When on the Iberian Peninsula, never confuse one country for the other. Different language, different food, different wines…and driving styles.
Portuges sounds like French with some German guttural sounds; total gibberish but semi- readable with some Spanish knowledge. The average Portuguese prefer French before English as a second language.

They like a lot of fish, but also tripe!! And pork over beef.They are proud of their pastries and bread and red local wine,which is cheaper than cola.
Grapes, collards, kiwi, apples, and citrus grow in most yards and we also saw many a family cow kept in the garage. Dining doesn’t happen until 7:00 but 9:00 in the bigger cities. Partying goes til dawn and the work force takes their time getting to their job.

Portugese (male) drivers prefer the entire road and seem to make it a sport to scare pilgrim hikers into the ditch. Close calls are the norm and eyes at the back of your head are essential! And they prefer cobbles over asphalt on all roads but freeways.

Lots of special cities and villages that I’ve never heard are proud of their uniqueness and are immaculate as far as litter goes but don’t stand still long or you will be covered with graffiti; everywhere and nothing is sacred.
It’s been a lesson in culture but that’s what traveling is all about.

SEEDS: Sending economic encouragement to the distressed. It’s about making a difference!

What a privilege to serve on a Board of Directors. ( I serve on two but this one has my heart at the moment) This group of special ladies created from scratch an organization that has given over $350,000 to deserving groups that seek to improve and encourage those very less fortunate than I. Without leaving home, I have had a part of bringing air conditioning and heat to a refugee center in Greece, Christ-centered curriculum to South American countries starting in Bolivia, and a safe haven for sex-trafficed girls right in my home town. 18 grants in all over the last 10 years; at home and all over the world.

Creating a giving circle was all it took! ( and a lot of love and hard work) We got our friends to join us in pooling their money so that we might make a bigger impact! Through the process of vetting worthy charities, we also became better friends, enlarged our hearts, and pitched in with our labors.
We thought that worthy of a celebration!

Now that we are spread apart by an ocean, being together as a family has to be the Easter,Thanksgiving,Christmas, birthdays all rolled into one that we would miss because of distance. So it has to have food, decorations, games, and maybe even costumes! Oh and lots of photos because everyone is growing: Up, Older,(Wider?) and we want to preserve that moment to look back on and remind the youngest ones that they are part of a loving family…warts and all!