Had Rod had his way, we would have forfeited the rest of the trip, including penalties on hotels and loss of expensive airline tickets, by flying home early. Of course, we would have been spared the six hours (my estimate) sitting through The Book of Mormon in London. Tough call. Lagos should not be called a “sleepy”…

There is not much to report about Evora, or there is but it’s not pleasant, which is not the town’s fault. On our last night in Santiago, I found it difficult to sleep. Not long after being on the road, maybe 90 minutes, I became too tired to drive. Rod could not take over because,…

I had never expected to see the northwest corner of Spain. The city was so inviting, our plans to drive the countryside—forgotten.

The trip from Porto to Peso do Régua inspired a few thoughts about driving in Portugal…like, don’t. The cities are no worse than any other laid out a thousand years before the questionably helpful invention of the horseless, and shitless, carriage. The highways are modern and the drivers keep fastidiously to the right except to…

Coimbra’s ancient university sits atop a central hill with steep cobble-stone streets.

The trip to Sintra was not exactly after Lisbon, but filled our last full day in the city. It requires a train trip followed by a vehicle—a bus, a faux tram on rubber wheels, or a tut-tut, which is a motorcycle modified with a seat and a prayer, the seat being optional. In the US,…

One speaks of a country’s cuisine with the reverence given the dead. So of Portugueese cooking I say, may it rest in peace. It has virtues, like simplicity. Fish, when grilled, is unadulterated. Salads are fresh and served with good olive oil and vinegar on the side. Desserts have flair. But when a restaurant boasts…