For the last ten days my husband and I have been traveling in Portugal. This is a big deal because a) he never takes that many days off of work, b) he literally opened a new office two days before we left, and c) this is our 25th wedding anniversary trip and our anniversary is actually six months from now. We have to stay married for six more months!

My husband, lovingly called the Camp Counselor, is a travel genius. He knows what we like and how to get it and he’s willing to pay for it. A long time ago in another life, a friend made the joke that Andy and I were born 40 years old wearing pressed khakis. Truly, we always seem to be the youngest couple in the crowd of older British people. What can I say? We like nice hotels, quiet resorts, and breakfast. He loves golf and I love tea and scones. They say if the shoe fits?

The thing about traveling is how humble it makes you as a non-native in country whether you are ubering to a five star resort, or hopping a city bus at the gritty train station in search of a hostel. In a foreign country regardless of how hard you try, as an American you stick out as much as that gold embossed navy passport you hold. Wear all black. Have the smallest suitcase ever. Skip the baseball cap. Doesn’t matter. Our features are softer. We smile too much. We walk too confidently. We’re just plain vanilla. And we are at the mercy of multilingual people who are so exasperated with their last encounter with Americans, it’s a miracle we ever get to our destinations.

I’m always so grateful for kind, patient people. I try to be a “good American.” I say please and thank you. I talk alot, but not too loudly. I make an attempt to ask about cultural do’s and don’ts. Luckily iphones and fashion sneakers are en vogue at the moment, so I can take as many pictures as I like and wear tennis shoes without screaming tourist. I try to remember my good fortune and pass it on as often as possible.

The other humbling thing about traveling is how quickly you realize that people are just people and everybody wants the same thing. Almost everyone I meet wants to or feels obligated to take care of their family, have enough to eat, have a place to live, and personal safety. I admit there is a bit of tension for me knowing that while I galavant around on my anniversary trip, people are starving, dying, homeless, and scared. I am grateful that I was born in the US with so many privileges and options. I’ve been more than lucky my whole life.

I am without fail always so ashamed that I only speak English. I do speak a little German, even less Spanish, and maybe know enough American Sign Langauge to sing and sign a preschool song. In Portugal, almost every person speaks English—and doesn’t mind speaking English. Porto and Lisbon and Madeira are all port cities and vacation spots for all types of people and English is as required as the Euro currency. But I’m still embarrassed.

My favorite things about Portugal:

1. The people. Absolutely the friendliest, most helpful, generous, and talkative people in all of Europe!

2. The flowers. Oh my God the flowers. So beautiful, and everywhere! I could not stop talking about the flowers.

3. The wine. The wine was just spectacular. I love red wine in particular. Green wine, (it’s really white in color don’t worry) a specialty, reminded me so much of “new wine” from Austria. Alas, I am not a fan of Port. For me it was a cousin of cough syrup. I don’t know what that says about my palate, but it is what it is.

4. The painted tiles on the walls. Such unique styles. Born of a practical reason to protect buildings and describe their purpose, the painting of tiles was “borrowed” from the Moors. (Cultural appropriation is a universal thing.) The Moors only painted designs and used colors—no figures or faces as this was against their beliefs. The Portugese nobility began using tiles to tell stories as well as decorate their buildings and show status. I found a QR code and website of a local artist in Porto and hope to purchase some tiles for home soon.

5. Pastel de nata. It’s a toss up between breakfast, dessert, and wine for me. Fortunately, one can have pastel de nata for any reason. It’s a yummy tiny custard tart created as by monks and nuns to use up the many egg yolks they had left over from using egg whites to iron and stiffen their veils and habits. It became a well known national dessert!

Must see stops:

• Porto
• Amarante
• Duro Valley
• Nazare
• Obidos
• Sintra
• Madeira

Must see stops for next time:

• Fatima
• The Algarve
• Coimbra
• The Azores

We had a delightful time. I am so glad we decided to go a place neither of us had visited before. It was so much sweeter to discover Portugal together! I can’t wait for what’s next.

Love Y’all, Marla