We have an 8:30 am international flight from Porto to Madrid to Chicago. Applying the guidance to arrive three hours before an international flight, we ask our AirbnB host to arrange a driver and pick-up for the airport at 5:15 am.

The driver texts me at 5 am that he's arrived.  By 5:05 am we have our bags loaded in the elevator.  William asks what to do with the apartment keys and I tell him to leave the keys by the TV, as we have done in other places. William firmly closes the apartment door and then we both think about the one time that the door leading out of the building to the street was locked and William used the key to exit.  Sure enough, the solid green door to the street is dead-locked.  We have no way out!

I try to reach the host by calling, texting, and using WhatsApp.  No luck.  I call the driver and explain our situation.  The driver and William try to break the door to the street, jimmy the lock, etc., no luck.  William tries to break the lock to the apartment no luck.

I walk through the building calling the telephone numbers listed on the doors to the businesses in the building.  One woman answers, but doesn't speak English and hangs up on me.  In between I repeatedly try our AirBnB host.

The driver calls the police for us, who contact the fire department.  They will take a little while, but will come.  Occasionally through the door we hear the driver talking on his phone. He calls the owner's cell phone 6-8 times.  Finally the wife of the owner sees the repeated calls and the owner calls back.  The owner jumps in his car and drives the 30 km to the apartment.  The Police arrive and our driver explains things are now under control.   The driver races up a few minutes later, and opens the door to the green door to the street - we're freed!  The driver rushes our bags into the trunk of his car and we're off to the airport.

On the drive we learn of the link between the driver and the owner and why he had the telephone number.   It turns out the driver happened to do business with the owner of the apartment, selling him the paint for the apartment.  The driver thanks us several times for allowing extra time to make our flight.  We thank him for helping us.  He keeps saying he is just happy he could help us.  This is the spirit of the people we met throughout Portugal, helpful and friendly.

We arrive at the airport at 6:20 am.  We leave the driver's fee on his console as he requests, tipping generously.  Once again he thanks us and says he is just so happy he could help.  (Later he sends me a text saying we left way too much money and that he is happy he could help).  We walk into the airport and find that the Iberia check-in counter doesn't open for another 10 minutes.  Wow, with all that has happened this morning we have managed to arrive early!

The rest of our day is anti-climatic.  We use Priority Pass to get into the lounge in the Porto airport.   We have a long distance between our connecting flights in Madrid,  but arrive as they are in the middle of boarding the "B" group.  As we are in the "A" group we scoot to the front of the line then settle into our Economy Plus seats.  The nine hour flight feels like goes by fast - helped by watching four or five movies/shows.

When we arrive in Chicago's International Terminal a little after 2pm we once again have a long walk, this time to Passport Control and to pick up our bags.   In the limo ride back to our home I check the walking app on my phone.  We have walked 2.3 miles today, yet spent most of our time sitting.

​It feels good finishing out our 11 week trip that encompassed four countries and wonderful times with family, old friends and new acquaintances.   Costa Rica was a blast relaxing and having fun with family in natural setting. Columbia is a country of great natural beauty and interesting cities making efforts to become world-class.  We are happy we could share at least a portion of the experience with friends.  Portugal and Spain have their European charms and are counties where we could see spending much more time living in and enjoying.

Today is William's birthday.  We sleep late and have a relaxing breakfast in the apartment.  Then we are off exploring more of Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia.

We start by walking to Capela das Almas de Santa Catarina, another of Porto's churches with beautiful azulejo tiles.  After gazing at the exterior we pop inside for a look.  We have to be quick, the reason the church is open is that mass is about to start.  After the church we stroll toward the Duro river, stopping for a coffee and some people-watching along the way.

We have signed up for a small group tour of the Douro Valley.  On this sunny Monday we meet our guide and the rest of the group in front of the McDonalds on Praca da Liberdade at 8:30 am.

On the drive to the Douro Valley we introduce ourselves.  Our guide, Jose, is Portuguese and has lived in Porto for 19 years.  Our fellow tourists are a woman from Seattle who is celebrating her 50th birthday tomorrow, a 30ish couple from Washington D.C., an Italian woman who works at a winery and is also celebrating her birthday tomorrow, and a woman from Austria.  Since William's birthday is tomorrow that makes three out of the eight people in the van with birthdays of March 26th.  How unusual.

Jose provides background information on Portugal, Porto and the Douro Valley as he drives us through the Vinho Verde region. We climb in altitude and pass by Marão Mountain, then it is downhill into the Douro Valley.  The terraces of vines on the hillsides are almost surreal.

