Tag Archives: walks

Saturday, June 6

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After a bit of a restless night (my watch’s sleep report was disappointed in me although it was being gentle) I woke and told Dan I would do a pj laundry shower. Laundry showers are such fun. Or maybe not. But hey, pjs and I are now clean machines.

Side Note: Ah bathrooms! Ours have run the gamut. Large and small. Old and fairly new. And, on this trip, toilets that are rather persnickety. Seems like we have to baby them. I have several suggestions for places we’ve stayed: fix those toilets! Install a motion detector nightlight in the bathroom. And please please nix those silly little trashcans that you have to open with your foot. They are annoying. That, that is all. I’m sure things will all be fixed on our next trip.

But Side Note #2: Dan and I both travel with motion detector nightlights so we place them in spots to light our way and light the bathroom when necessary.

After starting this blog entry, annoying you with my Side Notes, showering, and dressing, it was time for breakfast so downstairs we went. For once we went lighter — poached eggs on toast. Done.

Looking at the weather it appeared we’d get rain. And then no rain. And rain again. We’ve learned, though, not to trust our apps. It would be what it would be and perhaps the rain jacket was a wise choice for the day. Or umbrella. Or both. Plus a rain hat. Or would I wing it and just deal? (I really dislike having to wear the rain jacket if it doesn’t rain.)

Final decision: rain jacket, rain hat, umbrella, plus daypack so I could protect my camera should it rain hard.

Down the hill we went. Again. The middle photo below is of a monkey puzzle tree. I’m not a huge fan of them except that they are just so crazy looking. Not great for shade, though. (Not that we needed any shade today.)

We made it to the meeting spot for the Bath tour just in time. I turned around to take a photo of what I call “Tortilla Jones” because sometimes my sense of humor is just goofy like that.

A large group had congregated, and one of the eight tour guides divided us up. We then went with our guide to the front of the Abbey Cathedral.

He explained that the doors were closed and there would be no entry until the afternoon because of a procession. That procession usually included the mayor, but he had had to resign because of something he reposted (when will people learn to check to see if something is true — and if it’s wise to post even if it is?). We had expected it to begin a bit later than it did, so we were right in front when they started. I took a video but please do excuse the bad filming: my hat blew off at one point! You might not want to watch the whole thing as it is over two minutes. (I hope it will even load due to the length!)

From there we did a good amount of walking and I did take photos while I’ll post below, but much of the time we were being rained upon. My hat was on, but then the umbrella came out as well. It never really did stop. Some of what we saw with the guide were at spots Dan and I saw earlier, but the information our guides (there was on in training who led part of the tour) was fun to hear. Not that I’ll remember much, but I will try.

We ended in front of an indoor market. I was thrilled to think we’d get out of the rain and maybe Dan and I would catch a bite inside. Well, it wasn’t quite the kind of market we’d expected. There was one place where small appliances were sold. Inside that area it looked like a hardware store. Some places sold Knick knacks or clothes. There were a few food booths, but nothing appealing and all the seats were full.

We walked a bit more and found a place to get some very healthy looking salads. Unusual for us, I know.

(Doesn’t Dan look serious about his salad?) Funny thing: the food there could be take away or sit down. We said we wanted sit down. They brought us our salads in the cardboard box but set inside a bowl. It didn’t occur to either of us to empty the salad into the bowl, where it would have been easier to eat! I only realized that’s what we should have done when I looked at the tables on either side of us. Sometimes we are just slow!

Outside again, and the rain kept coming. Our tour guide had told us about a free museum so we opted to go in there for a bit. It was nothing thrilling, but it was out of the rain.

Oh … but it also had bathrooms (really “toilets” as they are called here), and inside the women’s was some more art! I looked at the two pipes in a corner and then looked down. Cracked me up!

We left the museum and thought maybe we needed coffee. Not because we needed coffee, really, but because it was still raining.

As we walked there was a huge crowd of mostly men going the opposite direction, some of whom were quite noisy and, I’m guessing, a wee bit intoxicated. All we could think, considering how many there were, was that some sort of game had ended. Who knows, though. In any case, we walked until we finally ended up at the same place we had coffee yesterday. The biggest requirements were indoors and empty seats we could fill. As my sister-in-law Ruth Ann wrote, Dan looks rather dapper … don’t you agree? (He took this selfie. All credit to him.)

