Autumn Years Spring 2023

Some of the delicious meals we enjoyed.

tains and more that date back to the ninth century. On our final day we left Figueira da Foz and at tempted to visit Sintra, one of the most well-known tourist attractions in Por tugal. As we approached the city by car, the narrow congested streets were filled with people (both

With only a few days left in our trip, we en trusted our time with Pedro and Machteld who took us to a few places that held an incredible amount of history. In one day we visited the city of Coimbra and Conim briga. To say this day was packed full of sights is an

On to Figueira da Foz! O

ur adventure in Lisbon on foot ended once we checked out of the hotel and rented a car that

would take us to the town of Figueira da Foz, a two hour ride north. This part of our trip was now with our Allendale friends and their family. We stayed at the Eurostar hotel, which is an oval shape building without corners. Our room was on the 18th floor, and we had a pan oramic view of the city and the ocean. The wedding was not unlike that of a traditional American wedding in a Catholic church. Pedro gave away the bride and his family was part of the wed ding party. The reception (Vila Verde) was a twelve hour extravaganza that in cluded dancing, endless Portuguese sea food and drinks throughout the night, ending with fireworks.

Pedro Pereira and Machteld Hillen, our friends and tour guides.

locals and tourists), cars and tour buses, which made it nearly impossible to reach our destination and have an adequate amount of time to fully enjoy beautiful Sintra. We made the call to circle back to our last hotel stop by the airport and promised to come back another time, with Sintra being our first stop. Our trip to Portugal was a success. The people are friendly, the food and wines are delicious, the sights are not only historic but also well preserved. A country rich with history, culture, cu linary delights and art, Sean and I are already excited to plan our next trip to this glorious country.

understatement. We walked the steep streets of Coimbra, toured The Old Ca thedral of Coimbra, Se Velha and The University. Conimbriga was a short drive from Coimbra and an unexpected treat. Conimbriga is one of the largest Roman settlements excavated in Por tugal. I could have spent an entire day looking at layers of Roman architecture structures, columns, bathhouses, foun

Newlyweds Julie and Marco Castro with their family.

48 AUTUMN YEARS I SPRING 2023