Ode to Portugal

I’m feeling a bit guilty.  Because Salamanca is so close to the Portugal/Spain border, I was able to travel to Portugal for a weekend.  And I fell in love.  Coimbra and Lisbon, two of the cities I visited, were bathed in warmth and sunshine, two things that Salamanca has been quite lacking.  Surrounded by sunshine, beach, colors and textures, I forgot Portugal’s sole purpose wasn’t to encapsulate the feeling of summer.  It was like some alternate reality after the cold and wind and rain of Salamanca. 

And for this I feel guilty.  I love Salamanca.  It quickly became my second home.  It’s called the City of the Golden Stone for the gold-hued stones (obviously) that make up its gorgeous and historic architecture.  Salamanca is a pretty small city, but is cool enough to have not one but two cathedrals.  I can eat chorizo and jamón serrano to my heart’s content.  I’ve made amazing friends here who make my experience more wonderful than I could imagine.  But now I have to make a little more room in my heart for Portugal.  I think this is something I’ll have to get used to, though.  I have more trips around Europe planned, and with the way things are going, I’ll probably fall in love with the whole of the place.  So for right now, I’ll give Portugal the spotlight and share some of the gorgeous colors and textures I encountered.  Be back soon, Salamanca.