Happy Easter to everyone!!
Lots and Lots of love,
Jenny & Greg
xxxx
Friday, 6 April 2007
THE BEAUTIFUL PORTUGAL
Porto
Day 35, 36 (Good Friday)
Portugal is just simply GORGEOUS!!!!!!!
The people, the scenery, the food, the everything....oh! Itºs bliss here!!
We had a bad start when we got dumped off at the bus stop at 7.30pm last night and didnºt know where to go or what accomodation we might get but it all turned out really well!
We found a map at a bus station nearby (after trudging up the hill for about 2 kmºs and then back again - packs on back!) and asked a guy if he could help us, which, in English, he said he couldnºt because he wasnºt quite sure where we were himself!
But he spoke English!
We looked at the 4 star hotel and thought, well this might be where we stay for hte night while we work out what is available in this little known place. We did some more searching and found a hotel that was 2 star. And it was close to where we were. So uphill we trudged, and thatºs what it felt like. The last few days was catching up with us at this point!
When we found it, it was a four star hotel and the price was €200 per night!!!!
Should we catch a taxi and head for another hotel? The Peninsular was apparently a 2 star.
No. We asked. WHen stuck, ask. A good motto we found out!
THe lovely lady behind the desk said in perfect English, ªThis is not the real price! We have 3 hotels, a 4 star, a 3 star, a 2 star!ª We asked about the 2 star, always aware of our budget and knowing if we overspent in one country, weºd be deprived in another. And we really wanted to stretch our dollars out for the year of travelling. As you would!
`Howºs €32 a night sound?`
Howºd it sound. Perfect to us! And for 37 Euros it included a buffet breakfast for us both! We were actually quite staggered by that price. It was only 2 Euros more than the backpacker hostal in Spain and this was a hotel with CNN and BBC!!! (iºve missed the news so much!)
We got ourselves settled and decided to stay 3 nights! Thereºs also a bidet in the room! (first one weºve encountered in Europe!).
We saw on CNN how 15 British Military Service Personal released from Iran. 4 killed in Basra. Contrasting joyous and sad news items.
And Gregºs checking emails on the puter next to me and said Mumºs car was stolen from the pool!!! Bloody hell....
Off to Lisbon next! Will write from there!
xx
PS GO DOCKERS!!!!!!
Day 35, 36 (Good Friday)
Portugal is just simply GORGEOUS!!!!!!!
The people, the scenery, the food, the everything....oh! Itºs bliss here!!
We had a bad start when we got dumped off at the bus stop at 7.30pm last night and didnºt know where to go or what accomodation we might get but it all turned out really well!
We found a map at a bus station nearby (after trudging up the hill for about 2 kmºs and then back again - packs on back!) and asked a guy if he could help us, which, in English, he said he couldnºt because he wasnºt quite sure where we were himself!
But he spoke English!
We looked at the 4 star hotel and thought, well this might be where we stay for hte night while we work out what is available in this little known place. We did some more searching and found a hotel that was 2 star. And it was close to where we were. So uphill we trudged, and thatºs what it felt like. The last few days was catching up with us at this point!
When we found it, it was a four star hotel and the price was €200 per night!!!!
Should we catch a taxi and head for another hotel? The Peninsular was apparently a 2 star.
No. We asked. WHen stuck, ask. A good motto we found out!
THe lovely lady behind the desk said in perfect English, ªThis is not the real price! We have 3 hotels, a 4 star, a 3 star, a 2 star!ª We asked about the 2 star, always aware of our budget and knowing if we overspent in one country, weºd be deprived in another. And we really wanted to stretch our dollars out for the year of travelling. As you would!
`Howºs €32 a night sound?`
Howºd it sound. Perfect to us! And for 37 Euros it included a buffet breakfast for us both! We were actually quite staggered by that price. It was only 2 Euros more than the backpacker hostal in Spain and this was a hotel with CNN and BBC!!! (iºve missed the news so much!)
We got ourselves settled and decided to stay 3 nights! Thereºs also a bidet in the room! (first one weºve encountered in Europe!).
We saw on CNN how 15 British Military Service Personal released from Iran. 4 killed in Basra. Contrasting joyous and sad news items.
And Gregºs checking emails on the puter next to me and said Mumºs car was stolen from the pool!!! Bloody hell....
Off to Lisbon next! Will write from there!
xx
PS GO DOCKERS!!!!!!
VIGO - PORTO, PORTUGAL
Tuela, Porto
Day 34
Left Santiago de Compestela at 10am and headed to the train station.
