2023 was such a great year for us that we were sorry to see it end. However, I can think of no better way to celebrate the New Year than this. We spent a few glorious days on the beautiful Read more…

September was a bit crazy. We took two big trips with just a few days home in Porto in between them. We experienced weather extremes and saw and did a Lot. At the beginning of the month we went to Read more…

There are so many festivals in the small towns all across Portugal during the summer months that you could spend a lifetime trying to experience them all. We chose one this summer to see in the south central part of Read more…

Next up on our travel list: Poland, Stockholm, and southern Norway. We took three weeks traveling by train, plane, and boat to see some more places that were new to us. In Poland, we saw Wroclaw, Krakow, and Gdansk plus Read more…

When we lived in the U.S., we felt like Ireland was so far away, small, and difficult to get to. Because of that, it never made it on our vacation list. Now that we live in Porto and a direct Read more…

May is my absolute favorite month to travel around Portugal. By June, many of the places we visited on this trip will be too hot for me.  We took advantage of the ideal weather and set-off on another road trip. Read more…

We said good-bye to winter  with a four-night road trip with friends through the central Alentejo region and into the southwest corner of Spain. We mostly puttered along the backroads and enjoyed a change of scenery. Central Portugal: Abandoned iron Read more…

I just realized that I have not posted anything in five  months. Ooops. Much of that time was unfortunately tied up making use of the excellent healthcare system in Portugal. It seems that when you get to be our age, Read more…

We continue to enjoy traveling from our home base in northern Portugal.  We can drive to the border with northern Spain in just over an hour on well-maintained and uncrowded highways. We have also enjoyed many slow drives on the Read more…

Throughout the summer months, towns and villages across Portugal hold local festivals (festas.) Most are in honor of favorite saints or religious holidays and include traditions that date back centuries. After two years of canceled festas, they are now back Read more…