The "Group"

Spain and Portugal were simply incredible. As a destination they stand on their own merits.

However, my experience in Spain was enhanced by the incredible tour director we had in Antonio Matas Fuetes. As an aside, Antonio explained that in Spain you are given two last names – Matas is his father's name and considered his 'last name'. Fuetes is his mother's maiden name. His children have - if I understand this correctly - Matas as their 'last name', Fuentes will have dropped off and replaced by his wife's maiden name.  

(Not absolutely sure this is correct - but anybody out there who knows for sure - don't forget there is a place where you can leave a comment!)

Cool, but I digress....

Enhancing my tour were also the wonderful other travellers in my group. Only 22 of us in total – 5 couples and 12 of us single travellers. All terrific people, warm, welcoming, interesting.

And a special call out to one tour member, Darlene – we connected early in the tour and could always rely on each other to keep each other company if our interests intersected. She was great!

So this post is in dedication to the wonderful people with whom I shared this wonderful adventure. Who knows? Maybe one day I'll be able to travel with some of them again?

Legend of the Portuguese Cockerel

Portugal Rooster

One day the inhabitants of a small village were quite alarmed with a series of crimes and were even more upset since they could not discover the criminal. 

One day there appeared an outsider who instantly became their prime suspect. The authorities seized him and in spite of all his oaths of innocence nobody believed him. Nobody thought his story was credible - that he was on his way to worship a well known saint in a nearby town, St. Tiago.

He was condemned to death by hanging. As a last request before his execution, he asked to be brought once more into the presence of the judge who had condemned him. The convicted man declared again his innocence and in the presence of many others, he pointed to a roasted rooster on the table exclaiming: "My innocence is as certain as the roasted rooster will cry, if I should be hung." 

Everybody laughed at him, but what had seemed impossible, became reality... at the very moment the man was to be hung the roasted rooster stood up on the table and began crowing. 

Nobody doubted any more the innocence of the condemned man. They hurried to the gibbet and saw the poor man with the rope around his neck. But a free knot had avoided his suffocation. Immediately he was set free. Some years later, he returned again to Barcelos and built a monument in praise of St. Tiago and the Holy Virgin and the miracle that saved his life. 

“Galo de Barcelos” - the Portuguese rooster - is now the national symbol of Portugal. 

 It symbolizes honesty, integrity, trust and honour.