PORTO
As we crossed into Portugal, we noticed two things: the terrain got hillier, and gas was cheaper. We were curious to see how Portugal fared on the gluten-free scale compared to Spain.

It is easy to see why Salamanca is a UNESCO city. The old city is packed with must-visit sights, and it seemed to be gluten-free savvy.

As someone who’s all about festivals (San Antonio has a ten-day fiesta every April), I couldn’t pass up the six-day San Fermin Festival. Pamplona is a modern city, but its ancient quarter is where the festival unfolds and where our bull racing and gluten-free adventure began.

Yes, we did indeed sign up to run with the bulls in Pamplona. A little crazy, perhaps, but definitely an experience worth having. So, off we flew to Madrid to continue our gluten-free travels.

October is homecoming month so we undertook our Tour d’Ohio in early October. This was a chance to revel in crisp autumn temperatures and glorious trees. The trees were barely turning colors, but a cool snap brought the temperature down to a sweatshirt-worthy level.

When you think of Texas, great food doesn’t always come to mind, especially when you’re out in the more rural areas.

Barcelona may be the Texas of Spain as it wishes to split off and become it’s own country, in this case Catalonia. This is a city that loves art and architecture and many buildings reflect the talent of Gaudi and other artists.

I need to mention our dining experience at Harlow. It was recommended by my offspring, who particularly crave the Mushroom Scallion Biscuit which is, of course, gluten-free.

My California daughter and fellow GF traveler recommended this restaurant and boy was I glad she did.

An unforgettable dining experience in Portland for our family has been Bamboo Sushi.

October is homecoming month so we undertook our Tour d’Ohio in early October. This was a chance to revel in crisp autumn temperatures and glorious trees. The trees were barely turning colors, but a cool snap brought the temperature down to a sweatshirt-worthy level.

We decided on this cruise mainly because our friends raved about Ephesus in Turkey (continent of Asia) and I’ve always had a soft spot for Biblical sites. So, we set off from the port of Kusadasi to experience the wonders of Ephesus thirty miles away.

Santorini must be the dream destination for geologists. Those sheer cliffs are a dramatic testament to a volcanic eruption around the 17th century BC, which some believe inspired the Atlantis myth.

Leaving the port of Katakolon on the mainland of Greece and heading to Olympia felt like time-traveling back to the 8th century BC, when athletes competed not for gold medals, but for olive wreaths and eternal glory. As we strolled through this ancient “Olympic Village,” we marveled at the sheer number of buildings—gymnasiums where athletes honed their skills, temples where they prayed to the gods for victory, and the stadium with its straight track.

Sorry (not sorry) but we feasted mostly on the scenery and our only food sustenance this day was the excellent local olives and peanuts we received while working on our golden tans.

Portofino, Italy might just be the pinnacle of postcard-perfect destinations, where every turn reveals a scene straight out of a classic Italian film. The mountains draped in foliage, dotted with elegant villas, lead down to a tiny cove that cradles the town. The buildings, painted in a vibrant palette, add a splash of color against the deep greens and blues of the landscape.

Bienvenue à France! There’s nothing quite like enjoying breakfast on your ship’s balcony while gliding into the port of Marseille, France’s most important maritime hub.

Zooming past the port of Málaga, we hopped onto a bus bound for Granada, cruising through the Sierra Nevada mountains. It felt like driving through California, only instead of vineyards, the golden hills were draped in olive orchards. Swap those grapevines for olive trees, and you’ve got the picture.

What I knew about Gibraltar could fit into an area the size of…well, Gibraltar. I always imagined it as a lone island bobbing off somewhere in the Mediterranean, but it turns out this little chunk of land is actually a peninsula clinging to the southern tip of Spain like a stubborn barnacle.

Full disclosure, I am a good friend of Blanca Aldaco the originator and namesake of this restaurant. However, Aldaco’s has offered gluten-free options since 1999, even before gluten-free was glamorous (if it can indeed be considered glamorous) so it has earned the right to be included in this blog.