Top Takeaways (Twenty Three) - Western Europe

We've covered a lot of ground during two months in Western Europe but we feel like there is still so much more to see! Here are our top takeaways from our time in the Netherlands, Spain, France, Portugal, England and Italy.

One of our favorite spots: The Amalfi Coast.

1. Tourism is alive and well. While we knew that the countries we visited in Western Europe appealed to many tourists, particularly Americans, we still weren't prepared for the hoards of people we encountered near ever major sight. We tried to adjust to waiting in lines and fighting for the best view but we never really enjoyed the experience as much as some of our previous sightseeing.

2. Having said that, it's still possible to get off the beaten path. If you are comfortable missing some of the "must-see" places, you can easily create a unique and enjoyable travel experience, even in crowded cities. We bypassed the Uffizi gallery in Florence and didn't venture inside St. Mark's Cathedral in Venice but instead found empty side-streets and perfect hilltop views. Our preferences have definitely evolved over the past year and we now actively seek the road less traveled.

3. Besides maybe Japan, Western Europe is the most expensive area we've visited. Portugal aside, we found most places to be very pricey. If you are looking for a more budget-friendly trip, we would recommend Southeast Asia or Eastern Europe first!

4. Unfortunately, crime can happen anywhere. Of all the places we've been, we didn't expect France to be the sight of the single worst occurrence during our journey. We consider ourselves pretty tough New Yorkers and are constantly alert, but the truth is no one is immune from opportunist criminals.

5. Paris remains the city of romance. Alex and I had both separately been to Paris in our teenage years and didn't have particularly fond memories of the city; coming back together was a completely different experience. Given the city's size, we found it easy to just wander around and get lost in the charming streets and neighborhood parks. Even after five days, I felt like we didn't get to see everything and now I can't wait to come back!

6. England's reputation for disappointing food is unwarranted. Seriously! We admittedly had excellent hosts who directed us to the best restaurants but we had some of our best meals in the land of the British. Alex and I can definitely get behind the local pub food and traditional Sunday night roast!

7. Italian food really is as delicious as advertised. Speaking of food, we really can't deny the appeal of Italian cuisine. In addition to the perfectly cooked pasta, oven-baked pizza and fresh tomatoes and mozzarella, the local seafood and cured meats were equally tasty. Certainly not the healthiest way to end our journey, but probably the most delicious!

8. Nearly everyone speaks English. Alex and I rarely encountered a serious language barrier - the major cities in Western Europe attract so many tourists that English is widely spoken. My favorite example of this was an American mom and teen who commented (negatively) on my outfit in English while I stood next to them at a crosswalk in Rome; I assume my deep tan implied that I was an Italian, but seriously the Italians speak English too!

9. Traveling within the Eurozone is very efficient and highly convenient. In complete contrast to the US, train travel in Europe is fast, easy and relatively affordable. We were most surprised that no one checked our passports between countries (until we got to the UK) - guess we'll just have to come back for those passport stamps!

10. There will always be a reason to come back to Western Europe! We still feel like we barely scratched the surface and we are excited that we still have so many future trips to take. Completing the France road trip we didn't get to take and visiting Scandinavia are probably the two standouts for us.

Peak: Celebrating the wedding of our friends Blythe and Cody with our friends in Levanto

Pit: Getting robbed in Marseille

Next Stop: Japan (by way of New Jersey / New York)

Lisbon

Sarah and I woke up on Sunday to discover that Cascais had been taken over by some sort of children’s festival for the day. All the streets were shut down, there were hordes of screaming children everywhere and at least four “bouncy houses” – so we decided to head back to Lisbon early in the day rather than competing with all the kids for a spot on the beach.

We spent the afternoon strolling around Lisbon’s beautiful streets, popping into a few shops and eventually eating another delicious meal at Time Out Mercado da Ribeira. With so many choices, it’s hard to go wrong there!

Sarah loved the art deco feel of this brightly colored building.

