Back home

"Like all great travellers, I saw more than I could remember, and I remember more than I could have seen." (Benjamin Disraeli)

Home at 10.30pm last night on comfortable, but unspectacular Etihad flights (would not rate Etihad ahead of Singapore Airlines).

Badly missing our Lisbon wake up temperatures and views of the ferries on the Rio Tego!!

Portugal is a great place to visit, but you need time to immerse yourself.  It has cathedrals, castles, history, landscapes, sights etc which pretty much measure up against anywhere else in Europe. In J

uly and August, at least, the weather is brilliant and it is not hard to put in a week in each of Lisbon and Porto. You can travel easily to much of the country by train. If you want to drive, the extensive motorways are brilliant (and very lightly used). The Duoro river wine growing area is stunning, whether you travel it by boat, train or car - you just do not tire of it.

Don't leave it too late to get to Portugal however as it is progressively being discovered as a tourist destination, prices are creeping up in line with such increasing popularity, a Chinese airline has just commenced direct flights and it's best to have age and fitness on your side because it is all cobblestones and lots of hills.

Insight tours - outstanding, but we were extremely lucky with just 28 on tour (on a 54 seater bus, fitted with just 40 seats) - and to have a Tour Director with so much enthusiasm and knowledge of her adopted country (as well as a brilliant driver).

Croisi cruise - outstanding, but again, so lucky to have a brand new boat and just 95 passengers (capacity 132).  French cuisine spectacular (only the breakfasts, understandably, a little Euro biased).  One of us also noted that the bathroom supplies were not premium branded.

Porto de Rio - outstanding accommodation in a perfect spot right in the heart of town and on the riverfront.  Near new conversion inside what had in earlier years been a bond store.

Emporium Suites Lisbon - almost as good. On the riverfront and an equally new conversion.  Will be even better when new park works are completed and surrounding building renovations are finished. Buildings are not demolished over here, they are preserved and renovated (but it sometimes is a very lengthy proceess).

Eurovision 2018 is in Lisbon and this will give Portugal a massive exposure - and accommodation prices are already "going mad" according to our Lisbon hostess.

Smoking remains a major issue.  While many restrictions are being phased in, cigarette prices remain very low. Not much graffiti in city areas (none in country towns), similar re rubbish. Public transport readily available, easy to use, and clean and frequent services.