Lord, won't You buy me a house in Galveston?

He found out there was a destination-charger on the island of Galveston and I said the usual "Ok, let's go". Little did I know that I would fall in love with the place...

Those houses by the sea: lovely. All of them.

I remember feeling something similar the first time I went to Florida, to St. Augustine, and being so smitten by the place I went to open houses just to imagine what it would be like to be there. I didn't go on a house hunt this time but my heart told me I wouldn't mind coming back. The only thing that still strikes my European gaze as odd, is the cars by the beach. We have never developed that habit...

And what if those were Teslas?

Washington-on-the-Brazos, TX

Who would have guessed that Texas was once a (sort of) independent nation? Well, one has to come to Washington-on-the-Brazos to learn just that.

Interesting to notice what utopias can accomplish. Marvelling at the centenarian trees and the replicas of the houses of when Washington-on-the-Brazos was the heart of independent Texas does make one's thoughts drift back in time.

In this 21st century of ours is now easy to guess what was the result of the simple yes-no referendum... 

In Houston, Texas

48 hours before going back to the States and resume our coast-to-coast roadtrip, time to rewind and go back in time to the moments when the decision was made to welcome Tesla to our lives.
It was here at the North-Houston Tesla Service Center and Store that the features of the Model S were chosen.

I mean, I didn't choose anything. I remember being asked about my preferences and it was all geek jargon to me until they showed me the colours the Model S comes in.
- Solid white - I said and I guess it was the sole contribution I made to the Creature that would arrive a few months later. The road, always the road, the open wide road was my main interest. After all, what's a roadtrip without the road?

 

Euro Champions

And so it came to happen that Portugal is now the European Football Cup Champion of 2016. At this Tesla-household we couldn't be prouder or happier.
Way to go national team! Obrigada!

In Palmela

A hot July day is always a nice excuse to drive south. To Palmela we went and, as all Europeans know, one of the best places from where to truly appreciate a village or a town and its surroundings is a castle.

Our ancestors knew it all. Up in a castle there's no way you do not spot enemy armies and when there's peace, boy, the views are stunning (always!).

Built in the 8th century, the castle, however, can be dated to a primitive fortress built as far back as the 1st century AD and the Roman period.

Apart from the usual fortifications and defense towers, the walls of the castle also protect several religious buildings assigned to the Order of Saint James, a religious-military order, much like the Knights Templar, but, unlike these, the Knights of Saint James were not bound by celibacy vows.

Totally worth a visit and, for us, another instance when the super-modern Tesla was in close quarters with the ancient.