Digging in the history of Coimbra – Portugal

by editaroundtheworld, posted in Backpacking, Portugal

From Braga my trip continued to Coimbra, the third largest city in Portugal after Lisbon and Porto. Coimbra is split in two parts by the river Mondego, which gives an extra charm to the city.  The central area is very complex and rather small but very diverse. Basically you can walk on the riverside and when you feel like, you just cross the street and you are in the old town, where plenty of cafes,restaurants,shops and the most important buildings of the town are all together just a few steps from each other. 

  
The main shopping street is wide and well circulated at any time of the day and evening, but the narrow side streets give the city actually the real bohemian style. What I noticed immediately is the cultural aspect of the place. As you wander from one narrow street to another you can’t miss the big number of art galleries and rustic style shops. It’s an enriching experience walking around in this city. 

The highlight however is of course the worldwide famous Coimbra University, dating from 1290 and being one of the oldest universities in the whole world and the oldest in Portugal.

  
Parts of the university can be visited and if you are lucky you may enter by coincidence with an organized group and find out interesting info from the guide who speaks perfect German with a very pleasant Portuguese accent. Her German is perfect, but mine isn’t even close, but I definitely understand the part when she says the library was built in the 18th century, contains aprox 250 thousand volumes from fields such as medicine, law, history or science.  She also mentiones no photo, ups, to late for that, this view is priceless…

  
History is an interesting topic for who’s passionate about it, for me a little of it’s enough and I had my portion for the day. Coimbra has more to offer and what really satisfies my taste, litterally, is bifana. Bifana is the Portuguese version of the simple McDonalds hamburger, but way more tasty and I like to believe that also much healthier. It is pork steak on bread with the optional addition of cheese and bacon. Simple as that, but I guarantee you will lick your fingers after it. Tip: get it take away and chill in the park on the riverside and not only your stomach will be happy but your eyes will brighten up while watching the sunrise or sunset or just the birds flying above the river Mondego.

  

Discovering the deepest treasures of Portugal – Peneda Geres National Park

by editaroundtheworld, posted in Backpacking, Portugal, Travel

Once discovering the existence of Peneda Geres, I knew I need to check it out. That’s why I included Braga in the first place in my itinerary. Braga is relatively close and it’s a good place as a base if you want to visit the national park, though if you have more time on your hand, better spend a few days in Geres itself. Let’s see how did it all happened…

I didn’t feel my trip rushed at all because I did it all in my own rythm,  which can be at times really intense and exhausting for other – hence traveling solo works so well for me – and just spontaneously decided spending only half day in Geres. Basically the day started very early in Braga, where I had my bus at 7:15 am. It was still dark and just a couple more people on the streets when I was trying to figure out my way to the bus station.

  
Obviously I never have a map, I don’t need it and frankly, I’m not even good with it, it makes me more confused then I am. Relying on locals suits me much more and surprisingly even with all the language barriers you could imagine it works out perfectly eventually. So it happened that early morning too, when I picked a random public bus driver and asked him directions. He spoke a few words in German but the information didn’t help me much because apparently the bus station was too far to make it in time there by walking. I was like: oh,no!!! I’m gonna miss the bus! That’s when I discovered the genuine Portuguese good will. The bus driver literally drove the bus with a few more passengers in it on a different route all the way to the bus station I needed and I catched my bus in the last minute. It was the most impressive thing I experienced! Nobody complained about the change and his face was all brightened when he saw I’m in time for my bus. Wow!

The day continues with other surprises, this time from our beautiful nature: it’s sunrise time.

  
In approximately one hour Geres is reached and I’m all energized to discover it. At the supermarket where I buy my water and food provision, they speak great English and point me to the trails. Hiking goes well until I reach a point that leads through the forest and I continue my way very brave, though it’s like a jungle and the trail is hard to follow cause all kind of plants with pointy leaves stick to me and I start to don’t see the path anymore. For a minute I become the prisoner of the naughty plants and getting rid of them is quite a work. I decide returning before I completely lose my way, here there’s nobody to ask for directions, and my whole body feels like I had some kind of Chinese massage with those sticks they sting you with. Funny feeling – those naughty plants!

My hiking adventure failed, but instead I found a cute park, which was not a bad replacement.

