Arriving at Faro airport, we quickly secured our rental car to explore the Algarve. Google Maps failed to locate the Ludo Trail head, but we managed to briskly navigate the 7.5 km of salt flats and wild flamingos to make our kayak tour to Benagil Cave. Two hours of paddling was overambitious, and we were starving on arrival at Lagos as we savored Mimar’s octopus salad and grilled octopus followed by our first pastel de nata. We checked into our charming residence and finished the night with incredible fish cataplana and Sunday-only seafood rice at Prato Cheio. Next day, we joined Instagrammers for sunrise at Praia do Camilo and Ponta de Piadade before our decadent breakfast spread. We stopped by Albufeira for another nata, cork purse, and leather bag on the way to Lisbon, where another Google Map fail nearly made us miss Ultimo Porto’s grilled octopus and goldenfish. Rush hour traffic had us relieved to return our car before we checked into the Four Seasons Ritz to enjoy the indoor pool and roof deck views. We awoke early Tuesday to visit earthquake-survivor Church of Sao Domingos, then passed Rossio Square and Santa Justa Lift along Rua Augusta to compare natas. The Atlantic breeze at Cais das Colunas kept us cool while we waited to retrieve our Lisbon Cards from the tourist office on the way to Lisbon Cathedral. After enjoying some Amalia Rodriguez at Museo do Fado, we bused to Time Out Market for a bacchanal of seafood soup, bacalao fritters, octopus salad, and pork rice. We abandoned the tram due to another Google Map fail and Uber’d to Belem Tower, followed by a seaside stroll to the Monument of the Discoveries and Museu de Marinha. We bypassed the wait outside Jeronimos Monastery for Pasteis de Belem’s OG pasteis before returning to see the cloisters and church. Our reservations at Belcanto did not disappoint, with hand-sketched cards describing innovative dishes like “the goose that laid the golden egg” and “3 little pigs” for which we wore white sleeves to wipe our mouths. An early train to Sintra on Wednesday had us shivering outside Pena Park for an hour before opening, but we beat the massive crowds to Pena Palace. We carefully navigated the steep walls of the Moorish Castle and the steep descent to town for Casa Piriquita pastries before enjoying Romaria de Baco’s excellent cilantro broth, fried seafood, and squid ink rice. Tired from walking, we found a helpful cab driver who rearranged our itinerary to Quinta da Regalena, where the mysterious initiation well and caves reminded us of Xcaret, but the staff soured our experience by not letting us exit the front entrance. We concluded our day trip at romantic Monserrate, then returned for Bistro 100 Maneiras’ snapper ceviche, truffled sweetbreads, and warm mushroom-asparagus-egg salad that put us to sleep before I could practice my talk. We took a trolley next morning to the roofless Carmo Archaelogical Museum and baroque Church of Sao Roque, then filled on bifana and prego sandwiches before returning to the meeting for my talk while Melody split off to visit flapping mola mola and obese turbot at the Oceanario de Lisboa. We reconvened at the hotel to have my new pants measured by the in-house seamstress, then went to Mesa De Frades for a dinner and fado show. On Friday, we bought pastries at Oriente Station for our bus to Evora. Here, we lingered in Sao Francisco’s skull- and femur-heavy Bone Church and enjoyed their diverse display of nativity scenes from around the world. The other Evora sights were low-cost and low-yield, including a sparse design museum of old tech and the Ingreja da Misericordia that at least served as a rest stop for my back. The medieval cloisters and roof at Evora Cathedral, however, had us expecting avionette soldiers and abductor virgins around every corner. A quijadas de Evora tided us over to Taberna Tipica Quarta-feira’s chef menu, which included a tongue bifana and delectable almond-sugar paste. We returned to Lisbon to rest and digest before a late tourist-trap dinner with retina friends. I caught a few conference sessions Saturday before joining Melody to browse Azul tiles at the National Tile Museum, souvenir shop at Miradouro das Portas do Sol and de Santa Luiza, and indulge in melon gazpacho and grouper collar at Prado. My friend Leo hooked me up with a tie for the society banquet, but Melody’s sandals snapped before the dancing began. On our flight back, I reflected on our week of fado, nata, and 5-star luxuries like free daily gelato, all of which were only surpassed by the incredible food and music of the region.

