Part of our plan on this long-haul, work-play adventure was to use our beach spot in Portugal as home base and take shorter journeys elsewhere. Perfect for we Californians accustomed to fending off the hordes at Napa and Sonoma ; a half-hour drive from Albufeira and we were rewarded with a lovely, uncrowded winery in the hills overlooking a river valley.
The next week saw us get back in the travel saddle once more: a van ride to Faro Airport for a morning flight to London Gatwick. Given the time and timing of the flight, it felt a bit like those weekly early-morning trips from Chicago to Boston I used to take in my past life as an out-of-town contractor. We opted to pay a little extra for a branch of one of the big chain hotels, figuring that would ensure us reliable wi-fi and a few other amenities. We ground away at our respective jobs wondering, was this side trip a mistake?
Fortunately, our second evening offered a bright spot: as big movie buffs and with Mathew now working in a field that sees a need to keep abreast of trends we learned that the new Avengers film was showing in the UK even before its release in North America β and on the biggest IMAX screen in the country to boot.
Although our last-minute seats were less than optimal, both the film written and directed by one of my faves, Joss Whedon and the venue richly delivered, and made for a nice cap-off to our short stay in the city. Next morning, a familiar pattern for me leaving the UK: a Tube ride to St. Pancras and a high-speed Eurostar to the Continent. I know, I know. As we emerged out of the Channel tunnel, rounded Lille and began the race toward Paris, shafts of sunlight pouring through lazy clouds boded well for the weekend.
So much for that , I mused an hour or so later, as clouds thickened and we arrived under cover of misty drizzle. Not only that, it was cold. Coldest it had ever been for me in the Paris region in my four visits here earlier in the spring and later in the fall. We were curious, if a bit annoyed, to see how Disney In The Rain was going to play out. Well, consider that many of the stories and places depicted in Disney lore emanate from European source material.