   
   
In Geres you can do shopping, relax at the spa, eat and drink in the few restaurants they have there. But if you really want to see something nice, aprox 5 km away there is a gorgeous lake. Transportation can be problematic if you rely on the buses and your time is limited. So I took a long long walk, which didn’t seem as long thanks to the breathtaking view along the way.

   
    
 
I reached the lake much earlier than I expected, so I guess I walked aprox 5 km?! It was worth it! In the sunny day the water reflected the blue sky and was so inviting that my feet tried it but brrr too cold! Surely I good chilling place though. Quiet and beautiful, great location to connect with nature. 

   
   
Silence is enjoyable, but if it’s too long it’s not my piece of cake and anyways it’s time to catch the bus back to Braga… See you later beautiful lake!

A town full of warmhearted people and hidden beauties: Braga

by editaroundtheworld, posted in Backpacking, Portugal

Braga is located approximately 1 h from Porto, it’s much smaller, calmer, less impressive sights, but much more authentic than any other I visited so far. The first person I got in contact with, Nelson, the hostel owner, welcomed me with the typical Portuguese hospitality coming straight from the bottom of his heart, I could feel that. InBraga hostel, the result of his hard work and ambitious dream,  is one of the cutest, cleanest and definitely the most homely I’ve ever been to.

   
 
Due to the fact that it’s off peak season I get the luxury of having the whole room just for me and myself. However, the weather is friendly once again with me, 23 degrees – wow – and I roll to discover the town with no map, of course, just following the streets in a random order.

 Braga is a small town, even if I wanted to, I couldn’t get lost, though it’s adventurous being lost in an unknown place. As everything is just around the corner, after less than 10 minutes of wandering around in a slow rhythm, I realize I made it to the center cause I see lots of shops, cafes, buildings and people around.

   
    
   
Nelson recommended me to check out the Bom Jesus do Monte, promising me a fantastic view over the city. I have to admit he didn’t let me down! Following the stairs up on the hill under the shadows of the trees, surrounded of the beautiful colors of fall, it’s a pleasure going up to this amazing viewing point.

   
 
The church itself is impressive, a real piece of art, reminds me of a similar version of it I visited a few

 years back in Montreal…Nice times…
But in the meantime we are still in Braga, where after you completed your route up on the stairs you have the option of resting your legs on the lakeside or rowing a boat on the lake itself.

   
 

   There’s a lot to enjoy up there, starting from the view and ending with the artificial caves.

   
   
Braga may not have the reputation of an exciting city, but in my view it has the qualities of a town that worth discovering.

 

 

Porto – Portugal

by editaroundtheworld, posted in Backpacking, Portugal

Arriving to the second biggest city of Portugal was from the first moment a positive experience. I was welcomed by a very generous sunshine and an even more impressive Portuguese hospitality, together with honest smiles and kind words of the locals I met on the bus from the airport to the city center. Though English is only briefly or not at all spoken by the big majority, I found it extremely easy to get around using some Spanish and a lot of sign language. In Porto wine is impossible to avoid, not that I would want to do that, and once tried it’s hard to stop drinking it. A huge variety of local and regional wines are served for as less as 2 euros per glass. No wonder that in the company of my girls on the riverside we made unforgettable memories from the very first evening already.

  
Though it’s the second half of October, while the rest of Europe prepares the winter gear, Portugal still enjoys a short taste of summer: 14 degrees at 10 pm. The view is fabulous, wine is divine, food is great for those who are not too picky?!

   
 
Speaking of food…well…Franzesinha, or Franciska – as I liked to call it, look like this:

  
and tastes like… hmm… cheesy ! It’s an absolute local dish, luckily comes with some fries – in this way I didn’t leave the restaurant as hungry. However, for who likes a toast with meat covered with a lot of cheese, might be tasty. For me: no thanks ! On the other hand, batata de carne – potato with meat- serve me, please, warm is the best! 

  
Yes, it’s 1 euro, nothing fancy but simply delicious and good before and after a wine tasting event. Wine had an important role in my two days Porto adventure and I still think about it with pleasure. Quevedo Port Wine tasting event is just one of the many going on every day in the romantic city of Porto.

   
 
Wine is not the only delicatese you bump into though. We managed to find things that I didn’t except. Fancy some cannabis chocolate?

