Tag Archives: Portugal
The Knights Templar held enormous power in Portugal from the 12th to 16th centuries, and largely bankrolled the Age of Discoveries. Convento de Cristo is known as a convent, but it was built in 1160 as a headquarters for the Knights Templar, the formidable Catholic military that answered to the Pope. When sovereigns feared the Pope had too […]
Jan-2023
Back in June/July of 2019, we spent roughly 3 weeks (20 days) traversing Southern Spain (Andalusia) and Portugal. Below is an itinerary to jumpstart your own Spanish and Portuguese adventures! MADRID, SPAIN (2-3 Days)Madrid is truly a city full of life and culture. Honestly, we really didn’t give ourselves enough time to explore this historic […]
If there’s one thing we’ve learned from our travels, it’s that Europe’s true magic hides in its streets. Some of these spots are famous for a reason, but others are complete hidden gems we stumbled upon purely by accident. Grab a coffee, swipe through our favorite strolls, and get ready to plan your next adventure
Unfortunately, our kids are not as adventurous when it comes to eating…actually they are downright P-I-C-K-Y. Truthfully, our son has been diagnosed with a food sensory disorder (also has nut allergies) and he despises certain textures and odors. Definitely makes traveling stressful at times. Nevertheless, we do our best and tend to grab street food […]
Sorry for those who don’t love history but here is another history post about one of my obsessions — The Knights Templar. Likely originating as a Moorish castle built to protect the coast and situated between two hilltops, it was taken over by Don Paio Peres Correia in 1242. After the Christian reconquest, the castle […]
From the historic center of Sintra, you can access the Moorish Castle and also the Pena National Palace through signposted trails. The trails take hikers through the forest, the small watercourses and some gardens and old villages. Built by the Moors, The Castle of the Moors (Castelo dos Mouros) was built sometime between the 8th […]
While much of the southern coastline of the Algarve has been built up, a sleepy fishing village named Salema has largely escaped the ravages of tourism. On the western end of Salema Beach you’ll find a big, flat rock with footprints from a dinosaur! This yellow limestone rock is home to a herbivorous biped, also […]