Some photos from holidays in Portugal

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I visited Portugal in 2009 and again in 2010 to visit my brother, Russell, who had settled in the Algarve in his retirement, intending to spend his days playing golf. I loved Portugal -- the scenery, the people, the food, everthing really. I was only in the south of the country on these trips, the Algarve and Lisbon but I have visited the north, around Porto, before and it was also very nice. On the last trip, Micha and I spent a few days in Lisbon which is a fantastic city, small but packed with interesting sites and very easy to get around in. We drove from Lisbon to Tavira, staying off of the highway and using the coastal roads instead. We also visited quite a few towns and villages while we were there. I particulary liked Silves in the "mountains". Our trips would usually follow a set pattern: We would drive through mostly empty scenery, hardly meeting another car on the road, eventually arriving at a quaint Portuguese village, situated on a hill or next to a river, that nearly always had an impressive fort or castle, and after touring the castle and admiring the view from the turrets, we would retire to a cheap, family-type restaurant and have a delicious meal, before driving back to Tavira in the late afternoon. We were there in late May and the days were warmish but not hot -- we had brilliant, sunny days under clear, blue skies. I thought I would be visiting every year or two for many years to come, but unfortunately, that was not to be, as my brother got sick and passed away at the end of 2010. But I hope to return to Portugal in the future -- I have so many happy memories there -- I definitely want to go there again.

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