Afternoon sun overlooking São Jorge Castle.

Panoramic views of Lisbon

Looking out on the 25th of April Bridge from one of Lisbon’s many hills.

Fortunately the city also has numerous streetcars to help pedestrians get up and down the hills - though nearly $4 for a 3-minute ride is a little "steep!"

We woke up on Monday and headed back to the train station to catch a quick train to Belem, a small historic town just outside Lisbon. Our first stop: lunch at Pão Pão Queijo Queijo. The line was out the door and the ordering process was a bit chaotic – all the locals knew the unspoken, unwritten procedures and basically no one spoke English – but the delicious sandwich I got was worth the hassle! (Sadly, Sarah’s falafel was pretty lousy…but I dutifully shared my sandwich with her.)

One we were finished with our lunch, we set out to see Belem for a few hours (with a gelato stop along the way) before the heat tired us out and we headed back to Lisbon.

Intricate handiwork on the Jerónimos Monastery.

By the marina in Belem. So similar to San Francisco! (Well, except for the giant Jesus statue in the distance.)

Belem Tower, one of several defensive towers built around Portugal in the 1500s.

Afonso de Albuquerque Square near the center of town.

Once back in Lisbon, we decided to power through the day and headed directly to Alfama, Lisbon’s oldest neighborhood, on our way up to São Jorge Castle. The sun was beginning to set so the heat died down a bit and once we got up higher above the city the wind was pretty strong. Lisbon seems to have the widest range of temperatures during the day – we were hot in Belem, then practically freezing for sunset at São Jorge!

We stopped a few times on our walk up to São Jorge, once at a small garden and once at an outdoor café, to break up the walk and take in the views. By the time we made it to the top the sun was just about to set over the mountains – it was a tiring walk after a full day in Belem, but we’re so happy that we did it!

Sarah posing for picture in the garden we stopped at on the way up.

The National Pantheon.

This bird paused to take in the views too.

Taking in the sunset over Lisbon.

Sunset in Lisbon. Definitely worth the walk!

One of the best things about Lisbon is that there are many great destinations close by that are easily accessible by train. Sintra had been recommended to us as a day trip by multiple friends so we blocked off all of Tuesday to explore the area. After an easy train ride, we figured out the bus schedule – there is a bus that specifically runs to take tourists from the train station to the main attractions in town – and grabbed a bite to eat. Our first stop was the Castle of the Moors, which sits high above town and served as an important military stronghold for Portugal during Medieval times. It was so high and the walls so low (at some points) that we passed many tourists having minor panic attacks along the way.

Looking out to the Atlantic Ocean from the Castle of the Moors.

Sintra looks like a tiny town from up here!

The extremely windy conditions probably contributed to some of the other tourists’ anxiety up there.

After we explored the castle for an hour or so, we walked a little further uphill to Pena National Palace. Now the Palace is a museum and UNESCO classified it as a World Heritage Site, but prior to the Portuguese Revolution in 1910, the royal family resided here (and clearly lived quite well!). We were both blown away by the colors that decorate the outside of the Palace – each part is styled in bright, bold colors, giving it the effect of something you might see in a Disney movie.

Pena National Palace.

The parts that aren’t painted bright yellow, red or blue are tiled beautifully.

You can see how much higher we are here – that’s the castle down to the right.

Had to clear a few tour groups out of the way for this shot, but definitely worth it!

One more shot of the Palace.

We took the bus back down to the center of Sintra and headed over to Quinta da Regaleira, another recommendation from our friends but a little more off the beaten path (few group-tour itineraries include a stop here). We wandered through the lush gardens and explored the old buildings scattered throughout for a couple hours before heading back to the train station.

Sintra looks a little different from down here!

The palace at Quinta da Regaleira.

The Terrace of the Celestial Worlds.

There are a few wells throughout the Quinta da Regaleira grounds which we were able to climb down. Sarah opted to wait safely outside but I headed down the Initiation Well to snap a few pictures.