It has been years since we traveled without Westley, but with Retina Society coinciding with the first week of school, we took the opportunity to plan a 2-week couple’s itinerary through southern Spain and Portugal. Our delayed flights to Malaga allowed good use of lounge access at SFO and LIS and an early introduction to Portuguese fare during our layover. Despite the post-midnight car transfer to Granada, we picked up early morning churros and hot chocolate, then browsed the Arab Market on the way to the Madrasa, Granada Cathedral, and Royal Chapel. The hot and uphill climb to the Royal Convent of Santa Isabel awarded us with cookies and macaroons through a revolving wooden door. After visiting Dar al-Horra, we dined al fresco in the Albaicin neighborhood on gazpacho, tomatoes, and grilled squid, then returned for siesta at the hotel before a flamenco show at Jardin de Zoraya, sunset views from Mirador San Nicolas, and dinner at Los Manueles, where we sampled beefy albondigas, more gazpacho, deep-fried eggplant with molasses, and killer codfish and oxtail. On Tuesday, we queued up early to beat out the tour groups at Alhambra to visit the impressive Nasrid Palaces, Alcazaba, and Generalife. Returning downhill, we were less impressed by the Paseo de los Tristes and El Banuelo along the Carrera del Darro. After yummy seafood tapas at Bar Los Diamantes, we relaxed at Hammam Al Andalus with a long soak, scrub, and massage, then returned to a livelier Paseo to dine beside Alhambra with jamon Iberica, gambas of Motril, and black ink paella. A Wednesday morning train delivered us to Cordoba, where we explored the Alacazar de los Reyes Cristianos, strolled past the Roman Bridge, and secured last-minute tickets to the Mezquita, where we appreciated the unique juxtaposition of Catholic and Muslim architecture. We stopped for fresh patatas fritas on the way to Palacio de Viana, where the 12 different patio styles showed us how rich people show off. We sampled empanadas for lunch, then enjoyed our hotel’s rooftop patio for sunset views of the Mosque-Cathedral before dinner. A refreshing breakfast at our hotel courtyard fueled our early shopping and synagogue visit in the Jewish Quarter. With a pastella de Cordoba in hand, we caught the train to Seville to check into our Airbnb at Casa Palacio Gandesa, where the interior felt decadent with library murals and busts of Spanish emperors. The line moved quickly at El Rinconcillo, where we enjoyed pavas de bacalao, ensaladilla, fried fish, and the chalk order directly on the counter. We watched the Supermercado Mas staff unjam their machine for some fresh-squeezed OJ before a siesta of Severance episodes, followed by less-tasty paella for dinner. We started Friday strolling with churros to the Plaza de Espana and Maria Luisa Park, and got lost inside the maze of Real Alcazar’s expansive interior and gardens. The long line to visit the Seville Cathedral took a good chunk out of our planned itinerary, so we skipped climbing La Giralda and headed to lunch at Castizo for excellent cod and rice. Despite an afternoon nap before our evening show at the Museo Baile Flamenco, we fell asleep and missed dinner that night, but were refreshed for our Saturday in Triana. We skipped the soggy-looking churros at Especialista for fresh ones at Mercado de Triana, followed by purchases of jamon, cheeses, and sausage snack cups, and shopping for ceramic bulls and a skinny suit for the meeting banquet. Lunch at Blanco Paloma included crispy croquettes, stuffed aubergines, and sizzling gambas casserole that put us to slumber again before dinner at Al Wadi for kebap and kabseh with lamb that was indistinguishable from chicken. We left Anadalusia in an early-morning Uber with fond memories of the region’s evocative architecture, fresh seafood, and friendly culture.