Our objective today was the World of Wine (more about that shortly). Since it was across the river and we didn't fancy walking two or three miles in a constant state of being vertical we opted for the Metro. The nearest stop, Trindade was a short two block walk from our hotel and off we went. After a few minutes fussing with the ticket machine (tickets are only available from machines) and with the help of one of several staff helping lots of others figure out how the machines work, we set off on line D across the river.

I should say here that what we've seen of the Metro so far it seems newer and fresher than the one in Lisbon. And all the trains are in fact light rail trams. Very nice, quiet and smooth ride.

the train and platform on the left is a line to the airport

queueing up for tickets

on board the Metro

From the park overlooking Porto (the other side of the river is actually called Gaia) we began our walk in the rain downhill and through a tangle of streets in search of the World of Wine.

At long last we found the entrance to the World of Wine. Located in a complex of old port lodges the WOW consists of 7 different museums and some 11 restaurants and cafes although only 8 or so were open this time of year. The complex is also located next to both Taylor and Fonseca port lodges. (For more specifics about the WOW visit their website.)

inside the main entrance

The spaces were largely deserted as we made our way from the information and gift shop entrance upstairs to the main ticket counter (there are four) and spied a cafe on the same floor. We took a break to use the WC and have a coffee while we worked on how to approach this place. We four opted for a two-museum package and we chose the Planet Cork museum -- which was right next to the cafe -- and the Pink Palace experience, all about rosé wine.

coffee stop

cafe for coffee

Each museum requires a separate ticket which one scans to enter, much like how one enters the Lisbon Metro. Anyway, our first stop was the Planet Cork museum - and we were almost the only ones there.

The museum begins with a look at the cork tree and how it's harvested. We were genuinely amazed at the resilience of this incredible plant. The self-guided tour wends it way through the process of making cork stoppers where we also learned how many cork stoppers each of us weighed. Useless information you might say but fascinating nonetheless.

Susan's weight

and mine

listening to the various calls of birds who inhabit the cork forests

stacked cork demonstrating how it looks after harvesting and before production

bins of cork stoppers

The end of the museum had several rooms dedicated to how cork is used in so many other industries from material to build structures like playgrounds to fashion design. This sweater was made using cork thread.

Leaving Planet Cork we popped into one of several restaurants on this floor for lunch. The Root and Vine has a lovely terrace with stunning views of Porto but of course with the persistent rain we opted to sit inside. Still, the food was delicious. Three of us had salads while Pauline went for the avocado bagel.

Fueled up for the afternoon we bundled up against the wind and rain and walked the 100 yards or so to our next museum, the Pink Palace.

The entrance was located at the end of a large, dimly lit building that was virtually devoid of any other people. Not surprising, I suppose, given the time of year, but eerie still.

the entrance

And the fun begins! Because, frankly, this was one cool experience. Of course you learn how rosé is made and the tour focuses on the major countries that produce rosé beginning with France. One unique feature of this museum is that it includes five tastings of wines as we progress through the various exhibitions.

One thing about this museum that makes it so popular -- and there were a few other folks passing through -- is how really fun rosé is meant to be.

And of course there is the sparkling rosé exhibition that was a gas.

As we neared the end we passed through the California rosé exhibition. We still wonder how they got that car inside. . .

The museum concluded with the old west, which honestly I couldn't grasp how that connected to rosé. And there was no explanation aside from a whimsical look at how to make cocktails, such as in the use of gentian bitters.

We took an Uber from the WOW back to the hotel where we relaxed before dinner. The four of us agreed straightaway to have dinner in the hotel -- the weather being such a nuisance. The food was very good: Susan had a turkey club and the rest of us each had a burger, which interestingly enough had bacon and onion rings on it. Very scrumptious indeed!

Tomorrow we hope to tackle a couple of the sights along the Porto waterfront.

Day 7 Lisbon to Porto by Bus

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Soper) — Sun, 01 Feb 2026 01:00:00 +0000

Saturday 31 January.

Today presented our first serious challenge since arriving in Portugal.

Originally we were to take the high-speed train from Lisbon to Porto, a trip of a little less than three hours. We would then train back to Lisbon the day before our return to the US. In fact, I had purchased the tickets a month or so earlier since we needed seat reservations so we were all set. Or so we we thought.

But one can never know when the whims of the gods turn against us. There was a terrible storm that ravaged much of the central Portuguese coast the other night -- it had in fact kept us awake, the noise in the city was so powerful. Anyway, it cut a swath of destruction inland between Coimbra and Fatima. As a result all the trains running north through that area had been cancelled -- indefinitely it seems.

But we were totally unaware that the train lines were closed until we got to the Oriente train station in Lisbon. Our Uber sailed along through very little traffic and dropped us off with probably an hour or so before our train, which would prove to be a good thing.

While we were sitting waiting for our train to show up on the departure board we kept hearing announcements about Alfa trains being cancelled (the Alfa Pendular are the high-speed trains). I queued up at the ticket office -- there was no information booth -- and learned that yes indeed our train was cancelled. What can we do? I asked. The ticket agent said take the bus and proceeded to refund our tickets then and there.

We took our bags walked out of the terminal and over to the nearby bus ticket office where we were able to get tickets to Porto on a bus leaving at 10 am, just a few minutes before our train would've left. And the trip took about 3 hours 20 minutes, which was only about 20 or 30 minutes longer than the train!

The bus dropped us off at the Porto Campanha train station and we took a taxi to the hotel where we soon met up with Richard and Pauline. Their flight had been a bit delayed so they arrived just a short while after we checked in.

