Author: Ella

Amazing. With a prediction of 95% chance of rain today, we awoke to crisp blue skies. I need to learn how to interpret the weather report on this side of the Atlantic. No rain today. Not one drop. The news that New Mexico is on fire puts a damper on the moment. A sobering reminder…

The great Portuguese unmasking Today I noticed several people inside buildings without masks. When I pointed that out to Grubb, he said “huh?” Grubb has added The Portuguese News online, an English language Portuguese newspaper to his daily news scan. Sure enough, just today most mask mandates have been dropped. Except on public transportation and…

University of Coimbra https://photos.app.goo.gl/gGPbkPKXPbbLUsCt9 Our AirBnb in Coimbra As you’ll see, not as modern as our place in Porto. This apartment is in a designated UNESCO heritage building so there are limits on updates. It is located just a block below the University and a couple of blocks from the Botanical Gardens. We can see…

What is your travel mode? We all do it differently I’m sure. Have some tips, tricks or pearls of wisdom or silliness to share? Love to hear them. Here are some of ours. Eat what you want. Try everything. Sugars and fats be damned. You know it’s impossible to gain weight when you travel. Everyone…

What’s with the students sporting long black capes?  A little research and I’ve got a vague answer. The black cape has been a university student’s uniform here for 500 years. “Here” being Coimbra but also seen in Lisbon and Porto as well. Why a black cape? As opposed to some kind of hat or other apparel?…

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Finally getting around to posting photos of the interior. Now that we have left. id highly recommend this place. https://photos.app.goo.gl/ErdrwRPhAmZaJAau7

Who remembers Brownie box cameras? Or Polaroids and the waving of the photo sheet with its curved edges, watching as the photo developed magically within a few minutes? Oh my god, and one’s first Minolta or Canon SLR and trying to figure out f-stops and the endless adjusting, never being absolutely sure it was clearly…

We visited the museum of azulejos (tiles) in Lisbon and have posted photos of beautifully tiled exterior walls. Many depict scenes plucked from Portuguese history and those are almost always blue and white. How did these things come to be? I never did explain. When Wynette (thank you, Wynette) posted a link to an article…

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We joined a day excursion tour of the Douro Valley, about an hour and a half’s ride from Porto. The Douro Valley produces the best Port wine in the world. In fact, only wine made in this region is allowed to be labeled ’Port’’.  So, not really any competition. Two wineries, 8 generous tastings of…

Yeah, I like me a good cemetery. I think cemeteries give Grubb the heebie jeebies though he claims to like the skulls and bones in catacombs.  He always gives me the “oh brother, here we go” look when I suggest we go see this one or that one. I am not an extremist about this. You…

This past week has been spring break for the kids in addition to the Easter holiday, so things are hopping.  Even Google maps says so. “Busier than usual” appears a lot as we scan the map.  Busses are jam packed and popular areas like Ribera, are full to bursting. We see Camino pilgrims hiking through with…

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