Author: admin (Page 5 of 31)

Lisbon / Sintra 3.3.25

4 March 2025 / admin

Sintra Pena Palace 3.3.25

Our destination today is the Pena Palace and we already know where to catch the bus – it comes down the hill and stops at a particular bus stop. It is a circular service and just goes round and round and I have previously researched the price. What I did not expect was that the driver does not want to sell us the basic ticket. They have been told to sell a rover ticket at a higher price – not the simple return ticket. We do eventually get it. The price difference is a couple of Euros but I dislike being “ripped off” in this way. I suspect for those doing both palaces it might make some sense – but it is a “norty” bus company.

We pass the Moorish palace first and then reach the Pena Palace. As yesterday we are significantly early as the instructions make it clear that there is a need to be present at the time the tour is timed (every half hour). So we are able to walk around the outside parts of the castle and then watch a couple of previous timed entries enter. It becomes clear that if you are given an 11 am timing you can enter over the next 25 minutes. So rather than join a queue and be in the hustle we wait for 20 minutes after our allotted time and then we enter behind the main pack and are not being hustled along by those behind us. And potentially able to get photos without too many people in the way. (Some months later we encounter a very similar problem at St Michael’s Mount and I suspect it has all been born out of covid and no-one has quite managed to relax since).

The Palace is externally an almost glorious clash of different styles representing the contributions from various sources over the life of the palace – the heading picture struggles to convey these variations.

Pena Palace Interior

It takes about 35 – 40 minutes to go around the Palace and hopefully I will have some decent photos of it. The original monastery was destroyed in to earthquakes – the second being the one which also devastated Lisbon in 1755. In 1838 the Ferdinand II acquired the lands and set about turning it into a suitable summer palace for the royal family. A German architect was employed with construction being finally completed by 1854, although it was largely complete in 1847. The Royal family had significant input into various elements of the design. In 1889 it was bought by the State from the Royal family and after 1910 it became a museum. At the end of the 20th Century it was restored to its original colours.

In the evening we eat at the Café Paris which is immediately opposite the National Palace which we are visiting tomorrow. An excellent meal so we will have a light lunch here tomorrow as well. Decent food and well looked after which is always welcome.

Lisbon / Sintra 2.3.25

3 March 2025 / admin

CP Lisbon unit 2414

Luckily having checked yesterday we do actually know where to go to find the train to Sintra. No great problem buying tickets or finding the train. The timetable implied that there is a more frequent service than is actually the case – it turns out that there are two distinct destinations in the area and one of them is not really in Sintra where we need to be. Quite why the timetable implies they both go to Sintra I struggle to comprehend.

As with the tram yesterday the loading on the train is high – we were there early so were able to claim seats but many stand for the journey which is a slight surprise. As ever the fares are unbelievably low – far below any UK fares for similar journeys. And of course it is electrified.

We cross paths with a pair of people who were also on our food tour a few days ago as they are also going to Sintra – but intend to fit in far more (being American) whilst we are simply making the journey today and seeing sights over the next two days.

Once we have arrived in Sintra we stay close to the station as lunch is booked in a restaurant so we want to get a coffee to bridge the gap. We sit outside a coffee shop but they seem to have a crisis inside and initially refuse to serve us. As we have cases we do not wish to go inside and somehow our existence appears to be completely forgotten so instead of being warmed by coffee we are actually getting colder.

The restaurant is down the hill and unlike most diners we go for the full three courses. So we actually see people pop in, eat what is almost less than a snack and depart. It seems very odd compared with normal UK Sunday behaviour which is to consume a full roast. Indeed in a few cases they order one plate and share it.

Regrettably we have to go all the way back up to the station (up a hill) to find the taxi rank to take us to our next B&B which is centrally located – but there is an awkward one way system for cars to get into the main town.

In the evening we take a wander around the town and having had a lunch we feel a pizza might be a suitably light meal and there is little choice – but the place we use is difficult to recommend so disappointing. We have a meal booked in one place for Tuesday – externally it looks less than great but we shall see it inside when we get there.

Lisbon / Sintra 1.3.25

2 March 2025 / admin

Belem Tower

We wake and find it is a much brighter morning. The breakfast room in the hotel looks out over Restauradores and it is also interesting to watch the other residents coming and going. A decent breakfast as well.

