Fabulous Portugal

Well I'm back home in Aus after most of the month of September in fabulous Portugal. What a country. I have been very fortunate to have travelled to many countries over the years but I had never been to Portugal for some reason. All those years I missed out and now I am regretting it. Move over France I have a new affection. Why Portugal? So many reasons. The people are so friendly. The country and the towns and cities are beautiful- so many historic places which have remained intact over centuries. The food is great and is distinctly Portugese- not international tourist food. The wine is terrific. The beer is ok but you would not visit Portugal for the beer. The hotels were very good and interesting. The country is compact so you can see a lot without travelling vast distances. The autoroute system is excellent-reputedly the best in Europe - and as it is all toll roads the traffic is very light. Off the autoroutes the roads generally are good. The climate is great. Finally Portugal is great value. By Australian measures eating and drinking are really cheap. I could go on but I am sure that you get my drift. I loved it and I'll be going back.

I came back with a good haul of photos- taking interesting photos in Portugal is not difficult. I took my two Leicas which was mistake as together they are quite heavy. Whilst the XVario was useful I could have easily got by with just the X1. As I get older I find lighter cameras more and more appealling. I cannot even think how I travelled around with all that big heavy film gear twenty years ago. I am not quite down to wanting only to carry an iPhone but I can understand the appeal.

I will be posting the photo haul onto the blog over the coming weeks . In the meantime I have to recover from the jetlag and do a few domestic chores- like clearing up the garden. The header photo is for starters. Taken at Cascais, a beach resort to the west of Lisbon.