The Last Old Place: A Search Through Portugal

A former American diplomat, linguist and ardent fly fisherman, Proper ( What the Trout Said ) combines a travel journal, rich in astute, witty commentaries on Portugal and its people, with self-revealing personal recollections. The route selected by the author and his 77-year-old Portuguese companion took them, on foot and by car, from Lisbon and the southern port of Sagres, from which Prince Henry the Navigator launched western expansion, to the northern Douro Valley, famed for its port wine. With a sure, deft touch, Proper evokes the essence of places as different as the walled city of Evora, replete with Roman-Moorish-Christian grandeur, and the inviting countryside, where they paused to sample savory fare and test the trout streams. The book offers an engaging portrait of a small country ``top-heavy with history'' and its hospitable though in many cases impoverished people. Illustrations. (Mar.)