First, some things to bear in mind. I am a people, visual and experienced oriented person. At least that is what I think; am sure anyone reading this has their own ideas about me. If you are here reading this, I count you as a friend and I am delighted you are here.

Some background:

My mom was the ultimate people person. She knew everybody and never met anybody that was not a friend. Most afternoons she held court at our kitchen table in our home that my dad and a helper built. Family, friends and sometimes complete strangers all visited to discuss all manner of topics and as long as I did not interrupt, I got to listen in from the den. Today there is a very distorted view of the 1950’s and 60’s. My impression - based on what I saw, heard and lived - is that the 50’s and 60’s were neither as good a time as some would represent it nor as bad as others recall. For most of us baby boomers, the second half of the 20th century had a profound effect on us and shaped how we saw the world. Injustice, inequality and war had a powerful impact on all of us and continues to this day and time.

Second, I have always been profoundly impacted by the visual aspects of the world whether it involves landscapes/nature, buildings/cities, celestial (card carrying ‘lunartic’)/weather phenomena and photographs/art of all kinds. That latter appreciation of the capturing of the visual reality of our world has also struck a nerve that impacts what you will ‘see’ here. I am almost resentful of the need to not just enjoy, appreciate or absorb a view but what to me is an overwhelming compunction to capture it on the camera of a phone. In too many cases the beauty of the memory is lost by an effort to preserve it even if it means losing it in real time. This I will sort out as our adventure progresses but it will likely not be a photo journal.

Now, with that as my backdrop, I am embarking on a journey that promises to be filled with adventures, discoveries, and certainly many surprises along the way. The excitement of exploring new destinations and immersing myself in different cultures is palpable. I couldn't wait to share my experiences, the people I meet and the stories I gather. This is not just a trip but a voyage of the soul, a quest for understanding and connection in an ever-changing world.

Charlotte Departure

Came into town from Sunset Beach, NC and stayed with Liles family. Eliza, Jonathan, Frances and Lucy were great hosts. Their guest suite is like the best hotel you ever stayed in and we loved visiting with them. Daughter Julie hung out with us one evening and it was all such fun. Dinner with the Hubbell’s took us back to Dilworth and one last jalapeno hamburger plus a good time visiting at Ed’s Tavern.

Day 0: CLT Airport March 31st)

Many thanks to Webb Hubbell for dropping us off at the airport. He also stored our car until son Chris could pick it up. New CLT airport Pre-TSA lines were long but moved very efficiently. Give them your passport, photo taken and you go right through. Metal detector was still being fine tuned so no belts but otherwise all was good. The belt thing is always funny – feel like I am dressing with hundreds of strangers but just happy to have gotten through the TSA line.

Headed to the D International Terminal; a Brian Wilson design from many years ago. Certainly has held up well. Even with the lines and the long hike to our D gate, we were there in 35 minutes; so much for getting to the airport 3 hours before international flights. The whole ordeal of finding parking might well still make that a prudent call for those who drive and park – clearly you should uber or get somebody to take you.

We settled in and tried to connect, say goodbye to as many as possible. It looked like from the weather maps that we would get out just before a giant storm hit. Then at boarding time, that ominous announcement: “We are sorry to announce that boarding will be delayed while American takes care of some equipment issues. We hope to resolve this shortly and as soon as we get word, we will begin boarding.” Shortly came and went and ominous clouds were quickly followed by torrential rain – so much for beating the storm.

Then a second announcement: “Due to mechanical issues, we will be removing this plane and a new one will be brought to the gate as quickly as possible.” Quickly and shortly are two terms whose use by airlines should be prohibited. We settled in for the here is our plane, crews are cleaning and stocking it and it will be ready as soon as all preparations are completed.