Having been displaced from yesterday this morning we head down to Praça do Comércio intending to take the tram 15 to Belem. There is a long queue and no tram 15 appears although it is supposed to be frequent. I eventually walk to the tram stop shelter (we are at the back of lengthy queue) and there is a notice which informs me that tram 15 is truncated at some point on the route and it seems it will not be serving this stop (as it is in Portuguese I am guessing at the content to a certain extent – but the names of the roads do not mean much to me and trying to find them on Google Maps does not help a lot either).

There is an adjacent taxi rank and so we take the obvious step. A very helpful and chatty taxi driver is happy to get us to our planned destination and explains how to walk between the Tower, the monument and the Jerónimos Monastery for which I am grateful.

At the Tower the wait to enter looks like it is about 30 minutes long – but it is getting warmer so we decline the opportunity to stand around in the sun and decide to walk along to the monument. We are both sure we visited this briefly on a coach trip when moored here on a cruise a few years ago but we have a little more time to take photographs today.

Jeronimos Monastery

The Jerónimos Monastery Is the other side of the main road and so we make use of the passenger underpass emerging the other side. We have a pleasant walk through some gardens and then have trouble finding the ticket booth, hidden away in a corner of the gardens behind trees. However I can see that there is a long queue into monastery which the we overhear a discussion and it is taking a couple of hours – which is even less attractive in the sun than the wait at the Tower.

We determine we will return someday perhaps – the area is struggling to cope with the number of visitors which have appeared in the sunshine and today is not the day for us to be standing around. Having closely watched the trams moving I work out where we need to be to catch a tram for most of the return journey which we then take back towards the town centre.

The station we need to use tomorrow is immediately behind the hotel and yet the entrance in an adjacent building lacks any branding or recognition that it is an entrance – it appears to be a Starbucks. When we go in we see signs directing us upstairs to the trains – but externally it is bereft. It is fair to say that we have not seen as much of Lisbon as I would have liked due to a combination of limited opening hours, non-existent trams and simply far too many people. Frustrating to be honest.

Lisbon / Sintra 28.2.25

1 March 2025 / admin

Prado menu

Originally we had planned to visit Belem today and maybe some other parts of Lisbon but the weather continues to be less than ideal and lacking waterproof clothing may be a real drawback if it continues much longer.

So we head to the terminus of the historic tram – no 28 – which covers (normally) much of Lisbon which is ideal on a damp day. Before leaving the UK I was already aware that the tram route is not currently running the entire way to the west due to road works but instead terminates in a square on the far side of the hill to the hotel. We do not particularly wish to cover the rest of the route (it has been through the really historic part of the town by the castle) and do not use the minibus onward but wait for our tram to shuffle off, reverse and then pick up passengers for the return trip to our starting point.

Lisbon tram

I had thought about taking the Santa Justa lift to the higher level and visiting the former convent which contains various artworks. However there is a lengthy queue for the lift and there is a limit to patience and ability to stand around waiting. Watching the queue for a little while it did not seem to be moving at all – so no idea how long the wait would be.

In the evening we walk down through the main area to the Se Cathedral. However this closes an hour earlier in winter than in summer – so has just closed as we arrive. This is unfortunate as we now have an hour of time to waste before we can go the restaurant we have booked. Not one of my better moments.

Restaurant Prado (due to a recommendation by Edible Reading) was the destination this evening. It is an excellent meal. The place is also fairly busy and this is an excellent place to eat and I have put the menu above as given the weather this was the highlight of the day!

Lisbon / Sintra 27.2.25

28 February 2025 / admin

Hanging Hams

This morning the weather does not look bright but I get down to Rossio which is adjacent to the hotel to find that the battery in my big camera is flat. I have time so return to the room and pick up my portable charger and start recharging it in my pocket. By the time I return to Jackie it is starting to spit and the rain then continues the rest of the time we are out of the hotel.

Our guide – of Chilean origin and a lawyer who decided to change his life post covid and has resettled in Lisbon – gives us a little history of Portugal and Lisbon before taking us around some local outlets to show us the food.

Up first is a pork sandwich and so far the rain is not too bad. Tasty pork – which has to be taken with the famous piri piri sauce – Jackie feels I am adding too much – but the drops are very small and only about half the recommended eight drops – so just enough for a taste rather than drowning the pork. The pork is accompanied by some white wine – so the morning is off to a good start, well it is five o’clock somewhere after all.

