A resounding yes! Maybe part of the magic was simply being able to travel again and it would have been a great trip no matter where we went. But Portugal is a fascinating place. A month is not enough to really get to know a different world. But we got a taste and it was complex: savory, salty, and sweet.
From cork to Port wine, savory cod to sweet creamy natas, sprawling metropolis to tiny rural villages, imposing churches to pristine beaches.
The thing about traveling, there is this desire to make every moment count. No floating through a day, or putting off until tomorrow. Nope. Every day needs to be filled with adventure, new stuff, new places, new foods, new neighborhoods.
Because we travel on our own, we have maximum flexibility in our ventures. No waiting on the rest of the group or following a proscribed route. Our meandering on our own can also lead to going up the wrong hill, hitting dead ends, not getting all the information, unexpected closures, stymied by public transit strikes, and so on leading to maximum tiredness. But it is often in those misdirects where our most delightful surprises happen.
I am reluctant to leave.
Tomorrow night, assuming all goes well with the flights, we will be back in the arid high desert of New Mexico. There will be no throngs, but there will also be no verdant gardens, imposing churches and palaces, quiosques on every corner, new artists, cod prepared in a million different scrumptious ways, grilled octopus, super easy and convenient mass transit, well and lots of other stuff. Although i am determined to learn how to make a good sangria. A refreshing summer drink I think!
We will post again after we get home. In case you wonder whether we made it. I am sure we will make it but will it go as planned? Stay tuned.
Thanks for coming along with us.
So glad you enjoyed your trip. I really enjoyed reading your blog. And congrats on your negative covid tests!! Isn’t it amazing you could do all that traveling and not get it! Fingers crossed for your trip back home tomorrow.
Thanks Wynette. Hope to catch up with you guys in person soon.
Case counts are rising in both America as a whole, and New Mexico, but during your time away case counts in Portugal were noticeably higher than here at home. So we’re glad you didn’t catch covid, which would have spoiled your trip and/or delayed your flight home. Mask up, be safe, and maybe try to nap on the plane.
Not to worry, we remained fully masked on the planes and in airports in a now largely unmasked world. As Wynette said, it was amazing to do all that traveling and not catch the Covid. I am now a firm believer in the power of the vaccine and the mask. Or maybe we just had a good fairy watching out for us.
It was wonderful to follow you on a daily basis and see so much of a country that I’m not going to taste for myself (my traveling days being over). So many pictures! So little friction! And Grubb’s wardrobe–what a riot of color and fabric! Him and his cursed monk. It’s a good thing you were there with your smiles. Thanks for the trip.
Big smile and guffaw from Grubb.