有關葡萄牙的計程車 / About taxis in Portugal

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【有關葡萄牙的計程車】
【About taxis in Portugal】

之前有朋友私下電郵查詢, 在葡萄牙搭的士的價格和情況如何。現在我或許也將資料跟各位分享一下。

1) 在葡萄牙搭的士, 一定要跟跳表機收費, 也就是香港俗稱的“咪表”。如同香港的一樣, 起表會是一個價錢, 即是說, 已經有最低的收費了。之後會根據路程和停車等候時間而跳表。大家上車前務必要留心, 車上是否有跳表機以及司機是否立刻拍機開始計算車資。

(相片來源: http://www.flickr.com)

2) 如各位打算乘計程車從里斯本機場去市中心 (或掉轉), 一般大概20分鐘路程 (視乎你住那區和地址是否很難找, 以及當時路面情況), 車資應在 20歐羅以內。還有, 行李費是收取一個單一費用 (flat fare), 不是逐件行李收費的。也要留意, 搭計程車越區也會收附加費的。

3) 現在一般司機在車內已配有導航系統 (GPS), 方便尋找目的地。

4) 葡萄牙的計程車在日間 (9am-6pm) 收費最便宜, 之後會有晚間收費 (比日間收費高一點), 而周末、假日是全日按照晚間收費的標準。

5) 以前我住里斯本近郊時都有電召的士, 車程10分鐘 (沒有塞車), 在日間大概4歐, 在晚間就大概7歐! 在里斯本市中心, 隨手可叫的士 (路面都有不少的士), 車程15分鐘, 由於塞車, 大概用了 10歐。

6) 我不太建議搭的士越區 (例如從里斯本去辛特拉 Sintra), 因為車資可以是很驚人的! 大約一年多之前在 Sintra 碰到3位來旅遊的中國人, 他們說從里斯本搭計程車來 Sintra, 單程用了大概70歐。

希望資料能幫到各位, 在葡萄牙旅遊愉快! 

在葡萄牙買葡萄酒 / Buying wines in Portugal

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如果你喜歡飲葡萄酒的話, 在葡萄牙旅遊時必定要品嘗一下, 更可以買些回國。在那裡可以買得到葡萄酒呢?

If you enjoy drinking grape wine, then you must try some when you're travelling in Portugal. Some tourists even buy and take home bottles of Portuguese-made grape wines. Where can you actually buy wines?

基本上, 不少大型超級市場已經有很多選擇, 在大城市如里斯本和波圖, 市中心也有很多賣酒的專門店。

Basically, there are plenty of choices from local supermarkets. In such large cities as Lisbon and Porto, you can easily find liquor stores in the city centre.

如果大家在里斯本想買些酒回旅館喝, 或帶回國, 提議大家可到 Centro Colombo 購物中心 (Centro Colombo Shopping Mall)裡的 Continente超級市場, 那間超市規模極大, 而售酒的部分酒的種類很多, 除葡萄牙國內不同的紅、白酒、砵酒等, 也供應國外進口的杜松子酒、威士忌等。

If you're in Lisbon, you may try to get some wines at Continente supermarket in Centro Colombo shopping mall. This is a huge supermarket with a wide selection of wines produced in Portugal. Other imported liquors such as gin and whisky can be found in there too.

How to get to Continente supermarket at Centro Colombo / 如何到達哥倫布購物中心裡的 Continente 超級市場 :

Continente Supermarket
Centro Colombo
Metro / 地鐵: Colégio Militar / Luz 地鐵站 (Blue Line / 地鐵藍線)

如果在波圖, 要找賣酒的地方更容易, 因為波圖的 Douro Valley是世界著名的砵酒發源地, 每年均盛產很多質優的砵酒。大家在參觀當地酒莊、酒窖時可順道購買, 或者在波圖和對岸的 Vila Nova de Gaia 市中心也有不少售賣酒類的店舖。

要注意, 一般他們賣酒都只給你一個膠袋甚至紙袋載著那瓶酒, 不會有保護包裝包著玻璃瓶, 因此如你想購買一些放在行李箱或背包帶回國, 當必要用厚厚的棉衣或有氣泡的包裝紙 (自己出發來葡萄牙前早有準備) 先包好, 並緊緊的放在行李裡, 以免打破。

Saúde! (飲勝!) 

Places selling liquor are very easy to find in Porto too, especially because of the big fame of Douro Valley - the birthplace of the world-famous port wine. Each year, high quality port wines are produced in Douro Valley, then stored and aged in Vila Nova de Gaia. If you're visiting local wineries in Vila Nova de Gaia, take the opportunity to buy some good wines. Or otherwise, grab some when you happen to see a liquor shop while touring around city centre Porto.