We keep passing the Bastardo fish restaurant – but it is not one we visit – I have to hope it has a different meaning in Portuguese. Our next stop is another glass of wine to accompany the cod fish balls which are cod and potato. The rain continues to fall.

Lisbon alcohol

A stop for some port is only to be expected in Portugal and whilst this is before lunch it proves acceptable – although we stand outside we are just about undercover – sadly the rain keeps on raining down.

Now time for something a little more substantial as we need to soak up some of the alcohol and therefore lunch.

Around the corner it is time for Ginjinha – which is not gin but is in fact a sweet cherry liqueur from a bar with that name which is just across the way from our hotel. A lot of people appear to stop off for a quick one on their way past. This time we shelter in the miniscule space in front of the bar – that rain is still falling.

We have one further stop – which is some distance away and requires the use of a lift. Without realising it the rain is worse and it is now penetrating my light jacket to the point that when I arrive at the final stop for cheese and meat boards I am completely soaked. I remove my coat and as we are there some time I have time to dry out a little. Until we return to the hotel and am soaked through again. That coat has lost all water-proofing and is little use in the rain in future.

I hang up my shirt to dry out as well.

Lisbon / Sintra 26.2.25

27 February 2025 / admin

Heathrow T5

This morning we head off to Heathrow and once again we are using the pod parking, for the first time in daylight and because it is pretty full this morning we park close to the B station. Car parked we trundle along the podway to Terminal 5, this is just such a simple way of accessing the airport. Bag drop is relatively quick but security less so. Then an interminable wait until we are told we are departing from B gates, so take the underground transit out to the B gates.

A nearly full flight but we load well and are ready to back off the stand seven minutes ahead of expected departure time, not that we do although we are soon away. A good flight down to Lisbon where we are terminated on a stand away from the main building so it is a bus into the terminal.

Bags collected we head outside to the metro terminus and descend to the departure platform of the metro which provides a good service into the City Centre. We travel to the end of the red line at Sao Sebastien and then change to the blue line for Restauradores. The lifts are a bit of a pain when we change (as we have cases) and it is worse at Restauradores – both the upward escalator and the lift are out of action. Even worse there are no lifts from the underground ticket hall to street level so we have to slowly ascend the stairs. It was obvious in Turin that at the main station (and there is a main station just around the corner which we shall use later in the week) that there were lifts from the metro to street level – their absence is surprising.

Bonjardim

Our hotel is immediately adjacent to the exit rom the station which is welcome and we are soon in an excellent room in the Avenida Palace Hotel. It is now late afternoon so some unpacking and then we have planned to go to a very local restaurant – Bonjardim – which has been serving spit roast chicken since the early fifties if I remember correctly. Potentially the original peri peri chicken came from here and they certainly provide a peri peri sauce to add to the chicken. We arrive and almost immediately a significant queue forms up behind us so very lucky timing. Many of the later arrivals are accommodated indoors whereas given the warmth we are able to sit outside and enjoy the entertainment provided by a dancer who appears and does a couple of dances and then goes round making a small collection to which we add funds.

An excellent meal and an interesting discussion with the tables either side – Americans who have moved to Portugal in one case and a Canadian on his travels around Europe.

Italy / Austria Homeward

4 January 2025 / admin

OBB 1116-267 2.1.25

This actually covers three days after the action previously recorded. The first day was entirely free in Innsbruck and we largely stayed in our room reading and resting – we had a pizza one day when we were out and about but generally had seen nothing we wanted to revisit in the cold. However the opportunity existed.

The second day is traversing Austria and Germany. DB Rail is at the moment reckoned to be poorly performing and we are subjected to this. Our first train to Munich is not a problem although a little late if I recall correctly and we can watch the countryside pass by. In Munich the train is in the platform but like some UK operators getting passengers boarded gently and steadily is not accepted and we have a last minute dash – which with heavy suitcases is not welcome. The service onwards to Cologne is soon being undertaken in the dark (so reading and listening time) until we come to a halt. The driver on a previous train had seen something on the track and so we halt whilst an investigation is undertaken. Inevitably this takes quite a bit of time and as the report may have been a person the caution is understandable. There is no opportunity to recover the time.