Porto Campanha train station (upper level)

After settling in we met later for an aperitif before heading out in the drizzle in search of a place to eat. We strolled downhill along Santa Catarina street -- a well-known pedestrianized part of the city -- and after ruling out a few places popped into the Restaurante Salmao. Richard and I had the Francesina and Susan and Pauline had grilled codfish with potatoes.

The Francesina or "little french girl" is a Portuguese take on the croque madame but instead of the traditional sandwich with a thin layer of ham, cheese and an egg on top, this includes ham, pork slice, sausage, topped by egg and Swiss cheese - all smothered in a tomato-like sauce.

Francesina - quite a plateful!

After dinner we took an Uber back to the hotel and closed the book on our first night in Porto!

Day 6 in Lisbon out and about with a local

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Soper) — Sat, 31 Jan 2026 01:00:00 +0000

Friday 30 January

Another leisurely morning in Lisbon and our last full day in Portugal's capital will be spent seeing the city with a local. Richard and Pauline connected us up with their friend Graça who, after many years in England, returned to her home in Lisbon a few years ago. We arranged to meet her at the nearby Hotel de Chiado (Shee-ah-do) for coffee and a pastel de nata - and the city views from the rooftop cafe.

We left the apartment at little before 11 am and walked the two or three minutes to the hotel where Graça was waiting for us in the lobby. We had a few minutes to chat there before the rooftop restaurant opened which gave us an opportunity to reintroduce ourselves. (We had met Graça at Richard and Pauline's home in West Hampstead many years ago.)

After getting caught up a bit the three of us took the elevator to the top floor where we savored incredible views of the city before sitting and enjoyed a coffee and pastry.

After enjoying the cafe and sweets we took a taxi to another hotel, the Macam located a bit west of the city center.

But this hotel had a unique twist: originally a school for children, today besides being a five-star hotel it is also a museum with several galleries of modern and contemporary art.

Graça and Susan in front of two Untitled pieces by José de Almada de Negreiros

detail

detail of Seascape by João Vaz

gallery 1

We especially enjoyed the works in Gallery 1, such as:

Muted Music by Amadeo de Souza-Cardosa

The Crockery Man by Eduardo Viana

After spending a little time in one of the galleries it was of course time for lunch. The museum/hotel had a lovely little cafe overlooking an interior garden. Susan and I each had a delicious chicken salad and Graça had a hamburger.

Untitled (White Deer) by Miguel Branco

the poinsettas -- live! -- were still in place from last Christmas

After a leisurely lunch we took a taxi -- they are so inexpensive in Lisbon as are the Ubers -- toward the Belem district. Home to some of the city's important monuments and museums, it is located along the waterfront and includes the Jeronimos monastery which we had visited early in our stay.

We had hoped to spend more time in this part of the city -- I especially wanted to see the Monument to the Discoveries -- when we visited the monastery, but it was pouring rain that day and we opted to head back to our apartment instead. Today was very sunny but windy and Graça wanted us to see the Cultural Center which was just across the street from the Monument, our first stop.

Monument to the Discoveries

There is an observation deck at the top of the monument which can be accessed by an elevator. It was so terribly windy we opted to skip that however.

Prince Henry the Navigator in the lead

In the open space in front of the monument is a large map showing the places and years of discoveries by the Portuguese.

From the monument it was a very short walk across the street to the massive Cultural Center of Belem. Home to numerous cultural events it also houses a museum of modern art as well as a bookshop and cafe, which we made use of. We also enjoyed the garden overlooking the Monument and riverfront.

my favorite navigatrix

The Thumb by César Baldichini - a huge copy is in La Defense in Paris

cafe

a machine to rent a power bank to charge your phone

After coffee in the bookshop we headed off across a lovely park to the taxi stand across from the monastery.

The taxi dropped us in the Campo Ourique, Graça's neighborhood where she showed us around a lovely little park and past several shops selling sweet treats.

Az de Comer shop

just one of many examples of local architecture from Art Deco to modern

At the Mantegaria shop we could watch one of the staff filling the tins for pastel de nata, so many tins!

It was just a few steps to the entrance to Graça's building and we were soon comfortably ensconced in her living room. After an aperitif we removed to the dining room for a delicious light supper of egg salad, meat croquettes, chicken pie, and greens.

We chatted a while after dinner but there was no mistaking the reality - we had to get back to the apartment and pack up for our train to Porto the next morning.

Graça kindly walked us to the taxi stand just around the corner from her apartment and along the park where we said goodnight and promised to give her regards to Richard and Pauline on Saturday.

The taxi ride was short but circuitous, like the city of course, and before long we were back home. It didn't take Susie long to pack us up and ready ourselves for our departure to Porto Saturday morning.

Day 5 in Lisbon

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Soper) — Fri, 30 Jan 2026 10:29:00 +0000

Thursday 29 January

What better place to visit on a rainy day in Lisbon but the Aquarium. Located in the former grounds of the 1998 Expo up river from the historic city center, the Oceanário de Lisboa is a must-see. How cool is it? Well here's a hint. . .

I have to back up a few days to our dinner last Monday evening. The couple across from us, Chris and his wife Rebecca, were talking about the Mola mola fish, and that the Lisbon aquarium had one and they hoped to see it before leaving. Well, we were quite taken with the idea of visiting the Aquarium ourselves and the more I looked into it the better it sounded.

So, off we went. Taking the Green Line from our Metro stop to the Red Line at Alameda and getting off at Oriente train station (we'll be back here on Saturday morning to catch our train to Porto).

the interior of our station

Quite a few Metro stations have some incredibly original tile artwork on permanent display. These two are from the Alameda station.

