I took an Uber to the airport early, as always. I avoid stress while traveling internationally and am relaxing in the premium lounge after checking in with BA and passing through security.

As much as I enjoyed almost a month in Portugal, I’m looking forward to getting home and resuming my normal routine and seeing my family. I have a big reunion coming up this Sunday and look forward to connecting with old friends.

I highly recommend Portugal as a vacation destination. The people are warm and friendly, the weather is like San Diego, although a bit warmer inland, and the history and culture are noteworthy. The food is uniformly excellent, except for vastly overpriced tourist traps like Belcanto. You can buy a DOC wine for under €10 and a perfectly good one for half that. And I was lucky to benefit from the strongest dollar ever.

The Portuguese with whom I spoke uniformly dislike, even abhor, what they describe as the current government’s massive corruption. But as several said, most of the people are complacent even with the inflation and stagnant wages. Some of the young, like generations before them, would like to emigrate. But, as several said, the beaches and cheap beer take the edge off politics. I’ll be following trends in Portugal, as I do with many of the countries I’ve visited. The trip was well worth it, especially the new friends I’ve made.

I plan to continue this blog as I travel both in the US and abroad. Stay tuned and bom dia!