Portugal, September - October 2013
Portugal is not Peru
Why the obvious geography lesson? Peru (Machu Picchu) was our first vacation idea. And then John read about the Accursed Mountains of Albania and added it to the list of possibilities. Crossing off that one was a long and convoluted decision process. (When students backpacking across Europe describe their experiences navigating Albania as "difficult and unpredictable," you know it is bad.)
Several options in between and we finally landed on Portugal.
We leave this morning for two weeks, with a side jaunt to Seville, Spain. Fingers-crossed we don't have any "unruly passengers" or bird strikes. There seems to be an epidemic of them lately, causing delays and diversions. That is not a fun way to start a vacation.
Portugal is a new location for both of us. The red dots on the map are where we have lodging reservations. What happens in between is the adventure.
Part of the adventure is neither of us speaks Portuguese. We went to Iceland not speaking any Icelandic, a unique and difficult language, and did just fine; even in the small villages. Between John's minimal grasp of Spanish and mine of French, we'll do just fine. We may not know what we've ordered to eat. Fortunately, we are both self-described "omnivores." To be fair, Portugal is a popular holiday destination for the British and most people speak English.
We have driven in Boston, Los Angeles, and Montreal
Portuguese drivers have a statistically supported reputation as being some of the worst drivers in Europe. We found YouTube videos of people driving and their narration. (Anything you might want to see is on YouTube.) The videos were actually quite boring. At the very least, they gave examples of what to expect on the highways.
The cities are giving us pause.
According to Wikipedia, drivers make up the rules as they go and that is one of the tamer descriptions. (Some of the quotes are not printable in a family blog.) This helped us decide to stay in central hotels where we can walk most everywhere. It is also why we purchased a comprehensive travel insurance policy. We think we are prepared.
Portuguese drivers have a statistically supported reputation as being some of the worst drivers in Europe. We found YouTube videos of people driving and their narration. (Anything you might want to see is on YouTube.) The videos were actually quite boring. At the very least, they gave examples of what to expect on the highways.
The cities are giving us pause.
According to Wikipedia, drivers make up the rules as they go and that is one of the tamer descriptions. (Some of the quotes are not printable in a family blog.) This helped us decide to stay in central hotels where we can walk most everywhere. It is also why we purchased a comprehensive travel insurance policy. We think we are prepared.
Thank you to the following family and friends for their input:
Sara, Merrell Anne, Bonnie, Jim, and Janelle.
As time permits, I'll be blogging and look forward to your thoughts, feedback, and recommendations.
Boa Viagem!
(map courtesy of Google)
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