Off to Vigo on the train. Vigo is a little port. Pretty, but the help was unbelievable. We were trying to get a map to decide whether to stay or not and the woman just said, ºspeaka no english!ª I mean, this was the woman at the Tourist Centre. Just got the feeling we should be heading to Portugal as soon as we could. The hostility was just getting to me.
From Vigo, we decided weºd go to Porto, in Portugal or at least see if we could get there! The unfriendly woman in Vigo told us we had to go to the bus station to get there, so off we went...backpacks on board, and walked 3kmºs to the bus station!
We were lucky enough to get tickets to Porto!
And the journey there was SO pretty. Lots of houses in the country, with no fences dividing them, and lots of vineyards and just so green and pretty. I could feel myself thawing already. Out of the city. And near water. Isnºt it funny, when youºre not around water for a while you start to crave it. And i was certainly craving it....river, ocean, creek...i dinºt care...just something!
AND PORTO WAS IT! FINALLY IN PORTUGAL!
The blissful place we were destined to be for Easter.
About Porto!
The metro is above ground because itºs built on solid rock. It has a fantasic bridge which looks like the Sydney harbour bridge! The first sight we saw when entering porto the bridge.
Itºs a port town, that produces Porto wine. We went on a history of Port Wine tour and went on some port wine tastings as well. One of them was the Callem wine. So interesting to see the process in action. They produce 3 types of port - Ruby, Tawny and white port wine.
We also went to the Sandeman Porto wine tour as well which had a video explaining the process further. Apparently the fermentation process is halted and brandy is added to kill the yeast and retain the sugar which all porto wine has at 20% and it makes it sweeter. Very nice!
Porto also has washing hanging out of all the windows making it quite a landmark. We took a pic of this nude woman outside one of the villas...which, hey..we might reproduce on our balcony when we get back!!! haha!
NB Shower went full pelt here! We canºt win i tell you...regarding the showers!! Flooded bathroom!
Day 34
Left Santiago de Compestela at 10am and headed to the train station.
Off to Vigo on the train. Vigo is a little port. Pretty, but the help was unbelievable. We were trying to get a map to decide whether to stay or not and the woman just said, ºspeaka no english!ª I mean, this was the woman at the Tourist Centre. Just got the feeling we should be heading to Portugal as soon as we could. The hostility was just getting to me.
From Vigo, we decided weºd go to Porto, in Portugal or at least see if we could get there! The unfriendly woman in Vigo told us we had to go to the bus station to get there, so off we went...backpacks on board, and walked 3kmºs to the bus station!
We were lucky enough to get tickets to Porto!
And the journey there was SO pretty. Lots of houses in the country, with no fences dividing them, and lots of vineyards and just so green and pretty. I could feel myself thawing already. Out of the city. And near water. Isnºt it funny, when youºre not around water for a while you start to crave it. And i was certainly craving it....river, ocean, creek...i dinºt care...just something!
AND PORTO WAS IT! FINALLY IN PORTUGAL!
The blissful place we were destined to be for Easter.
About Porto!
The metro is above ground because itºs built on solid rock. It has a fantasic bridge which looks like the Sydney harbour bridge! The first sight we saw when entering porto the bridge.
Itºs a port town, that produces Porto wine. We went on a history of Port Wine tour and went on some port wine tastings as well. One of them was the Callem wine. So interesting to see the process in action. They produce 3 types of port - Ruby, Tawny and white port wine.
We also went to the Sandeman Porto wine tour as well which had a video explaining the process further. Apparently the fermentation process is halted and brandy is added to kill the yeast and retain the sugar which all porto wine has at 20% and it makes it sweeter. Very nice!
Porto also has washing hanging out of all the windows making it quite a landmark. We took a pic of this nude woman outside one of the villas...which, hey..we might reproduce on our balcony when we get back!!! haha!
NB Shower went full pelt here! We canºt win i tell you...regarding the showers!! Flooded bathroom!
SANTIAGO de COMPESTELA
Santiago de Compestela
GALACIA, Spain
Mafer Hostal
Day 33
We caught the train last night thinking we were going to have an overnight sleeper, but when we got onto the carriage we realised we were going to have a 9 hour journey sitting up! We got lost in translation there! At least we were stocked up with foot and a bottle of wine for the journey! Spanish wine is to die for! Vino Tinto - Rioja is the one weºre finding weºre really enjoying...
The one thing we were really thrilled about was the fact that, yes, we got to see AVILA! After missing it 3 times and deciding we werenºt meant to see it..we DID! How cool is that!