  
Or your love life needs some inspiration? 

  
I definitely declare this shop my favorite in Porto! 

  
I was distracted several times by the great wine and the variety of chocolates, but a visit at the local market brought me back to reality, thanks to the big bunch of garlic.

  
Porto has the positive vibe, the romantic atmosphere, a convenient climate, over decorated churches and very pretty sights.

   
    
    
  
It’s the city where all you need to do is just sit back, relax and enjoy the ride! Even cats do that…

  

First paragliding experience in Flüelen – Switzerland

by editaroundtheworld, posted in Switzerland,hiking,mountains,nature, Travel

I believe I can fly, I believe I can touch the sky … – and if you don’t believe probably you shouldn’t sign up from the very beginning for such an adventure. Paragliding – as exciting as it seems, I’m sure it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. It’s an adventure sport and either you want to make it a once in a lifetime event or practice it on a professional level – it sure requires some guts to do it. Considering that it’s been for ages on my to do list and theoretically I could have done it anytime in the past, I would say that you will just feel when you are really ready to do it. Really ready it’s relative though,  before take off your pilot will ask you: ” are you ready” and of course you will be completely lost and won’t have any idea wether you are ready or not, but about that a bit later on.

As a person who likes to share strong emotions and experiences with someone who is on the same page with me, in a rather unusual setting I met the right person. She’s Kaola, the girl I called a couple of times koala – I’m pretty sure you can understand why, don’t you? – and after a few emails and phone calls with our paragliding professional, Marcel, we were all set up for our first ever paragliding event.

  
The excitement before the flight was as big as during and after. Exchanging a few lines with Marcel the previous day was totally helpful, he is easy to talk to, funny and positive, so I was sure to fly with him, feeling somehow a specific trust level. Kaola was going to fly with Phillip, who is the other half of our paragliding team. The preparation takes around 10 minutes, during this time we joke around and take pictures, put the harness on and check a couple of times if we are well tied to our pilots. 

   
 Marcel explains the easy steps the passenger must follow and from there on we rely on the force of nature, in this case the wind. Lucky us, cause Mr Wind starts to blow gently so when I hear: “Run!”, the good listener I am, I do exactly that. From then on it’s: Wow! In a few seconds we are up in the air, above the trees, the streets,the lake, the people, above the world. You don’t even have time to be scared, you are too busy enjoying the view and experiencing this unique feeling. To be honest, actually you really don’t have any reason to fear. The seat is comfy and the flight smooth, the view absolutely breathtaking and such a relaxing silence that I wish I could float for hours up there. 

   
   
I took the chance of interviewing Marcel up in the air while he was flying me around and found out that besides the hobby of flying, it’s also his full time job, taking aprox 5-6 flights/day. The whole equipment weights aprox 25 kg and during the way more than 10 years experience he has, he just suffered minor injuries, managing to bring  all his passengers to the ground in one piece and fully satisfied.

  
Me: How did you discover your passion for flying?

Marcel: Exactly like you ( laughing ). Took a tandem flight and loved it, so I continued and now it’s my living.

Me: Which was your most memorable flight?

Marcel: I did many great flights in various locations around Switzerland and not only. The first flight for sure it’s memorable, but not necessarily the best one. I did a flight once in Brazil that lasted 12 hours. I covered a few hundred km. That was amazing!

Me: Wow! ( completely overwhelmed) How did you manage with the basic needs for so long? And I assume it must be tiring too…

Marcel: Eating and drinking is not an issue, I can carry the products and eat, drink without any problems up in the air. Toilet can be an issue though… At the end of the day I am tired, yes.

Me: I read online that there’s no age limit for the passengers. Is that so? Did you have any extremes?

Marcel: Just a week ago I flew  with a 5 years old kid and my oldest passenger was 81. 

Me: Could you imagine yourself doing something else for a living? What could determine you to give up flying?

Marcel: I could  never give up flying!  ( very, very firm) I could imagine working something else, of course, and I sometimes think that yes, I do this now but what will happen let’s say when I’m 50 and maybe can’t do it anymore, what’s next? But I definitely wouldn’t want to give up flying!

