Portugal

Portugal. Slightly smaller than the state of Indiana in the United States, population just under 11 million. The climate is maritime temperate and the reported annual average temperature is 61F, the latter information being of no practical use. We look forward to a variety of good seafood which will certainly include cod (the Portuguese must fix cod at least 365 different ways). We plan to abandon ourselves to the maudlin yearning and longing provoked by the beautifully plaintive fado singers. Que saudade já tenho.

Portugal juts out into the Atlantic. The lure of the ocean must have been strong, causing Portugal to spawn intrepid seafarers. The Portuguese were the first Europeans to explore the unknown world and the first to sail around the southern tip of Africa.