Our Portugal so far

Since we have free internet access now in Óbidos, I'll take the chance and write some words about our trip around Portugal so far.

When leaving Lagos, we took a train to Evora. We had to change twice, with a 2 hour stop in Beja, but unfortunately, there was no place available to store our heavy backpacks, so we just hung around the station, drinking coffee and playing cards.

Arriving in Evora, we feared about getting an accomodation, since budget options are scarce. Eventually we did find a pensao (Pensao O Giraldo, recommended by Lonely Planet that says a double costs 40,00 €... we had to pay 50,00 € for a room with a funny bathroom... well we did notice Lonely Planet was incorrect or outdated on many subjects) and settled for one night. Personally I didn't enjoy Évora that much, it reminded me too much of Gorizia.

We were planning to take a bike trip to see the Almendres Cromlech megalithic complex, but it was Sunday and almost everything, bike rentals included was closed. So we decided to stay only 1 night in the expensive town and just continue with our trip. Originally we were planning Sintra as our next stop, but then we decided for Óbidos (and including Sintra as a day trip from our Lisbon stay).

So we sat on the train again (ticket Évora - Óbidos through Lisbon with a Euro <26 discount costs as little as 13,00 €). We had a 2 hour stop in Lisbon, so we headed out of the train station (and this time, there were lockers available) and stopped at the Jardim Zoologico (the Zoo) for a quick look and a bite.

Then we sat on the train again and drove to the village of Óbidos... and that was quite an experience. We arrived at the train station at dusk, the station laid abbandoned in the middle of farmland, with fog coming up from the nearby streams. No soul around, no village, just the ruins of a castle on top of a hill. I began to worry we would ever find an accomodation, and most of all... where the hell were we. Mitja persuaded me to climb on top of the hill (with a backpack on my back and a day pack in front of me) to the castle ruins. Only when we walked through the castle we noticed the village and - yes - civilization!

Getting a room was not too difficult then. Actually, we took the first one we visited, and even bargained it down from 45,00 € to 35,00 € per night.

Today we have been exploring Óbidos and we are staying one more night. Tomorrow we might take a biking ride through the countryside or maybe a trip to Peniche, if the weather stays nice.

After that we travel on to Coimbra.