In March, I spent a few days road tripping across Portugal with my family. The main reason I was going on this trip was because both my ID card (in Portugal every citizen legally has to carry an ID card on them) and passport were expiring in April so I needed to renew my documents. Alongside the admin, the weather was supposed to be cloudy throughout the trip, which wasn't ideal. That said, I love Portugal and hadn't seen my family in Porto in a while so was very excited to go, and the trip was over both Mother's Day and my brother's birthday, so it was bound to be a lot of fun.
Porto
I took the Friday off work and after trying out Stansted's lounge for the first time, I landed in Porto at lunch. My mum, dad and brother had driven from London the previous Sunday through France and Spain and met me at the airport with lunch in hand: a delicious parma ham and brie sandwich. We then went immediately to the "Loja de Cidadão" (we don't have an English equivalent, however it's where citizens go to deal with any official admin), and after a couple of hiccups I managed to renew both documents within an hour, lifting a weight off my shoulders and meaning that I could just sit back and enjoy the rest of the trip.
As we walked out of the building it began pouring with rain (funnily enough, it had actually been sunny in London that same day), so my mum and I sought shelter in a café, treating ourselves to a pastel de nata and two coffees. The pastel de nata was abysmal, so instead we headed over to my favourite patisserie which specialises in pasteis de nata: Manteigaria. We were handed a flower as we paid to celebrate International Women's Day and then tucked into a proper pastel de nata. The rain was unceasing so we got an Uber back to my aunt's house (which took exponentially longer than usual), where we were joined by my uncle, my cousin, my dad and my brother for dinner. The food was delicious and it was here that my mother convinced my cousin to join us in the Algarve over the weekend. This was great news for me as we're very close and always have a lot of fun together.
Almancil (the Algarve)
My dad and brother had each brought their cars over to Portugal for a big road trip in celebration of my brother's birthday. Therefore, we had two cars (albeit one two seater and the other that is technically a four seater but may as well be a two seater) to drive all the way from Porto, in the north of Portugal, to Almancil, in the south of the country - about a five hour drive.
We picked up my cousin on Saturday morning and she alternated with me every hour or so for the front seat in my dad's car. After some drama whilst on the scenic route (the N2 road), we decided to instead stick to the motorway, with a stop for lunch en route where we enjoyed a dish typical to the north of Portugal: suckling pig ("leitāo"). The remainder of the drive was pretty tiresome, especially as we kept encountering rainy spells, however this also meant we got to see various rainbows, which I loved. We did take a slight detour near Lisbon too in order to try an acclaimed 'best pastel de nada' from Gloria Confeitaria, and whilst it was definitely good (and warm!) I'd still give the title to Manteigaria.
Whilst driving over Lisbon's famous bridge ('25 de Abril'), I looked onto the city, including where I used to live, and realised how much I missed my time there. We also saw flamingos, which always surprises people. We eventually arrived to the house we were renting in Almancil, which was gorgeous and even had a dedicated reading area. My brother drove to Faro airport to pick up his girlfriend, as she was also joining us for the weekend, and on arrival each pairing did their own thing (my cousin and I went for a walk, where we met a playful doggo, my brother and his girlfriend went to the outlet, and my parents went to the supermarket) before reconvening and heading to a restaurant within walking distance for dinner. Here we had wine and delicious food, however when it came to paying the card machine wasn't working so we ended up scrambling for cash. The waitress was lovely and offered for us to just pay the following day but luckily my cousin and brother had enough in cash to tide us over.
Monchique
The following morning I went on another walk with my cousin while my parents went to the coffee shop, and we got to play with another dog and pet ponies and horses. Once everyone was accounted for, we created a breakfast conveyer belt to make breakfast (where each person had a role and would pass the food to the following person in line) and then enjoyed pastries, sandwiches, and fruit.
We then drove to Monchique, a small town in the mountains not too far away. The drive was stunning and my parents had hired a larger car so everyone was much more comfortable on the drive. After a coffee and walk in the town centre, we visited a random restaurant on the side of the road, where I had cheek (which is very common in Portugal and flavourful) and then returned to the house in the late afternoon, where a horse had jumped over the electric fence and was running loose! Eventually its owner managed to take it back into the stables and the following day the fence was repaired. Before dinner, my brother and cousin swam in the pool (it was far too cold for me and I'd spotted a small frog so wasn't too keen on joining them).
This day was Mother's Day so I gave my mum her card and present, and then my brother and I treated her to dinner at NoSoloÁgua in Portimão. Here we ordered sushi, cocktails and dessert and it was absolutely delicious - I would definintely recommend visiting if you're in the Algarve! We then walked along the marina, taking in the very bright stars, before heading back to the house to slee[.
Leiria
Monday was my brother's 28th birthday. He was still asleep when I woke up, so I joined my parents in returning the rental car, going to the supermarket and grabbing a coffee. By the time we got home the others were all awake, and over breakfast we sang happy birthday (in English and Portuguese) and tucked into some chocolate cake. This was because we had to check out at 11am, whereafter my brother and his girlfriend would head to Seville, whilst the rest of us would head back up to the north of Portugal. The boys went to wash the cars and then we went on our separate ways.
We drove only on the motorway with no detours so the drive up actually wasn't bad at all, and we stopped for lunch in Leiria, where I enjoyed chicken with rice and veg, followed by a chocolate mousse (this was the 'prato do dia', which is very common in Portuguese restaurants, and is essentially a main with a dessert or starter at a good deal). Once back in Porto, we checked into our hotel and stopped for a coffee, and then my cousin and I walked back to hers, while my parents did some life admin. In the evening, we met up with my aunt and uncle and had dinner in 'O Brasinhas' - a lovely restaurant (with huge portions), where the owner came over to offer us liquor shots on the house after our meal! After a filling dinner, my mum, dad and I said our goodbyes to the rest of the family as they'd be working the following day, whereas we would be exploring more of the north.
River Douro
This was my final day of the trip, and after getting ready in the morning and making the most of the breakfast buffet, we drove along the Douro river where many vineyards exist. By this point my mum had a cold so she spent most of the drive sleeping in the back. We took the N222, which is known for its picturesque landscapes, and we crossed the Carrapatelo dam, which is the deepest lock in Europe. It was extremely sunny and warm, and in true Portuguese fashion, for lunch we once again had the 'prato do dia', which was a local pasta dish. The views were gorgeous along the drive and before my flight we still had time for a walk along the beach in Matosinhos, where many people were surfing. My parents dropped me off to the airport, before making their way further north to Galicia in Spain, whilst I explored the lounge and then made my way home to London.
Despite this being a short trip, it was a lot of fun and we managed to see a lot of different places in a limited time. As always, the food was delicious and it was great to see my family and I can't wait for my next trip to Portugal (hopefully this summer)!
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