Autumn Years Spring 2023

O nce the decision was made, Sean and I researched Por tugal to see how to make the most of our ten-day visit. Our first stop before taking off was meeting up with friends Pedro Pereira and wife Machteld Hillen who reside in Allendale and have a lovely apartment on the Atlantic coast in Figueira da Foz. We met at their home for a traditional Portuguese breakfast one

Sunday morning and mapped out places to see. As we were getting excited about the plans, Pedro asked if we would be in terested in attending his sister’s wedding since it overlapped with our time there. With our hearty reply yes , Pedro texted his sister Julie who lives in Portugal and within moments an enthusiastic reply led to our being guests at her wedding.

While only having ten days traveling (including flights), we worked our time line around the wedding celebration to see and experience as much as possible. We decided to start in Lisbon, aka Lisboa, and made it our home base for the front part of our visit. When looking for places to stay, one of the requirements was to stay in the heart of the city for an easy walk everywhere as well as access to transportation. Upon arrival at our ho tel, we agreed to set out to explore the city by foot, taking note of restaurants, cafes, tourist centers and banks. We put on our comfortable walking shoes, which are essential since many of the cobblestone roads led to other winding, uphill roads.

Ruins da Igreja do Carmo, Lisben, a gothic church built between 1389 and 1423 and destroyed in the 1775 earthquake.

32 AUTUMN YEARS I WINTER 2022/23