How did I wake up for the third morning in the Hotel Mayorazgo in Madrid, Spain? Well, it’s an interesting story. One that I will soon explain. Our trip has been a bustling one. That’s why I haven’t kept up my Travel Notes as consistently as I had hoped. No matter. I will soon get…

Another 3+ hour drive. Evora, heart of the Alentejo, The Brugge of Portugal. We drive through medieval gates and under the Roman Aqueduct in search of our hotel. searing zenith modern decor on cobblestone Up a hill. One square with a fountain. Across a street to the main Placa, featuring Igreja nosso sehnora de Graca.…

South to the Algarve–Portugal’s answer to Spain’s Costa Del Sol, Florida and the Jersey Shore. Villa Maura is a posh beach resort complete with palm trees and well-manicured green lawns–in a semi-arid region across the Atlantic from the Sahara’s West Coast. A quick tour on our first day: the beach is a two-block walk. The…