Last night Jo Ann and I decided not to join the optional dinner in a wine cellar but to try to find a local restaurant. We asked at the front desk for a nearby restaurant, not expensive, and that had seafood and other choices. “It’s very easy… only a five minute walk!” On the way… Read More ¿Español?
This morning we stopped at a cork tree grove and our tour group leader, Pedro, warned us that there were land mines in the field. I was a little worried that Trafalgar would put its guests in danger, but as we learned, the cattle grazed among the cork trees only a few minutes before our… Read More Beware of land mines!
This is my first Trafalgar tour, and my first experience with rotated seating on the bus. What that means is that on each day, there is a seating chart. With each succeeding day, your assigned seat moves up two rows, and on the 5th day “Best of Portugal” tour it means that Jo Ann Condry… Read More In the front of the bus!
I was almost feeling human today, this being my 9th day in Europe. I went to bed about 10:30-11:00 pm and woke up at 4:30 am—just about my normal routine time at home. It was a little overcast today but we still saw some absolutely spectacular scenery in the Algarve region. Our first stop was… Read More Cliffs, caves, church, and chimneys
Today we had two memorable stops on the way to the Algarve — a local farmers market in Setúbal and a stud horse farm. Our tour director, Pedro, said that some of his tour guests said they wanted to move here—simply because of all the fresh produce and seafood available in this market! Locals spend… Read More On the way to Algarve
And … yesterday’s long day wasn’t over yet! After visiting the monuments, the monastery, the Cascáis church, and the Sintra National Palace, we headed back to the hotel to get ready for the evening dinner and fado music. Fado, as our guide explained, means “destiny” or “fate,” and the music can either be happy or… Read More Not over yet !
I’ve been in Lisbon, Portugal for just about 24 hours and I’ve noticed several unique features about my trip so far. I was thrilled to arrive in the Lisbon Airport to find my friend, Jo Ann Condry, whom I met in Italy several years ago at the Historic Organ Study Tours, along with a new… Read More Day One in Lisbon
I’m leaving London later this morning, and in thinking back to my 4 days and 3 nights in Port Isaac, someone asked me what makes this village so special. Why would I take 17 hours out of my life to travel 7,199 miles to this little town? Well, like most things, you can find the… Read More Magical
Yesterday, Joan Ishibashi and I were sitting in The Slipway restaurant, when a man in a sports car drove up. “Isn’t that Ian McNeice?” I asked. “Go out and ask him for a picture,” Joan replied. McNeice usually carries a small green bucket and asks for a £1 donation to the Port Isaac RNLI (Royal… Read More Starstruck
On Sunday before the luncheon we embarked on the Port isaac Walking Tour (which we had taken three years earlier) mainly because Joan Ishibashi’s husband, Kantila Vaghela was with us on this trip. However the steep hills of Port Isaac proved extremely tiring and strenuous so he decided to pass. I have to admit, those… Read More Port Isaac Walking Tour and Lanhydrock