(By the way, i canºt seem to find the apostrophe on these euro keyboards so bear with me!)
Avila had the wall we were dying to see....a fortress like castle wall that surrounded the old town. And there was a smaller wall surrounding the newer town. Anyway, that satisfied our desire to see Avila and we were able to continue our journey feeling like weºd actually seen all we wanted to see from Madrid afterall!
We arrived in the morning - at 7.30am in Santiago de Compestela and quickly put our luggage in the luggage locker at the train station so we could explore the town and find accomodation. But first, we sat down to breakfast at the train station. Gee, i tell ya, weºve had a lot of meals at train and bus stations!!!!
We walked about 2kmºs into the centre from the train station and found a hostal. 30 Euro for the night! Which we thought was pretty good!
We walked back to the train station and loaded ourselves up with our packs and walked back to our accomodation! THEN we walked 53 spiralling steps up to our room! Phew! Weºre getting fit! (And eating heaps to compensate so donºt think weºre fading away..NOT!)
We dumped our stuff and decided to explore. Why we werenºt totally exhausted after our night on the train i donºt know..but we were just so entranced by this beautiful city we had to get out and see what it had offer. And we were not disappointed. We knew we wanted to see the Cathedral, the palace and the museum. Are we getting addicted to all this history? I think so, I love it!! It feels so cultural, so real, so entrenched in tradition, i well up in tears just thinking about it. Honestly, there seems to such a spirituality to these architectural marvels.
We bought a €10 to enter the museum, which included entry to the other places in Santiago de Compestela.
The cathedral was awe inspiring. The beauty and grandeur were just stunning. When we first entered we expected a cathedral. One like weºve seen previously in Spain, which have been just stunning in architecture and history and art. But this one, was just beyond words.
How to describe it. Well, apart from the extreme reverance of the place the word i can only think of is bewildering.
At the entrance there was a statue which i assume, not being a catholic and not knowing much about catechism, was Jesus and the hand of God. There was a place to put your hands and a place to kiss his head. I followed the masses and got a photo but iºm sure it wonºt be until later that iºll realise the relevance of all of this.
The thing that touched us was there was a service in progression and i assume, being the first day of passover, it had something to do with that. But it was amazing! ANd the singing...was just so beautiful.
I loved being in the cathedral. We stayed and listened to the whole service and in the end, followed the masses as we do, and ended up at this shrine that said Horatio and we went in to find there was someone in there blessing people and another head to kiss which i didnºt and Greg did. He saved the day, doing the customery thing! I think his training at Wesley heled him know what to do!? (Even tho thatºs Methodist)
One thing i did understand was the apostle James was very revered in this church. His remains were buried here in the first century AD and rediscovered in 813.
My knowledge of the Bible from studying it for 10 years when i was baptised into the Church of Christ in 1985 has certainly helped my understanding of the church! And i think, from the time I left the church i have also gained a far greater understanding of other religions and cultures, because iºm not locked into one.
If thereºs one place to be for the Holy week, it has to right here, at Santiago de Compestela. The pure worship is just outstanding. During the night we heard the singing come alive again. And it was the procession going through the streets. Greg said they looked like the Ku Klux Clan!!! Because our hostel was right in the centre of town, we could see everything - the buses stopped, the people following the procession, the noise! Very exciting.
This is the place where the catholics come as pilgrims. The pilgrimages are 750km long and pilgrims do all or part of it. It´s amazing, they are here with all their backpacks on from all over the world. We wondered at first why there were so many backpackers, that looked like us, on the roads here in the city. Then we were told they were doing their annual, or lifetime, pilgrimage. A bit like when Rob and Guity, as Bahai´s went to Haifa I imagine. Quite a personal and spiritual experience.
Went to the Museo Peregrino which was a modern place where they show photos of all the pilgrims that visit Santiago de Compestela. They thought WE were pilgrims from AUstralia and let us in free! ANd honestly, in a way we felt like it, being that we seemed to be the only ones there. The map of all the pilgrims was interesting. Pilgrims had been there from all over the world, except Australia and New Zealand!
Do they know what Aussies and Kiwiºs are? The forgotten ones...........
Even the weather doesnºt show our end of the world. Itºs so weird.
Tomorrow weºre off to Vigo.
GALACIA, Spain
Mafer Hostal
Day 33
We caught the train last night thinking we were going to have an overnight sleeper, but when we got onto the carriage we realised we were going to have a 9 hour journey sitting up! We got lost in translation there! At least we were stocked up with foot and a bottle of wine for the journey! Spanish wine is to die for! Vino Tinto - Rioja is the one weºre finding weºre really enjoying...