While we had our coffee and contemplated walking more in the rain I thought to check the map, plugging in our B&B. We are in a more residential area, so I had assumed there would be no eating establishments nearby, but I was happy to see I was wrong. About ten minutes away is a place called The Moorfield, and they had a reservation opening for 5:45. I grabbed it. The thought of eating down the hill and then, after said eating, walking up with a full stomach in, most likely, rain and wind, didn’t seem appealing to either of us. Besides, with all the rain we had so far enjoyed (hah!) we were just a bit weary.

So we agreed we’d head back to our room. When we arrived and started up the stairs a man greeted us and said something about us having had it with the weather as well. I guess he and his wife gave up and also returned.

In our room Dan did whatever Dan does on his iPad and I did more of this blog. Suddenly the wind got super crazy. How glad I was to be in our room!

Oh … and I’ve not reported on our colds. So far mine is so minor I don’t know that I can call it a cold. I’m hoping it stays that way.

We both ended up snoozing a little bit, but then it was time to head to the restaurant I had found. Of course it was raining again!

It was also a bit longer of a walk than I expected, but we finally arrived at The Moorfields and in we went. It’s not in a busy section of town, and I think it’s more of a neighborhood place, which I enjoy. Next to us were people with a tiny baby, I saw another young one as well, and in another room there was a family.

We ordered poblano peppers to share, and then Dan had a burger and I had chicken. Prices were quite reasonable, and my dinner was tasty. Obviously no desert was necessary!

Now about Dan and napkins. For some reason they fly off his lap nearly every time! I think I need to document this from now on.

After Dan paid the check we walked back a slightly different way. It seemed faster, but that might be because, miracle of miracles, the rain had stopped!

Now we are back in our room, and I’m having chamomile tea. I won’t tell you we had Kit Kat bars (which the B&B provide) because I know you would think less of us if you knew we indulged.

Tomorrow is moving day. Again. As always I’m pretty much packed, as long as the weather doesn’t cause me to change my mind. I’ll just have to add pjs and the toothbrushes to my suitcase, and put my iPad in my daypack and I’m ready to hit the road. Will we hike down the hill with our roller bags? We hope to. That, too, will depend upon the weather.

About our trains: for the first time it’s a three train day, each from a different company. First it’s Great Western Railroad (GWR), then Transport for Wales Rail (TFW — and no, we aren’t landing in Wales), and finally Cross Country (XC). All are fairly short rides, but it was how I had to put it all together to get to our next destination.

It’s too early to hit the hay, but still I will say goodnight.

13,382 steps, 5.31 miles, 12 flights climbed

Another Day in Segovia

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You know the story: first we eat breakfast. We are predictable that way. Once breakfast was eaten it was back to our room. I think Dan was writing more in his journal. I was just hanging out and wasting time.

Then a lot of bell ringing took place. And then more bell ringing. It didn’t seem to be signaling the time, though.

When we finally went out the door and crossed the street a hearse went by. Ahhh … perhaps that was the bell ringing reason?

Cities (and towns and villages) usually have graffiti. In Santiago de Compostela we noticed it was quickly covered over in the old part of the town, and I think it’s very similar here. Walls show evidence of paint. But it appears it’s not easy to keep up with. (And doors are another story: I suppose that might be up to the owner of the door, maybe …?)

Again with the stairs. I’m happy to do them, but sadly my pants are still too tight. Maybe I should have sent Dan on his way and done them a few times. Or not.

Today was our Alcázar day, so we had that specific location to aim for. Up to Plaza Mayor, past the cathedral, a quick shot of another wall since I’m rather enamored of them, and we were there.

I noticed some other tourists looking up at a tree and of course I had to look as well. And how about that. A number of stork nests. I even saw some young’uns up there.

We purchased our tickets and walked around a bit. I must have been using my Fuji camera because the two photos below are all I have, other than the birds.

The time passed quickly and in we went. It’s quite a place. (Rather cold, though, so we’ll skip moving in.) We did most of the rooms, up until our time for the tower arrived.

I wasn’t sure what to expect with the tower. With my fear of heights some towers are a big issue. This one had a good number of stairs (and my pants are still too tight), with a spiral staircase nearer the top. When we finished the climb I found out I could handle the height problem pretty well, as there was more room than many towers have.

