I'm happy to say that by the time I got to Lisbon my knee was so much better. I found this city much more to my liking; its just felt more friendly, vibrant, and walkable. I decided to stick with the tourist bus until my knee was back to 100%. In Lisbon some of the places that I wanted to see we're pretty far away from City Center so the bus worked out even better here.   One of the must-see places is called Belem Tower, which, according to Wikipedia, is a 16th century fortification that served both as a fortress and as a ceremonial gateway to Lisbon. It’s on the northern bank of the Togas river and a bit far away from the city center, but well worth the visit.   There are a few cafes and restaurants nearby and the walk along the river is very nice.   Also on the northern side of the river is the Padrão dos Descobrimentos or Monument of the Discoveries. This impressive monument is said to celebrate the Portuguese adventurers who departed Lisbon to explor...

I had a wonderful summer in Scotland staying with my good friend Eva. I spent a lot of my time processing photos and uploading everything to various photo websites.  It’s a long slow process, but I'm beginning to see a few more sales.  I did take some time off to enjoy Scotland of course, with trips to the Isle of May, Glasgow, the Trossachs, a road trip through the Highlands, and an awesome road trip with Eve on the North Coast 500.  I also went down to England and dog sat for a very handsome labradoodle named Valentino. I found time to visit my friend Terri in Liverpool before a great trip to Iceland, which you can read all about in a previous post.  I was a bit limited in what I could do because I was struggling with some lower back issues as well as ever present knee problems. I have come to the realization that I really can't put off knee replacement much longer. But first I'm off to Portugal. This is long been one of the countries I wanted to visit so I ...