From Porto, we zip down the line and land in Mogofores station. It's time to spend some time with our friends the Verdades. The Familia Verdade live in a town called Avelas de Cima. No one could tell me how old the place was, but it's easy to see that the place is pretty darn old. After the bustle of Porto, Avelas de Cima was positively tranquil. People are old fashioned and extremely friendly. It could be the community ammenities, like the communal laundry pool (in use even in frigid March) and fountains (three, to be exact) that present excellent quality spring water to any who wish to take it. Sleepy cafes with sunny seats, orange and lemon trees left wild (producing abundantly even now) and a profusion of huge, naturalized canna lilies frame the rest ... read more

Well, well, here we are again. It’s been 4 days since our last blog, mostly because of one event that occurred last Thursday the 17th. But let us start at the beginning. As you know we have been in Porto enjoying this great city. We bought a 48hr tour pass on a double decker bus, a hop-on-hop off and visit what you want variety . There are three different routes. There is a Bridge tour, Castles tour and the Historical tour. For example In 1387, a marriage took place between João I and Philippa of Lancaster. They got married in the newly established city of Porto and this confirmed the military alliance between Portugal and England. After this union, the city began to thrive. And to a great extent,this is how the Henry the Navigator, third ... read more

Making full use of the generously provided inflight entertainment system, I offer the following suggestions... (music) Pacifika and their album Supermagique. These are well produced, trippy little tracks with plenty of polyrhythms and beautiful multilingual harmonies. New Agey without being weird ( Yes, please keep the elves and fairies at bay....) (music) Rush and their album Moving Pictures. One of my favourite songs, The Camera Eye, filling your head at 30,000 feet simply cannot be oversold. The soundtrack from my Big City days in Toronto. (film) Neighbours A classic short film by Norman Mclaren and Grant Munro that presents the folly of Cold War politics. (film) Strings/Cordes A sweet short film that shows us how we really do belong to each other. (film) Charlie Chaplin The New Janitor A vintage one here from 1916. A janitor ... read more

After a well needed, but momentary, rest at our friends the Pailamillas in Vancouver, we are now out into the open blue and on our way. Our stay at the home of Jorge and Kim provided me with much more than physical rest. It has added to a sense of mental preparedness I am enjoying and that I have been slowly edging in to for months.Jorge and Kim are like Maria and myself, a couple from mixed cultures, he being Chilean and she someone raised in a typical Canadian setting. Their home reflects their happy life together, with bright colours, nifty curios and lovely folk art.It is a real haven from the blandness that surrounds us.I have determined that I could do more to open myself up to the heritage of my Portugese wife, maybe loosen ... read more

Yes, pulling out my hair has been part of my travel plan. But I may get to Portugal with some of it intact; or wear a wig. Either way, we're still going. So out of my $9000.00: I've purchased cheap airline tickets( with insurance- can't forget that) for about $4100.00. We leave March 14 and return April 01,a total of 17 days. With that done, I can now plan our trip. This part has not been very easy, but this is what our itinerary looks like. First our flights: From Vancouver BC, to Montreal on to Brussels and then arriving in Porto, Portugal. All in all, 21 hrs. Our departure from Portugal will be different. We are leaving from Lisbon in the south. There is no extra cost in this and doing things this way will ... read more