I stayed up for longer than my normal, “I gotta get down” time. Dan stayed longer. On the way down we went by a room that we were told had been a prison for important people. No, they didn’t ask me to stay.

Another level down and I was closer to my comfort zone.

I waited for Dan down below and when he arrived we finished off the rest of the palace tour. (We had purchased the audio guide.) Then we left the grounds and walked toward the Plaza Mayor via a different route.

We found a lunch spot, and sat down and did a bit of people watching. Young people, that is. They looked to be university age, and many were speaking English. The outside area was primarily of them, and the few tables in the back — the ones in the shade — was mainly older people. Go figure! We assumed school had let out early since it was Friday, and the place we chose to eat must be their hangout. We ordered our food and sat for a good amount of time.

From there we decided to find the other end of the aqueduct, heading a different way than we had been before. We did manage to find the aqueduct. I continue to be rather astounded by it! Again I was challenged, due to the height of the viewpoints where we stopped. I did my best, but eventually had to go into a safe corner while Dan continued to make photos.

(And no, Dan wasn’t eyeing that young woman in the dress! Really. I just wanted to get a photo of her and he happened to be in front of me.

Finally it was time to head back to the hotel. Passing by a few places that caught my interest — or caught my iPhone’s interest.

From above I heard some singing. I hope it can be heard on the video.

We walked down to the base of the aqueduct and took a different route to the hotel, just to see what we might find. The church looked to be abandoned. Oh … and the photo on the shopping street has the iris store. Have you seen those? You can get a “family photo” by having everyone in the family get a shot of their iris. We’ve seen these stores in nearly every city as well. Between that and ALE-HOP I think we humans are rather odd!

We arrived before 17:00, and had a fair amount of time to waste since dinner probably can’t be until 20:00 again. I worked on this entry, slept, and enjoyed a cup of coffee. The last I did while sitting at a little table in our room, with the door to the very tiny balcony open, so we had fresh air and I could hear the sounds of the city.

And then I received a reminder message from Renfe, the train company for which we have tickets tomorrow. Part of our trip will be via bus, it seems, because the track (or something) is being worked on. I have no idea what to expect or how long it will take. I’ve always been a huge fan of trains, but this particular trip has had a few problems. I dare not complain, however … we are very fortunate to get to do what we do!

Eventually it was time to do a dinner search. I had hoped to maybe find something on the earlier side, but it is pretty difficult to eat before 20:00. We walked up the non-stair way. I’m not sure why we usually went with the stair option, but there you go. There were tons of people strolling along, similar to the Italian passagiata (sp?). LOTS of college age people, so now I want to read up on the university here.

And then we were surprised. The carousel we’d seen on other walks was now up and running. And it was just the best carousel ever! Steam punk good. I hope this video will show you that. I took a longer one, but this is probably easier to load.

From there we ended up walking up to the Plaza Mayor again. It seems we are destined to eat there! And yes, dinner it was. The server we first had didn’t speak a word of English and we were having a rather funny time communicating until he called for “Mikey”. He had a bit more English. So we figured out our order … sort of. I had ordered some croquettes as a main, and a cheese dish for the two of us to share, while Dan ordered some pork. But they didn’t understand how we wanted things brought out (our fault for not explaining) and the croquettes came out first, as an appetizer. So we shared those. Then the cheese (incredibly yummy) came out so again we shared. Finally Dan’s pork came out and I had nothing left so I ordered some scallops. Truth is, I shouldn’t have: we had plenty of food. Dan said what with our difficulty in communicating and all, he saw the servers laughing about it all. Heck, we laughed too! But the food was good and it was nice time.

Oh … and it looked like another stag party was taking place. I wish I’d gotten the guys bearded face, but this will have to do.

Then it was back down “our” stairs and to the hotel. We had contemplated getting gelato, but we didn’t need it, it was getting cold, and we have a very early morning wake-up call.

Buenas noches!

First Full Day in Segovia

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Breakfast wasn’t until 9:00 today, so we could really take it easy. I did hear some sort of pounding noise around 8:00 (if not earlier) and finally went to open the window. Then it was tremendously loud! A man was working below us on a stone wall. I’ve no clue what he was doing, but I was then very thankful for the double paned windows here!

