A lifelong dream is coming true.  Instead of years of business traveling in Europe, it is my intention to visit again, at a leisurely pace.

PORTO

It’s now a wet and windy Holy Week but it  certainly has not dampened the  throngs of tourists visiting this holiday; I was surprised and now have a clue to what busy summer travel can be like in Europe.  A visiting Brit and his family explained the burst in tourism; it’s common now to take the two hour flight as the cheapest and quickest transportation mode on one of the many small airlines that compete for European pleasure travelers seeking quick getaways.After walking central Porto I took a rewarding stop in the world renowned architectural beauty, Casa du Musica, for a delicious local favorite:  a duo of a cappuccino and hot pastel de nata – a Portuguese tart with a rich eggy custard in shatteringly crispy pastry.  It was even better sipping a glass of the local port to warm me up!  

This fascinating minimalistic yet multifunctional asymmetrical polyhedron 9-story building by famous architect, Rem Koolhass (below). It includes a huge restaurant, 2 main auditoriums, and a charming cafe.  I had to snap a shot of that red hand outside while sipping more of the local fabulous port!

LISBON

Lisbon and her massive tourists & local folks were sleeping in till around 10-ish this Easter weekend morning. With no-lines, I jumped on Lisbon’s famous rickety 3Euro tram (similar to old San Francisco trolleys) to view famous local landmarks and an easy rt 5Euro speedy train to Sintra.

The bright colorful Pena Palace higher above the Castle of the Moor (the surrounding ramparts were steep and narrow) and in the village way below, the Palace of Sintra were all worth the efforts.