Jews lived in Portugal for centuries, both during the Moorish period and after the Christian conquest. My husband, Jerry, and I took an excellent, 10-day customized tour of Portugal and Morocco, with an emphasis on the history and culture of Jews in both countries. We arranged it with Heritage Tours (New York, NY; 800/378-4555, http://htprivatetravel.com). In Portugal we visited Lisbon, Sintra and Óbidos. In Sintra, don’t miss the Pena Palace (pictured above, behind Nili); I have...

I would like to share the following information gathered during a trip to Portugal with my husband, Kip, Nov. 5-14, 2008.

Although taxis in Lisbon are inexpensive, we remind you to not trust the drivers. We had six taxi rides, and we know positively that three drivers tried to cheat us. The others may have cheated us as well but we just didn’t catch it.

One driver tried to shortchange us by €3. Another didn’t turn on the meter when taking us from our Lisbon hotel to the airport...

My wife, Nancy, and I were the oldest patrons in the restaurant. Younger senior citizens addressed me as “sir.” That’s when I suddenly realized, in my 75th year, that I have become an aging traveler.

I’m one of those lucky people who has traveled each year from childhood. Retired for more than 15 years, I continue to travel independently two or three times a year. While we have aged, my spouse and I are healthy and still more or less mobile. We believe that the purpose of travel is...