Our first winery is in the town of Pinhão.   Jose drives to Quinta da Foz where we are greeted Christian.  The quinta was started in 1872 and belonged to the Cálem group for about 150 years.  It was bought out a few years ago by a private group.  Christian passionately describes the quinta and the wine and port making processes.  They now focus on high-end wines, but also produce port and entry-level wines.  The high-end and port grapes are still crushed by foot.  There are beautiful azulejo tiles in the winery from 1921.

William is our breakfast chef, making scrambled eggs with bacon, sausage and cheese using the basic kitchenette of our apartment.  We relax after breakfast and then begin today's Porto exploration.

Friday is our last full day in Albufeira.  It's sunny so I take a long walk in the morning.  There's a small cemetery on the road to the marina we've not yet visited so I include it along my route.  I also make the promenades and lookouts over the Atlantic Ocean and Albufeira's beautiful beaches.  Although it is sunny it is windy and only 18C (65F), otherwise I would be walking on the beach.

When we went to Seville we had the opportunity to see a little bit of the town of Tavira but only from the bus window.  Today we catch the 8:58 am train out of Albufeira-Ferreira Station with round-trip Tavira tickets in hand.  We change trains in Faro to continue the journey eastward, arriving in Tavira before 11 am.

We initially follow the crowd headed downhill towards the center and the river, but diverge off their path when we see some interesting buildings.

We Uber to the bus station and buy tickets for the 9:45 am Rapido bus to Faro.  A Rapido is supposed to take 55 minutes while a Local bus takes 90 minutes.  9:45 comes and goes...and goes some more.  Finally the Rapido arrives at 10:15 am.  Hmmm... seems to us that the Rapido takes as long as the Local.

When we arrive in Faro we spot a few pedestrian streets so we  walk through them after we get off the bus, stopping for coffee.

A few blocks further from the Faro bus station we find Jardim Manuel Bivar, a small park near the marina, and just beyond it is Arco da Vila.  The  monumental archway with bell tower was build in the early 19th century on top of the old city walls and gateway.

​The Museu Arqueologico de Faro is our next stop.  In front there is a statue of Afonso III, who was king of Portugal in 13th century.  The museum is the 16th century convent, Our Lady of the Assumption.  There are some engaging artifacts and pieces from throughout the centuries.  There's even a Roman mosaic of the sea-god Oceanus that was found near the Faro train station in the 1970's, excavated and moved to the museum.

Monday we just hang around Albufeira.  In the morning I go for a walk and explore the area north of the Square.  We have been here for three weeks and I've complained a bit to William that I have not been able to find a butcher shop.  Sure enough, I discover a very nice butcher shop now that we are leaving soon!

After two weeks we are beginning to be known by the grocery store clerks, waiters and the people on the street hawking restaurants and stores.  They smile at us and say hello.  We try out new spots, but also return to some that are comfortable with good service.

Friday afternoon we return to Downtown Bar on the Square for some afternoon sun, beverages and a chance for William to smoke a Cuban in their outdoor seating.  The waiter greets us, remembering where we are from and what we ordered to drink the last time we were there.

Saturday we walk  a little further, past the Square, up the escalators, and past Praia dos Pescadores to the Terrace Trattoria.  They are new to us, and have incredible Italian food and a wonderful view of the Atlantic.  The waitress is all smiles.

Sunday morning we decide to have breakfast at Sérgio Santos Dias.  The hawker and the server are both are personable and attentive.  When William pulls out his cell phone, they notice and a card with the internet password is provided without having to ask.

So what happened with Sunday afternoon?  I wanted to walk on the beach since the weather is 21 with little wind.  Not surprisingly William does not want to be in that much sunlight.  We walk through the tunnel from the Square to the beach and find a some restaurants with umbrellas and awnings.  William spots one with a lot of awning playing French music and explains to the waiter that all we want is beverages.  The waiter points William from one of the tables he's eyeing to another table and provides a beverages menu.   Ok.  William sits down and I tell him that when I return in 30-35 minutes I'd like a green wine or white wine.  Off I go on my walk.

​When I return William is waiting for me outside of the restaurant area.   Seems that after 20 minutes of trying to get a waiter's attention he has given up.  And he wasn't the only one. The couple next to him also got up, telling the waiter that the service is too slow and another gentleman left without a word.  No real reaction from the waiter.  Is it a matter  of expectations?  The French would sit and relax and talk for a while before the waiter appears, but people from the US and Canada anticipate having a cold one in hand within 10 minutes of sitting down.  Or is it poor service?   Either way, William is not happy.  We walk to the Square and sit down at a restaurant we have not previously tried.   Although the view is not of the Atlantic, a cold one is in William's hand in less than 10 minutes.