Geres National Park

Last weekend we were invited by some friends at church to go to a lake in the Geres National Park.  We were excited because we had been told that it was well worth the trip.  We headed out about 9am on Saturady morning and after a 2 hour drive (all the way to the Spainish norther border) and a 30 minute hike down the mountain, we came upon a beautiful small lake.  We all spent the day swimming, playing games and sharing a picnic.  It was beautiful and reminded us of our beloved East TN.  We will definitly visit again soon.

FREE DAY!!!!

Saturday was the first day in a LONG TIME that neither Micah or Ethan had a ballgame, so since the sun was shining - we took off on a day trip. We headed back to Guimaraes (one of our new favorite palces). We visited last fall with my parents, but all the museums were closed :(  This city is called the birthplace of Portugal, becuase it is where the first king is said to have been born. It is such a charming city. Here are some of our favorite pictures.

Party in Portugal

Last night we had a Chrsitmas party with our fellow collegues. We were all Americans, but we partied in true Portuguese form because we did not get home until after 1am and we were not the last to leave.  There was more food than we could possibly eat and the kids had a great time exchanging gifts and decorating cookies.  After most everyone left, a few stragglers  stayed to play Guitar Hero/Band.  It was hilarious but a good time was had by all.  Thanks Mark for a rousing jam session.  Thanks MG & Cristi for opening your home.  It was a great night.

We are so blessed to be a part of such a wonderful group.

Our last few weeks have been quite adventurous, so this post is full of pictures. Our local area is having a week-long festival so we went down to check it out. We felt like we were back in TN at a spring time festival. There were street vendors, crafters, carnival food and concerts.

We also went on 2 field trips this week. The first was to one of our favorite Portuguese castles where there was a mideval fair. The boys loved it - knights, jousting & sword fighting.

Today we went to see an old restored ship and the Christ Statue on the other side of the river. It was such a beautiful sight. However as we stood there and viewed the whole city, someone said it looked as if the whole city of Lisbon stood in the shadow of Christ. I agreed it was a nice thought, but pray that one day the people will fully understand what it means to stand in the shadow of the cross.

Our Holiday Travels - Day 4 (last day)

On our last day we decided to stop in the town of Tomar because we heard they were having a huge Lego exibition. After looking at the map & GPS, we decided to take a "short-cut" - NOT!! After almost an hour of very curvy, hilly country-side roads, our friends (who were blindly following us) asked if we were still in Portugal. We assured them we were and eventually found Tomar. It was worth it. It is the cutest town and the Lego exibition was great. Look at what we found!!!!

Our Holiday Travels - Day 3

Today we took a boat ride on the Douro River. There are 6 bridges near the heart of Porto and this tour covers them all. The kids loved it. Then we went back to the hotel and the boys got to swim. Public pools are a rarity here, so they totally love it.

Our Holiday Travels - Day2 cont

Once we checked in at our hotel in Porto and meet our friends, we headed down to the river for dinner. As always the river was beautiful! As we walked across the bridge there was a man with an acordian. Andy paid him a little, he began to play and Ethan took off! Before we realized it he had gathered a crowd.
(PAUSE THE MUSIC A THE BOTTOM OF THE BLOGPAGE BEFORE WATCHING THE VIDEO)



Micah with our friend's little boy. He LOVES Micah!


Walking across the bridge at sunset.


The view from the river at night. It is marvelous.

Our Holiday Travels - Day 2

One day 2 we visited a small town that is bordered by the ocean on one side and a marshy inlet on the other. It is a traditional fishing area and the boats were amazing. They all had very detailed paintings on the outside. As we walked down the dock we noticed a path of flowers. We thought it might be a wedding, but discovered it was for the "Blessing of the Boats". Later, while on the ocean-side of town, we saw another flower display. It seems the priest was coming to bless the boats and the fisherman. As we were leaving we saw the priest's procession coming down the street. It was very interesting, but as we stopped to watch I was reminded of the ritualistic nature of this religion. These people are bound by these rituals and don't have the true freedom of life.

Our Holiday Travels - Day 1 Continued

After visiting the castle, we traveled to the town of Sao Joao da Madeira for a city festival. There were various food booths to choose from and a stage for different performances. We were able to hear a senior adult choir and see a children's dance group. It was so great to be out among nationals! On our walk back to the car we encountered 2 goats by the side of the raod (in the middle of town) and the boys fed them grass through the fence. It was so - random!

Our Holiday Day Travels - Day 1

This past week we had 3 days off from school, so we headed out for Porto. We did so many things that I can not include them in just one post, so this is the first of 3 or 4 posts about our travels. Our first day was spent with new friends. They work with another organization, but have been in Portugal for over 25 years. They served as our tour guides for the first 2 days and we had a blast! They also shared their passion for the people of Portugal and encouraged us greatly. There is a castle near their home and they thought the boys might enjoy a visit. When we drove up Andy and I both looked at eachother and said, "We've been here before!" On our previous vounteer trip a few years ago, we stopped at this castle, but it was closed. We were so excited that it was open this time and plesantly suprised to find a children's presentation with actors and puppets. It was GREAT!

Pedro & Ines

Today we went visited the city of Alcobaca and learned the story of Portugal's real-life Romeo & Juliet - Pedro & Ines. Enjoy the pictures and the story.

Make a Smilebox postcard

CARNIVAL!!!

I know I have already posted once today, but I could not pass up the opportunity to post pictures of our latest Portuguese adventure. We are all out of school for 3 days for the Portuguese celebration of Carnival. Today was the local parade and we ventured out with some of our "M" friends. This is the same as our celebration of Mardi Gras in the states. Since we lived in New Orleans for 2 years, I thought I knew what to expect. Boy was I surprised! We saw a little bit of everything, but mostly men dressed as women and women dressed in very little. All the children dress up, but I was amazed at how many adults dressed up. The stores look like Halloween in the states with all the costume choices. It is crazy!! Below are some of pictures of our adventure.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

RECONNECTED!!

After almost 3 weeks without internet, we are finally reconnected.

We have begun settling into our new apartment and a fairly good daily routine. Both the boys like their schools and seem to be making freinds. Ethan says the thing he misses most is the playground. Here the play areas are all concrete - even the soccer field area. Micah is walking back and forth from school to home and is enjoying the freedom his new school offers. He has been suprised at the open campus. He can come and go when he does not have class and there is also a students break room where they have a snack bar and ping-pong table. This is for the kids that don't leave for lunch (they have an hour).

Andy and I have been on a few field trips with our language class in the last few weeks. We visited a monestary, a castle and the local market. I think the market has been my favorite. It was just like being at a West TN flea market - and they have it twice a week!! You can find anything - curtinas, linens, kitchen stuff, clothes, DVDs, toys, fresh produce, anything.

We are finally beginning to feel HOME!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Our Day at Cascais

Tuesday we took a 30 minute train ride to the beautiful city of Cascais. It is right on the water and a huge tourist and surfing area. One M couple on our team is working with the surfers in the area. They, along with one of our J-girls, showed us around the quaint little city and the seaside as well. The views were amazing. The waves were crashing so hard that it sounded like thunder at times. I told them that I had a new place to add on my list of favorite places. It is nice to know in just 30 minutes we can be out of the city and in this beautiful place. I told them they would not have to twist my arm for us to come back. Below are some of the pictures we took along the way. They can not do the beauty of this place justice.

Tomorrow we take an open-top bus tour of the city. The boys are so excited. Look for more pictures to come and hopefully a video tour of our apartment. (If I can figure the camera out.)