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Portugal and Spain 1: Lisbon, Sept. 29 & 30, 2026

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We started this trip with a harrowing but successful anecdote... we were on our way to the Michigan Flyer in East Lansing, MI when we realized we'd left our euros at home... a quick u-turn and race-car-worthy driving from Bruce got us on the bus one minute before the scheduled departure... cuttin' it close! Then, it was bus to DTW, jet to Dulles in D.C., then jet to Lisbon. Too kitschy to share a shot of the seatback as we approached Lisbon? Welcome to my world...  Sept. 29 arrival to Lisbon, transfer to hotel (Mercedes limo, I can get used to this), then our meet-and-greet dinner at the Four Seasons Hotel Ritz   in Lisbon. We met our tour guide, Gracia, an amazingly bright, talented, and well-organized leader, and  the other ten couples. The venue: Before we start the tour, a note that I lean  heavily  on Google Lens to reference what I shoot. I have enough on my plate framing and editing the photos, and in no way could do the deep research to describe what I s...
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Portugal and Spain 2: Sintra, Cascais, Évora and the Alentejo Regio, Oct. 1 &2, 2026

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 Thursday, Oct. 1, we set off for Sintra and Cascais .   The first stop, the Palácio Natcional de Sintra:     The massive conical chimneys can be seen for miles. They rise from the royal kitchen:  This is a cook station, with cast iron pots and rotisserie rods on a stand and frame... note the handle on the far right lower corner for rotating the giant cuts of meat. The half-moon openings at the wall housed the fire, hence the need for the smokestack.  Here's a look pretty much straight up one of the chimneys:   The Palace houses the Sala dos Brasões, the Hall of Coats of Arms... 72 noble Portugese family coats of arms surround the royal crest of King Manuel I in the center:  The lower walls are lined with azulejos, traditional Portugese blue-and-white tiles, showing mainly pastoral and courtly scenes. The room was comissioned by King Manuel I in the early 1500s. I also shot a video of this Sala .     Down the street in Sintra, we p...
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Portugal and Spain 3: Sevilla, the Alcazar, San Lucar Barrameda, and Gibraltar, Oct. 3, 4 & 5, 2026

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October 3 , we depart Évora and the Alentejo region shortly, but first a couple of frames from that overnight stop. Specifically, the Convento eo Espinheiro:   We discovered this scene as we left, about 9:15 on Oct. 3 - I was just struck by the colors, ornaments, and overall "feel" of the worship space. I should also mention that it was at this hotel that we were treated to live Fado concert... a music form both mournful and intricate. The performing duo were exceptional.   But this next day we traveled through cork country, with the super-capable Sonia at the helm, headed for a cork processing "plant" - Cortiçarte - Arte em Cortiça, a manufacturer of cork. Actually the oak trees produce the cork and the plant processes it, then ships it out to others who make purses, hats, and many other items from the cork. The first step in the processing is stripping the cork "bark" and drying it: They have plenty:  First, you boil the bark:   That's a mechanical ...
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