Breakfast was downstairs. I can’t remember now, but I must have gotten a good price to have paid for this (just like Santiago de Compostela). I think it’s the breakfast that wins the “most selections” prize. For me that doesn’t make a whole lot of difference: I simply don’t eat much for breakfast since I don’t eat any breakfast when we are at home.

Going out our hotel door we saw this scary creature.

From the hotel we went back up those wonderful stairs. (I’m hoping they help with all the food I’ve eaten!) Time to get up to Plaza Major again!

We had planned on going into the cathedral but when we reached the Plaza Major there was a small market so we first went around that. It’s fun to see all the food, even while we can’t purchase anything at the moment.

Then we did finally go into the cathedral (having purchased tickets on our walk there: gotta love the handiness of purchasing online while walking to a place!). The cathedral was huge, and I took a lot of photos. I won’t be explaining any of it (hardly needs it, really), but I will post a ton of photos now.

Out the door we reached the cloisters.

There were rooms with tapestries as well. (I had to zoom in on the flute and bass players!)

I find the art and the building so amazing. We Protestants seem to have rejected all of that when we rejected Catholicism. I’m embarrassed sometimes by our lack of taste and beauty! But that’s all I’ll write about that — you don’t have to listen to me whine!

Our cathedral ticket also included the Episcopal Palace (because of course a Bishop needs a palace!). So we walked a whopping three minutes to get there. Okay, four probably, because I first walked right by the alley where we were supposed to turn.

Most of it wasn’t of great interest to me: I’m really not into fancy silver and gold “stuff”. But still I managed to take some photos.

But really? An escape room in the palace? Okay, then.

Soon it was lunch time, and we ended up back at the plaza to have that. I would have written “to have a light lunch” but nothing seems to be light here! But hey, at least we had “cerveza sin alcohol”. (In other words alcohol free beer.)

Next up was a walk to the aqueduct. And yes, there is an ALE-HOP here. What a relief. Or not.

Finally, just WOW! The aqueduct is astounding. (Also below are a few non-aqueduct photos.) How in the world they built that thing is mind boggling. And it goes on and on. We walked one direction, up until it stopped. Perhaps tomorrow we’ll go the other way.

After that it was time for our little siesta. Or blogging. Or both. And more — I made reservations for a restaurant nearby. We’ve learned that if we can do that it’s a safer way to go. It’s supposed to be a “Castilian restaurant with a twist.”

Now that reservation wasn’t until 20:00, so we still had time to do more. Seemed as good a time as any for a shower and a wee bit of laundry.

And then it was time. We aimed toward the restaurant. It was only four minutes away, and when we got there (six minutes before our reservation time) it wasn’t yet opened. A woman sitting nearby asked us if we were waiting for it (in Spanish, but we could figure it out) and we said yes. We surmised she was doing the same. Since it wasn’t yet opened after we waiting until 20:00, we went up to the next level, took a photo or two, and waited. Nothing. And more nothing. Finally we decided to walk back and try the door. Nope. Locked. And then we saw a car pull up, a guy get out, and run up with a key. The woman who had been waiting went toward him, as did another woman. Just putting two and two together, we figured both of them worked there. Okay, then. Still nothing was happening.

And then we gave up. There was a restaurant up the stairs we had also considered, so we went there, we were told we could get right in, and I canceled the first place.

Now, for those of you who are anti-meat, skip this next part, please.

I had read that one must order the suckling pig in Segovia. I’m not normally a pig eater (I do fish and poultry), but I try to experience the flavors of a place, so we went for it.

First we had soup, which was delicious.

Don’t look at the photo if you are opposed! They first show you the thing whole, and then take it away and cut it up like this.


We also had delicious potatoes because, of course, potatoes! Spain loves their potatoes.

We also had lovely desserts. (And the price of all this was probably about half of what we’d pay in our neighborhood.)

Final thoughts: I doubt I’d order suckling pig again. Just not really my cuppa, although it wasn’t awful. But I am glad I tried it. I like to experience food of the culture!

We walked back to our hotel then, and I typed the rest of this up while Dan read up on sausages (I’ll leave that story for another time).

