Fall Break 2023 (In Two Parts)

Alright, folks, we're talking a two part two-week fall break again this year. I remember last year, being unaccustomed to so long a break in the middle of the semester, feeling a bit underprepared for all we had planned--like I did not have the stamina for it. Charlie got food poisoning, you might recall, halfway through the break, but I figured the cause was nothing other than the exhaustion I also felt. The feeling quickly passed, yes, and I thoroughly enjoyed what I did not know I could do, and we all had a great overall break, after a night and a couple of days of laying low; but when fall break rolled around this time, I tried to more strategically set my expectations and preserve my strength. Not sure if it made any difference, or if other factors paved the way, but it did seem to me, and does now, that this year's fall break vacation just kept getting more and more epic.

I am going to break it up into two parts, corresponding with the trip we took. First, we headed to Portugal. Specfically we hit Lisboa (or Lisbon),

Sintra

and Setubal.

Then we headed to Sicily--to Palermo

and Cefalu, where the Williams finally met us and helped us close out the break.

Was it the weather, the food, the Williams (certainly no small factor)--or maybe, indeed, the continual sense of an increasingly pleasant surprise for which I was actually more prepared?

I don't know, but I do recall distinctly feeling, and saying as much to Suzy, this might just be the best vacation I have ever had.

Let me tell you about it... Part One coming soon.