The final day is a service from Cologne to Brussels which also runs late – so we are a little worried over our connection time given the Eurostar approach to travellers. No need to worry as the inward train to Brussels was also late and so we get through security and are penned up in an area without enough seats for those travelling for ages. The train is there but we are not allowed to board it. Then they undertake loading the priority passengers – understandable but we spend ages in a queue and it seems like they are already letting in passengers for the following service (at least so it is implied). I regret to say that once again this is not the way that anyone should be treating international rail passengers. These days I am not sure cattle would be allowed to travel like this. Eurostar really need to take a step back and find a better way of ensuring that passengers are respected.

Inevitably a late departure means a late arrival and I thought that we would have a nice simple connection into the service home from Waterloo (which is only hourly because of the poor service on our local line). I make my way to the right entrance at Kings Cross for the Underground – this means going right to the front of the old station entrance which was swept away a couple of decades ago and taking the lift down (plus a few steps). The escalator delivers us to the right platform and it is across on the level from Victoria line to Bakerloo at Oxford Circus. The watch is ticking.

We head up the escalators at Waterloo and although it is almost on the hour our train is on the other side of the barrier with the doors open – we dive through and onto the first coach. The train departs about three late. The guard comes through and I thank him and explain that we are lucky to catch it. He had to deal with a late arriving disabled passenger further forward and so was loading a wheelchair when he should have been signalling departure. Our driver however is up to the challenge and observing limits is able to recover the time dropped at Waterloo by the time we roll into Woking. Once we are at Guildford It is then a normal wander across to another platform for the meander home. Another holiday completed.

Brochure descriptions:

Day 11:

After a delicious hotel breakfast, enjoy a day at leisure to explore Innsbruck, perhaps taking a walk beside the Inn river or past the fountains and pavilion of the Innsbrucker Hofgarten, landscaped royal palace gardens which date from the early 15th century.

Innsbruck is a city of many delightful churches, including the baroque cathedral with its famous Madonna and Child painting by Lukas Cranach the Elder, as well as the gothic Hofkirche.

Another notable architectural wonder in Innsbruck’s Altstadt is the Golden Roof, a glorious copper-tiled roof built in 1500 to mark the occasion of the marriage of Maximilian I to Bianca Maria Sforza.

Day 12:

This morning, we board the train down the Inn valley to Munich, where we change trains and continue to Cologne.

Passing through the historic cities of Augsburg and Ulm, and fairy-tale towns such as Schwäbisch Gmünd and Limberg and der Lahn, we then arrive at our Rhine-side destination of Cologne, dominated by its imposing, twin-spired Gothic cathedral.

Day 13:

After breakfast today our wonderful festive tour concludes as we travel from Cologne to Brussels, before catching our final train, the Eurostar, to London St Pancras.

On arrival at St Pancras we say farewell to our travelling companions and recall the winter wonders we have witnessed in Italy and Austria.

Stubaitalbahn 31 December 2024

1 January 2025 / admin

Church from Stubaitalbahn 31.12.24

We are nearing the end of the holiday today and we are going to travel on the Stubaitalbahn which these days is an 18km tram trip into rural areas. The first section now uses local tram tracks but as we leave the town and commence climbing it is then branch line status running to Fulpmes. The line was opened in 1904 so has seen service now for over 120 years and seems well used with modern stock as it winds its way round and through villages – we see at least three sides on one particular church spire as we travel. The service frequency on the last part of the line is relatively low with some trams turning around at an intermediate stop.

Reaching the destination it looks cold outside and so we choose to sit in the tram until the return journey commences – but there is ice and falls are not a good idea.

Bergisel ski jump 31.12.24

Also visible is the Bergisel ski jump which is the latest of a series of ski jumps – this one was completed in 2003 replacing the version used for the 1976 Winter Olympics. It is one of the major ski jumps in the World being part of the “Four Hills Tournament”.

The best bit of the return journey which I work out as we descend it is that in Innsbruck the trams appear to operate around a one way loop, so that we can leave the tram not very far at all from the hotel and whilst it takes a few minutes to establish bearings (so much easier with maps on mobile phones these days) we can visit a café just across the road from the hotel and consume some warming vittels and then dive straight back into the hotel.

