Michelle and me outside a nightclub in Mykonos, at what I’m sure was a very late (or early) hour – depending on how you look at it.  Mykonos is beautiful but windy.  I didn’t expect that.  The nights are very warm.  We walked into old town from our resort, about 25 minutes, all downhill.  I think we’ll grab a taxi or uber back home.  It was a tad precarious in my heeled sandals… adventures in inappropriate footwear continue!  We’ve felt safe the whole time here.  Met some great people, and enjoyed catching up with each other, planning the future, and laughing a ton.

One of my favorite vacation activities is visiting wine country.  Meeting the local people, hearing about the traditions, and tasting the food and wine.  Having previously planned a trip to Portugal that COVID canceled, it was extra special to visit this winery in Quinta de Pacheca… a winery we were slated to stay in a wine barrel room.  This winery is in the lovely Douro Valley and we stayed in the Vino Verde region.  We loved our wine tasting here, and would absolutely recommend it.  Staying here would be fun, too!  Definitely going to put it on the ‘must return’ list.

On our way from Lisbon to Porto, about an hour from Lisbon is a delightful countryside village of Sintra.  It looks like something straight out of a fairy tale novel in the 18th century… and there are castles galore.  This is one such castle.  We made it here after a lengthy walk from the town center, up the hillside, through the forest, and a short pedicab ride.  Well-worth the price of admission and the adventure.  

This gorgeous sunset was taken over the Nile River in Luxor, Egypt…after the most disastrous overnight train ride I’ve ever experienced.  It was supposed to be a “luxury” train ride, and for $136 USD first-class ticket, that is what we expected.  Oh my, were we sorely mistaken.  If I could transport you to capture the essence of the experience, I would.  You would beg to be sent back to reality immediately.  Sure, it was only 10 hours from Cairo to Luxor, and yes, I came out of the experience alive… I may never want to get on another overnight train again.  From the harrowing late-night experience entering the train station, to veritably freezing the entire 10 hours (luckily I had gloves, a hat, and was able to put on three sweaters and my rain jacket) – not to mention the bathroom that emptied onto the tracks below that contained at least an inch of standing ‘water’, at least I hope it was water… it was an experience I don’t wish to relive.  We now know why the young Egyptian girls all wanted a picture with us – and why one of their mothers called us “brave.”  We each booked a first-class cabin that contained a sofa, sink, closet, and upper bunk bed – lucky for us that we did.  There was no possible way two grown women plus their luggage could possibly have fit into one of those cabins.  We luckily booked adjoining rooms… which enabled us to commiserate and keep each other company.  Let’s just say it was a rude awakening transitioning from the Ritz Carlton Cairo to this train.  Despite the constant noise, smell of fumes, and dust from the drafty window… we made it to Luxor.  Intact.  We quickly hailed a taxi and arrived at much more luxurious accommodations that enabled us to check-in quite early in the morning and helped us find transport/guide services to the Valley of the Kings.  After our sightseeing adventure and begging off the pushy sell of visiting the papyrus shop, we found respite at the lovely pool which was adjacent to the Nile.  Our balcony overlooked both, and we captured this lovely sunset.  All is well in Egypt.  Pro Tip: Avoid the train.  The 1 hour flight for the same price is absolutely worth the extra night in Luxor. 

On our way back from a hot, tiring, self-guided tour of Valley of the Kings, our driver took us to this spot for some pictures – not before getting us these lovely lemon sparkling waters, which were our fav (aside from the wine, of course.)  We jumped out of the air conditioning to snap a couple pics, and then quickly got back in.  There’s so much to see, and this is a vacation after all.  Often running from sight to sight is too much – and you need downtime.  Sometimes, you just need some pool time with yummy food, great company, and a good book.