Note that in general, shops selling liquors usually only give you a paper bag or plastic bag for you to carry the bottle of wine. No protective wraps or packaging is provided, so if you want to buy some and pack in your luggage or backpack to carry back to your own country, it is necessary for you to wrap your bottle of wine with some thick coats or good bubble wraps (bought in your own country before coming to Portugal). And then place it tightly in your luggage to avoid breaking.

Saúde! (Cheers!) 

有關搭國內長途巴士事宜 / About the intercity coach bus service

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【有關搭國內長途巴士事宜】
【About the intercity coach bus service 】

今回先回答一些朋友提問有關在葡萄牙國內乘搭長途巴士的事。
I'd like to answer some of the queries from readers about taking the coach buses within the country.

1) 葡萄牙的長途巴士準時嗎? 有常誤點嗎?
我的意見: 一般來說, 搭大城鎮間的長途巴, 比如 里斯本來往波圖、花地瑪、科英布拉 (Coimbra) 等, 都算很準時, 有心理預備如遇遲到, 會遲5-15分鐘左右, 但小鎮之間的巴士或會有機會間歇性脫班, 所以我會提議大家避免搭尾班車, 因為如果脫班了的話, 你可會非常麻煩。( 例如在 Cabo da Roca看完歐洲大陸盡頭風景, 就趕在黃昏太陽下山前搭巴士離開, 那邊晚上會是叫天不應的啊!)

1) Are long distance buses in Portugal generally punctual?
My opinion: In general, buses between big cities and towns, for example between Lisbon and Porto, Lisbon and Fátima; and Lisbon and Coimbra, they are usually punctual and you may expect a delay (if there's a delay) of around 5 to 15 minutes. But please be prepared for an opportunity of buses arriving and departing behind schedules in small towns. Therefore, I'd advise you to avoid taking the last bus of the day (e.g. don't leave too late after enjoying the beautiful scenery at Cabo da Roca. You will really be in a trouble if you miss the last bus of the day there!)

2) 大家或許想利用網上巴士官網站預購巴士票, 我有朋友這樣做過 (我自己就從來只即日或出發前一兩天才到巴士總站購票), 網購的確方便, 而且早預購或有折扣優惠。不過要留意巴士公司對網上購票的限制, 根據葡萄牙全國最大長途巴士公司 Rede Expressos在其官網所列舉的條例, 網上預訂的巴士票不能退票和不能更改出發日期。換句話說, 如你購票後行程有變, 你在網上已購買了的票可能作廢! 所以請務必查閱清楚巴士公司的各項條款。

我上年個人經驗: 我在巴士總站買了一張第二天10:00 出發 (里斯本去 Peniche 的巴士票) 。 因為事故我遲到了4分鐘，長途巴士準時的開走了! (所以準時起來他們的效率可是驚人呵, 哈哈)。

我立刻排隊向職員查詢, 她不用我補錢，立刻補發新票，等下班巴士 11:45, 實在很開心。但我後來查看他們的網頁, 是說補票要罰款的....所以我不知道當時職員是否網開一面呢?

2) Some of you may want to buy bus tickets with the bus companies (e.g. Rede expressos) through the internet. While many bus companies very often offer special discounts for online bus ticket purchases and you would save some money on transportation, do please pay attention to the rules and regulations adhered to this type of promotional offers. Very often,there are limitations or restrictions on refunds of unused bus tickets or change of departure dates. Make sure you have already read and understand those limitations and restrictions before any purchase.

3) 葡萄牙的長途巴士通常都有座位, 不常爆滿, 但遇上大節日如聖誕節, 或地方大節慶 - 例如花地瑪每年5月-10月的13日有大型宗教活動, 有機會買不到車票, 所以盡量早點買好來回票。

3) There are usually seats available on Portuguese long distance buses, but

be careful if you are travelling during big festivals such as Christmas, and local festival periods, e.g. every 13th of the month between May and October, there are religious activities (i.e. parades) in Fátima. There are thousands of pilgrims, so make sure you have your round trip tickets with you already well before your departure.

希望這篇文章能幫到大家, 祝大家在葡萄牙旅途愉快。:-)
I hope this post will be able to help you all. Have a safe and happy journey in Portugal! :-)

有關葡萄牙旅遊的各項查詢 / About different inquiries on travelling in Portugal

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【有關葡萄牙旅遊的各項查詢】
【About different inquiries on travelling in Portugal】

近來分別收到不同讀者私下電郵查詢, 問在里斯本、波圖、奧比多斯(Óbidos)、埃武拉 (Évora) 等地方 的旅遊、搭車、飲食推薦、購買葡萄牙紅白酒等資料, 由於需要很多時間整理資料再打出來, 所以我盡可能抽時間盡我所知的回答大家。

另外相信這等問題是大多數將會去葡萄牙的朋友們都想知道的, 因此我嘗試集合類似問題, 一拼在此回答, 以方便大家多了解。

I have recently received various inquiries, asking about visiting, travelling, eating and drinking, buying Portuguese wines in Lisbon, Porto, Óbidos and even Évora. As it involves a lot of details, I'll need some time to consolidate what I know in order to write and answer the questions. I'll try to answer as much as I know.

