There are so many pictures I would love to share, but I just had to narrow it down… When I received these scans from Carmencita Film Lab, I was so excited I had to share them almost immediately.
Our journey stretched over 6 days, starting in Cascais where we stayed with our wonderful hosts. They were showing us around and pointing us in the right directions for sightseeing and food, and drink. They made me a sea food enthusiast, and we actually had dinner at Marisco Na Praca several times while there. If I wasn’t a vegetarian now, I would recommend everyone visiting the Lisbon area to go there. And yes, I admit I was a sceptic before I was there and ate that delicious, juicy sea food that is nothing like the grim, doughy paellas I envisioned kinda prejudicially.
While in Cascais, we spent our days wandering about the area to magnificently beautiful Sintra for the wonderfully colourful palace, and Ericeira with our friends for some great food and wine. I mean, Portuguese wine is underrated – ask a local for advise. We rented a car for flexibility, and I would recommend this to everyone going there to reach all the exciting areas, beaches and views.
I promise I did not colour coordinate my jacket and the Sintra Pena Palace.
After four sleeps at the delightful guest room of #thevazfrancos, we headed to Lisbon for a day, and then north for Porto. On our way, we drove past Óbidos, an adorable medieval town with a genuine atmosphere surrounded by walls and little nooks and crannies, perfect for a photography enthusiast like myself. I love that Portugal is not too big – a drive from Lisbon to Porto (two of the major cities) is feasible within a day or two.
Our stay ended in Porto where we tasted the infamous grilled cheese soup, which I honestly was not my cup of tea. Generally it is soup that is 50% cheese and soggy bread with an egg or two. I wouldn’t be discouraged if I were you, though. I recommend you always have a taste at the local food! Food is such a great way to explore different countries and cultures.
Next time I will for sure stay for longer in Porto. I’ve heard wonderful rumours of the river, boat tours and wine districts.
Journey verdict: pleasantly surprised and will definitely go back!
And as always, extremely excited once my film scans returned! Seriously, film is invaluable for keeping vacation memories. It’s SO much fun to see the finished work + you’ll never be stuck with a folder of 900 images you never bother to go though. This time I used (most of the time) my Nikon F4 which is incredibly accurate and sharp for it’s age, and Portra 400 + Fuji Pro 400h film in a delightful mix. Film enthusiasts; can you spot the different film stocks below? Leave a comment if you do!
My future travel plans are Bergen as we speak, and for this journey I only brought my manual, old fellow Olympus OM-1 and a few rolls of Portra 400. I will also go to Athens, Santorini and Delphi in September. Stay tuned for more travel blogging!
