Return to Spain 重回西班牙

July 22, 2024: Today, we say goodbye to Portugal and head back to Spain. Yesterday, we took a day trip outside of town, but we didn’t have enough time to properly explore Faro. Since we had some time this morning, we decided to start with breakfast in town, followed by a leisurely stroll around the small town, visiting a few historical sites in the old town.

As there’s no direct train from Faro, Portugal to Spain, we had to take a bus to our next destination, the historic city of Seville, Spain. While waiting for the bus, we squeezed in a quick lunch. The service was exceptional—the server even had the kitchen prepare the fish exactly to our liking. The two-hour bus ride was smooth and comfortable.

After a previous experience of being scammed by a taxi driver, we opted not to take a taxi upon arriving in Seville. Instead, we used Cabify, a ride-sharing service similar to Uber. The service was reasonably priced, very courteous, and even provided complimentary bottled water, which made us feel well taken care of. Cabify dropped us off at our hotel in the city center, and after checking in, we went out to explore the nearby streets.

Before coming to Spain, we had been wanting to try churros but hadn’t had the chance yet. We found a churro shop online right next to our hotel, so we headed straight there. We had never tasted churros this good before. They reminded us of Chinese fried dough sticks but were even tastier. The freshly fried churros, dipped in hot chocolate sauce and paired with a cup of coffee, were absolutely delightful. They were nothing like the churros we’ve had in the United States, making us wonder if those were perhaps the Mexican version.

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Just a short distance from our hotel is one of Seville’s major attractions—the Metropol Parasol (Setas de Seville). It’s a striking wooden structure with a viewing platform, touted as the largest wooden structure in the world. Unfortunately, our phones couldn’t capture the full view, no matter how hard we tried.

In the evening, we treated ourselves to a hearty dinner at a tapas bar. While the dishes were enjoyable, they didn’t quite impress us as much as we had anticipated. Perhaps we’ve indulged in tapas a bit too often lately, and it’s beginning to lose its novelty.

2024年7月22日: 今天我们要和葡萄牙说再见，重新回到西班牙。昨天去镇外一日游，法鲁（Faro)小镇还没时间好好看过。趁早上还有些时间，先在镇上吃个早餐，然后悠闲地在小镇上走了一圈，在老城区参观了几个历史遗迹。由于葡萄牙法鲁这里的火车不通西班牙，我们只能乘坐巴士前往我们的下一站，西班牙历史古城塞维利亚（Seville)。等巴士的时候赶紧再吃个午餐，服务员的态度真好，特别让厨房按我们的要求做了鱼。二个多小时的大巴旅程既平稳又舒适。

因为之前有过被出租车司机诈骗的经历，到达塞维利亚后，我们没有再选择出租车，而是选择使用Cabify。这是一个类似于Uber的共享乘车服务。这个服务价格合理，态度非常好，还免费提供瓶装水，这让我们感到很贴心。Cabify把我们送到在市中心的酒店，办完入住手续后，我们便去周边的街区探路。

来西班牙之前就说要吃churro，但一直没机会吃。在网上查到我们酒店旁边有一家专卖churro的店铺，我们就直接去到那里。从来没有吃到过这么好吃的churro, 味道就像中国的油条，但比油条更好吃。现炸的churro蘸着热巧克力酱吃，再来杯咖啡，太享受了。和美国吃过churro完全不同，在怀疑我们的churro是否是墨西哥的版本。

离酒店不远处就是塞维利亚的一大景点 - 都市阳伞（Setas de Seville)。这是一座木建筑，很别致，有观景台等，号称世界上最大的木建筑。手机怎么都拍不出全景。

晚上在一家塔帕斯(Tapas)酒吧享用了一顿丰盛的晚餐。虽然这些菜肴还不错，但觉得并不特别出色。也许是Tapas 吃多了，有点腻了。

Benagil Cave and Marinha Beach 本尼格尔洞穴和马里尼亚海滩

July 21, 2024: Several weeks before we left for Europe, we watched a travel segment on ABC's “Good Morning America” about Portugal’s Algarve region. It was so beautiful and captivating that we decided to change our plans and go to Faro instead of Porto. The Algarve is known for its breathtaking cliff-lined coastline on the southernmost tip of the country. Faro, the capital of the Algarve, is a historic town, but it’s about an hour’s drive from those natural wonders. To make the most of our visit, we joined a tour to explore the Benagil Cave and Marinha Beach.

