Portuguese Power, Pantheon and Pastels

We spotted the dome of Lisbon's Pantheon from the Sao Jorge Castelo and decided to check it out. Originally the Church of Santa Engracia built in the 17th century, it was converted to the National Pantheon in the 20th century. Now it is a place of honour and burial site for important Portuguese personalities that include soccer players, poets, and fado singers.

Lisbon's Sao Jorge Castle

The Sao Jorge Castelo (Saint George Castle) overlooks Lisbon and has done so for ages as its fortifications were built by the Moors in the 1050s. After the Portuguese reclaimed it in 1147 and Lisbon became the nation's capital in 1255 it became the royal residence. Not much of those glory days remain, but visiting the castle is the number one tourist attraction in Lisbon. 

Intro to Lisbon

It's impossible to do any location justice in one short week, but we were eager to visit Lisbon and gave it our all. Known as the city of seven hills, the capital of Portugal is a prosperous and bustling community of 600,000 situated on the Tagus River.

Nice Carnival Flower Parade

Every year in February it's carnival time in Nice and we were fortunate enough to get tickets to view the Flower Parade. Rows of bleachers were assembled on the boardwalk and we joined thousands to see the spectacle.

Ephrussi de Rothschild Villa

The Ephrussi de Rothschild Villa offers a glimpse into the exuberant lifestyle of the fabulously wealthy of bygone days on the French Riviera. The dream villa of Beatrice de Rothschild who personally decided upon every feature herself (and insisted the contractor tear down and begin again if she did not like what she saw) was built between 1905 and 1912.

Mont Boron and Fort Alban

Mont Boron is 2 km east of Nice and at 191 metres (573 feet) above sea level the 140-acre park offers incredible views of Nice, Villefranche-sur-Mer and the Cap Ferrat peninsula. It's possible to walk from the port, but as it's all uphill we opted to take the bus and walk back into town. 

Antibes

While we were in Oxford in early January John and I nipped into a pub and while he ordered the Guinness I went to the loo. As often happens in the UK, a lady and I exchanged a few pleasantries and soon we were chatting like old friends and sharing travel stories. When I mentioned we'd be heading to Nice in a matter of days her eyes lit up as she said, "Oh! I love Antibes." To be honest I'd never heard of it, but as she continued to wax poetic about the town's virtues I decided then and there we'd see Antibes for ourselves - especially when she mentioned the Picasso Museum.