One more looking up out of the well.

The view from the observation deck of the palace.

The trip back to Lisbon didn’t take long but we were both starving by the time we arrived. We headed to Taberna Anti-Dantas for a truly local dining experience. The small restaurant was run by one guy, there were only a few tables and basically no English was spoken. But we understood enough to order some delicious food off the menu…and Sarah was even bold enough to try the grilled octopus!

Not something she would typically order, but she loved it!

Having seen most of the major sights in and around Lisbon, we decided to head back to the beach for a relaxing day on Wednesday. Carcavelos is closer to Lisbon than Cascais but still had a great beach to sprawl out on for a few hours. Once we were tired of the sun (and all the teenagers who clearly just got out of school here!) we took the train back to Lisbon and had one final dining experience at Time Out Mercado da Ribeira. Seriously, go here if you visit Lisbon!

Tomorrow we fly to Paris to resume the last part of our originally planned France itinerary. Hopefully we don't have any more run-ins with thieves there!

Cascais

After enjoying a relaxing few days on Portugal’s southern coast, we decided to change things up by heading north…for some additional beach time! Cascais was recommended to us by many other travelers given its proximity to Lisbon (40 minutes by train) and charming, small beach-town vibe.

Friday was a long day of traveling – nearly five hours on a bus to Lisbon, then connecting to the train via metro, then finally the train to Cascais – but we were thrilled when we finally arrived in a beautiful small town, full of outdoor cafes and more cobblestone streets (one of the many things we are starting to love about Portugal). We had to wait about a half hour to check into our guest house for the next two nights, but we passed the time by sipping beer outside from a nearby bodega and taking in the views!

The street on which our guest house was located - so pretty!

Right in front of our guesthouse - no dark alleyways here.

After checking in, we freshened up and then headed out to explore the town, which was easily doable by foot. The small town harbor was packed with colorful little fishing boats just as the restaurants were packed with other tourists – mostly local Portuguese visitors.

One of our favorite places to walk past.

Boats in the bay.

Once the sun went down, we sought immediate refuge from the wind and colder temperatures and luckily found it right around the corner from our guesthouse at 5 Sentidos. Well, sort of…we had to sit outside since the place was packed but the restaurant was prepared and handed each of us big, warm blankets to fight off the wind! In addition to the blankets and bottle of wine we ordered, we were also warmed up by the biggest plate of seafood paella I have ever seen in my life.

Seriously, this could have easily fed a table of six!

Alex and I definitely overdid it with the paella (it was just SO good) so we rolled ourselves home and off to bed to rest up for a big day of – you guessed it – doing a whole lot of nothing while relaxing at the beach.

We woke up to perfect weather on Saturday – we have yet to have a cloudy day in Portugal, where it is sunny approximately 300 days out of the year! – and started by walking along the boardwalk from Cascais to nearby Estoril.

Looking back on Cascais.

One of the many beautiful homes we passed by.

Praia Tamariz in Estoril.

Crystal clear - and cold! - water in every direction.

Lots of bright yellow buildings throughout Portugal.

There weren't too many sailboats around but this big one caught our eye.

The walk between the two towns reminded us of the Bondi Beach walk we did in Sydney, though we haven’t seen too many places that can compete with the scenery of the Australian coast! We picked a spot on the beach near Estoril and pretty much camped out for the day, alternating between reading, laying out and cooling off with a dip in the ocean. Once we’d had enough sun, we headed back to Cascais and ended the day with a deliciously simple dinner of mussels and gin at the aptly named Moules & Gin. Alex and I hadn’t been big shellfish eaters prior to this trip (well he has always “claimed” he was allergic to shrimp and scallops), but we will both definitely be incorporating mussels into our future meals!

Quiet streets on the way back to Cascais.

Pre-dinner stroll along the water.

A lot of broth fell into that beard.

We started Sunday with another coastal walk, this time to Boca de Inferno, and enjoyed the much quieter feel of this less-traveled part of town.

