A 74-Year-Old Woman with a Yen to See the World, a Supportive Husband, and a Couple of Backpacks…
All my life, I’ve loved to travel. My dream has been to visit all the countries that interest me on every continent. Until July 2021, however, I’d never left North America.
In Spring of 2021, we could see the world beginning to reopen. Dempsey said, “This year is yours. It’s time to make your travel dream come true.” And so we did!
We’re spending fifteen weeks exploring the world, and you’re invited along.
My Blog
The Castle and the River Tagus
Our last days in Lisbon we visited the Castelo de S. Jorge, and took a trip on the River Tagus.
The scenic overlook from the castle.
A welcome sign from the chapel of the castle, which was built in 1147. The castle itself originates from the 7th Century.
Flocks of peacocks roam the grounds, but only this guy came out to greet us.
A view of the April 25th Bridge and the statue of Christ the King. The bridge is often compared to the Golden Gate in San Francisco. It’s the longest suspension bridge in Europe, and connects Lisbon to Almada on the south bank of the river.
Part of the castle wall.
One of the remaining towers.
Another section of wall.
A view on the east side of the castle.
One of a number of statues on the castle grounds.
The Miradouro (viewpoint) of Santa Luzia.
The shallow pool by the miradouro.
This little girl sat by the river for a long time as her family, and we, waited to board the boat. I remember often sitting by the sea, longing to cross the water and see what lay beyond. And now I have – at least beyond the Atlantic.
Our boat for the trip on the Targus River.
A view of Almada on the south bank.
The old electric utility building, from the River.
View from the water of the Monument to the Discoveries; it resembles the prow of a ship.
A closer view of the monument. Henry the Navigator is at the front, with statues of other explorers.
The Tower of Belem is 16th-century fortification that served as a point from which Portuguese explorers left and returned to the city. It is a World Heritage Site. Built on a small island in the river, it survived the great earthquake.
A closer view of the April 25th Bridge and the statue of Christ.
Approaching the medieval cathedral on the way to the castle.
I loved this building behind the WWI Memorial on Avenida da Libertade.
Lisbon’s signature pastry, Pastéis de Nata. Dempsey likes pastry much more than I do, but I fell in love with this and managed to have 3 or 4 before we left.
Canals of Amsterdam
Scenes from a boat tour through the canals of Amsterdam. Many people live on their boats.
Dam Square
Amsterdam is very walkable; it’s flat and fairly compact. We went exploring around Dam Square. We could have done with 3 more days, but that is the drawback of giving ourselves an itinerary that allows us to see much of Europe - lots of beautiful places where we’re...
Van Gogh Museum
One of our favorite things about Amsterdam: the Van Gogh museum. In addition to the several hundred paintings, the museum really introduces the brilliant, serious artist and man. As his psychosis began to overtake his life, he struggled to produce more and more art,...