{"id":8345,"date":"2025-09-30T21:25:35","date_gmt":"2025-10-01T01:25:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pattiphillipsbooks.com\/kerriansnotebook\/?p=8345"},"modified":"2025-09-30T23:13:54","modified_gmt":"2025-10-01T03:13:54","slug":"kn-p-337-2025-road-to-portugal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pattiphillipsbooks.com\/kerriansnotebook\/2025\/09\/kn-p-337-2025-road-to-portugal\/","title":{"rendered":"KN, p. 337  &#8220;2025 &#8211; Road to Portugal&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color: #800000; font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\"><em>If there are no paragraph separations in this article, double-click on the title and they will appear.\u00a0 \ud83d\ude42<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/pattiphillipsbooks.com\/kerriansnotebook\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AlfonsoCastle-IMG_6655-scaled.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-8346\" src=\"http:\/\/pattiphillipsbooks.com\/kerriansnotebook\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AlfonsoCastle-IMG_6655-300x225.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pattiphillipsbooks.com\/kerriansnotebook\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AlfonsoCastle-IMG_6655-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/pattiphillipsbooks.com\/kerriansnotebook\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AlfonsoCastle-IMG_6655-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/pattiphillipsbooks.com\/kerriansnotebook\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AlfonsoCastle-IMG_6655-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/pattiphillipsbooks.com\/kerriansnotebook\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AlfonsoCastle-IMG_6655-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/pattiphillipsbooks.com\/kerriansnotebook\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AlfonsoCastle-IMG_6655-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w, https:\/\/pattiphillipsbooks.com\/kerriansnotebook\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AlfonsoCastle-IMG_6655-500x375.jpeg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">Are you ready for your first visit to countries across the pond? Airlines sales and travel packages abound this time of year! Read \u201c<span style=\"color: #800000;\"><a style=\"color: #800000;\" href=\"https:\/\/pattiphillipsbooks.com\/kerriansnotebook\/mhnv\"><strong>On the Road to Portugal<\/strong><\/a><\/span>\u201d for earlier travel tips and surprises you might experience along the way.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">Take a look at some of the popular experiences available:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\"><strong>Festivals<\/strong> \u2013 Portugal has several weekend festivals during the year. Just two of the many:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">Held at the end of May, <strong>Bracara Romana<\/strong> is a Roman festival that celebrates the early Braga Roman history with parades, costumes, re-enactments, and even traditional cuisine.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\"><strong>\u2018Noite Branca\u2019<\/strong> (White Night) occurs in early September in Braga. This three day music festival features international bands performing at several venues in town. People in attendance wear white outfits and the town is decorated with white balloons, lights, and more. Restaurants open early and stay open late to accommodate the hungry\/thirsty visitors from around the world.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\"><strong>Churches &#8211; <\/strong>All the major towns in Portugal can claim a magnificent cathedral to be discovered on religious tours and pilgrimages for the faithful. Among those we visited are:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\"><strong>Bom Jesus do Monte <\/strong>is a hilltop Basilica overlooking the city of Braga in northern Portugal<strong>, <\/strong>notable for its architecture and spectacular 583 steps, park surroundings, and status as a World Heritage Site.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\"><strong>The Se of Braga <\/strong>is the first cathedral of Portugal, built in the 1100s and located in the historic section of the city<strong>.<\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\"><strong>The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Sameiro<\/strong> is a Marian shrine, not far from Bom Jesus, and also overlooks the city of Braga.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/pattiphillipsbooks.com\/kerriansnotebook\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Our-Lady-of-Sameiro-IMG_6434-scaled.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-8349\" src=\"http:\/\/pattiphillipsbooks.com\/kerriansnotebook\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Our-Lady-of-Sameiro-IMG_6434-300x213.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"213\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pattiphillipsbooks.com\/kerriansnotebook\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Our-Lady-of-Sameiro-IMG_6434-300x213.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/pattiphillipsbooks.com\/kerriansnotebook\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Our-Lady-of-Sameiro-IMG_6434-1024x727.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/pattiphillipsbooks.com\/kerriansnotebook\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Our-Lady-of-Sameiro-IMG_6434-768x545.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/pattiphillipsbooks.com\/kerriansnotebook\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Our-Lady-of-Sameiro-IMG_6434-1536x1090.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/pattiphillipsbooks.com\/kerriansnotebook\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Our-Lady-of-Sameiro-IMG_6434-2048x1453.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\"><strong>Verde Cool<\/strong> \u2013 This is a yearly celebration of local restaurants that serve wine with meals. Over 40 establishments are featured in the month long event (from the beginning of September thru the beginning of October). Participants receive a \u2018map\u2019 with a photo of the food and wine to be served at each of the eateries, along with a page to be stamped at the end of each of nine visits. A bottle of pretty good wine is your prize after you finish all nine and hand in the signed map before the end of the month. If you\u2019re *really* focused and are the <strong>first<\/strong> among <strong>all<\/strong> the participants to finish, there are <strong>several<\/strong> bottles of wine waiting for you. I have it on good authority that somebody did it in <strong>ONE<\/strong> day one year.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/pattiphillipsbooks.com\/kerriansnotebook\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/CoffeeCupStackDSCF1651.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-8350\" src=\"http:\/\/pattiphillipsbooks.com\/kerriansnotebook\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/CoffeeCupStackDSCF1651-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pattiphillipsbooks.com\/kerriansnotebook\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/CoffeeCupStackDSCF1651-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/pattiphillipsbooks.com\/kerriansnotebook\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/CoffeeCupStackDSCF1651-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/pattiphillipsbooks.com\/kerriansnotebook\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/CoffeeCupStackDSCF1651-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/pattiphillipsbooks.com\/kerriansnotebook\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/CoffeeCupStackDSCF1651.jpg 1236w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\"><strong>Coffee \u2013 <\/strong>as people move to Portugal from all over the world, the need for coffee shops has grown exponentially. In the past, we had to search for a great local place to hang out, do some computer work, meet with friends, and even drink coffee. Now we can find a coffee shop on almost every corner, some locally owned, some part of big chains. But beware of what you ask for. Ask for \u2018coffee\u2019 and you might get Turkish espresso in a small cup. Basically like a shot of rocket fuel to the uninitiated. If you want a 12 oz cup of coffee with milk, you won\u2019t get it because that\u2019s made with brewed (drip) coffee. Here are some options available at most Portuguese coffee shops:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\"><strong>Caf\u00e8 americano<\/strong> is a shot of espresso mixed with hot water at a 1:3 to 1:4 ratio<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\"><strong>Cappuccino <\/strong>is made with a shot of espresso, steamed milk, and milk foam, usually in a 1:1:1 ratio.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\"><strong>Galao<\/strong> is generally\u00a0made with one part espresso and three parts steamed milk and served in a tall\u00a0glass.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">A <strong>latte<\/strong> is larger than a cappuccino, and is made with espresso and mostly steamed milk, topped with a thin layer of foam.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">Sheila and I returned to Portugal recently to attend a family wedding and stayed an extended time to enjoy all the related festivities. Our experiences changed a little as a result of spending lots of time with locals who see tourists from their own perspective. <strong>Their thoughts<\/strong>: Kindness and polite behavior goes a long way toward the host country residents helping you enjoy your trip.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\">Pack your bags and be prepared for a wonderful trip!<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Places to visit in Portugal<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"default","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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