2023 - Adventures in Portugal, Türkiye, Italy and France

Several days ago, I flew from Lisbon to Istanbul for the second leg of my trip.  This one involves a 9 day road trip with the Turkish guide I met last May when I toured Cappadocia.  Ata greeted me at the airport and I spent the first night at the And Otel in Istanbul.  This is a small boutique hotel very close to the Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque  There is a rooftop restaurant with views not only of those two famous landmarks but also of the Bosphorus.  We dined there that evening. When I was in Azeitao staying with my friends, I would sometimes wake up to the sound of birds.  Not here!  At 5:45, I was woken up to the very loud "call to prayer" coming from the speakers on the minaret at the Hagia Sophia and, given my room was on a corner facing that mosque, it was more than just a call to prayer; it was a shockingly loud wake-up call!  Here is some of it   By 9:30 the next morning, we were on the road.  As Istanbul has over 15 million peo...

Well, not quite but . . . .  One of the wonderful things about staying with friends when you're overseas is that you can tap into their expertise about things to do, sites to see, and places to eat.  That has certainly been the case these past 6 days while I have been in Azeitao.  I saw places I had never heard of that were stunningly beautiful, interesting and/or historic.  Many of them places I want to come back to. However, on my first trip to Portugal a few years ago, my friend and I stayed in Cascais on the recommendation of a friend.  I fell in love with the pretty seaside town, in spite of the fact the day we arrived was their annual triathlon and the traffic was horrendous and roads were closed everywhere.  In this case, the town did get a second change to make a first impression because once the crowds had dissipated, the roads reopened and the chaos quieted, we realized what a special place it was.  It helped our rooms at the Hotel Baia had b...

We contrasted our day in Lisbon yesterday by visiting a couple of smaller nearby towns/villages the following day.  It included driving to Cabo Espichel with its spectacular of the coastline. Our first stop was Azeitao, the village where my friends live.  It is quite small and not at all touristy.  Its main claim to fame are the two or three well known wineries here.  So, we wandered around checking out some of the "landmarks" - the entrance to the village, its famous grape fountain, the former communal laundry, the beautiful .  It didn't take long! The covered area is the laundry area I had considered taking the wine tour of the larger of the wineries the next day but, unfortunately, the venue was booked for a wedding so no tours were available.  Guess that provides me with yet another reason to return! From Azeitao, we headed out to the coast to visit the seaside resort of Sesimbra.  It was a lot more touristy with shops selling souvenirs, beach stuf...