Show Off Your Homeland

[Dystopia]

Dammit, Vic!
Show us your home region!!

Me..well... I've done it so many times on this forum, I don't feel it would be fair...

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We got that same sunset as San Diego, but this one is over the Atlantic.
Just the other day, I did a test of my new phone's HDR on that...
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Imagine the quality if I had used a proper camera!

You know those palaces that the Germans have?
We had a king who came from northern Europe, so he had one built here:

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Also, we have real castles - the medieval kind!

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This one is in Lisbon! Land at the Airport, take a taxi to the castle! We also have real canons, there:

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Then... well, beaches bring in a lot of people

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Food.... food... food!!!
There are a few special dishes which require you acquire the taste for them, but everything else is just plain old GOOD!
Here are a few ways Bacalhau gets served (a kind of cod fish, salted right after fishing for old-timey style conservation and it seems only the portuguese are allowed to eat this fish, for it is listed as endangered):

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A nice whole piece of fish with boiled and then slightly roasted potatoes - the skin gets crackly and you're supposed to open it by punching the potato (try not to make a mess, it's impolite). Olive oil, everywhere!


Bacalhau with chickpeas. I could do without potatoes, rice or pasta, if only I could have chickpeas every day!

The kids favorite - very thin potato chips, onion, egg and bacalhau... some parsley sprinkled on top. Olives!

My mouth is watering!

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Of course, we also eat meat... beef, pork, poultry... the usual. Here's a sample called bitoque:

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Finally, the north of Portugal dedicates a large area to wine production... the famous Port wine. But almost everywhere we have people producing it.

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each region on this map produces a different kind of wine:

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The people are friendly, most can speak some english... and the weather is usually great. (after an almost clear July, August and September, October began with clouds and now it's pouring, as it should in the fall).[/hide]

It looks beautiful, but I'm already sold on Portugal--just not next year when we can only travel in June and July.  

If I had just one or two weeks in Portugal, and we were coming in by train from Spain, where do you think we should go?  Assume we are using public transport rather than a rental car.  We like to walk in town and out.  We often rent bikes.   We aren't great fans of spending a day sunbathing on the beach though we like to walk ocean cliffs.

Lisbon and Porto have amazing public transports, both the subway and the bus - Those two cities are the great metropolitan locations where most people live and where most relevant stuff happens, but there's so many hidden locations and small vilages that it's hard to recommend... Personally, I think Lisbon is an obvious choice as well as Porto (don't forget to drink wine), if you're into beach tourism visit Algarve, otherwise don't mind it, it is overrated and a waste of time for people who just want to hang out on the beach - Arguably, Porto has good beaches as well, it's just that the water is cold. Oh, foreigners seem to think Portuguese are crazy drivers, that might be true but I'm not sure because the only viable comparison I can make out of personal experience is with Italians who are even worse (seriously, why are there sidewalks in Rome?)

[thesummerqueen]

The Shenandoah Valley. Mid-to-late spring, when the red buds and dogwoods are blooming, or in the fall when the leaves change. Plop a canoe in at the top and float down. If there's an "Eden" in America, it's that valley. Get out at points and go see the three main cavern systems - Luray, Skyline (with their crystal flowers grown in vacuum) and Endless.

That's going on the bucket list. You mean to say the caverns really are accessible by canoe? How cool is that .. but is it safe? I mean do I need to be a highly accomplished boater or is it a floating party? Also, what is the likelihood of running into toothless good ole boys with a taste for fudge packing? (I'm looking at you, Rhythm.)

No, you have to drive up to the caverns like civilized people.

My dad and I floated down the Shenandoah in various stages (never overnight) and I never saw anyone especially rednecky. I'm sure they exist - it's Appalachia, after all. Most people were very gracious.

[Whateverist]

I love nature and our national parks.  I haven't been to Big Bend or the Great Smokey Mountains, Popeye's Pappy, but I've been fortunate to see Capital Reef and pretty much all the parks and monuments in the south west.  I love red rock country and slot canyons.  Hiking the Paria river was incredible.  But I can be in heaven bagging a new swimming hole too.

But I can get it up for architecture, history and art too.  Here I rely on the wife to drag my butt everywhere it needs to go to get some cultcha.

The number one thing I look to see when I travel is gardens.  If you guys have any to recommend, I'm ..what is it Rik would say.. all ears.  There are loads of gardens worth seeing on the west coast but one of my all time favorites is Chanticleer https://www.flickr.com/photos/serialplan...0922717398, located  in Pennsylvania.  On my coast, near Los Angeles, the Huntington is special.  

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Cactus & Succulent garden at the Huntington, 10/24/15 by Mark Delepine, on Flickr

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Down the coast toward Beccarox, the Sherwin Library and Gardens https://www.flickr.com/photos/serialplan...3488856707 is worth a trip.  North of me in Fort Bragg, the Mendocino Coast Botanical garden is special both as a garden and for the fact you can walk your dog in it on leash.  

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Morning in the Mendocino Coast Botanical Garden, IMG_8447 by Mark Delepine, on Flickr

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If you like big estate gardens FILOLI near me is notable especially in the spring time for its bulb displays.

