Yeah Portugal!

 

Lisbon Portugal

This Trip Was Sort Of Unexpected

We had always talked about a trip to Portugal but whenever we started looking for overseas trips, somehow Portugal never made the list.  Every major retirement website or article always lists Portugal as one of the top retirement destinations in the world.  That's probably what kept catching our eye.  After traveling to Spain and falling in love with Spain, Portugal intrigued us.

As things turned out, we had to cancel a trip during the Covid outbreak and had some miles and money with Delta that we had to use before it expired.  Portugal, here we come!

A Little Background Information

We're going to be spending a total of six days in Portugal.  Not a long time, but after our 2 1/2 weeks in Europe earlier this year, it should be just right.

We are actually staying in Estoril, Portugal which is 20 minutes west of Lisbon.  It's known as a major international luxury destination.  As you can see by the hotel we're staying at.  Palacio Estoril Hotel was built in 1930 and during the Second World War, due to Portugal's neutrality it housed several royal families.  It was also where British and German spies could be found at the bar.  Later, these stories of intrigue and espionage inspired Ian Fleming to write his first James Bond novel, "Casino Royale".  The casino he used is right across the street from the hotel.  The hotel also served as the set for the movie "On Her Majesty's Secret Service". 

Our itinerary includes a couple of days walking and seeing Lisbon.  A couple of rounds of golf and a couple of driving days to see some of the smaller towns in Portugal.

Look To The Future

With me now retired and Sonja not far behind, we're also looking at places where we could spend 3-4 months during the winter to get out of the rain and gloom of the Pacific Northwest.  Portugal is one of the places we're contemplating for a winter break location.  We'll also be looking at the country through that lens.  (By the way, other places we're looking at?  Vietnam, Thailand, Spain, Italy and Central America).

We hope you enjoy this travel blog.  Like we've said before... we don't do this for the public but rather for our kids and grandkids.  We want them to know that Grandma and Papa had a wonderful life.

My Daughter Says I Can Write

One of the few people in the world that has read all my blogs is my daughter.  She says that "dad is a good writer".  So, with this trip blog, I think I'm going to try and explore some more dramatic writing, more story telling.  Here's my first shot at it.

Sonja raced to the door as it slowly closed and grabbed Bill by the lapels of his rain-soaked jacket, pulling him into her warm embrace, burying her tear-streaked face in the nape of his neck and weeping uncontrollably, as might a mother clutching her son returned home from the battlefield, a response Bill could scarcely recall receiving from other Walmart greeters.

Dramatic, right?