Arrival in Portugal

The trip started off with a canceled British Airways flight out of Philadelphia so I missed the first day’s events, but I joined the group seamlessly the next afternoon thanks to careful planning and coordination by the Tourism for All team, including driver, Ricardo, and trip coordinator, Carolina. As we left the airport grounds and made our way first on the highway and then through neighborhood streets, I was quickly captivated by Portugal’s simplicity, beauty, and mostly it’s history, and my trip had only just begun.

National Tile Museum

As we arrived at the Madre de Deus Convent, founded in 1509, the National Tile Museum was the not-so-best-kept secret within its walls. The Tile Museum has numerous displays that are dedicated to the traditional tile work of Portugal and the former Portuguese Empire. At the end of our museum tour, our group was treated to our own workshop where we painted our own tiles which were fired in the historic kilns.

Hotel Stay and Accessibility

We left the museum at dusk to go to our hotel, the Vila Gale, to have dinner along with a great conversation with our host, Tourism for All, and the Director of our hotel. Definitely a long day and I could not wait to get a good night’s rest. The room in our modern hotel was accessible with proper bed height, great floor space for wheelchair navigation, and an accessible bathroom with roll-in shower with grab bars on one wall.