In our last travel log post we recounted our nine day Atlantic crossing. After the crossing we’ve been stopping at one port after another. It has been a bit of a whirlwind tour of several cities and looks like that pattern will continue for the foreseeable future. So where have we been and what have we been doing? This post will discuss our various recent stops beginning in the North African country of Morocco and cruising up the European coast with several ports in Portugal. Let’s get into it.
Casablanca
Our first port of call after the crossing was Casablanca. Yes, the famous Casablanca. We did wander by Rick’s Cafe, which was actually built in 2004, inspired by the iconic film from 1942. For the record, we decided not to go inside because there was a serious line outside. But we did get a pic outside and the menu looks pretty solid! In our typical fashion we wandered the streets taking in the sights of places like the United Nations Square, Medina Market, Sacred Heart Cathedral, Arab League Park, and Hassan II Mosque. We had a delicious, ridiculously cheap Moroccan lunch at Moods Cafe near the cruise port to cap off our wander. It was great being back on land after nine days on the ship, but Casablanca is not really our vibe and not our favorite Moroccan port.
Tangier
Tangier on the other hand is a delightful Moroccan gem. Seeming to be a little less metropolis and more chill ancient town, Tangier was more our vibe. We literally walked off the ship and into the ancient medina with its narrow, winding maze of streets to get lost and check out whatever we could find. It was pretty cool. Although, we did get followed (mildly harassed) by this 20 something guy named Abdul who just kept turning up no matter how many times we said no and seemed to lose him down some street or another. Still, it was a fun wander. The doors, the architecture, and the character of the old city were super cool. Once we finally stumbled upon the actual ancient medina market it was equally interesting with so many shops, cafes, and what not. The market is a mad, bustling center of activity set amongst tight, narrow, meandering streets. Tangier was a really cool cruise port and a much different flavor of Morocco than Casablanca.
Portimão
Crossing from Africa to Europe without entering the Strait of Gibraltar we made for the stunningly gorgeous Algarve region of Portugal and enjoyed a tender port in the Portuguese resort town of Portimão. Portimão is not far from our previous trip to Lagos when we did an absolutely phenomenal boat tour of the Benagil Cave. Whether you go to Portimão or Lagos, between the perfect sandy beaches, glorious weather, astonishing rock formations, and multitude of dining options, we’re sure you will love visiting the Algarve as much as we have.
Lisbon
Lisbon is without a doubt one of our favorite cities we’ve visited anywhere in the world. In fact, we had the good fortune to spend a week in the Baixa district in 2023. That trip was fantastic and returning this time brought back and reinforced how much joy Lisbon provides. On this visit we walked from the cruise port into the Baixa district beginning at the Praça do Comércio before heading up the Rua Augusta for a few hours of shopping and tasting all the flavors of the city. Everything about this section of Lisbon just makes me happy: the small black and white stones the road is made of, the colorful variety of tiles that make up the exterior walls of many buildings, the seemingly endless line of outdoor dining options right up the middle of the road, and of course the many bakeries selling fresh baked bread, croissants, and of course pastel de nata. Rossio Plaza opens up at the north end and offers a wider view of the surrounding hills where more wonders await, like the Castelo de São Jorge. There’s simply too much to summarize in a single paragraph! Suffice to say we ate way too many calories and loved every second of it. Stop in to one of the many bakeries, grab a pastel de nata, and enjoy!
Matosinhos
On the cruise itinerary it says Leixoes, which is actually the name of the cruise port located in the city of Matosinhos. As the summer playground of nearby Porto, Matosinhos is home to vast, beautiful, golden sandy beach bordered by a wide, pedestrian boardwalk. With a history built on fishing, you’ll find no shortage of restaurants featuring fresh seafood. We had an epic fresh seafood lunch at O Lusitano where we picked the fish, shrimp, and octopus directly from the ice before watching them go on the fire.
Onward
That nearly gets us back to today, but not quite. This journey just keeps going on friends. The next steps of this after the crossing journey will take us to Spain, France, and finally England. We have a couple more weeks to find a variety of parts we’ve yet to explore. As I write this, I’m on one of the back decks looking out at a solid wall of fog from a Spanish port. But that’s the next entry in this Dog & Dragon travel log. Till then, cheers!
So, does this mean we are eventually all moving to Lisbon?
Yet to be determined. We’ll see. There are still more places to visit. And honestly I’m hoping to add in some slow travel in the future. One month here, one month there. There are so many places that are adorable and easy to love on a short stay. I’m trying to narrow down some options, then plan to slow travel to them. But it has potential for sure.