I’ve been remiss in sending updates – life has been busy!
So, I will share small bits of some of our experiences as not to overwhelm.
So, it’s taken awhile to get the hang of retirement. It finally happened on a warm sunny September afternoon in Lisbon. After running an errand that took us to a familiar area we decided to saunter down the hill to a neighborhood wine bar. Warmly welcomed by Ina, we embraced the opportunity to taste outstanding wines, excellent cheese and local bread and olive oil.
Ina and her partner, Patrick. (She, German; He, Irish) opened their wine bar 3.5 years ago. What lovely people! We so enjoyed our conversation with them about Portuguese wine and then they brought up American politics…
In every European country that we have traveled to – the general consensus of the people is that the behaviour of our current administration is, indeed, an embarrassment to the world. The comments and perceptions of the people on the European continent are insightful and intelligent. Their knowledge of world politics overall is impressive.
We steered the discussion away from politics back to wine.
We tasted ‘green wine’. No, it’s not a St. Patrick’s Day beverage but a very young white sparkling wine. A little on the fruity sweet-side. It’s named for the area where the grapes for this wine are grown. There are multiple wine-growing districts in Portugal. As we both enjoy ‘Vinho Tinto’, red wine, our current favourite is the robust red wine of the Duoro Valley.
This leisurely afternoon event reinforced our decision to travel and have interesting life experiences. After years of structure, the feeling of freedom to do what we want, when we want – is even more intoxicating than the wine.