Getting There

Well, it wasn’t the worst departure we have inflicted on ourselves, but it was up there. Too many irons in the fire. Up late packing, up before 5 to drive to Pasco to start the airline/time zoneЧитать далее
Càceres Recovery Day

After a 10 hour sleep of the dead we’re up and stumbling! Low expectations for this travel recovery day. We’re staying just outside the walls of the old city. Wandered around, got some lunch,Читать далее
Càceres Day 3

Long sleep again last night. Mostly recovered from the voyage here. Wandered around enjoying the old city buildings and walls. Off and on rain showers as the day progressed. Cooked up a big pastaЧитать далее
Holy Thursday

Getting our sea legs now in this new time zone. Did I mention that I don’t do jet lag well? Went out wandering in the old city after breakfast. Visited a 12th century Arab home restored into aЧитать далее
Good Friday (updated)

So we actually got up at 6:30 this morning and went out to watch the special procession through the old city that I mentioned in the last post. Aaand… rained out! Not really pouring, but they areЧитать далее
On To Mérida

Said goodbye to Càceres and got on a train to Mérida. About a half hour ride south. Weather is improving, but still it’s spring. Not much exciting to say. We got settled in to our new digs, ate,Читать далее
Easter

We took a tour of Mérida this morning, to get the lay of the land. Merida is all about ancient Roman culture and ruins. It was founded, among other reasons, as a retirement community for RomanЧитать далее
Monday After Easter- Mérida

Today was a day of rest and housekeeping. Slept in, hung out, did laundry. Got out in the afternoon and walked looking at old parts of town and people generally. Pretty slack day.
Last Day in Mérida

Went to a different Roman villa this morning. Definitely an upper class family. Lots of beautiful tile and remains of painted walls. It’s hard to imagine that people just abandoned this city withЧитать далее
To Córdoba

Caught the train to Zafra early this morning. We had time for a coffee and pastry there before catching a bus to Córdoba. Spanish busses are much nicer than in the US. Clean, and better seats thanЧитать далее
Córdoba 2 - Mosque/Cathedral

Had a tour lined up for this morning to get oriented in Córdoba. First stop was the Mosque/Cathedral. What a mind blower! It is so unique and beautiful. There was a Christian church on the siteЧитать далее
Córdoba - Last Day

Lazy day. Slept in and got a late start on our incredibly tight schedule of wandering around the streets and alleys of the old city. We were aiming to do a church crawl on a list of famous CórdobanЧитать далее
To Portugal

Picked up the car at the train station and headed out of town for Portugal. We drive mostly on back roads and stop in small towns for coffee or food. There are a lot of old castles, forts, andЧитать далее
A Strange Day in Evora

Well, the day started out pretty normal. We were walking around the city visiting places when the power went out around 11 AM. At first we just noticed it was darker in most of the places we wereЧитать далее
On To Sintra

We spent the morning in Evora visiting a few sites that were closed yesterday (closed Monday, or the power outage). A church near our hotel has beautiful tile work that Portugal is famous for. TheЧитать далее
A Day in Sintra

We rode the city bus on a winding narrow road up the steep hillside to Pena Palace on the top of the hill. Beautiful green, semitropical forest and trails going everywhere. The palace location isЧитать далее
Sintra to Coimbra

May Day is a national holiday in most of Europe. We visited the National Palace in Sintra this morning. Headed out the winding, circuitous route out of town, on our way to Coimbra.
We went viaЧитать далее
A Day in Coimbra

Coimbra is full of tradition. It’s the oldest university in Portugal and the second oldest in Europe, established around 1300. University life dominates the old part of town. The students wear blackЧитать далее
To Braga

We drove up to Braga, to a place on the hill overlooking the city. Bom Jesus is a complex of churches, gardens, trails, and a few old hotels. It is really a peaceful place. There is a beautiful stairsЧитать далее
Bom Jesus and On To Porto

We spent the morning on the stairs at Bom Jesus. The stairs are beautiful and long. There are chapels for the stations of the cross as you go up. There is a tradition of walking the stairs on yourЧитать далее
A Birthday in Porto

Today was Debbie’s birthday. We started out at a park overlooking the Duero River and walked around town for a while. After lunch we had an exciting cab ride to the beach. Lots of exciting actionЧитать далее
Douro Valley Epic Voyage

(Note - posted late) We got an early start this morning for a planned train trip up the Duero Valley. Got to the station to find the trains had gone on strike. So no Duero Valley on this trip. But weЧитать далее
Vilar do Conde

(Posted really late) So we’ve been getting tired of the crowds in Porto. Yesterday, a guy in a small vegetable shop was talking about how nice his little village outside of Porto was. So today weЧитать далее
Up To Orisson

(Posted 6/6/25) We had a pretty easy start today. Only five miles, but it was all uphill. We stayed at an albergue in the mountains called Orisson. Very pretty location. Some rain off and on, nothingЧитать далее
Over the Hill to Roncesvalles

(Posted 6/6/25) The Pyrenees where we crossed are not technically challenging, it’s just a long slog. But slog on long enough and you’ll get it done. Then comes the hard part for me. GoingЧитать далее
ПутешественникMy beautiful sister!! ❤️
Glad you arrived safely - interesting pictures [Linda Howell]