So...Europe is cold in the winter... We were sitting in Olhao, Portugal and talking about where to go next... We needed to get out of Shengan for 90 days and our plan was to head to Greece and Crotia. However, due to the typical American mentality, we made a huge error in judgement. We were picturing [...]
Sometimes when you're traveling you want to see all of the sites, explore the magnificant beaches or sit for a drink at a beach front restaurant. Sometimes though, you just have to work. So it was for us in Olhao... we had a wonderful time in Sintra but basically got no work done and we [...]
On our way back from Lisbon we had to switch trains in Albuferia. Curious, I looked the town up and read: "Albufeira is the largest, liveliest and most energetic of all of the resort towns that line southern Portugal's beautiful Algarve coastline." That sounded pretty fun and so we hopped off the train and stayed [...]
There is so much to do in Sintra, the gorgeous mountain resort town northwest of Lisbon. From the old center restaurants, shops and bars, to the museums and history everywhere and of course.... the famous palaces! They are everywhere! In fact, there is literally so much to do that there's no way you can really [...]
"It is a journey into an imaginary universe of symbolism and metaphor..." I read on the brochure. IF this did not capture your attention, you must be crazy! When I stumbled across this quote, I was like OMG, yes!! I NEED some of that in my life!! I was planning this tour! Quinta da Regaleira is [...]
Living in the states, I never gave transportation a second thought. Granted, I had a dependable automobile and therefore, would just hop in and go to and from my various destinations. Of course there were several times when I purchased an airline ticket to travel somewhere further away. I knew that when we left the USA [...]
So, it's been quite a challenge for us to learn how to travel in Europe. We're used to having a car and driving everywhere but now that we're here we are jumping in headfirst with the European way... public transport. It's been a great experience but also difficult sometimes. In many places you need to take [...]
So.... We moved to Portugal! I've been wanting to go to Portugal for years and specifically to the Algharve region, that sunny, slow, southern coastline with it's beautiful beaches, jagged cliffs and seaside towns. We settled in the Eastern Algharve in a small fishing village called Fuseta, just east of Faro. It was a wonderful [...]
When I first told my children that I had decided to travel Europe for the year, they told me that I had lost my mind! "Sell your stuff and quit your job ... why??!!" I understand that it made absolutely no sense to them. I had taken a "leap of faith", which was very unlike me. [...]
If you're ever in Granada then you must see an authentic Gypsy Flamenco show.... knowing this, we booked one at Cueva de la Rocio and we were super excited for it. We had decided to return to the best Hostel in Spain, El Granado and as we walked in to register we were informed that [...]
We had heard a lot about Hostels in Europe and decided to give it a try while we were going through Granada on our way to Malaga. We did some research and heard about El Granado.... everyone was raving...so we booked it! We were a little nervous being on the "older side" of things but it [...]
While staying at the El Granado Hostel, we were offered a free 2 hour walking tour around the city. Prior to leaving, the guide suggested we all wear appropriate footwear as the cobblestone streets could be slippery. As I had already picked the perfect outfit for the evening , I opted to ignore her suggestion and [...]