(posted by ange re: March 5)
Today was our first day with the car… ROAD TRIP! Off to the Alentejo region… cork trees, almond trees, storks nesting, olive groves, old castle ruins, lemon trees, a village here, a village there, orange trees, rolling hills forever, herds of sheep, herds of cattle, flat plains… all this and I think there was more but my brain is drained after a drive that included so much beauty.
I am happy to report that Dave and I navigated highways, roads, streets, and cobblestone lanes with nary a problem. (I think I’ve had more difficulty trying to get out of Seattle!) Dave drove like a pro while I sat in the passenger seat overseeing the map and generally telling him where to go, something, as we all know, I’m tremendously good at! J
We made stops in the tiny village of Entradas; then Beja and Mertola. We were seeking castle ruins. We found such castles. Note to self: castles are closed on Mondays. Unfortunately, we were unable to penetrate these fortresses, for either they were closed on Monday, or were being restored and closed permanently. Sigh. Note to Foder’s Guide Books: Castles in Portugal are CLOSED on Mondays! Ah well, we still saw some pretty old looking buildings – very cool.
Also very cool… Storks’ nests. Imagine a nest the size of the swans’ nests at Lost Lagoon. These nests are perched atop telephone poles, storks nesting peacefully inside (presumably waiting for an infant to be dropped into its care and control to then be delivered to some expecting parents somewhere). It’s quite something to see and words alone cannot describe it. Pictures will follow when we drive that way again and stop and take some pictures.
Today was also our first day outside English speaking-land. There proved little difficulty, although I must admit that I am not so great at trying to figure out what someone is saying or what something says and secretly wished it was all in English so I wouldn’t have to think so much. I was definitely out of my comfort zone. Fortunately, Dave’s patience runs on forever and he has a gift of communication… apparently in any language.
Our drive today was a freeing experience. Dave and I both felt so free to be driving in a completely unknown place, having a general idea of where we want to go, but having really no idea about how to get there, only guessing at what highway signs may mean, looking out the windows and thinking that we are so lucky to be seeing something we’ve never seen before and that we will not see anywhere at home. That’s the beauty of a road trip… you get in the car with a destination in mind, but until you hit the road, you truly don’t know what you will see or where you will end up.
Today was our first day with the car… ROAD TRIP! Off to the Alentejo region… cork trees, almond trees, storks nesting, olive groves, old castle ruins, lemon trees, a village here, a village there, orange trees, rolling hills forever, herds of sheep, herds of cattle, flat plains… all this and I think there was more but my brain is drained after a drive that included so much beauty.
I am happy to report that Dave and I navigated highways, roads, streets, and cobblestone lanes with nary a problem. (I think I’ve had more difficulty trying to get out of Seattle!) Dave drove like a pro while I sat in the passenger seat overseeing the map and generally telling him where to go, something, as we all know, I’m tremendously good at! J
We made stops in the tiny village of Entradas; then Beja and Mertola. We were seeking castle ruins. We found such castles. Note to self: castles are closed on Mondays. Unfortunately, we were unable to penetrate these fortresses, for either they were closed on Monday, or were being restored and closed permanently. Sigh. Note to Foder’s Guide Books: Castles in Portugal are CLOSED on Mondays! Ah well, we still saw some pretty old looking buildings – very cool.
Also very cool… Storks’ nests. Imagine a nest the size of the swans’ nests at Lost Lagoon. These nests are perched atop telephone poles, storks nesting peacefully inside (presumably waiting for an infant to be dropped into its care and control to then be delivered to some expecting parents somewhere). It’s quite something to see and words alone cannot describe it. Pictures will follow when we drive that way again and stop and take some pictures.
Today was also our first day outside English speaking-land. There proved little difficulty, although I must admit that I am not so great at trying to figure out what someone is saying or what something says and secretly wished it was all in English so I wouldn’t have to think so much. I was definitely out of my comfort zone. Fortunately, Dave’s patience runs on forever and he has a gift of communication… apparently in any language.
Our drive today was a freeing experience. Dave and I both felt so free to be driving in a completely unknown place, having a general idea of where we want to go, but having really no idea about how to get there, only guessing at what highway signs may mean, looking out the windows and thinking that we are so lucky to be seeing something we’ve never seen before and that we will not see anywhere at home. That’s the beauty of a road trip… you get in the car with a destination in mind, but until you hit the road, you truly don’t know what you will see or where you will end up.
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