lisbonchick

More Asian and European wanderings….

By lisbonchick on January 20, 2020

As most of you know, my blogs are mainly about the photos with some information on the side. This one takes us to the end of 2019 and another set of adventures… Enjoy!

Another trip to Penang in Malaysia for yet another visa, no more until next year. At least Penang is an interesting and a fun place to spend two days at. This time I ventured out of town to see some temples and visited old Chinese mansions – there are plenty! Another great thing about Georgetown is the amazing Indian food, I always come back stuffed.

Summer in Portugal never disappoints, in fact, we cannot think of many other places we would rather be. This time we explored Marvão and Castelo de Vide. What a stunning area; old medieval villages, castles and views to die for. If you like history, some of Castelo de Vide’s earliest inhabitants were the Romans who settled there in 44 BC. There is no shortage of cobbled streets, whitewashed houses with granite and gothic doorways.

We did a short hop to Cáceres in Spain which was truly amazing. The medieval walled city has been declared a UNESCO Heritage Site. Narrow cobbled streets twist and climb among ancient stone walls lined with palaces, mansions, arches and churches, while the skyline is decorated with turrets, spires, gargoyles and enormous storks’ nests. Protected by defensive walls, it has survived almost intact from its 16th-century. It is like stepping into the Middle Ages.

Back to Marvão! A little bit of information from the internet as I love a bit of history: Perched on a quartzite crag of the Serra de São Mamede, Marvão’s name is derived from an 8th-century Muladi duke, named Ibn Marwan. Ibn Marwan, who constructed the Castle of Marvão – likely on the site of an earlier Roman watchtower – as a power base when establishing an independent statele – covering much of modern-day Portugal – during the Emirate of Cordoba (884-931 CE). The castle and walled village were further fortified through the centuries, notably under Sancho II of Portugal (13th century) and Denis of Portugal.

Quinta da Regaleira near Sintra is worth a visit. Never been there before and I am glad that I went! My favourites were the gardens, the secret tunnels and the inverted towers.

The “other side” in Lisbon, across the bridge for lunch and to go up the Boca do Vento lift. Beautiful views and some cool graffiti.

As a lover of graffiti, I took a day to explore and discover various murals around the city. There are some amazing graffiti artists around, here are some examples.

Some random photos of Phuket!

 

In April, we ventured into Laos to Luang Prabang. Beautiful town and we caught the Festival of Lights which celebrates Lai Heua Fai, in celebration of Boun Awk Phansa, the end of Buddhist Lent. The city was incredibly beautiful, illuminated by wax candles melting to pagodas and crepe paper lanterns hanging from temple roofs and the windows of local homes.

 

Going up to Mount Phou Si, 100 m high. It lies in the heart of the old town peninsula and is bordered on one side by the Mekong River and on the other side by the Nam Khan River. Amazing views and a lovely temple!

And we end the year in Bangkok to see the Christmas lights. Over the top and extravagant as always. Bangkok is a city of extremes and excess, you either love it or hate it. I am not too fond of it but am drawn to it now and then…

 

And so ends another year in Thailand. Who knows what 2020 will bring?