Justin Goes To Portugal

Braga     After four weeks abroad, I returned to Portugal in anticipation of my family’s arrival in Lisbon at the end of the month. I decided to stay somewhere smaller, however, looking for some peace and quiet between visits to the French and Portuguese capitals, and also thinking that the best place  to  reacquaint myself with Portugal would be the city regarded as its spiritual centre.      Founded in 20 BC, Braga is the oldest city in the country and one of the oldest Catholic dioceses in the world. The Rome of Portugal, as it is sometimes called, is a popular detour for pilgrims walking the Portuguese Caminho, who have no shortage of historic churches to visit. By far the most special of these religious sites is the Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte, a hilltop shrine accessible by a baroque stairway lined with chapels depicting the Stations of the Cross. The ascent is long but meditative, and the view from the summit is breathtaking.    ...

 Paris, France     After an overnight bus from Edinburgh to London and a layover in the English capital, I took a second overnight bus across the Channel to Paris. I spent my first day catching up on sleep and then devoted the rest of the week to exploring the city.  Walking an average of twenty kilometres a day, I managed to see most of the neighbourhoods, or arrondissements , of the French capital.      Paris lives up to its romantic reputation: it is a metropolis built for leisure and pleasure and  a place of ubiquitous beauty. Composed largely of nineteenth-century architecture, the city is a handsome body which today’s Parisians tastefully adorn. Every street is a delight to the eyes: from the buildings, to the trees, to the signs, good taste is evident everywhere. Home to the world’s most famous works of art, the city itself was designed to be an object of aesthetic appreciation.       The city is also a centre of intelle...