I have long wanted to see Portugal not from the window of a tourist bus or along the route "Lisbon – two attractions – airport", but normally, as completely as possible in one trip. I wanted to drive along the roads, stop in small towns, turn off to the ocean, look for beautiful viewing platforms and at least sometimes pretend that I perfectly understand exactly where the next turn leads. In the end, I decided to drive through Portugal from north to south, and then take a little more ride along the coast, because after a few days in this country, I got a diagnosis: "One more turn and we'll definitely stop." The route turned out to be quite busy: Porto, the Douro Valley, Coimbra, Nazare, Obidos, Lisbon, Sintra, the Alentejo coast and further south to the Algarve. I tried not to turn the trip into a marathon, because I knew myself: if you put seven cities on the plan in two days, on the third day I would be sitting somewhere in the parking lot with coffee and looking at the navigator with the expression of a person who no longer wants to make vital decisions. Therefore, she left time for random stops between big cities, and they eventually became one of the most memorable. The port I started with Porto, and it was the case when the city was absolutely not going to get to know me gradually. He immediately gave me hills, narrow streets, colored houses, a bridge over the Douro and so many beautiful views that for the first hours I just walked with my phone in my hand and photographed everything. Even the trash can against the old wall seemed to me to be part of some kind of European art project. Ribeira District I left my car at the Port on purpose and walked a lot, because trying to drive through some streets of this city is an activity for people with strong nerves and very good reactions. Once I took a wrong turn and found myself on such a narrow street that I had to spend several minutes explaining to myself why I even decided that renting a car was a good idea. However, that's why I love traveling by car: sometimes you get not only an attraction, but also a free quest. In the evening, I went down to the river, sat on the embankment and realized that Porto was ideal for starting such a journey. There's a bit of chaos here, a bit of old Europe, a lot of ocean air, and the feeling that the city isn't trying too hard to please you, but it's doing it anyway.

From Porto, I set off towards the Douro Valley. And here the car really turned out to be the best solution, because the road itself has become a separate part of the journey. The further away I got from Porto, the fewer cities there became, and hills, vineyards, and small villages appeared around, where life seemed to be unaware of the existence of the word "rush" at all. Dora I stopped several times simply because I couldn't get past another beautiful view. At some point, I already began to suspect that I would not get to the next point on the route today at all, because every ten minutes there was a new reason to park and get out of the car. The navigator, by the way, was completely ruthless in this regard: he continued to show the arrival time, as if he did not see that I had stopped photographing the mountains for the twentieth time. In Douro, for the first time, I felt the real scale of Portugal. It was no longer just a trip between cities, but a journey through a country where the landscape is constantly changing outside the window, and the road itself becomes part of the experience.

Coimbra After the Douro, I went to Coimbra. After driving for a few days, I already wanted to slow down a bit, and this city was perfect for that. Coimbra is known for its ancient university, but I enjoyed even walking through the streets, climbing and descending stairs and trying to understand why in all beautiful European cities the landmark must be somewhere at the top. I quickly discovered that Portugal is generally quite generous with lifts. At some point, I stopped looking for a convenient way and just accepted fate for what it is: if there are stairs ahead, then today I have fitness. But after the walk, you could safely sit in a cafe, drink coffee and watch the locals pass by, completely not understanding why tourists have been photographing an ordinary door for five minutes. For me, Coimbra has become a kind of pause between the north and the central part of the country. Here, for the first time, I felt that traveling stops being a race for places on the map and turns into just living in another country. How beautiful it is here in spring!

Then I went to the Atlantic Ocean, to Nazareth. After the roads through the hills and vineyards, it was especially pleasant to see the endless water. I arrived in the late afternoon, left the car and went for a walk along the ocean, and the wind quickly explained to me that my hairstyle no longer matters that day. I liked Nazare with his atmosphere . Here you can just sit and look at the ocean without trying to see or photograph anything every minute. However, I took pictures anyway, because I'm a weak person and I lack willpower in front of a beautiful ocean. I walked along the embankment for a long time, and then climbed higher, from where I had a completely different view of the city and the coast. At that moment, I finally understood why I had arranged this car trip in the first place: for the sake of such stops that it is impossible to plan normally in the route table.

The next stop was Obidush. After the big cities, it seemed almost toylike to me, although the word "toy" here does not mean boring at all. White houses, flowers, narrow streets, old walls and small shops did their job – I took out my phone again and started photographing everything again. The Castle of Obidush I wasn't in a hurry to get anywhere in Obidusha on purpose. This is the first time I've seen a castle in an urban-type settlement! Although many people call it a small town, and I will not be an exception. I would like to add that construction work began in the 12th century, and I am delighted that it has been preserved by now. Against his background, I think every girl imagined herself to be a princess. After standing at the landmark for a while, she continued on her way. I walked along the fortress walls, looked into the alleys, went into small shops and periodically sat down to drink coffee. It seems to me that these are the cities that best show the real Portugal, because here you do not need to make a list of ten mandatory attractions. It was on this day that I realized for the first time that traveling by car has one serious problem: the further you go, the more places you want to add to the route. I came to Portugal with one plan, and by the middle of the trip I had already started mentally building a second one, because I wanted to repeat half of what I saw by chance. Only next time, I hope that I will be fluent in Portuguese.

