Lost and Found in Portugal: A Passport ‘Detour’ Didn’t Dampen My Discovery of the Land of Castles, Cathedrals, and Vasco Da Gama

‘All’s well that ends well’ should be the title of my little passport story. I was in half mind about writing about Portugal but as fate would have it, I am stuck with this compelling story that I cannot wait to share with you all. This little chronicle of mine has all the right elements to make it interesting — some questionable characters that started this whole mess, some heroes who went above and beyond with their thoughts and deeds, and some careless humans that needed a few life lessons, ahem, me, and I want to thank all the characters involved for the experience.

So it all started as an “innocent” (read as naive) stroll through a maze of streets, all filled with “unsuspecting” (read as stupid) tourists walking around with their mouths open (in my case, the bag also mostly open) and some petty thieves (or, should I say street-smart) with talents that are beyond my understanding. This unfortunate pickpocketing event happened in this “charming” (I have my own adjectives that aren’t too nice) coastal city called Obidos. 

Although some rebellious and careless brain cells of mine encouraged me to ignore the open drawstrings of my bag, some smart and responsible ones encouraged me to confirm and acknowledge the theft of my most valuable possession at the time — my passport. The people and institutions that I reported to — my guide, the tourism office, and the local police station in that order, had all given me hope that my passport would show up in an hour or two, sans cash in the same holder, but it was hard for me to not fuss.

Luckily for me, my phone with pictures of my passport and another wallet with my passport card (and credit cards) made it easy for me to complete the paperwork at the police station and get caught up with the tour group lunching in the city of Nazare. Even though I had my credit cards on me, this very nice couple from my tour group insisted on buying lunch for me, and the rest of the gang called me a hero for keeping calm throughout. I took the compliment even though I had to disagree with them, only because I was too exhausted from the whole debacle.

On our way to the city of Fatima for an overnight stay, I spent a good amount of time on my phone researching actions to take in case of a lost passport, and I was even able to take the only appointment available at the U.S. Consulate in Lisbon for that Monday morning (the incident happened on a Saturday). That meant that I had to leave the group and take a train by myself to Lisbon on Sunday to make the appointment. I was even able to secure hotel rooms in Lisbon for the rest of the trip. At this point, I was disappointed about my carelessness, but pleased with myself that I did everything I could to get a temporary travel document to still travel back to the U.S. as planned.

My guide got a call from the police station the moment we got off the bus in Fatima that they found my passport (YAY!), but what that meant was that I had to take a cab back to Obidos, an hour each way, to collect my passport and I have only that night to do it. I was able to find an English-speaking driver to drive me back and forth, and another kind Canadian girl from the tour group even offered to go with me on this passport recovery trip. However tired we were, my face lit up when I was able to finally lay my hands on my passport, but the folder with cash was gone as expected. A combination of cash lost and the cab fare put me behind by a thousand dollars/euros, but the driver was a hoot and he even showed us a few more places on the way back. Yes, it ended well!

Wait, there’s more. Two days after that, I was on Facebook, looking at my messages and I saw some notifications in the non-friend message folder. There were several messages and missed calls on Saturday from a person of Indian origin, the lady who found my passport. My passport angel went above and beyond by trying to contact me on Facebook and even posted something in a local Minnesota group for Indians in the hopes of someone there having my contact and reaching out to me. She said she wanted to give my passport directly to me but also wanted to meet as she found me interesting, thanks to my passport stamps from my previous expeditions and online information on my community work. We connected on messenger and were even able to meet the next night in Lisbon for dinner. It warmed my heart to know that she and her friends spent nearly an hour trying to reach out to me in multiple ways. Now, that is a happy ending!

Except, there’s more. Remember the post my passport angel made in the local Minnesota group? That only got approved to be published after several days, after I was already back home. I was inundated with calls and messages from friends wanting to know if I was okay. It took a few hours for my passport angel to delete the post but meanwhile, my friends were also getting inquiries about my wellbeing. I asked them all NOT to make any Western Union payments to remote accounts on my account. Alright, that was quite an eventful trip.

Since we are here, I may share a thing or two about Portugal. I am getting quite good at “solo” travel. I wasted no time making friends as soon as we got off in Lisbon. As we had a free day, we did some touristy things like strolling the streets of Lisbon and buying things nobody needs, but Oldtown sure was a good place to do that. 

What was good about this trip was that we had a good mixture of guided tours and free time. The first thing that hits you as you are taking a tour of the city is the medieval, fairytale-like feel that most European cities have. The cobblestone streets, cathedrals, and brick-stone houses transport you to a distant past that you don’t experience often in the U.S. I also thought the way they were using those narrow streets for all kinds of transportation — trams, buses, cars, etc., with pedestrians inches away from some of these moving vehicles, would not pass safety guidelines in the U.S.

Pre-lunch attractions were Praca do Comercio, this open square that reminded me of China’s Tiananmen Square, and the Santa Justa lift, still operating after opening in 1899. Shrimp in garlic butter sauce at the TimeOut market was out of this world but as I often say, my shoes would taste good too with that much butter. We spent a good part of the afternoon appreciating the Gothic architecture of the Jeronimos monastery, but the highlight was the tomb of Vasco Da Gama in the lower choir of the monastery. He was first buried in Kochi, India, but his remains were later sent to Portugal. 

