Setubal


The city of Setúbal is located on the northern bank of the Sado River estuary, approximately 48 kilometres (30 miles) south of Portugal's capital, Lisbon.  It is where we will be staying until we leave Portugal on March 2nd.  

It had been quite a long journey by the time we finally arrived midday Tuesday after an overnight flight from Toronto.  It hadn't helped that we were rerouted onto a TP flight (Portugal airline) which didn't have premium economy.  It made for a somewhat uncomfortable 6 1/2 hour flight.  Our hotel is way up a hill overlooking the town and the Sado river estuary.  After a bit of a rest, we headed into town to find a restaurant as our hotel has neither a bar or a restaurant.  The lack of those, however, are made up with the beautiful views from our rooms.  





For our first full day, we took an Uber into the centre of Setubal as the walk down (or back up) is too far and difficult for me.  Gosh, being older can sure be a challenge and frustrating sometimes.  Thankfully, Ubers here are very reasonable.  It is under 3 euros to go into town.  We started by visiting Setubal's market, known particularly for its fresh fish.  The lovely tiles both at the entrance and the market hall itself are worth seeing.  From there, we went to the tourist information office to get some ideas what to see and do.  Then, we just wandered into the old town centre which is pedestrian only.  We both commented on how peaceful this town is comparted to the hustle and chaos of Lisbon.  It certainly suited our mood.  We stopped to admire the city hall and then just wandered the narrow streets before stopping for a light lunch.  By then, we were ready to head back to the hotel for a rest.  Besides, we 'd been invited to John and Pedro's for dinner and I was well aware that would not be an early night!




















That evening, we went to John and Pedro's for dinner.  As usual, there was an interesting mix f people.  This time, John's nieces from Calgary were there - like us, they've come for the big birthday party on Saturday - and we were also joined by Paulo and his son, Caio, who had just arrived from Rio.  It was a fun evening.



The next few days are going to involve a lot of socializing with people who speak many different languages!



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