After leaving Portimão, we sailed to Lisbon (AKA Lisbao) and we docked there for 2 days. Upon arriving we headed out for Sintra, reputed to be a charming medieval town. I can report it was everything it was cracked up to be.
Sintra
Sintra is a small town with population about 385,000 people. It is densely populated and it is a major tourist attraction, but it certainly isn’t a tourist trap. It is picturesque, with several palaces, castles, parks and gardens. It is famous for its Romanticist architecture and is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site. As it should be.
The Town of Sintra Portugal
Sintra is not just a beautiful city. It is also very wealthy; in fact it is one of the wealthiest cities in Portugal in addition to being one of the wealthiest cities on th entire Iberian peninsula. Not surprisingly, it continues to rate as one of the most desirable places to live in Portugal. It also has the largest ex pat community on what the locals consider to be the Portuguese Riviera.
The Sintra National Palace; now a Museum
All in all, Sintra has an excellent reputation. It is well deserved.
Sillhouettes in SintraShopping in SintraOld Fashioned Telephone Booth
We said our farewells to North Africa and headed out to Portimão Portugal. That is about 336 kilometers (208 miles) away as the crow flies. The first significant place we visited was Fort São Vicente in Sagres, or Fortaleza do Cabo de São Vicente.
Fortaleza do Cabo de São Vicente
Fort São Vicente was built in the 16th century to protect a small coastal strip and an existing monastery. The fort was destroyed in 1587 by none other than Sir Francis Drake (described as either a privateer or a pirate depending on your point of view.)
An Old Church in a Fortress
Anyway the site was rebuilt in 1608. A lighthouse was added in the mid 19th century and restoration work was ongoing in the mid 2000s.
The surrounding area is a big fishing area, but the cliffs are treacherous. Nevertheless fishermen come (and are clearly visible) fishing on the rocks.
Cliffs and Sea in the Algarve Region
After exploring the grounds of the fort we headed out to Lagos. When we got there we visited the town square that housed the Church of St Maria Graca (Our Lady of Grace). The church, which dominated the area, which was completed in the early 15th century and gothic in style, was begun in 1380.
Church in Town Square Lagos, Portugal
After looking around the town square we explored the neighborhood which was highly commercialized. Then we headed out to the port where we started the day, but without buying anything. All things considered, it was a good introduction to Portugal.
Tangier is located in the northwest of Morocco, on the coasts of both the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic ocean. Tangier has a population of about 1.25 million people. The city is located on a bay in the strait of Gibraltar, about 17 miles from Spain.
A Port in Tangier; Spain is visible in the distance
It has always been a strong supporter of the United States. It was the first nation to recognize the independence of the US. They did so implicitly in 1777 and by treaty in 1786.
When we visited Tangier we went on a walking tour of the city. Unlike Casablanca though, Tangier is extremely hilly. So we walked up and down the hills. Got a good night’s sleep afterwards.
Side Street in Tangier
The tour included a visit to a souk, where the local people do their shopping. Not surprisingly, there is a wide variety of things for sale ranging from pocketbooks to shoes to carpets and fruits and vegetables.
Pocketbooks for Sale in SoukShoes for Sale by a Street Vendor in Tangier
After visiting the souk we had lunch in the (first rate) Grand Hotel Villa de France and passed by Tangier’s contemporary Art Museum. All in all we walked all over around the city and found it to be charming, open and tolerant. A good place to visit.
Grand Hotel in TangierMuseum of Contemporary Art–Tangier
We finished sailing through the Canaries and, after a sea day, we docked in Morocco. While in Morocco we visited Casablanca, and then a day later we made our way to Tangiers. And yes, this was the same Casablanca from the the movie starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. The one where “Play it again, Sam” referencing As Time Goes Bye was made famous.
Of course we had lunch in Rick’s Cafe.
Inside Ricks Cafe in Casablanca
Except there was a little fly in the ointment: the movie was filmed entirely in Hollywood; the story actually took place in Tangiers and Rick’s Cafe was not the real one. But pretending is fun too. That’s what movies are all about anyway.
We didn’t spend the whole time in Casablanca retracing the steps of Humphrey Bogart—we actually did some sightseeing. One of the chief attractions was the Hassan II Mosque.
Photo of the Hassan II Mosque
It’s a huge place and an architectural masterpiece. In addition to the mosque itself, there were several buildings on the grounds. So we took a look around before going into the mosque itself.