  

During the discussion I was looking down at the mesmerizing landscape and under me the everyday life was having it’s own rhytm, the cars where going on the streets and it looked like the pieces of a moving puzzle which I could almost touch and rearrange the way I wanted. The wind was blowing us, we took turns, we were gliding and I was even managing the direction at some point, which for sure wouldn’t be a smart idea for more than 2 minutes. The landing is a whole adventure itself. A roller coaster kind of sensation with turns one after the other with a great speed in a spiral down until you nearly reach the ground. After a little more run and that’s what I call landed succesfully!

Hiking spot:France – view: Switzerland 

by editaroundtheworld, posted in Switzerland,hiking,mountains,nature

Geneva, as city is not too bad, it’s location is convenient either you wish to visit Switzerland or France. The local bus in less than 20 minutes takes you to the border and literally you walk out of the country easy as it sounds. No border officer to nag you, no formality – at least not on this lovely Wednesday. However, for a second it feels a bit like the middle of nowhere and slightly confusing but the view is interesting.

 At the cable car station, asking for directions it’s impossible not to notice a bit of the typical French arrogance, which actually makes me smile back cause my mood is too good today to be disturbed by such manners. It seems that Megan and myself are the only brave gals determined to hike up to the top of Mont Salève, which at first sight seems to be just a massive rock.

  
As we follow the trail, trying to find the well hidden signs, we realize that’s it’s not an easy hike – we are both beginners, let’s be clear about that – sweating becomes normal, some complains are hard to avoid, but overall it’s a fantastic work out. Even if the trail most of the time takes you between the trees, in the middle of the woods, at some point you reach some great viewing points and the view gives you the push you need to continue. 

   
 
The path, then some steps, the steep trail – all lead you to an unexpected sight: a village up in the mountains.

   
 
It’s quiet and away from the busy cities, all surrounded by green trees, in a picturesque setting there are several little houses, a church, a cafe and even some locals speaking decent English. I’m in a very positive way surprised! 

  

Leaving the cute village behind, our aim is the top, in order to reach it we continue on other steep paths leading to some other unexpected locations.

  
Buddhist center? Yes, that’s right, I didn’t expect to find that up there, but I enjoy this day full of discoveries. And who wouldn’t enjoy  also this beautiful nature which surrounds us?

   
    
 
I’m just wondering why all those young people we see at the destination had chosen taking the cable car instead hiking up? The satisfaction you have when you “suffered” to reach the top must be incomparable. Your legs are shaking, sweat is trickling down your back under the T-Shirt and your face is all red, but brightens up as you look down and see the perfect picture: the city, the lake, the trees, the roads, the moving cars – and you are all above them, watching in silence as if time stopped for a while.

   
    
    
 
For me time stopped for a while… I lie down, the sun burns my cheeks and I like it, I breath in  the fresh mountain air, I enjoy the French spot and I admire the Swiss view. Voila!

Accross the border

by editaroundtheworld, posted in Uncategorized

I was telling you in a previous post how great day trips are. I have to add also, that residing in Zürich opens many possibilities for such getaways not only on the territory of Switzerland. It’s very common to just quickly, less than 90 min train ride, hop to the German neighbors, usually for shopping in the charming little Konstanz. 

I love watching the fields as they change colors and shapes with the movement of the train. The warm temperature and the smooth balancing of the train relaxes my eyes so much that I nearly completely forget where I am and I have just time with myself, meditating about everything and nothing. I could watch this picture for hours, as it’s changing outside of the window. 

  
I get a little bit of everything, here a little hill, there a spot of flag field, in a distance some cows and farmers working hard.

  
Just before I reach my destination I can spot bigger and bigger parts of the beautiful Bodensee. That’s gonna be my first stop in the city, I want to see it from closer and join the crowd on the lakeside for a short stroll.

  
  
Once batteries charged, let’s not forget that Konstanz is not a bad place for shopping. The small size of the town and in particular of the center, makes it very handy to check out dozens of stores in a short time. Prices are relatively low or average and the stores are placed in a cute setting, with little cafes, restaurants and terraces, also delicious ice cream places surrounded.

  
They are all inviting and cosy, friendly and perfect for a few hours getaway. More than that might be too much though. As evening comes, complete silence covers Konstanz, the nightmare of party animals.

