Tuesday Takes: Kutna Hora. It’s our new thing, Tuesday Takes, because well, why not? Since we can’t physically travel right now – and because I have a tendency to write in real time – I decided to broaden my horizons and take on a series of Tuesday Takes. Each post in the series will focus on one or two photos. Or possibly a video, as well as the background story behind the photo(s). Tuesday Takes will be shared in random order with no rhyme or reason as to why. It will be a surprise for all of us.

Social distancing. It’s the new catch phrase (hashtag). Unless you’ve been living in the most remote parts of the world, you’re well-aware of the headlines. The coronavirus has been declared, by the world health organization, to be a pandemic. And, to go along with that bit of news, it has been suggested, worldwide, that we all engage in the practice of social distancing.

Coronavirus outbreak, it’s the headline being heard around the world. Wherever you are in this vast world of ours, you’ve surely read the headlines, or listened to a broadcast, about the spread of the virus. The news is inescapable.

I’m not one to have a “bucket list” nor do I proclaim New Year’s resolutions. I’m finding the older more experienced I get the less I worry about long-term planning, or pretty much making any plans at all.  Perhaps it has something to do with retirement and the level of flexibility and freedom it offers.  Or, maybe, it’s just because I’ve stopped worrying about what might happen, opting instead to live in the here and now.

It’s no secret that Porto, Portugal is our most favorite city in Europe.  Well, at least of the cities we’ve actually visited.  We think of the city as our home-away-from-home and we spend as much time as we can in Porto.  So when a friend asked for a few suggestions (aside from the obvious tourist sites) for spending time in the city, I pulled together a list of our favorite insider tips.  Then I thought, why not share the adventure?  So, that’s exactly what I’m doing.

Although we didn’t know very much about Sintra, before our 3-day visit, we did know that Pena Palace was the attraction that visitors flock to by the millions.  And, that the views from the hilltops were reportedly breathtaking.  It was with those notions in mind, and the forecast of a clear day, we chose to visit Pena Palace on our last day in Sintra.  Here’s how we did it.

As we rode the local train from Lisbon to Sintra, I had flashbacks of our arrival, by train, in to Marseille, France. At the time of our visit, my expectations for Marseille were high, but reality was a cold splash of water in my face.  I think Marseille is one of those cities that one either loves, or doesn’t.  I was on the side of doesn’t and I was hoping Sintra would not disappoint in the same fashion.

I had been saying from day one that when we reached Padron, Spain, I wanted to sit down and relax with a pitcher of Sangria and a plate of roasted Padron peppers.  I got the Sangria, but not the peppers.

Camino Portuguese. I’m not sure if it was the alarm chirping or the splattering of the rain pelting our hotel room window that awakened us to day nine, but either way both of us thought the same thing at the same moment.  OMG!  It’s still raining!

Before leaving Porto we bought two travel umbrellas for three euros each.  It would prove to be the best six euros we spent while walking the Camino Portuguese.  As I mentioned in our last post we made it to Valenca before the rain rolled in and several hours later when it did, it did so with a vengeance.  Dressed in full rain gear and with umbrellas open, we started day seven walking in the rain and crossing the Minho River to Tui, Spain.