Portugal: The Abandonment of the Dramatic Skies

I think the primary reason that I have found the prospect of this post so difficult is the obvious replacement of my favourite photographic ominous weather condition with these wonderfully blue sunny skies. Furthermore, it was reportedly just as sunny in England as it was away on the Portuguese coast! How frightfully irregular.

And how difficult it is to be cynical about a country with such friendly folk, all seemingly enthusiastic to speak English and crack a joke with the oblivious foreigners, an excellent, punctual, clean and spacious rail system, not to mention the delicious home made white sangria! I could of course express some complaint about the culture of displaying bread on the dinner table but filing hidden charges on the bill when you inadvertently take a bite, but since my experiences have taught me that this is a Europe-wide practice, little comment can really be made.

Between the stops that we made between our cheap Ryanair flights from Faro to Porto, Lisbon was by far my favourite destination en route, encompassing fine architecture, the aforementioned blue skies, and a relaxed place to spend a few days. Otherwise the red roofs and blue tiles that also made up the photographs of other stop-offs were rather largely similar throughout, and as pleasant as they are, don't make quite so much for good reading as for good photos.

But I suppose the week-long break away was less about the travel and more about spending time with one another (and certainly we enjoyed doing that - eating, chatting, playing cards, passing comment over the lack of things to poke sarcasm at), so perhaps given that, we'll base a summer holiday over cheap flights, good weather and summer alcoholic beverages. Again.

-- Old lady to be run over by graffitied Lisbon tram --

-- Lisbon's Mosteiro dos Jeronimos --

-- Rooftops of Porto --

-- Some of Porto's finest azulejos (painted tiles) --

-- Fine port of Porto --