I view each of my Europe trips in segments. So far, my spring 2017 trip has had three: Sicily tour, Naples/Amalfi Coast, and Rome. Now, for the fourth segment, I’ve flown to Lisbon, zipped up to Nazaré, and joined my TV crew (producer Simon Griffith and cameraman Karel Bauer). For the next 12 days or so, it’s TV production in Portugal.

I recently started a new tradition of sending the crew over a day ahead of me to collect B-roll (lovely video clips without me to make sure the show looks beautiful). That extra day gives us flexibility to deal with possible weather frustrations. Simon and Karel, with the help of our wonderful local guide, Teresa Ferreira, have had a great first day. I've just joined them and we're enjoying our ritual barnacles-and-beer break. There’s nothing quite like ripping open barnacles with the expert help of your local guide, especially when you're within sight of the rocks where they were harvested on the wild west coast of Portugal. Don’t you agree?

(This is Day 36 of my "100 Days in Europe" series. As I travel with Rick Steves’ Europe Tours, research my guidebooks, and make new TV shows, I’m reporting on my experiences in Italy, Portugal, France, Ireland, England, Scotland, Germany, Switzerland, and more. Follow along at http://www.ricksteves.com/blog.)