Before the tour started, we visited the marketplace and had breakfast.

The tour started at 9 a.m., and since it was just the two of us, it turned into a private experience. Our tour guide, a British woman who has lived in Portugal for 20 years, first took us to a parking lot near Benagil Cave. We then walked to the cave, one of the most famous sea caves in the world. It has a skylight hole that beams sunlight to illuminate the sandy beach inside. From the opening, we watched tour boats and kayaks come and go, despite no-access restrictions from the government.

After visiting the cave, we continued our adventure along the Seven Hanging Valleys Trail, known for its stunning views of cliffs, caves, and beaches. The scenery reminded us of the Great Ocean Road in Australia, which our friends had taken us to see.

After we reached Marinha Beach, our guide returned to the parking lot while we stayed on the beach for more than an hour. Marinha Beach is surrounded by cliffs on three sides, making it a popular spot. Like the locals, we set up an umbrella and enjoyed the beach. We also took a dip in the chilly Atlantic Ocean, savoring its refreshing embrace. Our guide picked us up to see a small historic church before returning to the city.

For dinner, we indulged in Algarve’s famous cataplana, a dish cooked in a clam-shaped copper or aluminum pot. The seafood cataplana we ordered was so delicious that we finished every bite.

Today was a very good day. After spending so much time in big cities, we finally had the chance to enjoy some of nature’s wonders.

2024年7月21日: 在出发前往欧洲的前几周，我们观看了美国广播公司《早安美国》关于葡萄牙阿尔加维地区的旅行专题节目。该地区的自然风景美丽迷人，以至于我们决定改变计划，前往法鲁(Faro)而不是波尔图(Porto)。阿尔加维以其位于该国最南端的令人惊叹的悬崖海岸线而闻名。法鲁是阿尔加维的首府，是一座历史悠久的小城镇，但距离那些自然奇观大约有一个小时的车程。为了充分利用我们的时间，我们报名参加了当地的一日游，去本尼格尔洞穴和马里尼亚海滩。

旅行团在早上9点集合，由于其他游客临时取消，只有我们两个人参加，这次旅行变成了私人游。我们的导游是一位在葡萄牙生活了20年的英国女士，她首先在本尼格尔洞穴附近的一个停车场停车。然后带我们走到这个洞穴，这是世界上最著名的海洞之一。洞穴顶部有一个天窗，阳光透过它照射进来，照亮了里面的沙滩。通过洞口，我们看到旅游船和皮划艇进进出出，尽管政府对此有限制。

参观完洞穴后，我们继续沿着七悬谷步道走，这条步道以其悬崖、洞穴和海滩的壮丽景色而闻名。这里的风景让我们想起了澳大利亚的大洋路，我们的朋友曾带我们去那里游玩过。

到达马里尼亚海滩后，导游给了我们一个半小时的时间在海滩上。她一人走回停车场，然后开车到海滩接我们。马里尼亚海滩三面被悬崖环绕，是一个非常受欢迎的景点。像当地人一样，我们在海滩上支起了遮阳伞，享受着眼前的美景。我们还跳入水中，寒冷的大西洋水让人不能在水里多待，湿湿脚还行。继海滩之后导游又带我们去参观了一座小型历史悠久的教堂，然后返回法鲁小镇。

晚餐时，我们品尝了昨晚上房东推荐的阿尔加维著名的Cataplana，这是一种用拱形状的铜锅或铝锅烹制的菜肴。我们点的海鲜Cataplana非常美味，我们把锅里的食物全部吃完了。

前些天一直在大城市的转悠，终于有机会享受一些自然奇观，感觉真是美好的一天。

Travel Day下一站

July 20, 2024: Before leaving Lisbon, we took a ferry across the Tagus River to Almada on the other side.

