We are in Portugal once again, in Madeira. It’s an island in the eastern Atlantic off the coast of Portugal, far north of Lisbon. And it is another gorgeous, eye-full place. Steep hills complicate the walking and car travel but the land is very green. In hard contrast to Las Palmas, this island is a …
Category Archives: Blog posts
Gran Canaria in a Nutshell
Should you visit here? Absolutely! It’s not a top ten destination for Americans but could become so. Europeans, particularly vacationers from mainland Spain visit the Canary Islands in mass. The eight main islands in the Canarian archipelago are Spanish provinces. Tenerife is the southernmost and largest most populous of the all and Gran Canaria is …
The Ride Of Our Lives
I have never been so frightened and nervous as I was today. I was far more scared today than the time we jumped off the top of a mountain, paragliding in Colombia. Stan loves to rent a car and drive in every country we can. He is a talented driver. I trust him explicitly. Yesterday …
Gran Canaria
A few years ago we met a couple from South Africa on a cruise through the Norwegian fjords. We became friends. They invited us to their vacation house in Roses, Espana. We took them up on their offer and stayed with them for a few nights then took advantage of the tie and visited all …
Azueljos, Coffee and Wine
Our last day trip to Lisbon from Ericeira was mainly to visit the Museu Nacional do Azueljo (National Tile Museum) which is a very appropriate topic for this post. My focus today is on just a few of the practices and preferences we noticed that make up the Portuguese culture that we enjoy so much. …
Final Week in Lisbon District
Our time in this perfectly lovely part of Portugal is waning. I’m a bit sad. This south-central area seems to exude vibrancy. The air is fine, the sky is clear, the temperatures are cool and refreshing and the food is delicious and healthy. We still have work to do to arrange the next destination details, …
Churches, Palaces and Strawberries
After having visited so many churches we find they are beginning to run together in our minds. We are vowing to see no more. The number of palaces we have seen is beginning to approach that level of tolerance as well. How much grandeur and opulence can a person absorb? It’s like the question, how …
Sintra- Portuguese Fairyland
Most often Germany comes to mind when I think of fairy tales, but the land of kings, queens, knights, fair maidens, and dragons seems to be here in Sintra, Portugal. Just a drive to the west, on the edge of the green Sintra Mountain range, is this romantic area of castles and palaces. Just as …
Lisboa – Not Finished Yet
I have not failed to mention, have I, that all of the coastal areas of Portugal are hilly. I am not talking about hilly like Cantrell Hill in Little Rock or Cardiac Hill in Atlanta. The land here is nothing but hills, one steep hill after the other, and the Portuguese built cities with cobblestone …
Lisboa, Part 2
In the Portuguese language, this city is called Lisboa. We English speakers call it Lisbon just as we also have our own names for other places, like referring to the great Italian city of Roma, as Rome. (ok, indulge me please) What a fantastic day! On Friday, we returned to Lisboa (heh-heh) with an agenda. …