Chocolate Cake in Portugal

After a glorious month in Spain, we said “Adios!” and rolled into the Algarve, Portugal’s southernmost region. We spent a few weeks in this area in our first year of European travel, so we were somewhat familiar with places along the coast. We weren’t really looking to do any touristing.

That turned out to be a good thing, because no sooner had we entered the country than it started to rain and it didn’t stop for nearly four days. We had selected an Eco-tourism spot to stay for three days, but as it turned out, we barely left Bijou because of the weather.

When we were in the Algarve in 2019, one thing we did was ignore the road tolls. I mean, we paid all the ones we could figure out, but there were a whole lot of others that we just had no idea how to pay. We tried, really. None of them had physical toll booths, they were completely electronic, so you had to be somehow aware of what you owed!! The complexity of Portugal’s tolls are legendary! Anyway, four years later, Steven went online to see if there was anything he could find with Bijou’s plate number.

For electronic tolls, this is all you get. Steven attempted to take photos every time we passed by a sign, but we whizzed by so many, I think he lost track. It is only a few kilometers between signs!

Lo and behold! There was a list of all the charges we had incurred while zipping back and forth across the Algarve during our first visit. Tolls in Portugal are pretty expensive and our total due was nearly €85. So perhaps there was a penalty or two rolled into that total. The website didn’t specify, but it did list each and every electronic toll we had triggered, and there were a bunch of them! So who knows, maybe we did spend that much.

We paid and felt lucky that after four years it wasn’t higher! And now, in 2023, there is a system in place where you can actually sign up online to have tolls automatically taken out of your account as you travel. Yes, please!

From the Eco-tourism place we traveled west to Sagres, the very tippy bottom of Europe where we intended to boondock for two nights and visit the Sagres Fortress. We parked there in 2019, but by that time we had traveled so far and wide, and walked the Camino Frances, and done so much touristing that I was utterly exhausted, just mentally, physically and emotionally shattered! When we arrived and parked up, Steven asked if I was coming to see the fortress and I said no, I literally could not move. So there we were back again and I was looking forward to visiting, and this time I was in a much better frame of mind.

Our spot at the fortress at the end of Europe. I love the little stones they pave the lots with limestone, I think.
Sagres Fortress. We spent a couple of hours walking around on a really beautiful day!
That is the end of Europe! Some of these cliffs are really steep drop-offs, and yet, there are fishermen who drop in their lines from the top!
Like this guy. Look how far down that is!
This sign says “Chamber of sound, turned on by the tide.” That structure is a maze and when you get to the center, there is a place where sound comes thundering up into the chamber and makes a hell of a thundering noise! You can sit there and listen to it as long as you like. It was amazing, because there was no actual water that we could see or feel, just the sound of the crashing tide.
Lighthouse at the end of Europe.
What a beautiful day we had for our walk around the fortress, although windy when Steven snapped this photo!

After Sagres our intention was to make a two-day drive to Lisbon. Unfortunately we discovered we were running out with regard to propane, so we needed to find some, and fast! The nights were still chilly and we needed propane to run our heater while boondocking and also for cooking. Most campgrounds don’t supply enough electricity to run our little electric heater, so we have mostly been using Bijou’s propane system. Running out of propane at this point was not a good idea.

We hit the highway to make Lisbon in a matter of hours, and pulled into the first place that showed GPL for sale. Try as he might, Steven could not get the system to work, so on we rolled to the next place. It didn’t work either. At first we thought it was our connector, we have several adapters we use depending on which country we are traveling in, but we had used it before so didn’t think that was the issue.

Finally, at the second place, an attendant came outside to tell us that their GPL was for cars only, not motorhomes. We had heard of folks having this issue before but we have never had a problem, but this time it seems the system could detect our setup and did not dispense propane. UGH.

Basically our trip into Lisbon consisted of rolling through the fuel stops along the highway to see what kind of GPL system they had. When we got close to Lisbon we gave up and kept our fingers crossed that we wouldn’t run out of propane during our 8-day stay.

We had come to Lisbon to meet up with friends, eat chocolate cake and celebrate my birthday! We had a fabulous stay!

