Leaving Portugal

It is hard to believe we have been here for almost three weeks. Some days it seems like we have been traveling for a year, others it seems like we just got off the plane. to give an over view of Portugal in such a short period of time would not do the country justice, however I found the people hospitable although shy and introverted in many ways. People do not speak English as well as in other European countries however with a little patience we figure out what we need to do at any point in time. The transportation systems are great, buses, trains and metro and taxi's inclusive. On another visit I would definitely get a car for all of Portugal. The trains were fine however limiting. The hotels we stayed in were infamous for hard mattresses and in some cases no air conditioning however by and large they were extremely clean and well managed with good breakfasts in most. Ham and bread is a staple here and is served ll the time. If your not a fish eater you will have difficulty having a meal other than pork or steak. The steaks I had were mediocre at best.The veal was great in Evora but i burned out on meat pretty quickly. As I am sure Deanne has written you get to see far to many carcuses and you are reminded of the John Robbins book and have an understanding why people become vegetarians:) Things I wish I had brought, 1) less clothes believe it or not, 2) my computer...internet cafes are cheap and reliable. We have had so many problems with our computers it is not worth the aggravation, 3) I would leave my sneaks at home next time, they take up a lot of room and rarely wear them. Things I am glad I brought, 1) swiss army knife which has come in handy every day for one thing or another, 2) reading light, which also acts a flashlight, 3) books ( they are really expensive here when you can find an English translation, 4)
UV clothing, light and easy to clean, 5) rope. Things I would bring next time 1) compass, 2) a few bungy cords 3) PEETS COFFEE. The espressos are great here however a coffee press in the room would be great. REI has a cup we should have purchased...next time!
The Osprey backpacks are great! We have decided to leave the rolling porti0n with Caitie in Florence while we roam around Rome ( ouch) and other parts of Italy. Caitie will probably join us in a few days and we will decide were we will go after that. We decided that being locked into a schedule is great if you have worries about getting a room...which has not been the case. We feel like we have more freedom to move easily now. We have had a great Chinese dinner, a McDonalds quarter pounder, and a great dinner last night in Valenca which is a great place!! We are really enjoying the old walled cities and the funky feel of the castle and winding streets dotted with restaurant after restaurant all serving pretty much the same stuff :)
On a shorter trip and on a bigger budget i am sure we would have found the restaurants more inviting. The one thing we learned was you just need to order one meal at dinner...they are huge! The food is relative cheap and if you like pork and fish your way ahead of the game. If you love pasta, forget it!...you will have to wait until Italy.
We now look forward to Spain and seeing Caitie and all the funny and charming experiences and not so funny and not so charming, which have been few and far between. I loved Portugal and would return in a heartbeat, favorite place...toss up between Obidos and Evora, close second all others except Setubal which we would bypass next time. Each had one very favorable thing...may have been the room, the people, the food, the location but Obidos and Evora had it all.
In these towns each little street you walk around you expect to see, Oliver Twist and Fagin coming out a tiny doorway or early in the morning when we are out walking the shopkeepers getting prepared for the day and washing the front of stores and sidewalks and placing their wares on the street...it is all like diving back into history and seeing the same streets 500 years ago with similar spectacles. Amazing really... adios amigas and amigos!!!

Mike