Corridors in Hassan II MosqueGrounds of the Hassan II Mosque
We were allowed inside the mosque without any problem. Services were not in progress where the men and women are separated, so we just had to remove our shoes to walk around inside the mosque proper. Once inside the mosque, the grandeur and scale of it are truly impressive. It’s the kind of thing that has to be seen.
Inside the Hassan II Mosque
So next time you are in Casablanca, it’s worth a look.
When we docked in Tenerife the plan was to go to see Mount Teide in the national park. But when we first got there the fog was so thick that it was virtually impossible to see anything.
Foggy Weather in Teide National Park
However the fog eventually burned off and we were treated to some spectacular scenery in Teide National Park.
Fog Burning Off on Mount Teide
Not surprisingly, the park is centered around Mount Teide, the highest mountain in Spain. Standing at 3, 718 meters tall it is the third highest volcano in the world, measured from its base on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean.
The landscape of the park, which resembles a moonscape is kind of eerie looking. Actually our tour guide told us that NASA used the park as an astronaut training site for, among other things, learning to drive the rover on the surface of the moon. In addition, scientists from a Spanish university are doing some geological experiments in the park. Not too surprising since the Canaries were formed by volcanic eruptions millions of years ago.
Scientists Woring in a Volcanic Crater
The terrain of the park is rugged, spectacular and full of visitors. In fact, it is the most visited national park in Spain with over 4 million visitors in 2022. It was named as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in June of 2007.
A Volcanic Crater on Tenerife
All in all definitely worth a look next time you are in the Canaries.
Volcanic Mountain and Crater in Teide National Park
On March 22 we docked in Europe by way of Gran Canaria, one of the Canary Islands. The Canary Islands are part of Spain even though they are only a few hundred miles from the coast of West Africa. And it shows. The towns are clean and elegant and they definitely have a European vibe.
We went on a tour that brought us to the towns of Arucas and Teror. One of the first things we saw upon arriving in Arucas was the Church of St Jean the Baptiste (San Juan Bautista). Begun in 1909 it opened for worship in 1917 and was finally completed in 1977.
Church of St John the Baptiste in Arucas, Gran Canaria
After that, we bumped into a town square in the Old Section with its beautiful traditional European architecture.
Arucas, Gran Canaria — March 22,2025. Town Square in Arucas
The next town we visited was Teror.
Doors & Windows in Teror, Gran Canarie
Among other things, the town looks like it was almost designed for tourism. Not for tourists dragging a crew of 8 year-olds around mind you, but for tourists who really want to see some old world elegance.
As if they wished to emphasize the point, a few of the shops had flower petals strewn about on the street in front of them.
Shop Doors and Flower Petals
A bit of the modern world invaded though as the photo below shows a young man wearing headphones while he sits on a bench in town.
A man wearing headphones sits on a bench in the Canary Islands
That said, it was good to be back in Europe and Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands certainly fit the bill.
We have already spent quite a bit of time in Brazil—and we are due to spend some more. We expect to arrive in Rio tomorrow, and then go on several tours over the next few days. The big event will be Carnival. We will be in attendance in the Sambadrome. It promises to be quite a spectacle. Stay tuned.
But before we get to Carnival…we visited São Paulo and Santos, as well as 2 Brazilian islands: Ilhabela and Paraty. São Paulo is one of the largest cities in South America and it is a cultural hub. But São Paulo is a mixed bag.
Museo Paulista of the University of São Paulo
It has some very posh areas, like where we had lunch at Fogo de Chao. But it also has very poor areas; what appears to be a large homeless population, and (according to our guide) a significant problem with crack cocaine.
Man Sitting on the Street in Santos
Santos, a port city, appears to be more balanced, but it too has its rough spots. Santos has become a vacation area for locals and it encourages tourism. While there we visited a Museum dedicated to the football (soccer) great, Pele, who originally hailed from Santos; we visited the Coffee exchange and took a small train ride around the city.
Green Doors by Pele MuseumThe Coffee Exchange
We also went to 2 notable islands: Ilhabela and Paraty. Ilhabela whose name means beautiful island in Portugese, is located 4 miles off the coast of São Paulo. While it used to be a place where sugar cane was grown on plantations by slaves, today it is known for its sandy beaches and tourism.
