Whoever said 3rd time is a charm wasn’t kidding. It took me 3 tries to get myself out of one particular roundabout, while driving to Portugal from Spain. Sitting behind that wheel, all I could think was, why did I think driving on unknown roads would be an adventure ?  I have no clue about driving around roundabouts.  I expect huge signs in my face to point me in the right direction, but I forget this is Europe and not everything is in your face.

However, I eventually set myself right and off I go, terrified to take my eyes off the road. A few hours into it, I relax and catch a glimpse of the rolling hills of Spain or the horses grazing on the long stretch of road. For the most part my eyes stayed glued on the road, while my mind wandered on a trip of its own, about which I am sure I will write about at a later point.

This is the first time I have driven outside of US, I typically, take public transport, fly, have friends drive me around, but what is an adventure if I don’t put myself outside of my comfort zone.  I constantly hear my friends who live in Europe tell me about their weekend getaways to different countries and I wanted to have that experience.

I finally made it to the little fishing village called Tavira in Portugal, which maintains its own charm and quaintness. The narrow cobbled streets, the tiled houses with old wooden doors and absolutely beautiful architecture, which for some reason fascinates me. I walk around this town and it reminds me of being back in Sri Lanka. I can see the influence they have had in Sri Lanka with their architecture. (The Portuguese ruled Sri Lanka somewhere in the 15th century )

The first thing I do once settled into the hotel is take advantage of the gym. All the endless eating and drinking I have been doing has made it almost impossible to fit into my jeans and a few miles on a treadmill might not do much for my waistline, but it sure will do a lot for my mind.

I spend the next few days wandering the streets of Tavira, exploring the village and of course the food.

A few days of walking around the town, exploring the farmers market, restaurants and shops was absolutely great.

The next destination was Gibraltar. When I get the border of Gibraltar there is a long line of cars trying to get in. However, I am told that I could park the car and we could walk across the border. It was the craziest thing I have ever seen. Here I am walking across a runaway with others who had the same idea. A plane lands and they close the runway till the plane takes off and you can continue your walking across the runway.

the runway

As much as I can go on about my trip,  here is a few pictures of Portugal and Gibraltar through my eyes.