Traveling Reflections

I had every intention of blogging regularly while I was in Portugal, but my busy schedule, and the fact that blogger locked me out of my account because I was signing in from an unusual location, thwarted my attempts. Rather than do a recap of each day (which I may choose to do at a later time), I thought I'd share some of my overall reflections from my time in Portugal. Here they are, in no particular order of importance:

Traveling alone is such an invigorating and empowering experience. Absolute freedom.

The grass is almost always greener on the other side. In Portugal, the buildings were more beautiful, the weather was better, the people were friendlier, the sky was bluer, and the alcohol was cheaper.

It is possible to live primarily on bread and puff pastries for 8 days. 

The affinity for white converses is universal. 

There are so many attractive, well-dressed men in Portugal. So many. 

It is possible to spend two full days with a total stranger and to thoroughly enjoy yourself. At the end of the two days, they no longer seem strange.

Being practically mono-linguistic is embarrassing, especially when nearly every other traveler I met was fluent in at least 3-4 languages.  I walked away inspired to learn.

Many Europeans know more about American history than Americans do.

Canadians are just as loud and obnoxious as Americans when they travel, especially when they’re drunk. 

When in doubt, eat what the locals do. 

It’s great to have an itinerary, but it’s even better to do things on the fly. Some of my best traveling memories were a result of me stumbling across something or meeting someone that I never could have planned for.

Averaging 4 hours of sleep every night is not sustainable. Drinking espressos intermittently throughout the day is an excellent counter balance. For the Portuguese, espressos are not a delicacy. They are a way of life.