Weekend Wanderings

Portugal is almost 900 years old.  So yeah, castles, battlefields, legends, medieval villages, churches of every architectural era, and historical monuments are rampant.  Each village/town/region is known for something gastronomically unique: a liquor, a dessert, a main dish, a type of bread...

Mark and I want to experience, see and taste it all.  But alas, life with kids dictates differently (thank goodness for our weekly date day)! We are figuring out our weekends: balancing down time at home with taking advantage of the fact we live in Europe(!).

A picture is worth a thousand words:

Praia do Meco -- huge waves and optional nudism. When in Rome...will spare you that family photo!

The view of Sesimbra from the 900 year old castle on the hill

St. Justa's Elevator - Lisbon

Deciding what sea creature to have for lunch...

Riding a Tuk Tuk in downtown Lisbon - pretty sure we broke all "safety in vehicle" laws...

The entrance to my cousin's apartment building - tall doorways were an influence of the Moors from over 1000 years ago

On the ferry home from Troia - a beach village where we hung out with cousins

Making friends at a local festival

The festival was celebrating the harvest of the Camponesa apple - a variety found only in this region

In Setubal on "date day" - famous for fried cuttlefish (like this one!)

Cabo Espichel - a hike along the coast on "date day "

Palacio da Pena (caslte) in Sintra where royalty vacationed since the early 1800's

Same castle, our group of Princesses!

Bacalhoa winery in Azeitao, 10km from home--maker of Moscatel and many other delicious wines. 
For 3 euros, we tried lots...yes, it was "date day"; ie. no kids.

After some much needed lunch, in Azeitao.

In Obidos, a town built in the 1200s, within medieval castle walls. 
Meet our knight, our warrior princess, and our court jester!  

Trying Ginga from Obidos - sour cherry liqueur served in chocolate shot glasses

In Sao Pedro de Moel - I spent 4 summer holidays here with my aunt, uncle and cousins.
Thrilled to share with my kids!

In Aljubarrota - a battlefield where, in 1300s, 8,000 of the good guys beat 42,000 of the Castellanos (Spanish),
and Portugal secured independence from Spain

The Monastary in Batalha - the most visited monument in Portugal. It took almost 200 years to build...

In Nazare - home to the highest wave ever surfed...80 feet tall.  Worth googling the video!