Daniele Somenzi's Portugal

Portugal With an Alitalia flight, Mauro and I, leaving from Pisa via Rome to Lisbon. On landing I already had a hint about the place, that is, for a nature lover like me, a negative one: too many houses, traffic and roads. We hire the classic rental car and, with no destination, head north, taking the fastest road out of the city. Stopping at a motorway service area, I discover it feels like being in Italy, that is there was nothing that made me understand we were in Portugal, not even the currency. At a certain point we head west to see the sea. The Atlantic Ocean isn't much; nothing like the Australian sea or the Caribbean or the Red Sea. We sleep in a hotel and play billiards. As usual Mauro beats me, and to think that by his own account he hadn't played for years. Well, I hadn't for a while either, anyway Donato made me play the first game in New Zealand 2 years ago.

The hotel wasn't too expensive and the pool and its SPA (jacuzzi) were inviting. The sand dunes next to the hotel inspired a couple of photos. The next day we try our hand at a go-kart race, and as usual Mauro wipes the floor with me. We set off even further north towards Porto but we don't get there; instead we enter a little village with a square and typical local market stalls, where we had a drink on the little terrace of a first-floor bar.

Later, in another little village at the edge of the sea we notice that in the parked cars there were people, here 2, there 3, and we didn't understand why they didn't get out even though it was cloudy. Were they waiting for some event to get out? OR WERE THEY GUESTS OF SOME WEDDING WAITING TO LEAVE? Who knows! We didn't know. So we ask a local passer-by and he tells us they're simply relaxing. Well! Go figure these Portuguese. We return to the same hotel.

The next morning both I, Daniele (editor's note), and Mauro have fun doing burnouts on a road closed at the edge of an old abandoned wooden boat, then heading inland we return to Lisbon with its chaos of traffic, houses and people. Luckily we find the airport, though only after crossing a mega toll bridge, which we couldn't pay. Since after the barrier you can't turn back.

Having returned the car, we board the plane again bound for Milan and then Pisa.

Conclusion: I didn't like Portugal.