Lisbon

We're in the airport in Lisbon waiting to take an early getaway to Rio de Janeiro for the start of about 5 weeks in South America.

I could have spent much more time in Lisbon. Everything - the weather, the people and the prices - all surprised us and made the trip very enjoyable. Some highlights of the three-night visit:

- The Maritime Museum (Auggie definitely made his euros count here).

- The Oceanarium (one of the world's biggest, with a sunfish and sandtiger sharks, who reproduce through intro-uterine cannibalism, by which 9 emryos fight until only two remain).

- Dirt-cheap beer - A home-cooked meal at the best hostel in the world.

- Not missing our flight out

We have no idea what we'll do or where we'll stay when we land in Rio late on Tuesday afternoon, but we're excited. We're excited to stop spending euros, and we're excited to fly as far away as possible from any tajines, couscous, shawarmas. We're also excited to see how far Phil's Spanish can take us. But most of all, we're excited to move one step closer to seeing the flute bands, guinea hamsters and guinea pirates of Peru.