Now to bed with us. It’s late. We’re tired, and gosh, we have to wake up for an 8:30 AM breakfast. The horrors! Excuse any typos and silly or poorly worded sentences. It’s late (20:41 here) and my brain is rather fried.

Adios!

First Full Day in Porto

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We began quite lazily since we have no bags to pack and we don’t have a walk scheduled. Of course that doesn’t mean we didn’t walk, and in Porto it does mean you will most likely have a climb! After showers we got ready and first had to go downstairs to tell them our room is quite cold (the heater doesn’t appear to be working) and the toilet won’t stop flushing! At home we just jiggle the handle, but here there is no handle to jiggle so I guess someone will have to come up and fix that.

Then it was nearing breakfast time. At home I’d never think of eating breakfast, but … wellllll … vacations are just different! We wanted somewhere close so I did a search on coffee and saw that Coaque – Artisan Chocolate was the closest place. Now you might wonder about the chocolate thing. I sure did! Honestly, I think they’d be smart to change the name: yes, there is a lot of chocolate, but they also serve breakfast, and I think lunch also. We ate very well.

After our meal we made our way to Gaia, via the Luis I Bridge. If you know me, you know heights give me the Willies, but I do manage to cross bridges without too much fear.

Photos are from our walk to the bridge and on the bridge:

We had a 1:30 date with Caves Ferreira to do a tour, so we went in that general direction. It brought back memories of our first visit to Porto, when Meghan and Jameson were also here. That time we didn’t do a tour but we did have an amazing time at Graham’s, as we had dinner reservations there. This time I did try for a Graham’s tour, but nothing was available. I guess those have to be scheduled well in advance. So we walked to Ferreira’s just to make sure we knew where we were going, and then went to have a snack and a beer. The zero alcohol kind … we’d get enough port anyway!

The tour was enjoyable and I did actually learn some things. I liked the tasting (you can see the photo of what we tried below), but I have to be honest and say I really don’t have a discerning palate like some do. You could buy me cheap stuff and I’m not sure I’d know the difference, sad but true.

After our tasting we walked through a place that reminded us of Lisbon’s Time Out Market but without the crowds (and not nearly as large), and then up to something called WOW, which we later learned meant “world of wine” and there were various “experiences”. Now call us sarcastic, or maybe skeptical, or perhaps both, but when we see that there’s a wine experience, and a chocolate experience, and a cheese experience, um, well, we just aren’t interested in experiencing any of them. Not there, anyway. Those seem more like big tourist traps to us. What we’d thought was there was some art … somewhere we’d read something that gave us that impression. But nope, just a modern looking place that I think is supposed to make money and appears to have very few people buying into it.

Photos here are after the tasting up until leaving WOW:

We quickly left and went back down the stairs and had to decide if we would take a ferry across the Douro, go uphill to the bridge, or take a gondola ride to the bridge. Again, yours truly is incredibly squeamish about heights, but there is something about being in an enclosed gondola that causes me not to be fearful. I can’t explain it, but there you go. So we opted for the gondola (yes, I know: tourist trap stuff!): the views were fun, but it sure went quickly.

We had planned on going right back to our hotel, although first we would grab a snack to bring with us, but then we looked up and decided to go up a small hill to see a building that was calling our name. It was windy at the top but, again, there were spectacular views. It was well worth the small climb.

Finally it was time to head back. Over the bridge we went, past the big church, and then down some of the wonderful narrow alleyways of Porto. (And saw the biggest Ficus elastica ever.) We bought our snack supplies as well.

Then we went up to our third floor room and shoes came off, chip bag was opened, and it was relaxation time.

I had made reservations for a nearby place that had good reviews and had an opening for 7:30. We are learning that reservations are a very good idea in a city that is so popular with tourists. When it was time we walked all of two minutes to Tá-Berna Wine & Tapas Bar. We really enjoyed the food, and our server was fun to watch as she was in charge of the entire upstairs (well, okay, it wasn’t a huge upstairs, but she sure moved quickly), and was just very friendly. After we ate our dessert of these little balls of yumminess I told her I loved mine and she smiled and said she makes them herself! Then, going downstairs to pay, she was there to take the payment and take a photo of us (on one of those instant cameras) to put on the wall. She had me put our names on it as well. What fun!