Finally we were able to board 3.5 hours later and the adventure began. Sat near the back where there were only two seats in out part of the aisle, close but not on top of toilets, near the crew attendants. Crew was very helpful – brought our special order diabetic meal but it was far from anything diabetic: bread, banana chips, Fritos, and rice in the entre. We ate a little of the things we could, went to the restroom and then took our ambiens – thank God for Dr. Friedland. We got 5-6 good hours of sleep and it really was a blessing. Woke up to a diabetic breakfast but still just a modified regular breakfast. I suggest the kosher meals are the best choice.

One of our pilots was on his last flight after 31 years; happy for him and he was starting a European adventure as a retirement present to himself.

Cannot let it pass that our 10-hour flight (including when we slept according to other passengers) was bumpy the entire way. Can always count on something new when you fly!

Day 1: Madrid Challenges

Have heard wonderful things about Madrid and I am sure they all are true but our airport time (it is a beautiful building) was almost overwhelming:

Likely because we were late our plane let us depart on metal stairs to the tarmac. I had to abandon Kay (who like the trooper she is, made it down) and I managed my two backpacks and her back pack and roller bag – one step at a time and only made it because a kind lady behind me picked up the roller bag halfway down) .

All 277 passengers piled into two buses and were taken to the far end of the Terminal which necessitated walk back the full length of the Terminal to Customs.

At customs they were efficient but only half of the stations were staffed so a 1.5 hour wait; this taught me the lesson that both of my backpacks would see their load lightened over our course of stay in Porto.

Again went the length of the Terminal to just miss our rescheduled flight to Porto; Iberian agents very kind, put us on next plane and recommended Mediterranean restaurant nearby.

Suddenly realized God intended not just two but three purposes for beer: 1) to make pizza even better; 2) as the beverage of choice after mowing the lawn in the Southern summer and 3) the must have beverage after any airport ordeal.

However, only wanted beer, bierre, whatever and clearly made a point of ordering it as part of a combo. Order came – no beer and was told that I had not ordered it; long line now which I would have to get in to order. Took food to Kay and kind lady who saw my whole drama, opened up a line, got my beer and gave us an apple. The food was good - beer was outstanding.

Flight to Porto was without incident and was very pleasantly surprised at no customs requirements at the Porto airport – just zipped right through to outside. Missed our driver but got a great taxi driver who took us right to our place.

Photo 4 (Apartment Stairs) -- As soon as we got to our place we were greeted with one challenge – full winder stairs with no handrail but we immediately decided that they would help us to plan before we headed out each day/ time. Then we headed up to second floor following directions to the apartment; there was no lock box with our keys on the door. Texted owner and she insisted it was there.

Went back down to lobby and met our first two ‘best friends’ in Porto: Louisa and Madalena. They were truly life savers. They explained that first floor was ground floor, 2nd Floor was first floor and 3rd Floor was 2nd Floor (so Who’s on First? You would think an architect would pick this up but I was a good day and a half past even 50% functioning.) Thankfully the 3rd floor was our 2nd Floor, lockbox had the keys and we were in our place. Louisa gave us the lowdown on the building and Madalena brought my last backpack up to the room. We were dead tired but also extremely happy to have new friends, have a lovely place to stay and very excited to be in Porto at last. All we needed was REST!

Day 2: The Magic of Porto

Porto was everything we expected and more. Our place was in the shadow of the main cathedral which also served as the first fortress. Town unfolds below us in all directions; the river, the Dom Luis bridge, train station and the historic district. Most people spoke or at least understood English and our small attempts at any Portuguese brought big smiles.

Coffee was good and varied everywhere – lovely cream designs or toppings that were new to us but delicious. Natal is a custard pastry that is delightful and is the perfect accompaniment to good caffe. Chocolate croissants are filled with chocolate. Scrambled eggs are a bit dry and not much taste but then we discovered eggs benedict (in Lisbon but seems to fit the story here) to die for – a real treat. Anything goes well with a fresh, flaky croissant.

Weather is so delightful we have walked and stayed outside for the most part and do not feel we are missing anything by not going into museums and on tours.

Jet lag hit late afternoon and we crashed early – so happy to be here.