But those are all public gardens and my very favorite kind of garden to see are private ones developed over a number of years. Such as Sally Robertson's in Bolinas https://www.flickr.com/photos/serialplan...6978249747 .  In England I was fortunate to visit a couple of private gardens, one outside of Birmingham called the Four Season garden https://www.flickr.com/photos/serialplan...6074982298 and another one near Salisbury.

[pocaracas]

It looks beautiful, but I'm already sold on Portugal--just not next year when we can only travel in June and July.  

If I had just one or two weeks in Portugal, and we were coming in by train from Spain, where do you think we should go?  Assume we are using public transport rather than a rental car.  We like to walk in town and out.  We often rent bikes.   We aren't great fans of spending a day sunbathing on the beach though we like to walk ocean cliffs.

If it's just one week, take the train to Lisbon, spend 2 or 3 days there and then 2 days in Porto.
Lisbon
- Castle
- Downtown - all rebuilt after the 1755 earthquake, is now mostly banks and large shops, but still has a few nice corners (beware of pickpockets - they target tourists, specially americans). Here you may ride a few of the old electric trolleys.
- Belém (Monastery and church - church is free to visit when mass isn't going on, the monastery costs money, some 4 or 5 euros - well worth it) Still in the same building, you have the archaeology museum and the navy museum - In a tight schedule I'd go for the navy one - it also has a wing dedicated to flying machines. In between, you'll find the planetarium.
Across the road, you have the CCB, a cultural center with some nice artworks - a part of it is free to visit.
Also, the tower of Belém, well worth checking out, even if just from the outside.

Important detail: all museums and stuff that's "public culture" are closed on Mondays. I'd use a Monday to visit Monsanto, the so-called lung of Lisbon. Don't let the name frighten you, it's a relatively large forest technically inside the city. It has a few very nice places, like Montes Claros and the Alfredo Keil Alameda... but public transport to these places isn't very easy - only bus and not one that goes by very often... I'm sure, if you time it right, I may give you a lift Bikes are nice once you're already there, they have some nice (dirt) paths... getting there is an uphill struggle.

After Monsanto, you may want to stop by the "cathedral", the Stadium of Light (this translation is crappy - Light is the translation of Luz which is the name of the neighborhood where the stadium got built, so a correct translation should always be "Stadium of Luz").

On your way up to Porto, you may want to stop by Coimbra and admire the old University buildings then, time allowing, spend some time at Guimarães, the original capital of Portugal, with it's nice castle and statue of the first king and all.

Porto... Well... I can't say much about it. Only been there once and for only a day. The cathedral (the church kind) is awesome. You may notice there's a slight change in accent of the people there, compared to Lisbon. It's also a bit more chaotic to travel through.
You have downtown with the city hall building right in the top.
The Tower of the clerics is a must.
Also, you can walk along the river (this is actually on the other side of the river, at Gaia) and look at the city from there.... It's really nice.
They have some tour boats that go up river, some take one day up, and another day back down; others go up and down in one day. You may glimpse the train track that also follows the river in some places, and muse at how beautiful it is to be on that train.
When in Porto, you want to have something called "Francesinha". IT looks like breakfast, but is more of a complete lunch.

You can return to Spain from Porto, through Vigo and, most important, Santiago de Compostela. This is one place you shouldn't miss. It's mostly for the religious stuff, but the architecture is well worth it! You can take a train from Porto-Campanhã to Vigo (Spain) and then another to Santiago.
From Santiago, you can get a train to Madrid, or wherever.

For ocean cliffs, you'd need to go to the coast, a bit north of Lisbon, but public transport to that place is almost non-existent
There is another place, closer to Lisbon, but it's mostly for looking at. It's called "Boca do Inferno" (Hell's mouth)... it's more impressive in the Winter, when the sea is rough and you think you don't want to fall there.
This is close to Cascais, which is a posh touristy area... not much to see, actually.

TL;DR: you need to come visit Portugal!

[pocaracas]

A nice whole piece of fish with boiled and then slightly roasted potatoes - the skin gets crackly and you're supposed to open it by punching the potato (try not to make a mess, it's impolite). Olive oil, everywhere!

Now you're talking.  I do like trying new dishes .. but no Haggis, thank you anyway.

That is one of those that remains local in a few specific towns.
Blood chorizo is a bit more common, but fairly easy to avoid.
I'd say you're safe.
Also, if you ever stop by a coastal town, like Nazaré (yeah, named after Nazareth), do have some grilled fish - those guys are the experts!

[Dystopia]

Poca, you're forgetting the best food in Portugal




(only to be found in the North)

PS - I actually live in Porto


EDIT - I didn't notice you mentioned it, but I still like posting a whole picture

[The Grand Nudger]

That's going on the bucket list.  You mean to say the caverns really are accessible by canoe?  How cool is that .. but is it safe?  I mean do I need to be a highly accomplished boater or is it a floating party?  Also, what is the likelihood of running into toothless good ole boys with a taste for fudge packing?  (I'm looking at you, Rhythm.)

I have my teeth, I'm redneck royalty, thank you. Better stock, better breeding, just better.  If you can't handle a little anal maybe you outta stay outta my woods? 

(for reference, all of the woods are my woods)

[Napoléon]

I went to uni at Derby, went out for a drive round these hills a few times.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=peak+d...QaCh23uAXR