Portugal Journal

During the late 1970s and the 1980s I corresponded with a Portuguese lady, Ana Paula who lived on the outskirts of Lisbon, in the suburb of Almada. After about 3 years of writing to each other she invited me to her home for a holiday and it was a wonderful two weeks. After that I visited again another 3 times. I experienced the real Portugal and not just as a tourist.  The last time I visited was Christmas 1995 which was so different to our Christmas in UK! Sadly, I never got the opportunity to visit again after that as over the next 10 years Ana Paula became very ill and passed away in 2005.  I am still in contact with her niece and daughter but I will always remember my good friend and the wonderful times we spent together.  I am in the process of creating two journals which are made up of Ana Paula's letters to me and little gifts and postcards she enclosed with the letters.  Making the journals is very therapeutic and it brings back lots of happy memories when I sort through the photos and bits and pieces I plan to include.  It's very much a work in progress!