Introduction: Sunny Portugal

Olá!

It’s time for another European trip and another travel blog! This time, we’re off to Portugal! As a travel destination, Portugal had never been on my radar, ever. I was sold on it, though, after watching a couple of photography/travel videos from a British photographer I follow on YouTube named Roman Fox. He made a few stunning videos in Lisbon and Porto which totally intrigued me – the bright colours, winding streets, gently decaying buildings and old world charm really won me over. This was the major factor that put this destination on my travel radar, and the more I investigated the country, the more I liked it.

It seems right now, Portugal is the hot (literally) place to go. It seems everyone is flocking there – in the months leading up to our trip we had talked to so many people who had either been to Portugal, had planned to go to Portugal or knew someone who had been. The consensus was the same with all – everyone raved about Portugal, singing its praises.

A Shared Experience

This trip Vince and I shared the adventure. This was my second trip to Europe this year; I had done a photography trip to Tuscany in May (you’ll find my blog for that trip here), so the experience of wanting to get away felt not quite so crucial for me. Vince, however, had not been anywhere since our Fall 2019 trip to Canada’s west, so it was important that he have a good travel experience on this trip to Portugal (and me too, of course!).

Slowing Down

Prior to this trip we agreed to try a different approach in Portugal and see how it went. Usually, when Vince and I travel to Europe we move at a near-breakneck pace with a definite bucket list of things to see at a set time of each day. This trip, with both us being older and hopefully wiser, we threw the bucket list approach out the window and tried a new approach – simply wandering with no agenda and getting pleasantly and intentionally lost, seeing what we would encounter. It is a great, mindful and immersive way to travel; we explored the sights at a leisurely pace and stopped frequently to refuel with coffee, food or other goodies.

A Note on the Text

This blog is written in retrospect. During our busy trip I had very little time (or energy!) at each day’s end to put my thoughts and photos together and post them in this blog. I kept fairly detailed notes as we went though each day, though, so using those I have reconstructed each day of our trip. Hopefully I will stay on track with my writing and not unconsciously flip back and forth between past and present tense.

OK, let’s get going! Enjoy our trip to that wonderful country…