I got to Lisbon with the feeling that I had already lived a small Portuguese life. But Lisbon instantly brought me back to the big city mode: trams, people, cafes, observation decks, stairs, and an endless desire to turn off somewhere "for five minutes." I left the car again, and before going for a walk, I decided to take a ride on the tram. On public transport, you can see dozens of life stories in 10 minutes and immerse yourself in the urban atmosphere. It was the right decision, because you want to feel Lisbon, not just drive through it from point to point. I walked through the old neighborhoods, went up to the observation decks, sat in a cafe, and several times purposely walked without a route, just to see where the next street would lead me. Monument to the Discoverers Of course, it was not without failure. One day, I got so carried away with a walk that I completely lost my bearings and instead of calmly looking at the map, I walked confidently for about twenty minutes "in about the right direction." As a result, the right side turned out to be completely wrong, but I saw several streets that did not appear in the original route at all. I saw the Monument to the Discoverers, which is dedicated to Portuguese figures of the era of Great Geographical Discoveries. The landmark is located on the embankment of the Tagus River in the Belen district, the monumental ensemble is perfectly visible from afar.

Pena Palace From Lisbon, I went to Sintra, a picturesque city that captivates literally at first sight. If I'd been told in advance that you could say "wow" so many times in one day, I wouldn't have believed it. Palaces, gardens, old walls, forest roads, and the feeling of suddenly being trapped in a European fairy tale. Sintra Palace However, by the evening I realized that fairy-tale heroines, apparently, do not wear comfortable shoes for nothing. After several hours of walking in the hills, I no longer dreamed of palaces, but of a chair, preferably one from which I would not need to be lifted. Mourache Sintra Castle But Sintra was definitely worth the fatigue. This place became one of those places where I constantly caught myself thinking: "It's good that I came here after all." To be honest, I didn't think I'd really like it here. My sister got married recently, and they went on a trip. If I had known that Sintra was so beautiful, I would have insisted that the newlyweds go to Portugal. I would like everyone to come to see this magnificent country one day. I hope I'll be lucky enough to come back here more than once. Next time, I'll take a spare pair of comfortable sneakers with me.

Cork oaks After Lisbon, I decided to go south through the Alentejo. Portugal seemed very different to me here: spacious, calm, a little sleepy and very beautiful. The roads became freer, fields, small settlements and endless landscapes appeared around, which one wanted to look at not through glass, but somewhere from a terrace with a cup of coffee. It was the first time I saw a cork oak, and at that moment I regretted that I couldn't paint. There was a desire to draw an evergreen tree. Later I read that it grows in Europe and Africa, it can grow without watering. I didn't overload this day's trip with the sights on purpose, I wanted to admire nature. Sometimes, during a trip, there comes a moment when you realize that what you most want is not to "see another place", but just to go and take your time. Lonely tree on Ribeira de Odivelache I stopped in a small town on the way, took a walk, had lunch, and got back in the car. And that's when I got the feeling of a real journey: when you no longer count the kilometers and don't think about how many points are left before the end of the day.

Чем ближе я подъезжала к Алгарве, тем сильнее менялось настроение. Появилось больше солнца, больше океана, скалистые берега, небольшие пляжи и те самые виды, ради которых фотографии Португалии иногда кажутся слишком красивыми, чтобы быть настоящими. Я проехала вдоль побережья, несколько раз сворачивала к пляжам и смотровым площадкам и в очередной раз нарушила собственный график. Впрочем, к этому моменту я уже окончательно поняла, что график существует исключительно для того, чтобы красиво лежать в заметках телефона. Вечером я сидела у океана и смотрела на закат. И впервые за всю поездку мне не хотелось никуда ехать дальше, хотя до этого я постоянно думала о следующей точке. Что я поняла после поездки по всей Португалии Когда я планировала эту поездку, мне казалось, что главная цель – увидеть как можно больше. В итоге получилось немного иначе: я увидела много, но гораздо важнее оказалось то, что я научилась не торопиться между этими местами. Португалия прекрасно подходит для автомобильного путешествия именно потому, что здесь интересны не только крупные города и известные достопримечательности. Иногда самое красивое место оказывается там, где ты вообще не собиралась останавливаться, а самый приятный вечер случается в маленьком городе, название которого ты утром впервые увидела на дорожном знаке. За эту поездку я проехала тысячи километров, несколько раз ошибалась дорогой, слишком много фотографировала, уставала, снова садилась за руль и каждый раз находила новую причину сказать: «Ладно, здесь остановимся еще на пять минут». Конечно, эти пять минут почти никогда не были пятью минутами, но именно из них и сложилось мое путешествие. И если меня спросить, стоило ли ехать через всю Португалию на машине, я даже думать не буду. Стоило. Потому что Лиссабон и Порту можно посмотреть отдельно, Алгарве можно увидеть за несколько дней, а вот почувствовать страну целиком – от зеленого севера до океанского юга – намного проще, когда у тебя есть машина, свободная дорога и хотя бы небольшой запас времени. Скалистое побережье Алгарве А еще я теперь точно знаю одну вещь: если когда-нибудь снова окажусь в Португалии, я не буду говорить себе «ну вот здесь уже точно не будем останавливаться». Потому что после этой поездки я прекрасно знаю, чем заканчивается такая фраза.