Beach in Ilhabela, Brazil
We anchored by Paraty Brazil, but didn’t venture out because, among other things, the Brazilian authorities changed our anchor position at the last minute. The change would have put us 4 nautical miles (and about an hour) away from the dock. So we declined going ashore. However we did get some photos of the sunrise over the island, shown below.
We continued our adventure in Bordeaux with a photo walk with a photographer around a few parts of town. On our walk we went to the public garden—a botanic garden that is open to the public. Both the public garden and nearby surrounding areas have Roman ruins that have been preserved through the centuries.
A photo taken of an ancient structure built in the Public Gardens of BordeauxA wall from Roman ruins in the heart of BordeauxA wide angle iPhone photo of a section of Roman runins in the center of Bordeaux.
A few days later, over the weekend, we headed out on the train to Saint-Emilion in the heart of the wine country. It only takes a half-hour ride on the train to reach Saint-Emilion, and then maybe a 20 or 30 minute walk into town. The town and the surrounding vineyards are truly spectacular.
Bordeaux Train StationA winding street leading to the top of the city of Saint-Emilion
It is a medieval city, and you can easily imagine what it must have looked like centuries ago. The old winding streets, the grand churches and little shops and restaurants provide a feast for the eyes. Along with Tai-Chi and Geraldine we had lunches consisting of Coquille St Jacque and duck at a restaurant named Lard et Bouchon, which we could get into because Mary Anne had the foresight to make reservations.
Anyway some photos from Saint-Emilion are below. Also—Mary Anne went on a tour of an outdoor market and took some photos. We’ll post on that before too long.
A landscape photo of a vineyard in St Emilion.A photo of a chateaux and vineyard in St Emilion
When we sailed into Barcelona on May 30 we were ready for a planned 3 day stop with a side trip to Girona. Except for what we needed for the next few days, our luggage was on its way back to the States.
We checked into a 5-Star NH Hotel with a fabulous location on the Rambla de Catalunya, a wide boulevard that is the equivalent of the Champs Élysées in Paris, or the via Veneto in Rome. It was within walking distance of a lot of places we wanted to see. And it had a rooftop bar overlooking the city, which we, of course, visited. The Rambla, like the Via Veneto, also had plenty of outdoor dining spots, which we frequented as well.
Overlooking Barcelona from a Rooftop Bar; Segrada Familia is in the background
One of the first things we did was to go on a guided walking tour of Barcelona. (We did a lot of walking tours). The tour included a visit to the exterior of the Sagrada Familia, designed by the famous Catalán architect, Antoni Gaudi. Later we got tickets and saw the interior of the church.
Outside Sagrada Familia
Vertical of Church DoorBarcelona. Spain — June 1, 2023. A wide-angle photo of stained glass windows taken inside the famous Sagrada Familia designed by Antoni Gaudi.
After visiting the church we did a walking tour that included some older neighborhoods. In our travels we walked through numerous town squares with outside dining. One street we came upon was shielded with colorful umbrellas.
Colorful Umbrellas Cover a Side Street
We also paid a visit to the MACBA Museum of Contemporary Art. The architecture of the building was very interesting; the exhibits less so. As it happens, the area outside the MACBA Museum is popular with skateboarders. There they practice their skills jumping onto ramps with skateboards. Not a sport for the faint-hearted.
Skateboarders
Trip toGirona
The second day of our visit we went to Girona where we did a walking tour of the old city. It was a stunningly beautiful place. We walked through neighborhoods that had been revitalized with artisan shops, along a river running through the city, as well as historic UNESCO designated neighborhoods with stunning architecture.
Along the River in GironaOutdoor Dining in GironaTourists in Independence SquareTourist Photographs 2 Buskers in a CourtyardBridge Across Onyar River
Later that afternoon it was back to Barcelona where we spent the following day visiting a farmer’s market type of a place, traveled around the city on a hop-on, hop-off bus. Then we had a fabulous dinner at La Cabrera Barcelona, an Argentinian steakhouse.
Plaza Castellana in BarcelonaLa Cabrera Argentinian Steak House
After 3 days in Barcelona and Girona it was time to fly back to Dulles and life in Virginia. But, as they say: Wait–there’s more! We will be traveling through France and Italy in August and September. You can keep up just by going to joebenningphotography.com where we will continue to post. And if you want to log-in to the site, just send an e-mail to [email protected] with the word “Register” in the Subject line.