Oriente train station

We walked out of the station through the enormous Vasco da Gama mall, and exited just short of the river.

a rainy glimpse of the neighborhood

We then walked the 10- or 15-minutes to the Aquarium (also known as the Oceanarium).

the building sits at the edge of an old seaplane basin - note the entrance ramp

the ramp with occasional notes about the One Ocean

The key point made at the Aquarium is that there are not several oceans but in fact only One Ocean. The building is laid out with each of the four oceans (One) at a corner of the large central tank to show in vivid detail how they are all connected. Fascinating. I should also point out that this point is made in very moving terms by a lovely video by Maya de Almeida Araújo we saw at the end of our visit.

Anyway here are just a few (very) short clips to give you a sense of the wonders inside the building. These are followed by a collection of random photos as well. I must say that we were intrigued by the number of adults who were just sitting here and there watching the fish. And we both admitted how indeed it is mesmerizing. . .

Penguins at work and play.

common murre

puffin

penguin playground

penguins!

sea anemones and starfish

the tropical rain forest

Mola mola

sea anemone

one very ugly fish

Leaving the Aquarium we strolled along the basin and close to the river back to the Mall.

view of the basin looking back in the direction of the Mall

the King of Lynxes -- all made out of old plastic and metal garbage

Once inside we headed to the upstairs food court and found a place to sit and enjoy a glass of wonderful Belgian ale.

It was then back to the Metro and home. That evening we returned to Koppu for dinner. We shared a plate of Gyoza dumplings and Susan had Yakitori with rice and I had shaved beef over steamed rice, washed down with a lovely Portuguese white wine. We ended the meal with ice cream; I had Caramel-miso and a scoop of Black Sesame and Susie had the Black Sesame along with a scoop of Matcha. Delicious!

Tomorrow we meet up with Graça, a friend of Richard and Pauline's. She has an itinerary planned to show us her neighborhood in Lisbon and some of the sights in the western part of the city. Stay tuned!

Day 4 in Lisbon

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Soper) — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 01:00:00 +0000

Wednesday 28 January

Well, today began rather ominously. I received a text the night before from a local agency regarding high winds alert particularly along the coast, with gusts up to 140 km per hour. Thinking little about it we went to bed having successfully deceived ourselves about the potential situation. But then about 0330 we were awakened by a fluctuating noise that reminded us of heavy trucks passing directly beneath our window -- but soon learned that due to the incredibly high winds metal was grating against metal on the roof (we surmised) and the sound was coming down our stovetop vent!

Unable to sleep and wondering what the hell was going on we lay awake for the better part of an hour or so. It did help to close the doors to our bedroom but at long last the wind was overtaken by rain and both eventually dropped off completely.

And thus we slept in. No matter, since we had nothing pressing in the morning -- an approach we have carefully developed over our years of traveling.

Anyway, after an extremely leisurely morning of coffee and light breakfast we left the apartment about 1 pm. We walked the 10 minutes or so to Susie's baking class at Nat'elier de Pastel del Nata.

After leaving Susie I strolled a bit around the Baixa neighborhood before making my way to the nearest wineshop where I found the staff to be completely devoid of any interest in helping their customers. Anyway, I picked up a small bottle of Madeira for digestif later and headed home.

this one is dedicated to Patricia's Chocolates

This stranger simply walked up and stood there, ready to be photographed! No idea who he is.

a shop selling Spanish ham and meat products

the wineshop

wandering the streets

the Santa Justa elevator

Since the terrible funicular accident a couple of months back all the elevators and funiculars in the city -- and there are several important people-movers in Lisbon -- have been shut down until the authorities have figured out what happened.

Since we had scheduled a Tuk Tuk tour for 4 pm I headed back to meet Susie at her class which wrapped up about 3:30. There were only three people in the class, a young woman from Japan, a fellow from Germany and Susan. I'm going to let her talk in greater detail about the class but, suffice it to say here, she had loads of fun, met some nice folk and learned a thing or two in the bargain.

normally Susan doesn't wear a hair net

the end results!

From the Nat'elier we walked down to near the Praça Comercio where we met up with Felipe our tour guide for the next 90 minutes or so.

While the Tuk Tuks are indeed touristy they are a wonderful way to see a part of the city that is pretty much all vertical and comprised of tiny streets that twist and turn every which way. Our guide took us to a couple of wonderful vantage points where we could get a superb glimpse of different parts of the city. And Felipe was quite the character - lively, engaging and funny. Plus his knowledge of Lisbon and especially of the Alfama district, the oldest part of the city, was exhaustive. His driving skills were simply remarkable.

There are lots of photos following most without captions but presented here as a reminder when we talk about this trip in later years of what this old part of the city has to offer.

Our first notable stop was the church of Saint Anthony (Sao Antonio) the patron saint of Lisbon. Felipe informed us that this is known as the marriage church. Each year on the anniversary of this saint's birth on June 12 there is a large celebration in the city and 12 marriages take place simultaneously right here. Must be something to see. . .

Saint George castle

The 25 April bridge in the distance (once named for dictator Antonio Salazar); fashioned after San Francisco's Golden Gate.

Our guide pointed out that while most lovers throw away the key to declare their love forever, some Portuguese men hedge their bets and use combination locks.

