{"id":11794,"date":"2023-06-15T09:00:52","date_gmt":"2023-06-15T16:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/?p=11794"},"modified":"2023-06-13T17:00:14","modified_gmt":"2023-06-14T00:00:14","slug":"spain-portugal-epilogue-and-photo-finish","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/?p=11794","title":{"rendered":"Spain\/Portugal Epilogue and Photo Finish"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>by Bob Sparrow<\/p>\n<p>Following are some final random thoughts on the trip to Spain\/Portugal.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Those who have traveled on a planned tour, know that the \u2018Tour Guide\u2019 can make or break the trip. So, here\u2019s our tour guide, Daniel.\u00a0 The ladies thought he was good-looking.\u00a0 But a pretty face really doesn\u2019t get it with the guys, if you\n<div id=\"attachment_11798\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/?attachment_id=11798\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-11798\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-11798\" class=\"wp-image-11798 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Daniel1-300x283.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"283\" srcset=\"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Daniel1-300x283.jpg 300w, https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Daniel1-1024x965.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Daniel1-768x724.jpg 768w, https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Daniel1-1536x1448.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Daniel1-2048x1931.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-11798\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Daniel<\/p><\/div>\n<p>don\u2019t have a brain, and a personality.\u00a0 OK, Daniel was smart (had a law degree), funny, educational, and entertaining.\u00a0 He made the trip so much more enjoyable!<\/li>\n<li>The month of May is a perfect time to visit these two countries \u2013 earlier and you\u2019re dealing with cold and rain, later and you\u2019re dealing with extreme heat<\/li>\n<li>Red, White or Beer? When asked, at a restaurant, what you want to drink, while some restaurants have a wine list, you\u2019re typically asked, \u201cRed or White?\u201d\u00a0 Or you may be asked if you want a beer, if so, there is no choice, most restaurants have only one brand of beer \u2013 it is good, but that\u2019s it!<\/li>\n<li>Bordering on both the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, as you might suspect, there is lots of fish on the menu, some I was familiar with, Codfish, Dorada and Tuna along with specialties like Squid, Octopus, Sardines, Anchovies and Cockles. Then there\u2019s Hake (the most popular), Dogfish, Dreamfish &amp; Conger.\u00a0 Lots of fish!<\/li>\n<li>Don\u2019t go to these two countries if you don\u2019t like green olives. It\u2019s one of their leading exports and a dish of them is put in front of you when and wherever you first sit down.<\/li>\n<li>It is said that<strong> tapas<\/strong> is not a meal, it\u2019s an activity. I have concluded that tapas is a great concept, it allows you to share a variety of foods within your group.\u00a0 I probably wouldn\u2019t have ordered deep fried egg plant with balsamic and honey, but it was one of my favorites.<\/li>\n<li>You\u2019ll find thin sliced ham and a variety of cheeses at breakfast, lunch and dinner<\/li>\n<li>Only 3 pounds. That\u2019s what I gained in 16 days of eating and drinking lots of wine and beer.<\/li>\n<li>42 miles. That\u2019s how far I walked <u>in the first week<\/u>.\u00a0 I\u2019m guessing that contributed to only 3 pounds of weight gain.<\/li>\n<li>We were introduced to<strong> \u2018El Camino Santiago\u2019,<\/strong> or the<strong> &#8216;Way of St. James&#8217;<\/strong>, which is a pilgrimage that over 200,000 people take every year from various places in Europe to the northwest corner of Spain to the <em>Cathedral of Santiago de Composteia<\/em>, where tradition holds that the remains of the apostle of St. James are buried. We were shown a movie, called <em><strong>The Way<\/strong>,<\/em> starring <strong>Martin Sheen<\/strong> that depicts this pilgrimage.\u00a0 Daniel, our guide, had done the pilgrimage twice.<\/li>\n<li><em>\u00a0<\/em>The absolute highlight of the trip was traveling with great friends \u2013 so thank you Mike &amp; Tanis Nelson, Bob &amp; Jeanne Pacelli, Rob &amp; Stefanie Warren and Marc &amp; Lisa Webb \u2013 great neighbors and great travel companions<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The photo finish . . .<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_11802\" style=\"width: 315px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/?attachment_id=11802\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-11802\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-11802\" class=\"wp-image-11802 \" src=\"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/ass-statue-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"305\" height=\"229\" srcset=\"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/ass-statue-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/ass-statue-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/ass-statue-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/ass-statue-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/ass-statue-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 305px) 100vw, 305px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-11802\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rub the ass of this statue in Madrid for good luck<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 410px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/?attachment_id=11804\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-11804\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11804\" src=\"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Hear-no-300x173.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"230\" srcset=\"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Hear-no-300x173.jpg 300w, https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Hear-no-1024x590.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Hear-no-768x443.jpg 768w, https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Hear-no-1536x885.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Hear-no-2048x1180.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Three Stooges<\/p><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/?attachment_id=11805\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-11805\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11805 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/bait-300x218.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"218\" srcset=\"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/bait-300x218.jpg 300w, https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/bait-1024x743.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/bait-768x557.jpg 768w, https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/bait-1536x1115.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/bait-2048x1486.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dinner or bait?<\/p><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_11806\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/?attachment_id=11806\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-11806\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-11806\" class=\"wp-image-11806 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/horse-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/horse-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/horse-1024x1019.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/horse-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/horse-2048x2038.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-11806\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Andalusian ready to give birth<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"attachment_11807\" style=\"width: 510px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/?attachment_id=11807\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-11807\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-11807\" class=\"wp-image-11807\" src=\"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/travelers-300x198.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"330\" srcset=\"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/travelers-300x198.jpg 300w, https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/travelers-1024x675.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/travelers-768x507.jpg 768w, https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/travelers-1536x1013.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/travelers-2048x1351.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-11807\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Travelers, not tourists<\/p><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>by Bob Sparrow Following are some final random thoughts on the trip to Spain\/Portugal. Those who have traveled on a planned tour, know that the \u2018Tour Guide\u2019 can make or break the trip. So, here\u2019s our tour guide, Daniel.\u00a0 The &hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/?p=11794\">read more<span class=\"meta-nav\"><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":11804,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[813],"tags":[4142,4144,4093,4092,4114,4143],"class_list":["post-11794","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel","tag-el-comino-santiago","tag-martin-sheen","tag-portugal","tag-spain","tag-tapas","tag-the-way"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Hear-no-scaled.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p31aN0-34e","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11794","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11794"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11794\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11812,"href":"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11794\/revisions\/11812"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/11804"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11794"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11794"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11794"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}