June 5
Arrived in evening. Our driver was waiting for us at the airport & it took approximately 35 minutes to drive south to Sesimbra, a beautiful coastal town. We drove over the 25th of April Bridge ( named after the revolution that took place in 1974) which looks very similar in color and style to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. It was built in 1966 by the same builder as the Golden Gate. On the far bank there is a statue that seems very familiar. It is a copy of the giant Christ the Redeemer statue that is in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 
As we drove to Sesimbra, the geography is rolling hills with forests of many pine trees & even some eucalyptus... We also saw cork trees which are easily identifiable especially if they have recently been harvested. Portugal is the largest exporter of cork. Cork is the bark of the tree and is harvested approximately every nine years. After the bark is taken, the tree lives & regrows new bark. Cork is a beautiful tree and part of the oak family.
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| Nice view from our room's balcony |
June 6 Sesimbra
We are staying in Rm 408, on the upper floor of the hotel. The room has a small balcony with two chairs & a table and has a wonderful view of the beach across the small street.
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| The guys before their ride |
After breakfast at the hotel, a very nice buffet with hot foods which is included in the cost of our room, the two guys took off on a bike ride. Their first stop was the castle, a very steep climb up the mountain. They said the grade got up to a 20% climb on the way up. The ladies walked through the town and stopped to see the church which although very plain & un impressive from the outside, was very beautiful on the inside. After receiving a text from the guys, we walked down to the taxi stand & caught a taxi to the castle. The view was gorgeous & we especially enjoyed the inside of the church there whose walls were covered with the tiles which are famous, the blue and white tiles of Portugal which are called "azulejos". |
| The girls came by taxi! |
We took the taxi further to a more northern beach & met the guys there & after deciding our lunch options were poor there, we headed back to the hotel. After the guys returned, we met up later that afternoon at the 6th floor Terrace Bar for snacks & wine. The view is lovely from here & you can see the port. There is also a swimming pool here tho we didn't take advantage. The bartender was very nice & let us drink our own bottles of Portugese wine without charge.
(See my review of hotel at: http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g227946-d229318-r163277913-SANA_Sesimbra_Hotel-Sesimbra_Setubal_District_Central_Portugal.html )
We had made reservations at a cute little restaurant, Portofino which was about a ten minute walk from the hotel & located right on the beach. It had been recommended by our driver, Francisco & was owned by a relative, I think his brother. Our reservations were at 8 ( still early by Portugal standards). We were the only customers for much of the evening & as we noted throughout town & beach area, there is much preparation in anticipation of the summer tourist traffic which will begin soon. 
( See my restaurant review at: http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g227946-d2275317-r163276967-Portofino_Restaurante_e_Bar-Sesimbra_Setubal_District_Central_Portugal.html )
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| Flag of Portugal |
Friday, June 7- Sesimbra & Lisbon
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| Picturesque sidewalks |
Our hotel here, Tivoli Lisboa, is a spectacular 5 star hotel. This is where we are meeting up with the Viking River Cruise's people. Our room, # 742 is on the top floor and has a very nice view across the city all the way to the Tagus River.
After a quick session with the tour leaders, we went down to the hotel Brassiere for a small dinner, some appetizers & wine.
Saturday, June 8 - Lisbon
After a nice breakfast, we met up with our group on Bus C & our tour guide for Lisbon, Sandra. There are 40 people on our bus & there are three buses so I guess there are 120 on our tour, "Portugal's River of Gold" (the Douro River). This is a new tour for Viking this year & this is only the first month of operations.
The first part of our half day tour was driving past a few sights including the Parliament building & the president's home. We then drove down to the river Tagus and made our first stop at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the famous Tower of Belem. The tower was used as a lookout against invading forces when it was built many years ago. 
After a brief stop at the monument to explorers next to the river, we drove to the Jeronimos ( pronounced Geronimo) Monastery ( a Hieronymite monastery ). We didn't get to see the part which used to be the living quarters for the nearly 300 monks but we did get to see the cathedral and the cloisters. After our visit we had a bit of free time so we walked down the street past the famous Pasticeria do Belem( known for their custard pastries) and their giant line to another little coffee spot for some morning espresso. Though they also had the custard pastries, we resisted. We sat with another couple that are on our cruise & who are on bus B and are from Oxford, England. There are quite a few guests from the UK in this trip & also some from Canada.
The next stop after a very steep drive up a hill to the Bairro Alto (Old Town) was a walking tour through the very narrow & twisting streets of the Alfama. There was a lot of decorations being set up as this coming weekend is the Festival of St Anthony. Tho many people associate this saint with Italy ( where he died), he is greatly celebrated & honored in Portugal because this is where he was born.
We chose to be dropped off in a big square about a 1/2 mile from our hotel & grabbed a nice lunch at Pastelaria Casa Brasiliera. I had a delicious salad of fresh fruit, meats & cheeses. That along with some Vihno Tinto (red wine) & some melone & prociutto made for a very filling lunch.
After an interesting walk back to the hotel (some of it under an umbrella because it had started to rain), we rested up a bit in our room, met up for some wine with Darlene, Vivian, Donna & today's birthday boy, Bill.
We had spent some time researching restaurants and had found one that is a short 10 minute walk, with great TropAdvisor.com customer reviews, so we made reservations for 8pm (it was that or 9:45). The name is Solar dos Presuntos. We ate on the second floor. The place was very busy & obviously very popular & it didn't seem to be crowded with tourists... It seemed more of a nice place with many locals. The usual selection of very good appetizers were on the table awaiting us. Here as throughout Portugal, any bread, cheese, dips or other appetizers on the table when you sit down are there to be purchased. We generally have bought them because they have been outstanding & make the time before dinner arrives easier.
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| Ordering wine from an iPad |
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| Amazing Seafood Tower |