First observation point in the Graça district

Lisbon's Pantheon

mural done in hand-painted tiles by a French artist

Just an example of the state of many of the streets

stopping at our second observation point in the Alfama district

overlooking the river Tejos/Tagus

Surely a great place to hang out on a sunny day (sadly, not this time)

A number of old (and newer) trolleys still provide transportation around the city

a view of part of the Alfama neighborhood

monument to Saint Vincent

After leaving Felipe we walked the short few blocks back to our apartment and changed clothes before heading out to dinner. From the apartment we walked up to the Metro, bought a pair of 24-hour passes and then hopped on the green line to the next (and last) stop at Cais de Sodre. We walked across the street in the rain to the Time Out Market, formerly known as the Mercado da Ribiera, a lively place full of food stalls and food vendors.

But we were headed upstairs to Pap'Acorda, a restaurant that came highly recommended by our hosts and by several trip guides as well.

Our host had warned us that many restaurants in Lisbon will automatically bring bread and olives to the table right after you sit down. These are not free and if you eat any of it you will be charged -- it's a nominal sum and in the case of our restaurant they made it very clear on the menu what the charge is. We were hungry and the bread looked good (it was) so we dived in. Plus I had the olives all to myself.

We started out with shrimp in garlic and oil, and Susie had the codfish rice (a featured special) and I had grilled codfish with potatoes and Savoy cabbage. The service was wonderful, the food very good and the Portuguese wine delicious (a petit verdot grape chosen by the restaurant wine guy). I hesitate to call him a sommelier which sounds a bit fancy than it should, but he was very knowledgeable and helped choose the right wine for the cod.

shrimp, olives and bread

grilled cod

codfish and rice

After dinner we had a small glass of a late harvest riesling grown and produced in the mountains of Portugal. Also very good.

Fully sated we left the market -- which was still hopping -- and walked back to the Metro and the short ride home.

Oh, one last thing: my dad would've turned 116 today. Thanks for everything Pop!

Tomorrow its laundry day in the morning and hopefully a trip out to the Oceanarium.

Day 3 in Lisbon

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Soper) — Wed, 28 Jan 2026 01:00:00 +0000

Tuesday 27 January

A little orientation to where we are and where you might be if you ever come to Lisbon.

The city center is broken up into (and I'm going to simplify here so bear with me) four neighborhoods running from east to west: Alfama, Baixa, Chiado and Bairro Alto, the first two generally fronting the river. Our apartment is located in the Baixa. Anyway, they are all easily walkable aside from being somewhat hilly (Baixa is the exception). Still, getting around to many of the most prominent attractions is easy and public transport readily accessible.

We had originally scheduled a day trip tour to Sintra and the coast but with the persistent rain and a coastal warning for Portugal we decided to cancel that excursion. Instead we opted to visit the Jeronimos Monastery. Plus we'd be inside.

photo Wikimedia

While entry to the church is free of course, to visit the cloister requires timed tickets and these are only available online. But by using the official monastery website instead of a third-party guarantees access to the senior pricing (half off thank you very much).

Our timed tickets were entry at 10:30 and since the monastery is located in the Belem district west of the city center, the tram would take about 30 minutes. So our morning was semi-leisurely. We scooted out of the apartment a little before 9 am and quickly made our way to the Praça Comercio where we found the no. 15 tram waiting for us.

The tram dropped us off right on time and no rain (yet). We queued to get into the cloister but realized that we were in the wrong queue (for the church only) and with our timed tickets we learned from a security guard that we could go right in. And so we did.

We had no sooner gotten inside than it commenced to pour the proverbial cats and dogs. And I don't mean the kind of rain that lightly passes on but holds tight and becomes a deluge. But we were inside walking the marble and stone halls that for centuries had been the haunts of serious clerics.

no queue at the moment

the visit begins on the upper level

praying is the penance for using your phone too much

how many monks walked down these stairs

and up

ground level

tomb of Alexandre Herculano (1810-1877), poet and historian

tomb of Fernand Pessoa (1888-1935), poet

the refectory was full of biblical stories told in tile

feeding the 5,000

From the cloister we walked inside the church. Large, imposing and generally sterile in appearance it didn't help that there was quite a bit of restoration work underway as well. But we did get to pay our respects to one of Portugal's greatest poets and a man who literally put Portugal on the map.

tomb of Luis Camões (1524-1580), poet

As we left the church we said adeus to the great Portuguese explorer Vasco de Gama (1469-1524).

Upon leaving the church we were hoping to walk across the street to the large park fronting the river. This area is quite a popular destination with several museums and a lovely stroll along the river. Plus I wanted us to see the enormous Monument to the Discoveries, celebrating de Gama, Prince Henry the Navigator, Pedro Cabral and Magellan, which reportedly has a superb observation deck at its top. But the weather turned on us once again, cold rain, and so much wind and a general unpleasantness forced us to reconsider.

So we hurried over to the tram stop and took the no. 15 back to the Praça Comercio. From there we walked home to dry out.

After relaxing for just a short while -- we're prone to do that now -- we set off up our street the two blocks to the Armazens de Chiado shopping center. Located above the Metro stop the center consists of six floors at the top of which was a food court. We had an idea to find a bite to eat there but we found nothing to appeal to us. Since we were now near the top of the Bairro Alto (the "high neighborhood") we thought we'd stroll and look for a place for lunch.

We soon found a place to settle in: Benard's Tea House. The place has been around since 1868 and seemed very popular with the locals. We thought the food was fairly pedestrian, but the wine cold and after-dinner coffee delicious as was the pasteis del nata. We were also impressed with a sign noting that (a) everything was made fresh every day and (b) all leftover food was given to charity each evening.