Vasco Da Gama’s Indian connection is what made him famous, of course — he was the first explorer who connected Europe and Asia taking the ocean route through the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa. Since his discovery, parts of India have been under Portuguese rule for over 450 years. Belem Tower, considered a gateway to Portugal for Portuguese explorers like him, and Padrao dos Descobrimentos, the monument of discoveries further glorify the discoveries of the 16th-century Portuguese navigators. The day ended with an elaborate meal and fado music, traditional Portuguese singing that is melancholic.

A day trip to Sintra, a beautiful resort town with multiple castles that is a UNESCO World Heritage site was on our itinerary the next day. We got to see one of the estates, Quinta da Regaleira more closely and spent our entire morning walking through the palace grounds. On the way back to Lisbon, we got to see the westernmost point of continental Europe, Cabo da Roca with its majestic lighthouse overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. A quick stop at the nearby town of Cascais with its main attraction, Boca do Inferno, a unique sea arch that gets hit with ferocious Atlantic waves, completed the day trip.

Our gastronomic experience in Portugal was mixed. Pastel de nata, these custard-filled tarts that you find everywhere are to die for, and on some nights I skipped dinner to be able to enjoy these. Another one that falls on the positive side is this irresistible (to me) special cherry liquor called Ginja, which is served in little chocolate cups. Port wine, which I often find too sweet, tasted so much better in Portugal, its birthplace. I am not a fish person, but my American friends in the group put Bacalhau, salted cod in the negative category. I also heard from my travel buddies, that Francesinha, a sandwich popular in Porto, extravagant as described by the locals, was loaded with meats, cheeses, and sauces and a little too rich for their liking.

The next day we drove north through the coastal towns of Obidos and Nazare before reaching Fatima for an overnight stay. The most crowded of all places, Obidos took my breath (and my passport, remember?) away. With its castle, streets, and squares, probably one of the most well-preserved medieval towns we have visited. I found the castle more enchanting at night, or was it because I had my passport in hand? Nazare is a surfers’ paradise, with its giant waves sometimes close to 80 feet, caused by an underwater canyon. We saw some surfers braving the waves but they weren’t too big that day.

We had stopovers in the towns of Tomar and Coimbra on our drive from Fatima to Porto that day. Tomar is a town of historical significance. The Convent of Christ, the main attraction and identity of the city, was a 12th-century Templar stronghold but was transferred to the Knights of the Order of Christ in the 14th century. You will clearly see the architectural differentiation between the structures inside the complex depending on when they were built, but they are all overwhelming. 

Coimbra, a University town, had many dining and shopping choices, and I would have loved to spend more time just eating and shopping, but got pulled away to take a tour of this historic University campus. This Royal Palace turned public research university has faculties ranging from Law and Order to Physical Education. Most rooms were quite ornate but I was more impressed by the library which reminded me of Olivander’s wand store from the Harry Potter series. After an eventful day, we enjoyed the Christmas markets and a well-deserved dinner in Porto that night.

In most countries, I find the capital cities with administrative buildings to be cold, political, and less cultural, whereas the second-largest cities are more authentic, fun, and tourist-friendly. I found the second largest city in Portugal, Porto to be exactly that — fun and vibrant. The city tour started with Porto Cathedral, but I found Bolsa Palace quite interesting. Still in operation, this place of commerce has interiors that take your breath away, the Arab room being the most impressive.

Right next door is the Church of Saint Francis, which is now my new favorite. One cannot guess the opulent and extravagant interior from the austere (I cannot believe I am using the word to describe, but it’s all relative) exterior. The gilded interior done in gothic/baroque style is so overwhelming to your senses that I recommend sunglasses be used when looking at it directly. 

The boat ride on the Douro River offered some spectacular views of the city. Connecting the cities of Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia over Rio Douro is the bridge of Luis I, which is functional, the upper deck for trains and the lower for vehicular and pedestrian traffic, but also serves aesthetic purposes. I got to enjoy the views of the city from the bridge, but also views of the bridge from the city streets, and it felt like you could see it from wherever you are. Porto wine tasting on an empty stomach was extra fun. We had Indian food that night for dinner and strolled the city streets lit up with Christmas lights. 

The drive back to Lisbon would have been sad and gloomy, except we had a stopover at Aveiro to look forward to. By the way, the weather was damp throughout the trip, but not damp enough to dampen our spirits, except on a couple of occasions where we got drenched completely. Aveiro is a colorful city referred to as the Venice of Portugal. I liked the ride on a colorfully painted boat on the Aveiro canals connecting the city to the lagoon of Aveiro. We passed through several love bridges covered in colorful ribbons, and they even served wine and Ovos Moles, a traditional pastry local to the region.

As I am working on this article and going through my pictures, I am realizing how beautiful Portugal really is. I am also realizing that after spending over a week, I did not even scratch the surface, and am still able to share only a fraction of my experience. For every castle that I visited, there are a dozen more that I did not, equally or even more charming, for every street that I walked, there are thousands more, and for every dish that I relished, there are many more to be enjoyed. From the size of it, I expected to see it all and do it all, but size doesn’t matter in Portugal’s case.

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Padma Nadella is an IT professional who lives in Eagan, Minnesota with her husband and 15-year-old son. She manages a Facebook group for Minnesotans to collaborate on events and activities related to health and fitness. The group now has over two thousand members. Jack of all trades, she enjoys playing volleyball, traveling the world, and entertaining mostly but dabbles in everything else.