Hello again, Blogonauts! Once we emerged from the grapevine-entwined hills that surround the Rio Douro, our first destination was Aveiro, a former port whose harbor has long ago silted in. What remains is a charming little city with canals and waterways that are better suited to gondolas than deep-draft ships. However, we had not said our last good by to the Douro. Our true aim was to see Porto, the second largest city in Portugal, which sits near the river's o...

Hello again, Blogonauts! In the kaleidoscope of travel tails, sometimes events move around. You can assume, then, that from here on, the calendar dates lose some relevance. Castles, in contrast, tend to stand resolutely in place. ...Until, that is, seismic catastrophes, invading armies, and/or slow abandonment and decay make it difficult for the stone walls to remain intact. Portugal (like Germany) is liberally littered with castles. Many in or near the Duoro Val...

Hello, again, Blogonauts! For us on Tuesday and Wednesday, the Portuguese landscape transformed from undulating, boulder-strewn ridges to steep, terraced, vineyard-covered hillsides. We had spent the preceding two nights in a farmstead B&B in Vale Formoso, near Belmonte. The owners had acres of orchards and vineyards, and each morning we were treated to fresh fruit juice made from apples and peaches. But the farm covered a flat section of valley floor, and th...

Hello, again, Blogonauts! So, in case you hadn't picked up on the hints, I'm in Portugal with my 4 traveling buddies. After landing on Wednesday, we settled in for a 3-night stay in our Lisbon AirBnB apartment ... 5 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, across the street from the Italian embassy. It was a great place to launch forth into the city. I plan to post a few additional Lisbon photos in the near future, but for today, I am skipping forward to Saturday, and the visit to S...

Hello, again, Hungry Blogonauts! You know, sometimes readers are not subtle. "Show us the food!" Over the past several journeys, feedback suggests that photos of phood...err...food are very popular. I've decided to cluster them here for now. Just so you know, my meals and snacks have been scrumptious and surprisingly inexpensive. And yes, I said that just to make you jealous. But enough gabbing. Enjoy the pictures, and let me know if you want to see more. Blog to...