My New Favorite Place - Portugal!

How do I describe the wonders of Portugal?  Picturesque quaint towns with narrow walk ways brimming with shops and bursting with bright flowers and music.  Portugal has everything from alabaster cathedrals, Moorish palaces, delicious tapas and the best sangria.  We visited Portugal for our third wedding anniversary and were looking for a beach-cation, we ended seeing everything but.  When we arrived to our hotel, Josh had wine and chocolates in our room waiting, oo la la! 

In order to truly appreciate the following pictures, I suggest you pour yourself a drink and have Fodo playing loudly in the background.

Statue of Prime Minister Sebastiao e Melo, the man who rebuilt Lisbon after the earthquake of 1755 completely destroyed the city.  The statue is placed at the end of the town, so he can always look upon his great work.

Lisbon was once built like a maze, difficult to navigate.  After the quake, the town was built like a grid.  Although Lisbon is a very old, the look is relatively new.

Josh basking in the sun!

On our first full day in Portugal, Josh and I took a walking tour which allowed us to discover all the wonders Lisbon had to offer. 

The Carnation Revolution Memorial was built to signify the day no shots were fired during a political war.  Carnations were put at the end of every soldiers gun.

Overview of Lisbon

The ocean in the distance.  I absolutely love that man!

Walking through the maze of streets in Alfama, a place not effected by the earthquake.

Each town chooses a Saint to celebrate during the month of July.  We just loved being there for the festivities and decorations.

Belem Tower was originally built in 1515 as a defensive outlook and quickly turned into a market for trading.  The intricate details and carvings were simply stunning!

It is such a beautiful building and perfectly preserved.

The Discoveries Monument was built in 1960 and represents all the great Portuguese explorers and thinkers. You might look at this picture and think you're in San Francisco.  The 25 de Abril Bridge is the Golden Gates Twin and is named in honor of the Carnation Revolution.

Enjoying the town!

Belem is known for delicious pastries!  Yum!

We indulged in Verde Wine (and all sorts of other wines). 

Before wine tasting, we took a walk through the bustling village.  We enjoyed drinking sangria at a local stop, where everyone knew each other and their children played wildly in the streets.  We ordered a local delicacy, which was a type of bean.  After shooting it off of a trash can and a car, the local ladies, in Portugese, taught me the secrets of shooting my snack into my mouth :)

Pena National Palace - absolutely stunning!

This palace is listed on the Seven Wonders of Portugal.

The palace was constructed in 1493 by King John II, the surrounding park is 100 acres of shear madness.  There were many amazing structures scattered throughout the park, but finding them was a challenging feat. 

Picture of the palace taken from the Queen's throne in the park.

The warrior who always has his eye on the Queen's Throne.

Josh and I at Moores Castle.  The castle is mainly a defensive wall, the inside is full of trees, dirt and tombs.

I felt like we were standing on the Great Wall of China!

Adorable streets of Sintra!

The Arch of Triumph, most arches were built in honor of a great war, this arch was built in honor of what was lost in the earthquake.  It reads, out of the ashes we rise.

We loved Portugal and can't wait to get back.  I love Josh very much and these past years have been a fairytale packed with adventures of which I couldn't dream!  Forever with him just doesn't seem long enough.