Day 1

OK, here's the thing - I took A LOT of pictures on our trip. I think I'm just going to tackle it a little at a time, otherwise it's just going to be too overwhelming (for you and me!).

This is the front of the bed & breakfast where we stayed. The town was named Salveterra Du Extremo and used to be a town of about 3000 people, but currently only has 200 residents (and only a handful of kids). It's a wonderful old village and just crazy-quiet! The loudest things we heard (other than Will & Chris!) were the goat herd walking through town and the rooster who thought sunrise was any random time.


Here's the view from the backyard:





This is the guest access side. (Hey Mom, notice all the embroidery samplers on the wall?)


There were olive trees in the backyard, too. They're just everywhere there!


Since we arrived to the B&B earlier than we initially thought, the owner hadn't anticipated us for lunch. There weren't any cafes in the town, so we needed to drive to the next town. We found this little place, and the food was fantastic! The owner spoke great English (he had lived in London and Amsterdam), so we had a great conversation.


The serving sizes were HUGE - this plate was one meal (that all four of us could have shared!).


We decided to buy some water to take back to the B&B, and this is the little market that we found. It was a really odd little place, but it served its purpose.



After lunch, our host Jaoa asked if we would like to go for a walk to see some different things. He said he had a specific place in mind, so we set off - first through the village, then through the pastures (this was the path between pastures).



About a mile later, we came to this gorgeous expanse of land that was the border between Portugal and Spain. Jaoa told us that we needed to be pretty quiet in this area, as it was a nesting area for vultures. He showed us the nests in the cliffs with his binoculars - it was really interesting!

Here's Chris (in all his glory!)


And Chris with John:



Here's the gorge that was below, but it really doesn't even do it justice. It was breathtaking.



And here's a better picture of the castle I showed you last week. To just come upon this was so unlike anything else I've ever done.



Our day ended here, under an olive tree, for dinner. Jaoa, his wife Rita, his parents and grandparents joined us for a yummy dinner of homemade pizzas, followed by dessert of jam and liqueors made by Jaoa's mom. We sat chatting for hours, well into the night. It was the perfect location for a relaxing evening.



That sums up our first day pretty well! We're all very tired, so we're off to catch some zzz's - here's hoping my commentary is more colorful tomorrow! ;)