Zermatt – all seasons paradise – Switzerland 

by editaroundtheworld, posted in Uncategorized

As much as I may love Zürich, life in the city becomes boring at times. In such situations day trips are life savers… or mood savers. In any case, on weekends not just me, many others escape the city life and go to the mountains. I took my hiking shoes and my friend, Ania, an enormous amount of excitement, a little doze of determination for doing sport and after a 3 hours smooth train ride we arrived to the beautiful, car free mountain village of Zermatt. Not only the fresh air hit our nose, but also a few rain drops coming from the massive, dark clouds above us.

  

We must have scared away the grumpy clouds with our big laughs ’cause once we set our feet on the trail the friendly sun came out and followed us a long while during our hike.

  
  
  
Before you’d believe what a professional hiker I am, I should admit that I was tempted to stop every 2 minutes to take a pic of the view?!  … And I actually did stop to do so. Just because the nature over there it’s gorgeous, pure, beautiful and so on, so on. 

  
Still, for a daytrip from such a distance as Zürich, it’s a bit rushed, but God bless the cable car! In aprox 40 min this magic invention will take you all the way up to Matterhorn, where is winter, freezing cold, ice, wind and fog, but a special sensation, though if you take a thick jacket you will appreciate it more than I did in my thin hoodie.

  
   
  
 Is my smile convincing you to not wear winter gear in August? Maybe the ice and snow will make you think it over.

  
  
On the way back down there’s a lot more to discover than just warmer temperatures. Some cute, little lakes and the beautiful lake of Schwarzsee surrounded by the massive rocks of the mountain. Hard not to feel connected to nature in such a place. 

  
  
  
In Zermatt not only  mountains, also love is all around you! You don’t believe me? Have a look what’s up there on the balcony?!

  

  

🍀 Fascinating Ireland 🍀

by editaroundtheworld, posted in Backpacking, Travel

In a short period of time, less than a week, it’s a little rushed to cover two cities and a gorgeous island. Still, I felt that I explored those places piece by piece, letting place for getting connected with nature, eating in interesting restaurants, meeting wonderful people and getting tipsy in Irish style. That being said, my advice  would be: pack and go! In as short as 5 days time, you’ll get to discover a lot more than you would expect.

Start in Dublin

Landing at 10 pm on a Saturday evening in Dublin doesn’t leave you many options, so yes, it’s a good idea to spend the night in the capital. Dublin is a rather small city and as I noticed immediately, it’s very compact in the centre. That means that most probably any of the hostels you choose to stay at it’s very likely to be surrounded by at least a couple of bars. That can be pretty annoying if you had a long day and are looking to get some rest in a calm ambiance. Forget about it, it’s not going to happen, unless you are willing to pay much more than just 15 euros/night somewhere else.

I think you got the point: Dublin has great nightlife, vibrant, noisy, full of life city centre, packed with tipsy, but friendly Irish and dozens of tourists from all around the world.

The next morning though it’s exactly the opposite. Sunday morning around 9ish you can barely see some early birds wandering around. On the other hand, unfortunately you can see a lot of waste on the streets, such as empty beer cans, bottles and basically all you could imagine that a few hours before served for making someone’s party mood. 

That shortly will be cleaned away ( already should have been though) and you get to discover a pretty city in a rather grumpy day. 

     
Weather is just a detail however, which  changes quickly in Ireland, luckily this time to better. During a day you might experience various seasons, switching just in a minute from rain to sun and so on. For a short time while the sun is up Dublin becomes bright and refreshed.

  
  
  The Dublin Castle, right in the city centre is beautiful and hard to miss while walking along the river.

   
Temple Bar area is cute and diverse, plenty of bar, pubs, boutiques and options for eating and also accomodation. I especially liked the fact that in particular this area is full of flowers. The facades of several buildings are nicely decorated with colorful flowers, giving a special charm to the narrow streets and a romantic touch to the whole district. 

  
  
  
Allocate for all above aprox 3 hours, that’s the average time you need for a relaxed discovery of downtown, attractions visit excluded. 

Galway

From the very beginning I thought about visiting the charming city of Galway, which is just a 2 h bus ride from Dublin. July is a great time of the year, lots of events going on during the festival of arts. Galway is small, but hosts plenty of cultural events and I personally think that on it’s main street are busking the most talented amateur artists I’ve heard performing in Ireland and not only. 

