The Charles Bridge in Prague
We just left Betty and Bob at the Lisbon airport and are now preparing for our next guests, Art and Carol, whom we’ll meet in Barcelona. We have six days to get there. What are we going to do? Explore new places in Portugal and Spain to get ready for 2012’s adventurers. We’re also looking for inventory for our retail store European Focus “Village” in the heart of Sarasota, Florida.
This was our longest and most complex adventure of our career. We traveled over 4,781 kilometers of roads, many of them twisty, curvy mountain roads with incredible vistas. We began with the 14th century Charles Bridge in Prague and ended by walking across the final few feet of pavement to the burial place of St. James in Santiago di Compostela, Spain. As a bonus, we drove through the gorgeous Duoro River Valley of Portugal where there are more “oohs and aahs” around every corner than there are grape leaves. (Well, almost) We met wonderful people and innkeepers who helped make the trip extra special. Traveling through the Czech Republic, Germany, France, Spain and Portugal, we stayed in everything from tiny B&Bs to stately mansions and castles. We ate local recipes and drank the local wines and beers. It was the Trip of a Lifetime not just for return guests Betty and Bob, who are planning Trip #3 right now, but for us as well.
Milking time in a hamlet in northeastern Portugal