09 Oct 2024
My wife and I enjoyed our trip with Carlos immensely. Carlos picked us up at our hotel right on time and we headed out of Porto to Alcobaca. On the drive Carlos shared a lot of the history of Portugal, its geography and political evolution. We arrived at Alcobaca right as the monastery was opening, allowing us a relatively uncrowded tour of the facility. Then off to Nazare where we were able to drive up to and park right at the lighthouse because of a pass that Carlos had purchased (no need to make the long walk or pay for a ride on a tuk-tuk). We were able to climb onto the roof of the museum/lighthouse to view the waves and the beach as well as the village of Nazare itself. Back into the van to drive back into Nazare itself where Carlos dropped us off so we could get some lunch at one of the many restaurants (parking was in short supply). After lunch we contacted Carlos so he could pick us up and take us to see the harbor and extensive fish drying area. Throughout the drives Carlos explained many of the customs and history of the area. In addition, Carlos also gave us several suggestions of what to see and do when we continued our vacation in the southern portion of Portugal. He even took us for a few "bonus" sites to see in Porto and Gaia since we had some time left over at the end of the day (my wife and I were the only ones on the tour, so we were very time efficient). Carlos grew up in Gaia and his pride and knowledge of the area and his country served to enhance our experience and made the day a worthwhile adventure.