Hi! Back in 2007 Steve and I had our first wonderful visit to Portugal, invited by a friend. It was lovely to meet his family and see the beautiful part of the country that he was from. And of course get an insiders view of Portugal! Starting in Guimarães and ending in Lisbon via Porto and Aveiro we got to see a lot of great places :)
On this quick tour we are stopping at Guimarães, Coimbra and Lisbon, two past capitals and the current. These photos got a bit of HDR grunge treatment and are among my favourites.
Guimarães
Guimarães, situated in the North of the country was the first capital of Portugal and there is nothing better than taking a wander around its beautiful streets, discovering its historic past. After climbing the tower of the medieval castle and taking in the views over the city, enjoy the ambiance of the place whilst resting your feet in one of the many little cafes! Largo da Oliveira and Praca de Santiago are two great places to sit outside and enjoy the sunshine and a drink.
Coimbra
Coimbra, situated about half way between Guimarães and Lisbon was the countries capital after Guimarães. With it’s beautiful architecture and impressive Velha University there is plenty to see and photograph. Take a walk along the river, Rio Mondego and enjoy the shade of the trees in Parque Manuel Braga.
Lisbon
Lisbon, or in Portuguese, Lisboa, is the end of this quick tour and the current capital! With it’s distinctive trams, Castelo Sao Jorge (Sao Jorge Castle) and Convento do Carmo (Carmo Convent), which was partly destroyed in the great earthquake of 1755, there is lots to take in. If you want to get off the beaten track then take a little time out to see the Aqueduto das Águas Livre and the Mãe d’Água Amoreiras Reservoir. The Aqueduct was opened in 1748 and did survive the earthquake. It’s interesting to walk along it, and visit the reservoir contained in a distinctive stone building.
If you’ve enjoyed this article I’d love it if you shared and if you’d like to keep up to date with my latest posts you can subscribe in the subscribe section below. If you’d like to share a travel experience or photo leave a comment and link in comments, I’d love to hear from you :) I’ll be back soon, bye for now, Natasha :)
Beautiful photos I like how you have changed them to look like paintings,your layouts are wonderful, I like all the details you give about these lovely places, I have been to lisbon and loved those tiny narrow streets and all the lovely little patisserie shops with those gorgeous custard cakes.I went up to Sau Jorge Castle the view is lovely from there, Thank you for sharing your visits to portugal I enjoyed this very much.
Thank you for your lovely comments :) The pastel de nata – very addictive! Sometimes you see them here in the UK and who would I be to resist!!!
WOW! Your photos and effects are outstanding Natasha! Love the vibrancy of the colours. so very different but so very beautiful – love them all x
Thank you :) I love having a “play” with photos and I love this effect too :)