Susie had the quiche of the day

I had an omelet

There's still more to come about these luscious little custard tarts. . . stay tuned! We strolled home and relaxed the rest of the afternoon until supper.

A little before 7pm we left our apartment and walked 10 feet to the Crossroad Asia Fusion Bistro. Located next door to our building it has to be one of the smallest restaurants in Lisbon with maybe six two-top tables plus a couple of seats at the bar. A quick aside - when we returned from our dinner last evening we had noticed that it was packed at 10 pm. Anyway, the food sounded good - as indeed it was.

I cannot emphasize enough how truly SMALL this place is. And staff seemed to consist of one or maybe two women working the kitchen and a man handling the front of the house. The service was very friendly and all the tables were full but one - ours. Sitting cheek-by-jowl is not for everyone but one does get a sense of intimacy without speaking which is a bit odd but also fascinating. While noodle bowls seemed to be the bulk of their menu we each had a rice-based dish washed down by the house red wine. We enjoyed it all very much and the price was right as well.

Minced beef, potato, egg over rice

stir fried veggies and rice

Tomorrow is Susan's baking class and we have scheduled a Tuk Tuk tour of the Alfama neighborhood for later in the afternoon.

Day 2 in Lisbon

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Soper) — Tue, 27 Jan 2026 01:00:00 +0000

Monday 26 January

A leisurely morning at home sipping coffee and have a light breakfast of bread and cheese. We eventually roused ourselves and made our way the three blocks or so to the Praça Comercio and around the Lisbon waterfront.

From there we walked under the Arch up rua do Augusta to rua do Santa Justa then past the non-functioning elevator to the Nespresso store to stock up on some pods for our morning coffee. We headed down to the Baixa-Chiado Metro stop to get our 24-hour Metro tickets and then home to collect our wits.

It's great that our AirBnB is very centrally located so its easy to be in and out as needed, particularly with the uncertain weather patterns.

rua do Augusta

Metro entrance off our street

We soon headed back out to explore more of our neighborhood, walking the 2 minutes back to the Metro, taking the Blue Line to Restaurdores. We had hoped to take the funicular up to the Bairro Alto but it was temporarily closed. So we strolled down to the Rossio train station (local lines to Sintra, etc.) and soaked in the various wonders of local architecture.

example of a mural of tiles typically found in Metro stations

praça dos Restauradores

Rossio train station

And where else but in Lisbon can you find a shop dedicated to selling just tinned Sardines!

Along the way we stopped in at a lovely shop selling all sorts of sweets and snacks and picked up some caramelized pistachios, a bag of Marcona almonds, a few chocolates, and jellied fruits (think Chuckles candy but way better).

lovely selection of caramelized nuts and various sweet treats

caramelization process

We then made our way to the Nat'elier de Nata to savor their Pastes de Nata, the local favorite sweet treat - basically a puff pastry custard filled tart. Susie had a traditional while I thoroughly enjoyed a Pistachio and Dubai chocolate version; all washed down with coffee for me and hot chocolate for the Tarte herself.

Susie plans to return to this very same location Wednesday for her class in making these lovely bits of Portuguese cuisine while I hope to make my way out to the Prazeres cemetery.

Leaving the pastry shop we walked a block over to get on the no. 12 trolley, hoping to ride it around the city to do some simple sightseeing. We waited and waited - no No. 12 - and eventually found ourselves getting aboard the no. 15 tram for reasons that continue to confound both of us. We rode the tram for a short ways before alighting at the Praça Comércio and walked back to our apartment.

But aha! Just short of our building we noted a trolley stop for both the no. 28 and 12 so we thought what the heck we'll wait for the 12 here. The no. 28 came, stopped and moved on, soon followed by the no. 12 which just whizzed right on by leaving several of us (clearly) tourists dumbfounded. We threw in the towel for the day and went home.

We relaxed at home before heading out for dinner at our pre-arranged Air BnB experience.

About 6:30 pm we left the apartment and walked up to the Metro. We took the Green Line to Anjos and walked a block-and-a-half to our venue for dinner, the Ambiente Hostel at Avenida Almirante Reis 86. The elevator wasn't cooperating so we hiked up three flights to the Hostel spaces where we were met by our host Mateus.

The eight other guests were already seated and we were soon in the thick of everyone sharing their travel experiences so far -- the woman sitting next to Susan was heading back home to Houston, having delayed her return a day or two due to the weather. The woman across from her was Australian, traveling solo, and the couple across from Susan and myself were from Seattle -- we soon learned this was a special trip for the two of them. They wanted a bit of an adventure before she delivers her first child in a couple of months.

The dinner went well. The food was lovely, portions perfect and the wines (a red and white) very nice. But it was the round of conversations that truly made it special: shared concerns of course, but jokes too, all within an atmosphere of total strangers getting to know one another in a mere two-and-a-half hours! It was a wonderful evening. Period.

homemade corn bread with infused butter and Portuguese cheese for starter

roasted chestnut cream soup

codfish and potatoes

marinated pork tenderloin on a bed of puréed corn

rice pudding

A little before 10 pm we all said adeus and each headed off their own separate ways. One of the other guests, the woman from Australia, joined us on our rainy walk to the Metro. Upon reaching the entrance to the Green Line we discovered it had closed at 9:30 pm! A quick question for folks walking by us confirmed that the next entrance a block or so away was open. And so it was. The three us rode until our stop when we said goodbye to a new friend.

Our Air BnB experiences have all been very positive and this trip was no exception. Tomorrow it's supposed to continue to rain, and we have timed tickets for the cloister at the Jeronimos Monastery.