Day 3: Daniel and the British Point of View

Second day we covered a lot of ground and spent some good time in the Bolhao open air market where we ate fresh sardines (good but not my cup of tea), got some of the most beautiful olives ever (ones filled with jalapeno were mouthwatering) and saw so many inviting foods and delicacies. Really liked the knife lady who unsheathed a 3-foot sword she would like to use on Donald Trump. It was a beautiful piece of cutlery.

Tried several dining places and they all were different but food was always exceptional. Also discovered a small grocery store across the street. Lady who ran it spoke no English but she and Kay conversed as if they were both fluent in the other’s language. Lots of hand signals and facial expressions.

We ended the day heading down the hill to a small plaza that was way too busy for us so a nearby street looked appealing. At first intersection, a cute little outdoor seating area looked just right and we seated ourselves. Hostess quickly brought us a Porto tonic and a Superbock Stout. Behind us a friendly face turned out to be Daniel who had been to Madrid on business and then stopped in Porto for a short respite before heading home to London. We enjoyed his take on Trump, got some good tips on things to see / do in Porto and his easy-going manner made for a friendly discussion. He was pleased when I reported son’s trip to London had revealed really good food opportunities of all kinds. He affirmed that London had become an incredible multi-national society. It also faces all the challenges that diversity brings and he was hopeful a new government would find some solutions.

We headed back to our new home feeling very good about our choice for our first extended habitat on our journey. Then we saw the cutest tuktuk with a driver who smiled from ear to ear. We approached her and arranged for a tour of Gaia (Porto World) across the river for the next morning.

Day 4: Beauty and History of Gaia – World of Port

The rest of our day was meandering through the old historic town center areas and sampling all the wonderful food and beverage opportunities Porto affords. Just as a light rain shower hit at twilight we made it home, crashed in our 2nd bout with jut lag and slept a long time.

Day 5: Hands Off and Why Not Lisbon?

OK so we have this history of joining marches all over the country so when Kay heard about “Hands Off” rally in Lisbon, what better excuse to grab a sunrise uber, head to the train station and catch a train to the capital? Rode our first bullet train and saw a little more of Portugal. Loved the bullet train but hard to see much but big picture landscapes; anything up close just zips by too fast at 110 mph. Two hundred miles with 3 stops in less than 3 hours was still a great trip.

Day 6: Touring Sintra

Video 1 (Sintra Historic District) -- Then we made our way down to the city historic district and once again were treated very kindly and enjoyed excellent food. Wind had become quite chilly and after a brief tour around town we headed back to Lisbon for an early end to the day.

Day 7: Bye Bye Lisbon and Back to Porto

Had seen remarkable reviews for a restaurant Altar which was on the way to the train station but involved some climbing. Kay was game on so we struck out and just as were about done walking/climbing we arrived. Sat down and proceeded to have one of the best meals ever; yes, ever!

Again the traveler’s bogeyman was out to get us; we waited patiently, finally boarded our train and were just getting settled in our seats when someone showed up with the same seats. Lo and behold, we were on the wrong train.

Discussion followed with the agent: he making clear our mistake – me making clear that the issue was how were to get to our destination. Agent kept emphasizing we were on wrong train and I kept focused on what was our resolution/options. Kay said yes I was being an asshole but I had a hard time getting through to agent that we didn’t care if we were on the wrong train; only issue was what to do to get where we were going. Finally, he got it and called his supervisor to ask what to do? We paid additional senior fare and were allowed to continue. He gave us new seats and when we got there kids were in them so we took the nearest two that were empty. No, ordeal was not over yet. Forty miles outside Porto after what seemed like a very long stop, we were told our train was done and we would have to catch next train to Porto. Very kind young woman directed us and after a long wait we boarded next train and made it back to Porto and taxi home at the end of a long day to remember.

Reflections on the Journey

This is the recanting of the first week of our travels. Please feel free to comment and help me make it better. More pictures, less verbiage, more food details – whatever strikes your fancy will be most appreciated.

Week 2 shortly!

B

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