Portugal

Portugal is a short plane ride from Paris, but a completely different country.  It is less sophisticated and cosmopolitan, but the people are very friendly and happy.  The country is poor and this shows just in the way the monuments and historical places are kept up.  Lisbon is vibrant and bustling and completely covered in dense buildings and cobblestones.  I was able to spend a couple days is Baleal and Obidos, where I saw my first castle (much to the amazement of my companions).  I spent a few days in Lisbon and also saw Sintra and Cascais and stood at the most western point of continental Europe.  This post will be short on words.  I'll just leave the photos for you to see.