Departure and arrival

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Soper) — Mon, 26 Jan 2026 09:19:00 +0000

Saturday-Sunday 24-25 January

Saturday morning dawned clear and cold. And I mean damn cold. It was -17 F when the alarm went off at 7 am. And we still have tons of snow that seems little inclined to leave anytime soon. By the time we left for the airport at 11 am it had warmed up to 10 F.

We were mostly packed up Friday night thanks to the queen of the packing cubes Susie, AKA the French Tarte. So our morning was leisurely with breakfast and coffee before showering and finishing the last minute routine for traveling. The coffee pot was cleaned, the refrigerator empty of everything but a few condiments, staples and French Tarte ingredients.

getting our carry ons ready

Our neighbor Don T. picked us at 11 am for the short drive to Gerald R. Ford airport. There was no queue at the United desk and after we checked in both ourselves and our bags we walked right through security. No queue there either. After a stop at Starbucks we made our way to the gate to await our 1:33 pm flight to Newark.

A couple of curious things we noted while we waited -- one was a fellow wearing an ID badge (employee or volunteer?) with a service dog walking around the departure gates in Concourse A asking everyone if they wanted to pet the dog. That seemed to be his sole job. Another badged fellow of retirement age, walking around asking people how they were doing, where they were from and where they were going, etc. I guess the idea is to lay out the welcome mat for people on their way somewhere . . .

view of Kent County

inflight snack

landing at Newark a nation of containers

The flight to Newark took less than two hours gate-to-gate and although we seemed to circle forever around the greater New Jersey area we did eventually land. I am pleased to say that for the very first time in all my years of flying I was the very last person off a plane. No matter, since we had over four hours before our flight to Lisbon.

We made our way the length of Terminal C to our next gate. We were both hungry so we opted to stop and grab a glass of wine and share a sandwich as we bided our time.

Not to go on about such things but two glasses of wine and a turkey club were more than we would normally think to spend at a basic bistro. But we were in an airport in a big city where price gouging is de rigueur. It prompted us to fondly recall our time in Spain back in 2023 where food costs were so so reasonable and it makes us look forward to Portugal even more!

Our flight left Newark about 40 minutes late -- apparently the 1st officer originally scheduled called in sick and there was a scramble to find a replacement. The plane was full and the journey largely uneventful, the exception being -- wait for it -- the absolutely atrocious food served in the cattle car portion of the aircraft. Inedible. I should think the airlines would just scratch serving food altogether, but they have a certain image to maintain, even if that image has been a butt of cliche jokes for years.

Anyway, we landed in Lisbon about 20 minutes later than originally scheduled and breezed through passport control. Before leaving the airport we had at least two objectives: finding an ATM and getting coffee while we waited to get to our apartment. While threading our way through the glitz and glamour of Lisbon airport shopping mall we stopped for a coffee at a pastry/coffee place called, oddly enough, Versailles. After lounging for a bit off we went in search of an ATM.

We couldn't find a bank ATM (Santander was our goal) so we decided to bite the bullet and take cash out of a Euronet machine (where the conversion rate wasn't too bad), then off we went in search of our bags. We found them easily at the end of multiple carousels all lined up in a huge hall. Many bags had already been retrieved - ours looked rather forlorn.

I connected with our host Laura to set up a good time to drop our bags off while we waited for the apartment to be cleaned and then arranged for an Uber for pickup. Two things about Uber/Bolt in Lisbon: one a 40 minute-ride into the city cost us with tip $18.00, and second the ride share at the airport was well signed and turned out to be quite an operation. I should point out we were warned not to use the taxis from the airport because they were significantly more expensive.

the door to our building on the left and the entrance to where we ate lunch on the right

We were given the code to get into the building where we waited just 20 minutes or so for our host to meet up with us and let us into the apartment. After a quick tour of the space and the various features we said adeus and popped next door to grab a bite of lunch.

Cotidion is a lovely little eatery with a funky vibe, cool staff and populated by lots of young folks speaking a variety of languages. The place styles itself as a brunch club so the food focused a lot on breakfast-like foods. Susie had eggs on toast and I had these wonderful mini-chicken burgers. All washed down with fresh-squeezed OJ. Delicious.

After lunch we strolled a bit in our neighborhood and killed some more time at a hotel cafe for coffee before getting into the apartment. Once we received the message that our rooms were ready, back we went. By now both of us felt like old hands getting into the building.

Our place is on the 4th floor and there are two large elevators to whisk us upwards with ease.

across from our building, this space seems totally empty

down our street, rua do Crucifixo

I stretched out on the sofa for a quick nap while Susan unpacked and got us settled in.

Somewhat refreshed we grabbed an umbrella and headed off in search of a grocery store. A 10-minute walk in the pouring rain -- broken up by stopping once to shelter in a doorway, we found Pingo Douce, a chain of grocery stores here in Portugal. After loading up on a few necessities it was back home in a light drizzle. The day was slipping away from us and we felt tired and hungry. We found a Ramen bar just a block up from our apartment where we enjoyed a scrumptious bowl of katsudon (breaded chicken with rice and egg), washed down with an Asahi beer. (Note: Asahi is a Japanese beer now owned by Peroni and brewed in Italy. Go figure).

It was a short walk back home -- and we were amazed to see how many folks were out on a Sunday evening. Back in the apartment we showered and hit the sheets for a much-deserved night's rest.

Tomorrow it's off to explore more of the neighborhood, find the nearest Tourist Information office and enjoy being in Lisbon. Oh, and we have our scheduled dinner to look forward to Monday evening - yeah!