We had a lovely view at the campsite in Lisbon.
First things first, a delicious cup of coffee at a place called, “Neighborhood”. Apparently they have good burgers, too, but only serve them after 5 pm.
Beautiful Lisbon!
It is called the City of Seven Hills, but there are a lot more than seven, let me tell you! I had a good workout every day we were in town!
Tram No. 28, the most famous (and touristy) tram in all of Lisbon. It passes by a lot of sights, which is why people like to ride it, plus it is the old-fashioned style. Every one we saw was crammed with people! The other lines, not so much!

We met up with Kevin and Laura from “Chapter 3 Travels“, who have recently moved to Lisbon. Though they traveled full-time in their RV in the states, we only recently stumbled across each other’s blogs. So of course we had to connect!

This is Birthday Cake number one! I had this one at Kefi Greek Bistro where Kevin & Laura treated me to a delicious birthday lunch! Thanks so much, guys, it was such a wonderful place to celebrate! The cake was orange and almond, and see that dollop on the plate? Sour cream! That was a bit of a shocker, but somehow it worked!
Landau Chocolate, home of Birthday Cake number two! This cake is so delicious, it is the only food they serve at Landau. So that’s what we all had, along with coffee and lemonade. The bottom layer is a dense, flourless chocolate cake, the middle layer is a chocolate mousse and the top is a thick layer of cocoa powder. It must be said that this cake is spectacular and I highly recommend you get some when you visit Lisbon. A couple of days later, Laura sent me a photo of another piece of cake, so clearly they had made a return visit. I was so jealous.
Over the past few weeks we had hopscotched and crisscrossed paths with our friends Bob and Aleja, who also travel full-time in their motorhome.
We first met up with them in Edinburgh last fall, and finally connected again in Lisbon. They parked right next to us at the campground and surprised me with birthday cake no. 3! We spent a day touring the town and basically taking a ton of selfies! We had a super fun day and always enjoy their company!
Sights around Lisbon.
This is one of my favorite monuments, it overlooks the harbor and depicts the Age of Discovery. The guy in front is Henry the Navigator.

Our days in Lisbon flew by and, as it turns out, we did not run out of propane. We finally found a fuel station not far from where we were staying that had a system that would fill our tanks. Yay! It was really congested with cars, but we finally wiggled in there and got our fuel both propane and diesel. It took a really long time to get it all done, which is not how we like to start a travel day, but this time it could not be helped.

From Lisbon we carried on to Coimbra, a place we have visited before and really enjoyed. We stayed two nights at a park right on the river, same as our previous visit.

More stone pavements! Coimbra is the town where I snatched up one of those little stones from the road and then had Steven take it back to its exact location because I thought it was kind of unhappy, like it didn’t belong with me. I am not a superstitious person but I felt very strongly about putting that little rock back where it came from!
Beautiful Coimbra (pronounced Queen-brah:) It is home to one of the oldest universities in all of Europe. It is also built on a bunch of hills, so again we got quite the workout while visiting the city.
We were parked right by the Mondego river. The clouds were ominous all day, but we didn’t get rain until the very end, when it came down in buckets! We tucked ourselves into a doorway with an awning.
School of Medicine at the Coimbra University. All those statues have been cleaned since we were here last. In 2019, they were all nearly black!
It was here that JK Rowling is said to have gotten the inspiration for the black robes worn by the students of Hogwarts. At Coimbra University the students usually only wear them for ceremonial purposes, but we always see a couple of them floating around.
Beautiful gardens near the University.
Coimbra at night. Such a striking city.

Next up was Porto, which we tried to visit in 2019 but were unsuccessful due to the bike route into town being closed off for a marathon. That, and because the campground was a dump, I didn’t have many positive thoughts about Porto. But I had to give it another go, because everyone we spoke with who had been there could not say enough about how great it is.

We stayed in the same campground, and although it was still not that great, it is amazing what a little sunshine can do to a place. Also, being in a different spot instead of facing a moldy, ugly wall can also lift one’s mood. We rode the bus into town and enjoyed a day of sightseeing, then took a Bolt back home. Bolt is similar to Uber and so inexpensive in Portugal it just makes sense to use the app and have an enjoyable ride home.

