• Some things booked were with travel agent at AAA (hotels and some tours).
• Some things we found on our own (food tours, etc.).
o We like the smaller groups and unique or off-the-beaten path tours.
We anticipated the weather would be hot, like Florida, but it turned out to be rainy and much cooler! Fortunately, we continued to check the forecasts before departing and were able to pack accordingly. (OK, it was a last minute switch of shorts for long pants and the addition of light-weight sweaters/rain coats.)
Al l the hotels were in great locations. Walking distance to all the major squares and/or meeting points for tours. City maps were terrific and we found ourselves becoming quite comfortable navigating our way around.
We had forgotten about the delicious breakfast that comes with the hotel reservation! (Full buffets of hot dishes and meats, fresh fruits, cheeses, creamy yogurts, tasty breads, pastries and of course strong coffee.) This is the first trip where we might have actually lost a few pounds (or at the minimum, haven’t gained any weight)! I guess there is something to be said for the Mediterranean diet and all the walking.
Because American History is so ‘young’ in comparison, it’s difficult to appreciate the museums, palaces/castles, cathedrals and antiquities of these countries whose history goes back thousands of years. Nonetheless, we took an opportunity in each city to explore a few of their national monuments.
We have been pleasantly surprised how quiet these large cities are. There is very little horn honking, street noise, sirens, etc., even though there are lots of cars, buses and police. (I guess our point of reference has been large cities in Italy, France and Greece.) In addition, Spain and Portugal seem to be compulsively clean! People in bright green coveralls with brooms and push bins are constantly sweeping the sidewalks and parks.
There is also something to be said for the lovely tree-lined parks and avenues. Benches and places to sit can be found every couple of yards. The practice of siestas and tapas are something we might be able to get used to as well. However, eating dinner at 10PM isn’t.
The “state of the nation” (economic and unemployment situation) in Spain and Portugal has generated many protests, all peaceful. But we have felt very comfortable walking around the cities during the day and in the early evening, and are mindful of our bags and wallets. The panhandlers are around, but not nearly as bad as at home or even Italy and France.
We stuck to our commitment of eating foods each country is known for, with selections being a bit easier (to decipher) in Spain than Portugal. Portuguese is such a difficult language and even with our cheat-sheet (and English-like menus), we weren’t always 100% confident in placing our order. But everything we’ve tried has been delicious!
We have tried to keep the blog up to date, but time and technology have prevented updates as frequently as we (and our loyal followers) would have liked.
Technology has improved tremendously since our last trip to Europe six years ago. We were prepared with a flash drive for dumping pictures and even took a small laptop. With an American keyboard, typing is much easier and it gave us another place to offload pictures. We were spoiled right off the bat with free (and moderately fast) wireless at the hotel in Madrid. Wireless was available at the hotel in Barcelona, but it was only free in the lobby for 30 minutes. To pay for 24 hours (that you could use in your room) was pretty expensive. But throughout the city, there were free WIFI kiosks/hotspots and if you stood on one foot, facing the right direction, you’d get a pretty good signal. Then we got on the cruise. We thought the hotel’s rates were expensive until we checked into the ship’s wireless internet. That was just highway robbery! Wireless internet in Portugal seems to be available everywhere, and free at the hotel. So our last day has been spent getting reconnected with the rest of the world and bringing the trip blog to a close.
TV (at least programs and channels) in English has been spotty. Mostly CNN and CNBC are in English and occasionally a program in English with Spanish or Portuguese subtitles. German is also very popular in Portugal.
A few days before the trip, we got a new camera. While the other one was ok, it was getting frustrating to always change the settings, etc. I really wanted one that was “idiot-proof”, take great pictures and still fit conveniently in my bag. Now we are using a Sony Cyber –Shot and love it!
As our trip comes to an end, it is fair to say that we have had a very pleasant experience in Spain, Portugal and on Silversea (cruise)! We renewed several friendships and enjoyed meeting many new people. But we are looking forward to the comforts and routines we left in the US. :o)
