3 – 25 May
Dolora and I spent three weeks in Europe; Germany, Greece and Portugal. Nothing compares to visiting friends and spending time with them. It is a much different experience than the tourist thing, much more relaxed. Visiting Nicole and Frank in Germany was a great way to start our trip.
A Rick Steves Tour was a good way to see Greece. The tour groups are small, ours was twenty two members. You have the opportunity to get to know everyone and the tour guide, Ioanna, was incredibly knowledgeable. This was a high activity tour. I did not realize how mountainous Greece is. Many of the sites require some steep walks. I am glad I run to stay in shape. We visited many of the sites when they opened and never waited in line. English was never a problem in Greece – everyone spoke some English or Ioanna translated. There were two restaurants where Ioanna took our orders. I would recommend taking a tour instead of winging it on your own. Public transportation outside of Athens seemed a bit limited. Also, parking at the archaeological sites seemed kind of tight.
Dolora and I stayed in Lisbon on our trip to Portugal. After spending time in Athens and enjoying the Greek countryside much more, Lisbon was a little busy. We should have spent a night or two in the city and the other nights in a smaller town. Cities seem to have some sites not to be missed but the smaller towns seem to have more of a feel for the real country, less touristy.
Time to look at ideas for our next trip…
