Post Triptum
Like a Postscript, but different I am writing this from the comfort of my ergonomic office chair in Washington Grove rather than wedged into an airplane seat or on a…
There are three million steps in Lisbon, and every one is up
Change of plan: Instead of puttering around the Portuguese countryside to wrap up our Portuguese adventure, we booked a last minute AirBnB in Alfama - the oldest, and clearly the…
Cruisin’ the Rio Formoso
There really isn't a "best" part of the Algarve - it's varied but beautiful everywhere - so we decided to get out of town and do some touristing. Lagos This…
High tide
Just when we needed it – Zen Central
After the wilds of the Azores and the cold, wet crowds of Sintra, the Algarve was a kinder, gentler Portugal. It was unexpectedly laid-back, with just the right balance between…
Entrance to the monastery
Deep time in the old country
For our week outside of Lisbon, we had rented a traditional Portuguese farmhouse in the country. This bucolic slice of down-home Portugal turned out to be long on history and…
It’s a real Sintra
Years ago, Marida's brother had a really bad experience with a used car - a real lemon - and from that point on, he and his wife referred to any…
Exploring Floorsch
Flores: When pronounced by its inhabitants, this lovely romance word denoting flowers sounded to me like "Floorsch." So, Floorsch it is. The wild and woolly volcanic geology, colorful history, and…
Casa Esmeria, morning fog
What is it with old people and rocks?
Life in a restored farming village We do love rocks, all their mossy, craggy, rugged beauty. Perhaps because they make us feel young? Anyway, our current digs at a restored…
Festival of Bom Jesus da Pedra, town of Vila Franca do Campo, Sao Miguel
Parades and people watching
On our last evening before leaving São Miguel, we were lucky enough to join the Festival of the Good Jesus. This is when the image of the Bom Jesus, which…
Ancient aqueduct, Sete Cidades
Embracing our Inner Tourist
In which our heroines experience the authentic Azores, accompanied by 3,000 of their closest friends As the most visited island in the Azores, São Miguel has adapted to the traveling…