It hadn’t fully appeared but I quickly took a photo. And I think that being on that wall makes us famous. Or something. (Hmmm … maybe we should get a free drink?)

After paying we went back to our hotel and up to our room after I had a 20€ bill changed into some coins so we have tip money for housekeeping. Yes, tips are done in Porto, although one doesn’t leave nearly as much here as in the states, from all I’ve read.

Now I do believe it’s time to sleep. Last night I slept pretty well once I took a Benadryl. I had had a reaction to something and with itchy eyes, ears, and throat I decided a pill might help with that and perhaps I’d even sleep better. Sure enough, that worked! (Today I saw that there was some sort of stuff floating in the air, similar, if not the same, to the cottonwoods in the US. I suspect that’s what I was reacting to, but who knows?!

But you don’t really need to know all of that. I’m rambling. And I should say goodnight! So … GOODNIGHT!

Slip Sliding in Sintra

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I had purchased tickets in advance for the Pena Palace and the Moorish Castle and today was “our” day to go. This meant we actually woke earlier than the past two days. After coffee and getting ready we left the hotel, with a bit of time to spare, but not much, to catch our train.

Except I realized, after getting outside, that I forgot the tickets! Yep, crazy me. And we both forgot to lock the safe. So back we went. (Turns out I also had the tickets on my phone and I could have used those, but we DID need to lock the safe, so I’m rather glad I thought about the tickets.)

By the time we got to the train there were no seats available, so we stood for the whole ride. Thankfully it was a smooth ride and aside from the very loud accordion player who blessed us with his music for a while it was just fine.

It was interesting to see other parts of Lisbon. Clearly poorer parts. Tons of buildings that remind me to the projects in the US. Not all is perfect in Portugal, just like any country, I’m sure.

When we arrived in Sintra we stood in line for a shuttle. Or so we thought. Wrong place … we instead had to walk for about an hour to get to the shuttle, as one guy who was trying to get us to hire him to drive us said. But hey, we are fit and can do a walk, right? So we turned him down and started the walk.


And then the rain came … which convinced us rather quickly that we should get an Uber instead. (It’s never a good idea to grab the guys who pursue you at airports and train stations, as we learned once upon a time in Amsterdam. They might scam you.) The Uber driver was quite helpful, pointing out where a trail was for the Moorish Castle, and then he took us to the palace shuttle spot. The line was so long and so slow we eventually decided to walk. Oh, and we bought a couple sandwiches from a vending machine. (After getting into the palace we learned they have cafeterias there. Oops!)

The walk wasn’t bad, but did go uphill a bit. I think this is preparing us for our upcoming walking holiday, though, so I’m sort of fine with uphills. (Downhills, on the other hand, are NOT my friend.)

And the palace! What a crazy place. At times it rained. At times we were in fog. And it was pretty chilly. And windy. Really crazy weather. (We are hoping all the weather we’ve had here means we’ll have less of the crazy stuff when we do the walk.) But back to the palace … it’s just a fascinating place. Photos will show things in bright colors and no discoloring, but the walls are full of various kinds of what I’m assuming is mold or mildew. I even took a few close ups of the stuff.

After finishing with Pena Palace we went back down and found our way to the Moorish Castle.

Part of the walk down was on a trail and the rain meant we had a muddy walk, but we got to our destination and headed in. The first part, going up to the castle, was quite pretty.

The castle itself is in ruins, but is quite impressive. We went up one stairway and were on the top of that side. Even for Dan one area was too windy! We then turned around and saw we could walk from one side of the top of the castle to the other, much higher side. But yours truly couldn’t do it. The wind was simply too much. It felt like it would blow me off the top! So we went down and around to climb the other side. But nope, the wind there go crazy enough I couldn’t go to the top there at all. Dan did go, though, and I am assuming I’ll see his photos at some point. As he was still at the top I went to a place where I’d seen some flowers I wanted to shoot. Then I went further down to find a sunnier, somewhat wind-protected spot and enjoyed myself there. Upon his return we went out of the castle area.

Then we had to hike back down a trail. It was muddy and slippery, and some of the stone stairs were quite awkward. Dan kindly would point out some tricky areas and occasionally helped me get down particularly high and slippery spots. And then Dan slipped, landing on his knee. I’m so grateful nothing was broken, but he was bleeding, and his pants were torn. Darn! Expensive pants, too. But it could have been much, much worse, so we both know he got off pretty much in the best possible way.