During the summer there is a small market, where I found my speciality for the day: crepe filled with strawberries, maple syrup and whipped cream and a mix of white and  dark Belgian chocolate. Absolutely, dangerously delicious!

  

 In two steps you get away from the main street and you have the option of following the river for a stroll or just walk along the coast. I did both, aprox 2-3, short stops included.   Along the way you meet people who cycle, walk the dog, jog or just wander around. 

  
  
  
  
  
Galway is as much vibrant at night as Dublin, many pubs have live music on a daily basis and the atmosphere in such places is incomparable. Irish hospitality is definitely present, it’s not unusual at all that people come over to you in the bar to cheer and ask you what brings you to their country. The funny view is when you spot the ginger Irish dude’s face turning into lobster color after a few pints of Guiness. The atmosphere is fantastic, beer is good, prices are acceptable – I don’t even wonder why pubs are full every night.

  

    

  
Inis Mor
The following day is looking to be exciting since I booked a scenic flight, which means I fly in a tiny plane just above Aran Islands and Cliff of Moher. The excitement fades when I receive the call in the morning, announcing that it’s cancelled due to low visibility, but instead I can still take the regular flight to the island, spend a few hours there and after fly back to Connemara. A bit dissapointed, but I’ve chosen to go and it turned out to be a great day. I hopped on right next to the pilot in the mini plane and in less than 10 minutes we were landing on Inis Mor, the largest of Aran Islands.

  
 

 I took a bus tour together with some fellow travelers I met just in the bus stop. Our guide introduced us to the rich Irish culture, which is so alive on the island and took us to the most picturesque sights. Inis Mor is mesmerizing, even the sun came out to greet us. 

   
There are several bed and breakfasts, hostels and one single hotel and one supermarket on the island. On the question : ” is there any hospital on the island?” our funny guide’s proud answer was : ” no,we are healthy: we eat fish and drink Guiness”. Locals live their simple lives, keeping traditions and the language alive, having a few cows and going fishing. It’s admirable how happy and satisfied they are, away from the agitation of the mainland, having the ability of finding the fulfillment in the beauty of the nature that surrounds them.

  
  

  

  

End in Dublin

Since Dublin has an international airport, most likely the majority ends the holiday there. If time allows you I would include also Howth. It’s a short, 30 min train ride from the centre and it’s a real treasure if you are a seafood fan. 

  
Otherwise, The Bank on College Green, right in the heart of Dublin, is the best choice. A former bank transformed into a high class restaurant nowadays, serves a variety of delicious meals and a selection of Irish beer and whiskey in an elite ambiance. Finishing your Irish adventure must include a bar hopping and you have where to choose from for sure. If you :checked out some pubs, had a few more beers, listened to the typical music and ended up strolling around the city at 1 am with your Australian mate trying to find the right way – you did well in Ireland!

London…- where is the excitement?

by editaroundtheworld, posted in Travel

Don’t get me wrong: London is an exciting city… for a first ( or second,third etc) time visitor. It’s been slowly two years since I moved out of it after living there for a year. A year enjoying all that the Brit capital has to offer.

Now, for some reason I see the city with different eyes. Of course, it’s still beautiful and diverse… but the agitation, the dirty streets, the noisy traffic became unbearable. My eyes and all my senses involuntarily compare it to Switzerland.

In the chaos I’m trying to avoid, looking for the beauty I used to admire, I still find the same pleasures in the very well known places. 

  
  
A moment of relax in the middle of the crazy wildness with the iconic Big Ben in the background is a real blessing in a sunny day. Just a few steps away, a stroll on the riverside with the view of the London Eye and possibly a drink on one of the boat terraces could be also as pleasant if there were not so many tourists around.

   
 
In any case, if you get to meet the right people, which happens to be locals, they will know where to take you to wake up the fading love you have for the city. You don’t live the experience truly if you skip going out in Picadilly. Located between Oxford and Picadilly Circus, a not popular or fancy underground, members only bar takes you right to the tube ( Brittish version of metro). The bar transformed in London underground has fascinating atmopshere, generous bartenders, great music and pleasant crowd. It does worth paying a visit – discovering or redescovering London’s nightlife…