Fun, Portugal, Travel

Go on a toboggan ride in Funchal, Madeira

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The toboggan rides from the village of Monte down to Madeira’s capital Funchal, are considered by many to be one of the must-do’s on the island. TAKE THE CABLE CAR FROM FUNCHAL TO MONTE During our visit end of last year, Ellie & I decided to give it a shot. We walked to the Monte Cable Car bottom station, five minutes from the famous Mercado dos Lavradores farmers market, right next to the seaside. The queue was sizeable, maybe 30 or 40m long, but moving reasonably fast. We bought our tickets and waited. After 20 minutes, we hopped onto a cable car together with three other tourists. (This was during shoulder season, much busier during the main season.)   SPECTACULAR VIEWS ALONG THE WAY The ride up the mountain offers spectacular views across the city and the bay. When we arrived at the top, we had a look around the […]

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Hiking, Portugal, Travel

Fisherman’s Trail – Four Days of Hiking in Beautiful Southern Portugal

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A month ago, my buddy Pete from The Man Who Hiked The World, was invited by Ricardo Estêvão from Vicentina Travel to check out their self-guided, four-day Fisherman’s Trail package. CHIPPING IN After Pete’s plus-one had had to bail out from the Fisherman’s Trail on very short notice, Pete asked roughly two dozen friends of his if they wanted to join him instead. Fortunately, they all had to decline because of conflicting commitments. This meant that I got a chance to join him on the trip. Throughout the trip it was one of our running gags that I had been so far down the list. Of course, I made sure that Pete got a good run for his money, too, banter-wise. Pete and I have only known each other for a short while. We met on an organised group hiking weekend in the Peak District with GO London end of […]

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Caving, Climbing, Fun, Portugal, Water sports

Not ideal if scared of heights, but hell.. ton of fun: Canyoning near Porto

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It’s been nearly three years since the Barbarians went on a one-day canyoning trip near Porto with Latitude41. Back then we had been involved in a number of collaborations with other providers of adventurous activities and we did not want to take any of the shine from them. However, now is the right time to start singing the praise for the good people of Latitude41. Considering that our blog is featuring plenty of activities involving height, including skydiving and rock-climbing, it feels silly to mention it again and again, but here we are: I’m terribly scared of heights. I’m not at all being cute or joking. If I’d have to pick one thing that scares me more than anything else it would definitely be heights. After more than ten years of happy marriage, Ms B, who is totally not scared of heights, still does not understand how I can be […]

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Activities, Food, Fun, Portugal, Travel

Rock-climbing, off-roading and a visit to a Roman gold mine (from Porto)

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My Greenway Tours, run by Eduardo Mata together with a business associate, and which, on Tripadvisor, ranks #21 out of 133 tours to do in Porto (the other ones mainly being about food/wine, or tours of the town), invited BSqB to come with them on a one-day outdoor adventure tour while I was visiting Porto (Portugal) last week. My wife, who is writing this blog with me, only joined the following day, so I was accompanied by an old German friend of mine, who spent the whole week with me as my fellow blogger and as part of our customary boyz-only annual celebration of madness. I grew up in a small town at the doorstep of the Bavarian Alps and have done my fair share of outdoor adventures in the mountains, but this was an absolute blast! Eduardo also grew up in the mountains, and clearly was more serious about […]

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Cooking & Tours, Portugal, Travel

Douro Valley Tour

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While I was spending last week in Porto, CoolTour Oporto invited me to check out their famous Douro Valley Tour. It ranks #7 out of 133 Tours in Porto on Tripadvisor. With a Certificate of Excellence thrown in on top for good measure. DOURO VALLEY TOUR WITH COOLTOUR OPORTO Many people visit Porto mainly with the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Douro valley region in mind. This hilly patch of land is famous for its port wine production. It is the only region that is officially allowed to call its wine port wine. Although it seems that some Australian producers have yet to take note. The rock star status of the Valley is harsh on the beautiful seaside city of Porto. But once you’ve done this tour you’ll understand the enthusiasm.       GOOD COMPANY ON THE DOURO VALLEY TOUR An old friend from Germany was spending the week with me in […]

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