Three weeks in Portugal

I just got back from my trip to Portugal, and I wanted to jot down some thoughts about my overall experience. This is definitely not a guide to traveling in Portugal or a list of recommendations. It’s just a personal reflection on my trip and some of the things that occurred to me while I was there. The trip came about because Kristen had been suggesting that I travel by myself for a little while. She did that last year and found it very helpful. It gave her time to think about what she wanted to do in the future, how she felt about herself, and other things that are easy to overlook when you’re caught up in the responsibilities and routines of everyday life. Because she was supportive of the idea, and honestly encouraged me to do it, I decided to take the plunge and spend a couple of weeks traveling. The original plan was to spend three weeks in Porto. While I was there, I ended up going to Lisbon for five days, where I met up with Kristen and we spent a few days together. That broke…