The one thing we were really thrilled about was the fact that, yes, we got to see AVILA! After missing it 3 times and deciding we werenºt meant to see it..we DID! How cool is that!
(By the way, i canºt seem to find the apostrophe on these euro keyboards so bear with me!)
Avila had the wall we were dying to see....a fortress like castle wall that surrounded the old town. And there was a smaller wall surrounding the newer town. Anyway, that satisfied our desire to see Avila and we were able to continue our journey feeling like weºd actually seen all we wanted to see from Madrid afterall!
We arrived in the morning - at 7.30am in Santiago de Compestela and quickly put our luggage in the luggage locker at the train station so we could explore the town and find accomodation. But first, we sat down to breakfast at the train station. Gee, i tell ya, weºve had a lot of meals at train and bus stations!!!!
We walked about 2kmºs into the centre from the train station and found a hostal. 30 Euro for the night! Which we thought was pretty good!
We walked back to the train station and loaded ourselves up with our packs and walked back to our accomodation! THEN we walked 53 spiralling steps up to our room! Phew! Weºre getting fit! (And eating heaps to compensate so donºt think weºre fading away..NOT!)
We dumped our stuff and decided to explore. Why we werenºt totally exhausted after our night on the train i donºt know..but we were just so entranced by this beautiful city we had to get out and see what it had offer. And we were not disappointed. We knew we wanted to see the Cathedral, the palace and the museum. Are we getting addicted to all this history? I think so, I love it!! It feels so cultural, so real, so entrenched in tradition, i well up in tears just thinking about it. Honestly, there seems to such a spirituality to these architectural marvels.
We bought a €10 to enter the museum, which included entry to the other places in Santiago de Compestela.
The cathedral was awe inspiring. The beauty and grandeur were just stunning. When we first entered we expected a cathedral. One like weºve seen previously in Spain, which have been just stunning in architecture and history and art. But this one, was just beyond words.
How to describe it. Well, apart from the extreme reverance of the place the word i can only think of is bewildering.
At the entrance there was a statue which i assume, not being a catholic and not knowing much about catechism, was Jesus and the hand of God. There was a place to put your hands and a place to kiss his head. I followed the masses and got a photo but iºm sure it wonºt be until later that iºll realise the relevance of all of this.
The thing that touched us was there was a service in progression and i assume, being the first day of passover, it had something to do with that. But it was amazing! ANd the singing...was just so beautiful.
I loved being in the cathedral. We stayed and listened to the whole service and in the end, followed the masses as we do, and ended up at this shrine that said Horatio and we went in to find there was someone in there blessing people and another head to kiss which i didnºt and Greg did. He saved the day, doing the customery thing! I think his training at Wesley heled him know what to do!? (Even tho thatºs Methodist)
One thing i did understand was the apostle James was very revered in this church. His remains were buried here in the first century AD and rediscovered in 813.
My knowledge of the Bible from studying it for 10 years when i was baptised into the Church of Christ in 1985 has certainly helped my understanding of the church! And i think, from the time I left the church i have also gained a far greater understanding of other religions and cultures, because iºm not locked into one.
If thereºs one place to be for the Holy week, it has to right here, at Santiago de Compestela. The pure worship is just outstanding. During the night we heard the singing come alive again. And it was the procession going through the streets. Greg said they looked like the Ku Klux Clan!!! Because our hostel was right in the centre of town, we could see everything - the buses stopped, the people following the procession, the noise! Very exciting.
This is the place where the catholics come as pilgrims. The pilgrimages are 750km long and pilgrims do all or part of it. It´s amazing, they are here with all their backpacks on from all over the world. We wondered at first why there were so many backpackers, that looked like us, on the roads here in the city. Then we were told they were doing their annual, or lifetime, pilgrimage. A bit like when Rob and Guity, as Bahai´s went to Haifa I imagine. Quite a personal and spiritual experience.
Went to the Museo Peregrino which was a modern place where they show photos of all the pilgrims that visit Santiago de Compestela. They thought WE were pilgrims from AUstralia and let us in free! ANd honestly, in a way we felt like it, being that we seemed to be the only ones there. The map of all the pilgrims was interesting. Pilgrims had been there from all over the world, except Australia and New Zealand!
Do they know what Aussies and Kiwiºs are? The forgotten ones...........
Even the weather doesnºt show our end of the world. Itºs so weird.
Tomorrow weºre off to Vigo.
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