Then, we took a bus to the Sanctuary of Christ the King in Portugal and took the elevator up to the observation deck to enjoy a panoramic view of Lisbon.

Afterward, we took the bus back to the ferry terminal and had lunch at a seafood restaurant. We ordered shrimp and clams, which turned out to be one of the best meals we had on this trip.

In the afternoon, we had to say goodbye to Lisbon and boarded a train to Faro, the capital city of the Algarve region. Unfortunately, the train was delayed by 50 minutes.

We arrived in Faro around 9 PM. We rented a short-term apartment (similar to Airbnb). Our host had to wait for us until late at night. The unit was a 10-minute walk from the train station, but dragging our luggage through the cobblestone streets was not fun. Cobblestone streets are a significant part of Portugal's national character and are almost everywhere, including inside the train station and malls in some places. Despite the challenging walk, the rented unit was very nice and well-designed.

2024年7月20日: 离开里斯本之前，今天我们赶早去了最后一个景点。乘渡轮穿过塔霍河，前往对岸的阿尔马达。然后坐巴士前往葡萄牙的基督国王圣殿，并乘电梯上到观景台，欣赏里斯本的全景。再坐巴士返回渡轮码头，并在一家海鲜餐馆吃午饭。我们点了虾，生蚝，蛤蜊和烤鱼，这是我们这次旅行中最好吃的一顿饭之一。

下午，我们不得不告别里斯本，乘坐火车前往阿尔加维地区的首府法鲁（Faro)。再一次遇到火车误点，晚了50分钟。

我们大约在晚上9点多终于抵达法鲁。我们租了一间公寓（类似Airbnb），没有那种24小时前台服务。好心的房东就一直等着我们到夜晚，还仔仔细细给我们介绍了小镇及周边的景点，还有当地的特色美食。公寓离火车站有10分钟的步行路程，但拖着行李穿过鹅卵石街道并不轻松。鹅卵石街道是葡萄牙的国家特色，几乎无处不在，甚至在火车站和一些商场内都有。尽管走路有些不便，但租住的公寓非常漂亮且设计精致。

Sintra, Portugal 辛特拉

July 19, 2024: We started early today to catch a train to Sintra. Due to incorrect information displayed on the screen, we ended up on the wrong train, which was heading in the general direction but stopping at a different station. Along with several fellow travelers, we realized our mistake in the middle of the ride and quickly hopped off to catch the right train. We finally arrived in Sintra before 9 am.

The shuttle to Pena Palace (bus 434) was conveniently located outside the train station. After a 30-minute ride, we reached the palace. Our ticket included transportation from the main entrance to the palace itself, saving us a 30-minute uphill walk.

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Arriving at the magnificent Pena Palace a couple of hours before our time slot to visit the interior, we spent the morning exploring the outside. We were captivated by the breathtaking panoramic views of the surrounding area and the colorful exterior and eclectic architectural styles of the buildings.

As the day progressed, more tourists arrived, and the place became quite crowded. Fortunately, it was time for us to enter the palace. Having visited many European palaces before, we found that this one, though beautiful, didn’t particularly stand out for us.

Next, we walked down to the medieval Moorish Castle, dating back to the 8th or 9th century. We climbed up the walls to the highest point, which offered an incredible panoramic view of Sintra.

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We combined a bus and hike to reach Quinta da Regaleira, a Gothic-style mansion surrounded by lush gardens, enigmatic grottoes, and mystical symbols. Our main purpose was to see the Initiation Well, a spiral staircase descending into the earth, which was particularly fascinating.

After our visit, we took a train to the main train station to reserve seats for our next segment. We then headed to the shopping mall next to the station for a simple dinner. The food court offerings were more akin to the fast foods found in malls in the states, lacking various seafood and tapas bars. We guessed that salted fish, grilled shrimp, and cured hams might not be part of their daily diet. Instead, we had Brazilian pork and Pad Thai. On the terrace, people of different ages were dancing to DJ music, creating a lively yet peaceful scene. They certainly knew how to dance.