Off to Portugal next month

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Soper) — Fri, 26 Dec 2025 13:02:00 +0000

Winter has struck here in west Michigan making one yearn for sunnier climes. So I guess it was a good idea to plan a trip to Portugal in late January!

The long and short of it is we fly United Airlines from Grand Rapids via Newark (long layover) to Lisbon.

We will spend five nights in Lisbon at an Air BnB, and plan at least one day to get out to Sintra. We will then take the train to Porto and meet up with friends Richard and Pauline who will be flying in from the greater London area.

After five nights in a hotel close to the Douro River Susie and I will train back to Lisbon and stay in a hotel for our last night before flying home (another long layover). Richard and Pauline will spend one last night in Porto before flying back to the UK.

That's pretty much it.

Happy birthday Tunis

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Soper) — Wed, 24 Dec 2025 13:34:00 +0000

Tunis VandenBerg, 1921-1999. Husband, father, grandfather, navigator on B-24s during WW2, a small town physician who was part of the Greatest Generation. . . Photo taken c. 1944.

Happy 104th birthday, Tune!

Association for Gravestone Studies Conference 2026

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Soper) — Sat, 13 Dec 2025 13:47:00 +0000

The Association for Gravestone Studies will hold its annual conference in June of 2026 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. You can find out more on their website:

https://www.gravestonestudies.org/conferences/2026-conference

Paris 2025 summary

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Soper) — Sun, 07 Dec 2025 13:39:00 +0000

Transportation. Except for trips from and back to the airport (taxi and Uber respectively) we used public transportation. remember that Uber is always going to be less expensive than a taxi. We noticed several of the Metro lines had newer cars and there were a few more escalators than we remember and an occasional elevator. But still lots of steps and connections in some of the larger transfer stations required quite a bit of walking.

The buses we took were clean, reliable, and seemed fairly up-to-date and were often the better choice than the Metro. Just depends on your itinerary. Anyway, we found it pleasant to travel around the city above ground once in awhile.

Using the transportation ticketing system is easy. For the casual traveler you'll use tickets (acquired via one of the Metro apps). If you've come to Paris a number of times over the years you might have acquired a physical Navigo Pass -- which apparently can also be accessed on your phone as well, although if I'm not mistaken it seems you have an IDF Mobilités account. Anyway, the Navigo will give you access to Metro, RER, bus and trams within central Paris. If you use the Bonjour app and just download tickets (singly or in multiples) be aware they will not work on the bus, odd as it may seem.

And the Metro apps also provide you with handy maps for the various lines so pretty much everything you need to get around Paris can be right on your phone.

Accommodation. Whether you opt for a hotel or apartment, location, as they say, is everything. Plan to stay close to transportation hubs, close to say two different Metro stops would be ideal, which isn't terribly difficult in the city. There will always be a bus stop close by.

Since most services are taken care of in a hotel there is little need to prepare food or do the laundry. If you opt for an apartment, and if your stay is say longer than a week, then things like availability of a washing machine, oven, cooktop, kitchen accessories, will require a bit more thought.

Our particular Air BnB apartment has issues right from the get-go. More of that right here.

Communication. We relied on on iPhones throughout our travels. I used a data eSim from Airolo which I've used in the past and it works great. I paid $6.00 for 2gb/two weeks in France and it was more than enough for our needs. Otherwise I used WhatsApp to communicate with our host as well as a friend. Texting and phone cals remained with our USA carrier as usual and I believe Xfinity no longer charges for those while abroad.

Food. Wonderful food experiences as noted in my blog. And our neighborhood next door to major indoor and outdoor food markets was, for us, food central.

Attractions. Noted in my daily postings. I will say that for us just walking, strolling striding, whatever you want to call it, is one of our favorite things to do when traveling. Just being a flâneur! Cheap and easy way to see wherever you're staying and this is certainly true of Paris, an eminently walkable city.

That said, we did see the "new" Notre Dame de Paris -- it was a smart move to get timed tickets online, to be sure, but once inside it was wall-to-wall people, Gorgeous, true, but the humanity! Visiting the cemetery of Père-Lachaise is always near the top of our list. We did go to the Musée d'Orsay to see the John Singer Sargent exhibition and a stop at the Petit Palais is always worth the time to see whatever exhibition is going on there.

market on rue d'Aligri - and we did eat that particular head of broccoli

Apartment in Paris 2025

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Soper) — Sun, 07 Dec 2025 13:36:00 +0000

We stayed in the apartment for 9 nights in late September of 2025.

First and foremost you couldn't ask for a better neighborhood. Place d'Aligre includes one of the city's largest outdoor markets and an indoor market as well (both open 6 days a week). There are many eateries and food shops as well.

To be more specific, running alongside the apartment building where we stayed is rue de Cotte, which covers barely three blocks from rue Charenton to rue Faubourg de Saint-Antoine. It might not look impressive, but just along one of those blocks you can find Lebanese, Thai, Vietnamese, Argentinian, Italian and a Michelen-starred restaurant all cheek-by-jowl with one another. Running parallel with rue de Cotte is rue d'Aligre, home to the eponymous market in the mornings and a plethora of food businesses.

You're just a couple of blocks from the promenade plantée (Coulée vert René-Dumont) and close to Metro stop 8 and bus no. 86.

The noise late at night can be a bit of a nuisance, and there is the occasional early morning ruckus with the opening of the markets but otherwise it's a pretty quiet place.