By and large I think we have come to the conclusion that holidays with snow and ice and not suitable for us – the risk / reward ratio does not seem to work well and I am glad that our time in Italy on this trip was not (for us) particularly cold – indeed in Sirmione out of the wind it was pleasant and (unlike the summer) not overcrowded.

And the brochure extract says:

Our New Year celebrations begin with a journey through the wintry scenery of the Stubai Valley aboard the narrow-gauge Stubaitalbahn.

From Innsbruck, it winds up through gentle meadows, providing great views of the city below. Passing sleepy villages, the route then plunges into a landscape of icy forests and alpine meadows laden with snow, before winding its way down to the peaceful valley town of Fulpmes.

The Stubai Valley Railway – Stubaitalbahn, in the native tongue – was opened in 1904 and has grown in passenger numbers ever since, no doubt owed to the beautiful scenery it enjoys on its one hour trip from Fulpmes to Innsbruck. Along the journey, the train passes many spectacular sights including the Mutters and Kreither viaduct.

Innsbruck 30 December 2024

31 December 2024 / admin

Golden Roof Innsbruck 30.12.24

A walking tour of Innsbruck this morning. As with the majority of our trip the sun is shining and therefore it is not as cold as we feared it might be. Indeed it is pleasant weather to be wandering around although equally glad to return to the warm if somewhat small hotel room at the end of the morning.

Innsbruck, essentially due to the Brenner pass immediately to the south, has always been the gateway between northern and southern Europe and was therefore a key point to control over long periods as it was possible to extract money from those passing with goods for trading in both directions.

Originally at the heart of Habsburg Empire the city then came under the Archdukes of Austria. A period as part of Bavaria followed until return to Austria in 1814. However being such an important trade route has led to the city always been prosperous even if owing allegiance to new rulers.

A key sight in the city and indeed its symbol is the “Golden Roof” which was completed to mark the wedding of the Emperor Maximilian I to Bianca Maria Stroza in 1500 with the balcony being used by the Emperor and his new wife to observe the festivals, tournaments and activities in the square below. The Emperor was King of the Romans from 1486 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1508 until his death in 1519. He was a particularly able warlord. This was a period when the ruler has sway over much of what is now Italy and Germany whilst marriages led to his grandson taking the thrones of Castile and Aragon – showing just how far the tentacles of the Hapsburg empire stretched.

Innsbruck Cathedral 30.12.24

We are also able to go inside the Cathedral which was constructed following some earthquakes between 1716 and 1724 when it was dedicated. In December 1944 Innsbruck suffered significant bomb damage which caused destruction of parts of the Cathedral and was restored by 1950 becoming a Cathedral in 1964. Further repair and reconstruction work was undertaken between 1991 and 1993 with a new dedication service in October 1993.

We decide that a trip up in the local ski lift holds little attraction following the heights achieved yesterday. Prior to arrival much has been made of the light show in the gardens but when we pass it on the walking tour we see that it appears mainly geared towards children and so decide against going out in the evening. During the day the snow is melting slightly but after dark it freezes and again and one of the party has a fall when they do visit the illuminations and that proves to us it is better to be safe than sorry – we thought that it might be slightly slippery and bound to be worse if it freezes slightly having thawed during the day. We did not want to come back from the holiday bruised and bandaged. I have no doubt that it is worth seeing – but we would prefer to avoid any accidents.

And for reference here is the brochure description:

We wake up with the wintry mountains looking on to festive Innsbruck. The gentle bustle of picture-perfect streets and the seasonal weather combine to charming effect on this enchanting day full of anticipation.

After breakfast, we enjoy a guided walking tour of beautiful Innsbruck, followed by a leisurely afternoon during which we can explore further.

With a remarkably picturesque medieval centre, the town is dotted with impressive buildings, including Herzog-Friedrich-Strasse. Here, a shimmering golden Habsburg roof, the ornate Hölbling house and the imposing 14th-century watchtower look out over buildings with arched arcaded frontages.

When it goes dark, LUMAGICA Innsbruck invites you to take a literally illuminating walk in the Hofgarten – for the fifth time in a row. Rainbow (colours), flowers and butterflies as well as abstract elements and interactive light installations line the approximately one kilometre long circular path.