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2024年7月19日: 今天我们早早出发，赶火车去里斯本外面的辛特拉（Sintra)。由于屏幕上显示的信息错误，我们上错了火车，虽然方向大致正确，但火车会停在不同的车站。和几位同车前往的旅客一起，我们在途中发现了这个错误，赶紧下车换乘了正确的火车。我们终于在早上9点前到达了辛特拉。

佩纳宫（National Palace of Pena)的接驳车（434路公交车）就在火车站外。经过30分钟的车程，我们到达了佩纳宫的公园门口。我们的佩纳宫门票包括从公园主入口到宫殿的交通服务，又省去了30分钟的上坡路程。

我们比预定参观宫殿内部的时间提前了二个小时到达，正好先在漂亮的佩纳宫外面游览。我们来的早，游客还不多，比较安静。佩纳宫色彩斑斓的外墙和精美的装饰绝对是个明信片的景点。除了王宫，附近还有城堡，庄园等历史古迹。

随着时间的推移，越来越多的游客到来，地方变得非常拥挤。但这时正好是我们进入宫殿的时间。可能是我们之前参观过太多欧洲的宫殿，一个比一个奢华，好像觉得这宫内并没有特别突出的地方。

接着，我们步行前往中世纪的摩尔人（穆斯林）城堡（Moorish Castle), 建于8、9世纪。我们爬上城墙的最高点，那里可以俯瞰辛特拉的全景。

我们乘公交车加徒步来到了雷加莱拉庄园，这是一座哥特风格的豪宅，周围环绕着茂密的花园、神秘的洞穴和神秘的符号。我们的主要目的是参观螺旋井，这是一座通往地下的螺旋楼梯，非常别致。

辛特拉一日游结束后，我们乘火车来达里斯本的火车总站，为下一段行程预定了座位。然后我们前往火车站旁边的购物中心，享用简单的晚餐。美食广场提供的食物更像是我们在商场里看到的快餐，没有各种海鲜和小吃吧，没有腌鱼、烤虾和风干火腿。我们吃了巴西烤肉和泰式炒河粉。

在购物中心露台上，不同年龄段的人随着DJ的音乐跟着台上领舞的一起跳舞，场面很热闹，他们确实很会跳舞。

Disembark at Lisbon 里斯本下船

July 18, 2024: Our 7-day cruise ended in Lisbon today, but our journey continued. We disembarked at 9 am. The cobblestone street is not suitcase-friendly, so we decided to take a taxi to our hotel, even though the hotel is not far from the cruise terminal. We immediately ran into an unpleasant surprise: a taxi driver demanded 30 euros for a trip that was less than a 10-minute walk. It seems taxis in Spain and Portugal aren't well-regulated. Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. We decided to look for other options later on.

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Our hotel is in the heart of a bustling restaurant and bar area. After a brief rest, we set out to explore the city. First, we joined a walking tour in Alfama, one of Lisbon's oldest and most picturesque neighborhoods. History is alive here. Initially built by Muslims, it later saw Jews opening stores and banks. Then, Christians conquered the area, leading to the conversion or execution of Muslims and Jews. But the story took an intriguing turn. On the morning of November 1, 1755, All Saints' Day, a massive earthquake struck Lisbon while Christians were at home celebrating, leading to fires that destroyed 85% of the buildings, including the royal palace. However, Alfama was largely spared since the converted Muslims and Jews did not observe the Christian holiday at home, preserving its medieval character. Today, it is one of Lisbon's top tourist attractions.

At the end of the tour, our guide took us to Pastelaria Santo António, where we tried our first custard tarts in Portugal. They were too sweet for our taste. Our guide also suggested a 5 euro sandwich café for lunch, which had a long queue. We didn’t want to wait; we had other plans: go to the Time Out Market. This market features high-quality food and drink vendors in a lively food hall setting. It was very crowded, unlike anything we had seen before. We ordered a few tapas and enjoyed the bustling atmosphere.