The walk down soon got easier, and we ended up going through an area that had identification signs for a lot of the foliage, and there were little waterfalls that we just lovely. As we exited we saw the sign for the place.

Finally we were back in the town. It’s really quite a pretty little place. We treated ourselves to a spot of Ginjinha — they say it’s medicinal, after all! And we saw people going and coming from a particular area so we went to see what that was. Turns out that was the third place I’d considered visiting, Quinta da Regaleira, but I’d not purchased tickets. I’m glad I didn’t: we simply didn’t have the time or energy for it!

We walked back to the train station, enjoying more of Sintra sights.

We arrived to the station a bit too early, but I was fine with sitting and waiting for the train. When it finally arrived we got on quickly, grabbing seats. Hooray! Both of us dozed a bit on the way back to Lisbon, clearly weary after all the walking.

For dinner we went to a place just around the corner. It was clearly a tourist sort of spot, but they had tapas and we were fine with that. Mostly it was nice to be close to the hotel.

As we walked back it started drizzling. I guess we might have to get used to the rain. We bought little desserts to take back to the hotel, and enjoyed them in the quiet of our room.

Tomorrow we head to the next town, so the morning will be a slow one of relaxing and then packing.

Thursday In Heidelberg

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Well, I might have thought I was over jet lag, but my sleeplessness and then, when finally asleep, not waking until 8:00 and only then because Dan’s alarm went off say differently. Ah well! Jet lag is just something one deals with on these trips.

After getting up and showering, and then Dan doing the same, we walked to a small bakery spot and bought some pastries/breads and coffees. (Note to self: one pastry or bread option would be enough and don’t go for the sweet stuff!) We brought those back to the house and enjoyed them there, and then I started to feel the issue I get with too much sugar so I took a 20 minute snooze to recover.

Then it was time to head out … and up. We took the Philosphenweg to the old bridge. It’s a fairly substantial climb, and it’s just lovely.

By the time we got in to the Altstadt it was lunch time and while our intention was to have a smaller meal it didn’t quite work out that way. But it was tasty!

Then back to the house we went. I began this post, and then it was nap time.A SHORT nap, but it was definitely necessary

After a bit of time Dan and I went back to the Altstadt and met up with Melli — someone we had only met online. What a FUN time we had during our short visit. I’m so glad she thought to connect with Dan and set up the meeting! (But darn, I didn’t even get a photo … how crazy is that?!)

From there it was back “home” and dinner, conversation, and fun times with Greg and Jan.

Tomorrow we go to hear a favorite group of mine. Stay tuned!

November 18, 2023

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We started somewhat late this morning, getting breakfast after 10:00. We were not moving quickly until Jameson texted to suggest we meet up at a park, at which point we first headed to an ATM (for some reason I can’t find the $60 I thought I had! I’m hoping I somehow left it at home, but who knows?!*), and then took the 1 to 215th St. I must say it’s so darn easy to take the subway here, and I’m sorry California never has managed to do well with public transportation!



Meeting up with Jameson, we first headed to a local bakery to get some snacks and coffee, and then walked through the Inwood (?) park. Sitting on a bench in the sun we enjoyed our snacks, and then we walked more. SUCH a beautiful spot! Jameson mentioned that it really was what helped get them through the pandemic and I can see why!



From there we went to a local pub and had snacks (yes, we ate too much today!) and beers, and Meghan met up with us.

Then we went to grab more food and wine to take to Brandon & Lia’s where we were to meet up soon.

Getting a Lyft we headed to their place. Traffic was pretty horrendous, but of course one eventually gets to the destination. Then it was more food … as if we hadn’t had enough already. (please excuse the blurry photos. I just did quick iPhone shots) and a fun game called “Confident?” and while Dan usually doesn’t like games he won so I think he liked this one. Hah!

Romy was quite entertaining, too.



Then back home to post my Daily Flora and this (although of course not publicly until we arrived back home).

This trip has gone by so very quickly. One more full day and then we fly back home and I get back to reality.

Except not really: we have Thanksgiving coming right up, and Kelsey & Mel will be with us!

*Update: No $60 at our house, so somehow I lost that money. Oh well. So it goes!