Good-bye ( for now), hello to Portugal. Left this lovely city of Salamanca this morning to make our way to Portugal. Our first stop in Portugal was the gardens of Casa de Mateus. On our way we left the high table mesa of Spain, to make our way to Porto. As we headed there we went down in altitude, and saw the vegetation become much greener again. Entering the Douro valley we were treated to spectacular views of hills adorned with many beautiful ...

Got a slow start this morning due to having too much fun last night in Madrid. But move, we must, as tonight is scheduled for Salamanca, by way of Segovia and Avila. Segovia is a beautiful town with a Roman aqueduct that is very well preserved and is found at the enterance of the old town . Tino gave a brief tour of the town, before leaving us for good. The Moorish influence is evident also in the town, as many of the buildings are covered in various...

Woke up this morning in the beautiful city of Madrid. After a delicious breakfast at the hotel, our tour manager, Derek introduced us to our guide for the next day and a half, Tino. Tino took us on a tour of his beautiful city, sharing information and the sites of plazas, neighborhoods, historic buildings, shopping areas, church, and parks ( one of which was a hunting ground for the king until 1931), before arriving at the Royal Palace. We were a...

Hola from Madrid! After a one hour delay, and the longest taxiing of an airplane, we took off for Madrid. Made it without any problems, and were met by the wonderful people from Gate 1 travel. Arrived at our hotel Nacional located in the Centro district of Madrid. We were greeted by our tour manager Derek, who was raised by his Spanish mother and British father in both London and Barcelona. After getting squared away with our passports, hotel r...

Unfortunately our time in France is coming to an end. Soon we will be off to the airport to begin our journey back to the States. In typical crazy fashion, we are flying east to Zürich, Switzerland, before heading back west for the long flight to Newark! Oh well... We have loved France! It’s food, culture, natural beauty, beautiful buildings and art work, not to forget, of course, its delicious wine, has all been unforgettable. I can see, as a fr...