After lunch, we took a train to Belém to try the original and famous custard tarts (Pasteis de Nata) at Pasteis de Belem, based on a secret recipe created by nuns. The line wasn't very long that day, but the tarts, though famous, were still too sweet for us.

Having checked off that item on our to-do list, we visited the nearby Jeronimos Monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage site. We then walked to the Monument to Discoveries before heading back to the city.

Tonight, we had a fine dinner and Fado show at O Faria in Alfama. Dinner reservations are available from 7:00 to 8:30 pm and feature a fixed-price menu with a starter, main course, and dessert. The food was delicious and high quality. The Fado show started at 9:00 pm and had three sessions with 20-minute breaks for diners to enjoy their meals. The show ended at 11:00 pm. For us, it was a four-hour dinner. Exhausted, we returned to our hotel, but the streets seemed to just be coming alive.

2024年7月18日: 天下没有不散的筵席，我们为期7天的邮轮旅行今天结束了，但我们的旅程还在继续。我们在上午9点在葡萄牙首都里斯本（Lisbon)下船，却遇到了一个不愉快的小插曲：尽管从船码头到我们的酒店步行不到10分钟，因为拖着行李箱在碎石路上走太累，我们叫了出租车，结果出租车司机开口就要求30欧元。看来西班牙和葡萄牙的出租车监管都不好。连续二次被出租车司机骗，我们决定以后不再用出租车，而是寻找其它出行方式。

我们的酒店位于热闹的餐馆和酒吧区的中心。稍作休息后，我们便出门赶着去参加预定好的“免费”的阿尔法玛区（Alfama)徒步游。这里是里斯本最古老、最漂亮的街区之一。导游介绍说这里最初由穆斯林建造，后来犹太人迁入开设商店和银行。之后，基督徒征服了这个地区，穆斯林和犹太人要么被迫皈依，要么被处决。1775年11月1日是个圣徒日，基督徒在家生火做饭庆祝节日时，一场大地震袭来，因作饭的火而引发的火灾摧毁了85%的建筑物，包括皇宫。然而，阿尔法玛区大部分建筑幸存下来，因为皈依的穆斯林和犹太人没有在家庆祝基督教节日，其中世纪的建筑特色得以保存。今天，它是里斯本的顶级旅游景点之一。

昨天在船上的讲座有提到著名的葡萄牙蛋挞。今天导游介绍说葡萄牙蛋挞有二个版本。徒步游结束时，她带我们去了圣安东尼奥糕点店，这家是二个版本中的一个，我们在那里尝试了葡萄牙行的第一个蛋挞。中间用蛋黄酱制成，对我们来说实在太甜了，根本咽不下去。导游还建议我们去一家很热门的5欧元三明治餐厅吃午饭。看到那里的队伍很长我们就放弃了，而是来到Time Out市场，一家设有许多高质量饮食摊位，很有人气的室内市场。我们点了几份小吃，享受一下当地热闹氛围。炒蛤蜊非常新鲜美味，四季豆天妇罗也是绝佳。

午餐后，我们乘火车去了贝伦（Belem）， 那里是最著名的葡萄牙蛋挞（奶油蛋挞）所在地。修道院边上的蛋挞店卖的是另一个版本的蛋挞，也是原创版本，由修女创造的秘方制作。那天店排队的人不算太多，我们高高兴兴又买了几个。但很失望，所有这些著名的蛋挞对我们来说都太甜了。

接着我们参观了旁边的杰罗尼莫斯修道院，这是联合国教科文组织的世界遗产。然后我们步行到发现者纪念碑，之后返回市区。

今晚，我们在阿尔法玛的O Faria餐厅享用了一顿美餐并观看了法朵表演。晚餐可以在晚上7:00到8:30之间预订，提供固定价格的菜单，包括前菜、主菜和甜点。食物美味且高质量。法朵表演从晚上9点开始，分三个阶段，每个阶段间有20分钟的休息时间，让顾客享用晚餐。演出在晚上11点结束。对我们来说，这是一个四小时的晚餐。疲惫不堪的我们回到酒店，但街上的人们似乎才刚刚开始夜生活。