Lighthouse near Cascais Marina.

Alex posing near Boca de Inferno.

The cliffs at Boca de Inferno.

While the day was beautiful, we decided that instead of sticking around in Cascais we would head back to Lisbon, agreeing to spend one of our four remaining days in Lisbon at a closer beach town. The past week of surf, sun, sand, siestas (and shellfish!) has been the perfect way to recover from our horrible incident in Marseille and we are looking forward to four more days in sunny Portugal.

Lagos (Portugal, not Nigeria)

After Sarah and I dropped off the glass-strewn rental car (and began the insurance claim process against Enterprise for the ABSURD amount we were charged for one broken window), we were determined to put this unfortunate chapter of the trip behind us. We had a drink at the airport and were off to warmer and sunnier Portugal in no time. Bad vibes must have followed us though because as we attempted to check in, we were told that the hotel we had booked had no availability and no record of our reservation. We had two confirmation emails from them so that didn't go over well. After speaking to various managers and being offered insincere apologies, we got our money back and booked the next closest hotel. Surely from here on, our troubles must be behind us, right? As far as we're concerned, yes. Portugal has been amazing during our first week here!

We woke up on Sunday to take care of some more insurance / getting-our-lives-back-on-track logistics, then set out to see some of Lisbon. The streets were beautiful, the food delicious and the people friendly - we are very happy to be coming back here after our time at the beach!

Restauradores Square. One of the best parts about Lisbon was that it wasn't too crowded!

Post-shopping, Sarah posed with her bags (and her recently acquired cold beverage) by the water in Lisbon. Doesn't that bridge look an awful lot like the Golden Gate???

On the recommendation of our friend Jill (who we met in Barcelona), we stopped at the Time Out Mercado da Ribeira for dinner. It's a great setting with delicious food.

I got the Classic Francesinha - basically toast with three kinds of meat inside with a fried egg and cheese on top...and delicious sauce all around. Loved it!

The view of the streets of Lisbon as we walked home.

We left on Monday morning for Lagos, one of Portugal's beach towns in the Algarve region. Sarah found this place by Googling the "Best Beaches in Portugal" and it worked out famously. It's still a developing area (lots of construction / renovation going on at the moment) but the natural scenery is amazing and the small-town feel was very relaxing after several weeks of hopping from big city to big city.

When we arrived, we were a little frustrated to learn there were no cabs available at the bus station so we had to walk to our guest house on the outskirts of town. Stretching our legs after a four-hour bus ride was not the worst thing in the world, but we were both pretty sweaty by the time we arrived! We dropped our bags in our room, then headed to the pool to relax and cool off for the rest of the afternoon.

Once the sun was a little lower in the sky, we walked to dinner nearby and stopped to snap some pictures of the amazing scenery on the way - we can see why many Europeans come here for vacation!

Lagos is famous for these cliff-like formations. Seeing them at dusk was a great way to kick off our time here.

Easy to forget we got robbed a few days ago while taking in this relaxing view.

Settled into our new environment, and much slower pace, we spent the next three days in Lagos at various beaches, at the pool at our guest house and wandering around the quiet streets of the town center. Our favorite place to eat was probably Bora and for post-beach drinks / snacks Bahia is the place to be. We get the impression that we were here just before things really get busy for the summer but that was just fine with us - we had no problem finding a quiet set of chairs on the beach or walking into any restaurant without a reservation. All of which is to say, we had a great, relaxing couple days.

Camilo Beach, one of the Algarve's most famous beaches.

It was so nice we got up early to see the sunrise from Camilo Beach.

Sunrise from a cave on the beach.

Another angle from the beach.

And one more right up by the water...spectacular from every angle!

We had the beach in town all to ourselves.

One of the many beautiful streets in downtown Lagos.

Back on Camilo Beach, during the day.

Apparently the "Dad Bod" is a thing back home. Good thing I've been (unintentionally) working on mine over the last year!

Sunset in Lagos Marina on our last night.