Zillertalbahn 29 December 2024

30 December 2024 / admin

Zillertalbahn train 29.12.24

There is a decent breakfast available so that gets the day off to a good start. Innsbruck is quiet this morning with few people around. We have a reasonable walk to the station, slightly uphill and carefully identifying landmarks to ensure we can achieve the return journey without getting lost. The walk takes us through the main town centre and at the station we catch a train to Jenbach.

Here we can cross under the tracks to the separate Zillertalbahn which departs from an adjacent platform. Having read the time table I know that they now only run one steam return trip a day, for about three months, in high summer and it is no surprise to me that our journey today on the outward trip is behind a diesel locomotive. The return was with a self-powered diesel unit. There is a wait before departure which luckily enables a toilet stop. Our guide thought we would go immediately but in fact the timetable appears to have been amended since he was given the timings.

In the light of the haulage I am pleased therefore to be able to record that I travelled behind a Zillertal locomotive when we visited the Welshpool and Llanfair Railway back in June 2024 on our North Wales extravaganza. However the chances of steam haulage in Austria on this line is now heavily limited and far more is it a conveyance for local residents – the entire area seems to have far more modern adjacent buildings than older ones and no doubt the line has had to adapt to meet the demand.

The line winds through a white landscape as snow has fallen recently and it makes it a pleasant journey through the wintry wonderland. There are quite a few stops along the way with reasonable numbers joining to go skiing or for other purposes – so it is well used – at least at this time of year.

The far end of the Zillertalbahn line is Mayrhofen. Here we leave the train behind and walk up through the village gently. Obviously it is slightly more slippery than at times due to the recent snow, although the walking routes are generally well gritted, the previous falls are thawing as we are above zero when in the sun (which continues to shine brightly as it has generally throughout the holiday).

Near the top of the town is a cable car which exists primarily to take the many skiers up to the ski area (which is above the snow line and can therefore be used throughout the year) but also enables us to ascend to appreciate the views and the sunshine. Once at the top xx we can see that the various ski slopes are heavily populated and we can see the surrounding white tops of the mountain ranges.

The main building at the top has a sun deck which catches the sun nicely and I walk up to it to take some photos of the people actually skiing and use various ski lifts – there is another lift to a much higher point. We then return to the town below.

On the upwards walk through Mayrhofen a sign for apfelstrudel had been seen and that guaranteed a stop on the return journey; I chose the local soup with cheese scone within it, simple but warming given that there is snow everywhere outside.

The return train journeys are a reverse of the outward trip and the walk back down to the hotel remembering to turn left at the cannabis shop. Luckily with the sun shining it has not felt that cold apart from the wait at Mayrhofen for the train to arrive.

The brochure text is linked to a photo of a steam locomotive – hence the comments above:

Travelling on the Zillertalbahn today, we step aboard heritage carriages for an atmospheric journey through the delightful Ziller Valley.

The railway’s distinctive red engine stands out against the snow-clad landscapes as we marvel at sights such as rushing Ziller river, enchanting Tyrolean towns that look as if they belong on a Christmas card and meadows blanketed in thick, fresh snow.

Our outstanding journey on the Zillertalbahn (or the Ziller Valley Railway) takes us on a 19-mile route from Jenbach through the grandiose mountain scenery to Mayrhofen at the other end of the valley.

In the heart of the breath taking Tyrol region of Austria, the Zillertalbahn wends its way across the shimmering meadows, along the valleys and under the mountains. Cheerful red carriages and engine are easy to spot, as the Zillertalbahn crawls like a bright caterpillar across the Ziller valley floor offering a glimpse into the distinct charm of Austria’s verdant countryside.

The train line was officially opened in 1902, mainly operating as a passenger service for residents of the Ziller valley and the rest of the Tyrol region. The line has expanded to take on freight services, and the line actually owns a series of steam engines which are put on occasionally to take passengers and tourists back in time. Beginning at the jolly market town of Jenbach near the shimmering Achen Lake, the Zillertalbahn snakes its way through the enchanting small Tyrolean towns and villages on its way to the ski resort of Mayrhofen.

We arrive in Mayrhofen where you have free time to ride to the summit of Penken via a gondola cable car, walk the cobbled streets or visit the Ahorn Eagle’s Stage, an observation point for alpine birds of prey.