CHAPTER 7. PORTUGAL CONT.

We drive thru pine forests that smell good, by rich farm land in valleys, some desert, vineyards, orchards, garden crops, and pretty villages to Lisbon and the Tivoli Hotel. We stay here and make day trips out for the rest of our initial stay in Portugal.

The first day trip starts at the Monastery of Jeronimos with its beautiful cloisters. Then on west along the Costa do Sol to Oeiras, Carcacavelos, Estoril, Cascais, and Guincho (the western most point of continental Europe). On thru beautiful hilly country, by nice beaches, and thru aromatic pine forests, as we go inland to Sintra and up a winding narrow road to the Palacio de Pena.

Pena is the last residence of the Royal Family. The palace has fantastic tiles outside and inside; beautiful furniture from India, Japan, Czechoslovakia, and Italy; and lovely gardens with camellias and fuchsias.

One day we take a taxi to the fine Gulbenkian Museum that we enjoy very much. There are 18th century furniture, and many artifacts from the Orient, Persia, and Egypt. We walk back to the Tivoli thru the pretty Eduardo Vll park.

Portugal is in the midst of political turmoil in 1975; there are graffiti everywhere; groups marching in formation with red flags; sound vehicles with red flags tossing out pamphlets that add to the litter in the streets. From the Tivoli none of this is visible as we look over Avenue Liberdade with its trees hiding bookstalls to the Castle of St. Jorge on a distant hill.

One day is spent in museums. The Coach Museum has fancy old royal coaches; a pleasant docent shows them and tells their history. The Ethnological Museum is quite interesting with artifacts from Roman and prehistoric times to the present. The Maritime Museum has fascinating models of Portugal’s larger old ships, actual smaller ancient ships, and maps of routes of Magellan, Cabral, & Vasco de Gama.

A trip across the Tagus on the long suspension bridge and south to Sesimbra and Setubal occupies a day. There is good farm land and pretty, colorful, & tiled buildings; mountains too, and nice views of the bay. We see a pretty harbor with fish (sole) being unloaded from a fishing boat; at a small restaurant we eat good sardines asadas we have read about; and we see many people on the beaches of the pretty and blue Atlantic.


The Castle of São Jorge has very pretty grounds, and great views over the city and the river. Lisbon reminds us a little of San Francisco, with its’ hills and views of the water.

Our flight home takes us via London, with an overnight stay at the Sheraton Heathrow. We take a bus into town and walk by Buckingham Palace, Westminister Abby, Houses of Parliament, and #10 Downing Street. We taxi to Grosvenor Square where Glenn’s office was during WW ll, and walk some more before riding on the top of the double deck shuttle bus back to the hotel.

The flight from London to Seattle is exceptionally clear most of the way, and with window seats we have beautiful views of Iceland, Greenland, and northern Canada. After customs we fly on to San Francisco, with a beautiful view of the city and bay as we descend. A short flight to Sacramento brings us home, exhausted, after being up for more than 24 hours.