Lisbon is one of the many places throughout the Iberian Peninsula that’s been ruled and conquered and renaissanced by layers of peoples over time, and it still shows.

Up-in-the-mountains Sintra is heavily influenced by running water. Walk ten minutes and you’ll pass ten fountains.

I found Cascsis mostly as I had left it: families on holiday stretched out on the sand, friendly games of beach volleyball, the sun shining down on gelado indulgers (the beach town gets over 300 days of sun yearly), and charming walkable neighborhoods and promenades.

Quimper is the prefecture of Finistère and the ancient capital of Cornouaille. It’s found at the confluence of the Odet and Steir rivers (Kemper means confluent in Breton) and is known for the iconic Breton architecture and its towering gothic Cathédrale Saint-Corentin.

My chambre de bonne was between Plage des Sables Blancs and Plage de Kernous, an idyllic Breton setting for the sunset to beam through the skylight.

Quimperlé sits along the Laïta River. I stumbled into this spooky grey town on a grey January day, but still found some color and charm.

Pont-Aven, known as the “City of 15 Mills,” was a source for inspiration for Paul Gauguin, among its many water mills, paper mills, and grain mills. Some include the Moulin du Grand Poulguin, now an operating restaurant, and the 15th-century Moulin de Rosmadec. Here, I wandered along the fast river Aven that rushes through the town and picked up another copy of Le Petit Prince to grow my polyplot collection.

The lake had an indigo aura that day, and I was delighted to see swans meandering along the lake’s edge. On a clear day, the Swiss Alps can be seen from the park, and on a cloudy day, they can be imagined.

The highlight was a post-apèro afternoon sunset boat ride around the lake. Mountains towered over us as we were shown Château de Menthon-Saint-Bernard, which inspired the palace in Sleeping Beauty. It was a clear day, so Mont Blanc was in view. At night, the stars were like crystals and Pleiades sparkled in full view over the lake.