Portugal

I have been saving my vacations days all year. (I get 20, I have taken 5.) The plan was to go to Spain & France - spend a week mainly in Galicia with my friend Stephen, then a week in Paris, etc. on my own. We decided several weeks ago to fly from BCN to LIS, rent a car, and drive up to Galicia, then back for a weekend in Lisbon.

But the plan morphed.

We both began to think why not just spend the entire week in Portugal - which neither of us have visited. Also, some extra expenses this year (new car, much needed house repairs) plus general uneasiness made me rethink spending €€€ on a second week. Even though the boss cleared me for two weeks, I made a reservation to arrive in BCN on Friday, October 1, and depart on Monday, October 10. (Of course I'll leave open an impulsive option to extend my stay a few days.) We will fly to Lisbon on Saturday and spend the next week mainly in Portugal. (If we get close to the Spanish border in the vicinity of Salamanca or Zamora, my car may not be able to resist - those are two places I really want to see.)

If you know Portugal and have an opinion about what to see or what to avoid, I'm all ears.