Also, I'll try to group similar questions together and answer them here so as to benefit more people.

複製世界 @ 里斯本 / Copies of the world @ Lisbon

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【複製世界 @ 里斯本】
【Copies of the world @ Lisbon】

可以穿越時空, 在同一時間裡同時在幾個地方出現嗎? 不是沒可能, 在里斯本啦! :-)

Can we travel through time and space? Being at several places at the same time? Not impossible - be in Lisbon! :-)

在里斯本, 除了大家知道自已是真正在里斯本之外, 還會以為自己到了巴西里約熱內盧和美國的三藩市! 在里斯本市中心的 Cais do Sodré 碼頭，坐渡輪只需要15分鐘, 就可到對岸的 Cacilhas/Almada, 一睹大耶穌像 (葡萄牙文: Santuário Nacional do Cristo Rei) 和4月25日橋 (葡萄牙文: Ponte 25 de Abril) 的風采。

While in Lisbon, in addition to being in the city, you would probably doubt that you were in Rio de Janeiro of Brazil and San Francisco of the U.S. too! At Cais do Sodré Ferry Pier in central Lisbon, you can take a ferry (a 15-minute trip), cross the Tejo River to Cacilhas/Almada. Enjoy the beautiful views of Tejo River, April 25 Bridge and Cristo Rei Statue.

歷史圍城 ~ 奧比多斯 / The historic walled town of Óbidos

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【歷史圍城 ~ 奧比多斯】
【The historic walled town of Óbidos】

今趟到奧比多斯遊玩, 終於有時間去爬她那非常著名而又歷史悠久的圍牆, 感覺實在很爽。由於天氣太熱 (不過就很乾爽), 陽光又極度猛烈, 之前我已準備充足: 一大瓶的白開水、帶闊邊草帽和太陽鏡、塗防曬油! 雖然我喜歡古銅膚色, 但不想暴曬弄傷皮膚。

I've been to Óbidos twice before, but it's this time that I have got time to climb her famous and historic walls. It feels really cool, although It's very hot (but dry) and the sun above me was blazing! I walked up on the walls, well prepared with: a large bottle of drinking water, sunglasses and a floppy straw hat with a wide brim, and much sunscreen block on my skin. While I like sun tanned skin, prolonged sun exposures can do a lot of harm to my skin.

從城牆上眺望田野景色, 雖然不是怎麼壯觀景色, 但覺得很舒服! 而且雖然來奧比多斯遊玩的遊人眾多, 但會去爬城牆的人卻不是很多 (特別在盛夏日子)。城牆某些位置跟地面距離較高, 而且完全沒有欄杆, 所以走城牆的朋友們要小心。

將整個城牆圍著走一趟, 我用了大概一個小時 (步行 + 欣賞風景 + 拍照)。:-)

Overlooking from the path of the ramparts was broad sweep of green fields. It's pleasant and relaxing. While many people love to visit Obidos, not many
might indeed climb the walls (in particular on scorching summer days). Be cautious that it's pretty high up from the ground at certain points, and there is no railing at all! So, be really careful.

A pleasant walk around the whole walled city of Óbidos on the path of the ramparts takes about an hour, including walking + stopping to enjoy the views + taking pictures. :-)

漂亮古城奧比多斯 / The beautiful historic walled town of Óbidos

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【漂亮古城奧比多斯】
【The beautiful historic walled town of Óbidos】

被城牆包圍的古城奧比多斯 (Óbidos), 可以說是葡萄牙其中一個最漂亮的小鎮, 很多來葡萄牙旅遊的旅客, 在停留里斯本期間, 會順道到奧比多斯一天遊。

Óbidos is one of the most picturesque towns of Portugal. Many travellers, while staying in Lisbon during their visits in Portugal, make a day trip to this beautiful historic walled town.

我以前試過兩次從里斯本到奧比多斯一天遊 (其中一次是帶著兩位好友去玩)。 因為實在很想看看晚上的小鎮是怎樣的風景, 所以今次特意住了一晚。

晚上的奧比多斯, 遊客少了一大截, 少了一分喧鬧, 卻添上一分寧靜。 從另一個角度看奧比多斯, 它一樣是迷人旖旎。:-)

I have made two day trips to Óbidos before (once I went there with two friends). I was really tempted to see how it would be like at night, so I stayed in the town for a night this time.

With much fewer tourists at night, Óbidos becomes less bustling and more tranquil. It's still a very charming town, but seen from a different perspective. :-)