However, we encountered several issues with the apartment. The entrance to the building is by a side door because the key fob currently does not work on the front door. And speaking of keys, the host did not know the codes to get into the building — if the fob wouldn’t work that might be an issue.The elevator worked fine.

The main problems were inside the apartment.

The oven did not work, which the host acknowledged when we checked in. The kitchen faucet drips constantly at its base (even when not turned on) and most steadily when the water is running. Again, the host acknowledged the issue but had not gotten around to fixing it. One of the sliding doors to the very small corner shower was off the track, which made showering a tad more challenging than it would have been otherwise.

The host warned us that the toaster might burn the toast if we didn't pay attention. Thankfully it did not.

Of a perhaps lesser concern, but rather important for those staying a week or more and planning to cook, several key items were lacking in the kitchen: no cutting board, nothing remotely approaching a good knife, no pot holders and only one rather thin rag of a towel. There were two aprons.

The bedroom had plenty of storage, the bed was comfortable and the pillows just fine. Bedside lamps worked fine. Both rooms had the ever-present outside metal shutters that worked fine with the remote controls. Curtains in the bedroom were thin and in the living room they didn't span the entire window area.

As noted in the bathroom there was an issue with the shower door on a sliding track, other wise the shower was functional The toilet worked and there was ample storage for various toiletries for the traveler.

The view from the 6th (7th) floor overlooking the Place and the wider neighborhood is quite dramatic to be sure.

One deficiency was the absence of any instructions (where garbage was to be taken, what to do with recycles, what to do with the key when checking out, etc.), emergency numbers, or even a list of recommended places to eat, wine shops, grocery stores nearby, etc. These are all pretty standard with the places we've stayed at in the past. Even just one page is usually sufficient.

It should be noted that the heat is controlled by the building and according to our host they do not turn the heat on until October.

Would we recommend staying in this particular apartment? At this point, we would have to say no. If the host/owner fixes the faucet, oven and shower slider, we would give it a tentative thumbs up. But be prepared to improvise when it comes to cooking. Ask yourself, how would Julia Child deal with it?

Bernice Audrey Vanden Berg

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Soper) — Sat, 15 Nov 2025 14:00:00 +0000

Today was THE DAY my mother-in-law died in 2024.

3448 Eagle Ridge Court, GR, MI, 2015

Her family gathered to celebrate her life on December 7. The weather, always an uncertainty in winter in Michigan, saw fit to cooperate for travelers coming from both sides of the country to honor and celebrate the memory of my mother-in-law, Bernice Vanden Berg.

Bernie's memorial service was held at 1pm at Beckwith Hills CRC, preceded by visitation at noon and followed by social time with coffee and sweet treats compliments of the French Tarte and the ladies at Beckwith Hills church.

Here is a link to the memorial service. Please note that the service itself does not begin until 30 minutes into the taping. Photos of the service and social hours courtesy of Dick Van Halsema.

At noon family and friends gathered in the lounge of the church to visit and catch up with one another.

The service was conducted by Laurie Ten Have-Chapman. Besides being an ordained minister, Laurie also happened to be one of Bern's nieces and knew what a truly wonderful person she was and most likely still is. Laurie was ably assisted by Stan Sturing, interim pastor at Beckwith Hills.

Granddaughter Rachel Engels read a beautiful essay of loving remembrances of Bern while several other grandchildren read bible passages that Bern had expressly asked to be included in her service. In fact, Bern had meticulously planned her service years in advance and it was simply a matter of following her direction.

granddaughter Melissa Parker

grandson Jonathan Bergman

Pastor Stan Sturing

granddaughter Rachel Engels

Pastor Laurie

granddaughter Mallory Shane

nephew Garrett Ten Have-Chapman

. . . and his beautiful voice

Following the service old friends, church friends and family met together to swap stories of days long gone, of memories of Bern and growing up in Fremont, MI, all the while enjoying sweet treats:

son-in-law Avery Caldwell and daughter-in-law Dorothy Vanden Berg

grandchildren Ben Schaap and Christina MacDonald

Mallory Shane and her mother, Bern's daughter Mary Battjes

granddaughter Melissa Parker and daughter Joyce Caldwell

grandchildren and siblings Rachel Engels and Jonathan Bergman

Christina, Ben, and Joyce (Christina's mother and Ben's aunt)

far left: niece Brenda Friedman and Mary Battjes

granddaughter Naomi Bergman, Dorothy Vanden Berg, nephews Scott Galloway and Clark Van Halsema

niece Mieke Van Halsema (center)

One very special moment occurred when the former Fremonters (Fremont, MI) came together for a once-in-a-lifetime photo.

These "kids" lived in the same neighborhood, played together, schooled together, and basically grew up together. Those defining years have held them together no matter how distant they might have become geographically. They shared each other's homes and parents, now all gone; parents who were good and true friends and, if the stories handed down to me are in any way accurate, the very best of neighbors.

the Fremont contingent

John Deur, Garth Deur, Ruth (Okkema) Bratt, Jonell (Deur) Pettinga, Joyce (VandenBerg) Caldwell, Ross Pettinga, and Susie VandenBerg

Fred Pettinga and Joyce Caldwell

the grandchildren: Mallory Shane, Christina MacDonald, Melissa Parker, Rachel Engels, Ben Schaap and Jonathan Bergman

After the social hour and everyone dispersed, the family came over to our condo for a short visit, which entailed more story swapping of course.

A little after 5pm the family returned to the church for pizza supper (from Licari's).

photo compliments of Carl Bergman

A grand day celebrating the life of a truly wonderful woman. . .