After our fantastic 2015 Rick Steves trip to \u00a0France and our \u00a0memorable 2016 trip to Sicily, we knew that we wanted to continue to \u00a0travel according to the “Rick Steves Method.” \u00a0First and foremost, he says that grumpy people need not apply! There are no porters on his trips, so everyone carries his or her own luggage. \u00a0We had already purchased clothing that could be \u00a0washed in our hotel room sink at night and \u00a0that would be dry in the morning. We used to bring lots of “just in case” items on trips, but no more. \u00a0This wouldn’t work for everyone, but it works for us.<\/p>\n
It was Nick’s turn to choose a destination, and he chose Portugal. I’m always comfortable traveling in countries in which I can speak a little of the language. I can converse \u00a0fairly well in Italian, somewhat well in Spanish, and a little in French. How different could Portuguese be?<\/p>\n
Nick told me that rather than taking a direct flight to Lisbon, it would be less expensive to fly to somewhere else first and go to Lisbon from there. “Somewhere else” would be Paris. We always try to take advantage of opportunities to visit with our dear Parisian friends Agn\u00e8s \u00a0and Jose-Maria. Nick contacted them to find out if they would be there when we would.<\/p>\n
I also want to mention my Fitbit, \u00a0a gift from my son that \u00a0I relied on during the Sicily trip. Many people remarked about the distances we walked and about the flights of steps we took. Well, the Fitbit broke. The original model cannot be repaired, so a week before our trip, \u00a0I got a new one. It works \u00a0very well, except that it does not register flights of steps.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
After our fantastic 2015 Rick Steves trip to \u00a0France and our \u00a0memorable 2016 trip to Sicily, we knew that we wanted to continue to \u00a0travel according to the “Rick Steves Method.” \u00a0First and foremost, he says that grumpy people need not apply! There are no porters on his trips, so everyone carries his or her … Continue reading Portugal and Paris, Introduction<\/span>