Euro Trip 2017 part 2

After Spain, we set off to Portugal. There is a very small airport in Pamplona, Spain that offers a few daily flights to Madrid during the Feast of San Fermin. After a long layover in Madrid (during which I wisely took time to get my hair done at the airport), we arrived in Lisbon during one of the hottest days of the year. Thankfully, everything in Lisbon is only a short distance away and we soon arrived at the hotel.

We stayed at Hotel Duas Nações, which offered a good breakfast but had no A.C. (at least not in the room we booked). Did I mention it was one of the hottest days of the year? So yes, it was very warm, although bearable. The reason I would consider this hotel again, however, is the location, location, location. We were only a few steps away from the Praça do Comércio, the elevator to the Castle of St. George and other sights. If you want to see a lot of Lisbon and are crushed for time,  we would recommend this hotel. 

If you find yourself in Lisbon, three things are highly recommended:

1. Visit the Castle of St. George for amazing views of the city.

2. Eat bacalhau (Portuguese cod). 

3. Shop! The week we were in Europe was a major "rebajas" week. Sales everywhere from Barcelona to Lisbon. I only wish we had more time to hit up stores. 

Because the centennial of the apparitions of Our Lady in Fatima, Portugal were this year, we decided to go on a short trip to Fatima. We took a bus from Sete Rios bus station and arrived in about an hour. We originally thought about 4 hours would be spent there, but it turned out 2 hours were sufficient. It was so hot we just kept moving! 

After Portugal we flew to London, where we spent some time with my husband's cousin. He took us on a tour of London, where we visited the Tate Modern, a really interesting art gallery with some Picasso's and Dali's. 

After doing all the touristy things in London (walking by Kensington Palace, The Big Ben, St. Paul's, etc.) we stopped for lunch at Founders' Arms and had the traditional fish and chips and pulled pork sandwiches. Yum!!!! 

We drove five hours from London to Exeter, where we rode bikes around "The Quay", an area with shops and pubs. 




Another hour of driving brought us to Bovey Tracey, where hub's godmother lives. Walking around the picturesque town, eating pasties and learning more about my husband's family was the perfect end to our time in Europe! On our second day in Bovey Tracey we went on a PAW (perfectly awful walk) at Pew Tor in Dartmoor. It was actually fun!!! 





On our last day in England we drove back (on the left, of course) to Heathrow Airport and I have to admit I missed home so badly!