Portugal 2004
 
The first photos are from the small city of Coimbra; the rest are from the beautiful area around Sintra.
 

   


Coimbra's hill is steeper than it looks.
Tourist area of downtown..almost stereotypical.
Windy little cobblestone streets.
I really like these tiny cars. Cuter than a Mini Cooper!
Why are our U.S. gas stations so big? Just put the pumps next to the road!
In honor of the Russian schoolkids? I'm not sure.
Astrid and friend.
It's not what it looks like...really!
Astrid and Mats go head to head. I didn't understand his comments.
I chaired a session. I wasn't this fuzzy.
Conference party at the former royal palace.
Nice spread of desserts at the party!
A couple of participants, fun guys.
Several of us were at the same hotel.
Coimbra has a big astroturf bear. Why?
Sintra is a beautiful town, surrounded by greenery.
It has a small, heavily touristed area. Not bad, but I preferred the parks.
Repairing the cobblestone streets.
A cat at the old (9th century), re-built Moorish castle.
This pushcart vendor feeds the cats.
The castle is totally cool.
Great views from up here. That's the town, down below.
This Spanish guy is a rock climber. 18th-century royal castle in background.
The old royal castle is like a combination of Disney + Lord of the Rings
Nice mosaic.
Decorations on a wall.
Stained glass window in a chapel. The stag appears to be leaping to its death!
Doll heads at the Toy Museum repair shop.
World's scariest clown?