Do Toural Casas**** Gouveia

... chocolate. We saw Long Schlong Silver go for one last proud nudie swim and managed to snap a shot of him on the trusty Canon before we left our spot under the tree that had been such a good home to us over the week. Time at these festivals goes lightning fast when you are having so much fun. Mucho rapido!!! We lugged all the gear through the BOOM site and noticed that most of the Europeans were quick to pack up and ship out. I took a load of Australian up coming festival ...

My uncle and my aunt came to pick us up, at the arrival of the train (before 6am). As we wanted to have a coffee with a delicious Portuguese pastry, but as the coffee shops were not yet opened, we went to see the sunrise from the front of the cathedral.

Chegou então o dia da partida. A verdade é que, após tantos dias de organização (trajectos e camas), só agora vou fazer a mochila. Quer dizer, a mochila está feita há uns anos, vou só meter lá dentro as roupas e essas coisas. Será que vai caber tudo? Apresento aqui a lista, a checklist. Sim, embora seja de comboio, há uma ...

amazingly beautiful area with a river running thru green hills, dotted with small portugese white washed villages and vineyards which are dug into the siderd of teh hills. the rain didn't stop us from doing a couple of winery tours and climbing up 600 odd steps to see a beautiful church.... although we did find ourselves inside bars and bakeries samling portugals finest ports and pastries .... and the chinese restaurant of course (habits die hard).

... gorgeous town in the middle of the park. The day was crisp and cool with not a cloud in the sky - a perfect day for a hike. I started out through a meadow following a path that was barely visible. It was barren and deserted, but gorgeous. Then I followed a road lined with pine trees, the smell reminding me of summers in Lake Tahoe and giving me a pang of homesickness. This soon gave way to a glacial valley with huge, rocky peaks rising up on either side. My path was ...

After two days in Lisbon, we took Miguel's car and drove to Douro region. We stop during the driving to eat a pork in Meta dos Leitoes, very very good, and as the tradition asks we drunk red sparkling wine (not so good)!! The rang over started 30 minutes after we finish the meal!!!! Renata had to drive because Miguel and I drank 1 bottle of the wine. In Douro we stayed in a city named Vila Real ...

... a good city that way. People are all friendly, and the men totally ignore you. Another world from Porto in that sense. So today, I was off to explore. Not really many sights in the city. Lots of churches, and the oldest university in Portugal. Libraby was amazing! 30,000 books on display in this amazing building built in 1728. All the book are from 16/17 century and mostly Latin. Donated from monasteries, the Jesuits collection when they were ...

... to bed early by Barry's caring-like-a-mother wife, Sam. And then, Italian-blooded Elaine went to tour Italy! Woohoo!!! ... and she and I are once again a couple. Woohoo!!!!!! I stayed on with Adam for a full week. I enjoyed how rural Portugal is so primitive. Short, Portuguese people with round faces and dark complexions peek out of their old, white houses. They stand on empty dirt lanes beneath stone fences and smile friendly and invited you in ...

We road-tripped back to Braga, where we had enough time to visit a few places up the hill, crumbling temples, pools and gardens, before we returned our rental. Then we walked Uli's way to school, past empty houses that are basically no houses anymore, just front walls. There are some pipes and wires and broken window panes or windows nailed shut, but that's about it. And right next to one of those ...

... to the only place where children under 16 were allowed to play video games and they were only 5 cents each. Dylan: There is a big fair on in Mangualde, and, because it is a big celebration, children are allowed to play the video games. Raymond's Travel Page