If it’s Monday, then it’s market day in Espinho.  And what better way to get to Espinho than by train and a good long walk along the coastal boardwalk.  It all makes for the perfect day.

There are a multitude of reasons why one should visit the coastal city of Viana do Castelo.  The views from atop Mt. Santa Luzia are breathtakingly beautiful.  The historic city center is charming and a visit to Igreja de la Misericordia is well-worth the price of a train ticket.  But, when you get right down to it, the reason everyone should visit Viana do Castelo is to eat doughnuts.  Yes, you heard me.  The city is famous for the Bola de Berlim.

When I think of Lisbon, I think of the city as being the gateway to Europe.  When we fly from the east coast of the United States, i.e., Washington, DC to Lisbon, it’s about a seven hour flight and no doubt, it is seemingly the shortest distance across the Atlantic Ocean.  Given that I’m not a fan of flying, we always opt for the shortest time spent on a flight.

They say Aveiro is the Venice of Portugal.  Now, having never been to Venice I don’t know if that’s true, but just the same, Aveiro is unique and not like any other small city we’ve visited in Portugal.  Aveiro has lovely canals where the water travels through the historic center of the city.  Oh, and an added perk of visiting Aveiro… it’s on flat land. A far cry from the hills of Porto and Coimbra, another terrific day trip destination.

I’m just about to turn the calendar page and celebrate another birthday.  For the record, having a birthday in January is not exactly ideal. If you think about it, the calendar pages are pretty full in October, November, December and right in to the first day of January.  By the time my birthday rolls around in mid January, people are burned out.

We found our way from the Guimaraes train station to the historic city center only to discover hundreds of school children gathering in the center.  Of all the days we could have chosen to visit Guimaraes, we happened to pick the one day on which seemingly, there was a city-wide school field trip.

I’m not a big fan of New Year’s Eve and all that it entails.  I’d much rather snuggle up for the evening with the one I love most, with a big bowl of popcorn, and watch a classic movie, such as the one I share every year at this time.  And, this year because I think we all need an extra hug, I’m including my absolute favorite version of Auld Lang Syne for your listening pleasure.  Cheers!

Each year for the past several years I’ve published a list of Christmas quotes; a list of inspiration if you will. It’s no surprise that I think the past couple of years, in particular, have found many of us in need of a little extra dose of holiday inspiration; something to help us find joy in the moment while we hold on to hope for the future. Maybe some sort of Christmas miracle?  Or, at the very least a beautiful Christmas melody to make us smile and cry with emotion at the same time.

Because Washington, DC is almost in our backyard and because it’s that festive time of year, we took ourselves on a fun holiday outing to the United States Botanic Garden.  But, wait!  What happened to the month of November? How did we get to December so quickly?  Is it just me?

Grateful -vs- Thankful (2018)

I wrote this little ditty nearly four years ago. It turns out that over the years this little grateful – vs – thankful tale attracts a great deal of traffic to our site, about this time, every year.  Which tells me I’m not alone in my thought process of trying to distinguish between the two.