When arriving in Seville last night, we went to dinner at an excellent tapas restaurant. This morning we were on our own. We decided to walk to the Metropol Parasol, also known as the ‘mushrooms of Seville’ (‘Las Setas de Sevilla‘). This building, which opened in 2011, was designed by the German architect Jürgen Mayer,… Read More Seville

Our last stop in Portugal was Monsaraz, a small town on the top of a hill. It is now mainly a tourist site with most of the population living outside the city walls. It is a beautiful little town with a fortress. I climbed up onto the ramparts of the fortress to get beautiful views… Read More On the way to Seville, Spain. Monsaraz and Olivenza.

We visited the megalithic site of Almendres. The site was discovered in the 1960s and dates back to the time between the 6th and 4th millennium BCE. The location on a gentle slope facing east as well as its equinoctial orientation seem to confirm an intentional relationship with the cyclic movement of the sun and… Read More Almendres, walled town of Evora and Portuguese cooking class

We drove to the “Monastery of Batalha,” recognized as an UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983. One of the pinnacles of Gothic architecture in Portugal, it was built in celebration of the 1385 Battle of Aljubarrota which secured Portugal’s independence from Castile. The battle was fought by King Joao I who unified Portugal. He and… Read More Monastery of Batalha and Companhia das Lezirias

Our first stop of the day was at the Roman Ruins of Conímbriga, the most important Roman Site of Portugal. The archaeological site contains ruins of homes, stores, a forum, mosaics, and the important “Casa das Fontes” with its gravitational Roman fountain still in working order.We then continued with an exploration of Coimbra, the former… Read More Conimbriga, Coimbra and Fado

We drove to Lisbon’s Belém neighborhood from where the Portuguese navigators set sail on their expedition and “discover of India”. We learned about Portugal’s seafaring history and some of Portuguese great navigators. We saw a fortress that was used to protect the harbor. We then went to the memorial for the navigators which was a… Read More Second day in Lisbon

After a lecture on the history of Portugal, we took a bus ride up the coast to the picturesque town of Sintra. Sintra is nestled into a hillside. Unfortunately it was very touristy. After lunch, we went to the palace of Queluz which is situated outside of Lisbon. The palace was the official residency of… Read More First full day in Portugal

Our hotel, Vila Gale, is located in the Paco de Arcos locality of Lisbon. It is one block from the beach. The beds are excellent, the shower is good and the food is great. Wonderful swimming pool that Reggie and I went swimming in today. I feel like a new person after swimming and taking… Read More Wonderful hotel in Lisbon

On September 17, I will be flying to Lisbon to join my college roommate, Reggie,on a Roadscholar tour of Portugal and Spain. Afterwords I plan on flying to Frankfurt to spend Yom Kippur with my friend Tamar.