I am seriously running out of adjectives to describe just how stunning the cities of Portugal are, especially on a sunny day. This is one of the seven bridges that span the Douro River in Porto.
I love the red tiled roofs on all these buildings.
Porto is full of narrow streets to wander through and get lost. As long as you head downhill, you will find your way.
We took a boat tour on the Douro and passed under all seven of the bridges.
This was my lunch and is was freaking delicious. Those homemade chips were floating in a very flavorful broth with baked chicken. So yummy! Steven had something else but mine was so superior we can’t remember what it was.

After leaving Porto we made our way to Santiago de Compostela, to the campground where Steven will stay while I walk the Camino Portuguese. Over the last few days we have walked into Santiago a few times, it is about 10 kilometers, one way. I have also been preparing for my trip, washing clothes, packing my pack and unpacking it over and over trying to get it just right.

Pilgrim monument on Monte do Gozo pointing in the distance to the Cathedral de Santiago. We first came to this monument when we walked the Camino Frances in 2019. This photo was taken a few days ago when I did a trial walk with my pack and all my gear. The rain came, but the sun shone on the Cathedral in the distance just long enough to get the shot. Our campsite is actually a couple of blocks from the Camino, so we have been following the way as we walk into town. I don’t think the Camino Portuguese passes by this monument, as we will arrive in Santiago from the south rather than the east.

We started off as a group of five planning to walk, but a few days ago my bestie, Cindy, had to bow out when she experienced an eye issue that can turn very serious, very quickly if not cared for over the coming weeks. Needless to say I am very sad she won’t be coming along and I will miss sharing this experience with her. She worked so hard, training and getting up to speed, I feel most sad for her to miss this opportunity. Hopefully we can plan something else in the future and we are already giving that some thought! 🙂

In the meantime, I am so grateful to still have our group of four making this trip. Tomorrow morning I will board a bus and make the 4-hour trip back to Porto. By Friday our group will be together, enjoying a day in Porto, and on Saturday, we walk.

I won’t be blogging along the way, but I will when I get back home. If you’re interested in the route we are taking, Nina has written a wonderful and thorough post about just that!

Steven will stay home with Bijou and hold down the fort during my absence. He has lined up a couple of online art courses to take and frankly, he’s pretty excited to have some dedicated time to work on his art.

So that’s it for now! Wish me luck, I am going to need it!

And finally, an art contribution from Steven. This is from his recent series of portraits. If you would like to see more, you can keep up with what he’s doing by following his Visual Art page here.


Next up: Camino Portuguese!


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22 Comments

  1. Kristin Lambert

    I was at the End of Europe with my youngest son Peter back in 1989, and we were astonished to see there was a big (working) Coke machine there, up on the cliff beside the sea! Somewhere I have a picture.

  2. Oh my goodness. I’ve been to Portugal twice, but through your eyes (and Steven’s), it’s even more beautiful than I remember it. Now I must go again! I shared your camino posts with a friend before she did the northern Spain camino. She’s getting ready to do the Portugal to Santiago de Compostela walk and she’ll be following along to learn from you. (I also shared your friend’s post with her.) Someday I may just have to dive in and give a camino walk a try! You are inspirational! All my best for this next camino journey for you and for Steven’s art journey! Can’t wait to hear about them both!

    1. 2chouters

      Thank you for your kind words, Joyce. And thanks for sharing our blog! If you decide you want to walk a Camino, don’t hesitate to ask questions, I have lots of answers!

    1. 2chouters

      Linda is in Porto so I’m catching up with our comments 🙂 I can’t believe it all worked out with the Camino planning! Thanks for your comment, as always.

  3. We seriously walked right by Landeau (at LX Factory) yesterday, but we had just had a big lunch and I simply couldn’t eat more. Embarrassing, I know. I’ll do better next time. I promise!

    It was really great meeting you guys and I’m so glad I found your blog. It’s so much fun following your travels all over.

    Best of luck on the Camino. Stay well, and enjoy!!

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