The great difference between voyages rests not with the ships, but with the people you meet on them. – Amelia E. Barr

I am not a huge fan of meeting new people most of the time.  It scares me mostly because I think I am not interesting enough.  In spite of my fears of meeting people, most people are pretty wonderful when you meet them and get to know them.  On our last  cruise two years ago on the Amalegro riverboat on the Danube, we met three other couples, bonded and became the “Amalegro 8.”  We have stayed friends and are all on the current cruise which makes it a lot of fun.

Skip, Linda, Rich, Pat, Tom, Barbara, Loretta and Rich

Today’s journey was by tour bus to the Serra de Sintra, home of the Portuguese royal family where we toured the Pena National Palace high up on a rocky peak.   And when the literature said high up they meant it.  Here are a few of the sights of the castle.

Castle

Painting

Statue in the castle

Entry to castle

Statue in the castle

Despite the history and the beauty and uniqueness of the tour, the best part of the day ( so far) was being with the people who made it enjoyable.  We had a couple of glasses of wine and some cake at a winery.

Following this we had a wonderful laughter filled ( oftentimes inappropriate) lunch with our friends that I am certain I will remember more than the history of the castle and the town.  I leave you with a quote that made me laugh as I hope it makes you laugh as well.

“I told the doctor I broke my leg in two places. He told me to quit going to those places”. – Henny Youngman