No trip to Madrid is complete without a visit to the Palacio Real, or Royal Palace, a stunning structure that has more than 3,000 rooms, most of them embellished with gold. Bob’s camera is unusually tilted during this video, so try not to get dizzy!
Entrance tickets cost 12 euros for Lisa, half price for Bob as
a senior. (There are some advantages!)
It’s hard to describe the beauty. You’ll have to watch to
see!
Everywhere you go in Madrid, you are inundated with
opportunities to see a flamenco show. Various fliers, posters, and websites
describe it as “a world-famous Spanish tradition,” “upbeat,” and “iconic.”
Bob would describe flamenco as “scary as f**king sh*t.”
Maybe it’s because we saw it in a cave. Come watch the show
with us and tell us what you think of flamenco!
We toured Madrid from the open top of a Hop On Hop Off bus, our favorite way to get an overview of a new city. Tickets start at $27.50.
Bob bops around Lisbon, noticing lots of tiled architecture, inviting plazas, historic statues, interesting shops (including sardines, an apparent Lisbon delicacy!), colorful pottery, the obligatory cathedral or two, hilltop vistas with strolling musicians, an art museum, and more.
Sintra is a pioneer work of European romanticism, bringing
together incredible botanical richness and a diversity of monuments and
buildings from a long period of history. Bob’s favorite was a deep, winding stone
well called the Quinta de Regaleira.
An Independent Guide to Sintra
Sites and Attractions in Sintra
UNESCO World Heritage Site of Sintra
Map
Lisbon’s lovely Tagus River beckoned, so of course Bob hopped on a boat! He was a little underwhelmed.
It was a fine tour, nothing spectacular. Bob enjoyed a relaxing
couple of hours seeing Lisbon's main monuments, such as the 25th of April
Bridge, Praça do Comércio, and the Tower of Belém, among many others. The one-and-a-half-hour
round-trip tour cost 26 euros, or about $28 US. You can also choose to go just
one way for less.
We don’t recommend it if your time in Lisbon is short.
Portugal
Lisbon
Tagus River Boat Tour
