The London Lounge

My wife and I had the pleasure of visiting Portugal this past fall. We flew into Lisboa, and then took a short flight to Oporto. We spent 5 days in a Manor House located about an hour to the east of Oporto. The property has been in the same family for almost 500 years. They make their own Vinho Verde wine there, as well as some artisanal cheeses. We visited Oporto and Vila Nova deGaja and many of the Port Houses there. The restaurant at Taylor Fladgate is very nice and the pricing was extremely fair (much better than the Port prices.

A trip up the Duoro River is also highly recommended. To a Port lover, visiting the vineyards where the world's best Port is made is fascinating. The Vintage House Hotel is a fantastic place to stay with a distinctive British flavor.

Further south, Coimbra and Sintra are extremely historic towns to visit.

Portugal is an underrated treasure. The English already know this but for Americans, this is a fascinating country to visit. Soo much history, as well as fun and interesting red and white table wines.

Did you try some of the local culinary favorites such as 'Bacalhau a bras', the thinly sliced salty hams? How about the pudim flan?

Yes, we had a lot of bacalhau (cod), almost daily. We found the food to be interesting and quite good, especially the tapas type appetizers served for the whole table at the start of the meal, translated into the word "covers". I remember the blood sausages and the one that contained tripe, which was quite tasty despite being what it is.

Did you ever visit Lisboa? I found the use of tiles in the exterior of buildings quite imaginative, especially in the Barrio Alto area

We did not visit Lisboa, although we did spend a day and a night in Coimbra, on the drive down from Oporto to Sintra. Those gorgeous Portugese tiles are found throughout the country. Sintra is beautiful and the manor houses and castles there are simply stunning.

You are indeed correct that those beautiful tiles are to be found throughout the country. I however found the ones in the Barrio Alto district of Lisboa quite quite exceptional, you really must visit sometime! I agree that the large estate houses are also quite magnificent, a different architectural take compared to the more Northern European style.