Vacation in Portugal

We are back after spending eight days in Portugal.  It was so nice to be able to relax and enjoy the sunshine and warm weather, with no agenda.  It as been a busy year for us.... especially Steve, and all of his travel, so this much needed R&R was a blessing.  We arrived at Alfagar on Friday evening just in time for dinner.  We checked into our apartment and marveled at our view.

The boys were so excited to see this view from our balcony....

Jake spent every waking minute playing on this field, "pitch" with all of his new friends.  He met a group of boys from Holland that love to play soccer as much as he does.  We didn't see much of Jake during the day.  Smith and Chase joined him on occasion, and Steve got his workout in during the "parent/kid" match that happened each morning around 10am.  Nat and I woke up and headed to the beach and caught some rays before the boys joined us.

The water at the beach was crystal clear and a beautiful blue color.  Unfortuntely, it was so cold that we didnt go in past our waist.  We Floridians (I'm an ex-Floridian) are so spoiled by the bath water that we swim in each summer.  I am doubly spoiled because Bebop heats the pool to 80ºF for me all year round.

Our walk to the beach was nice.  Alfagar is set high on the cliffs, so we would walk about 50-70 steps down to the beach each day.  This made for a great circuit workout each morning too.  I would sneak out while the crew was all sleeping and head down to the beach.  Strength training on the sand, mixed with sprinting up steps for the cardio heart rate challenge, made for a great way to start my day!

Nat and the boys heading down to the beach

beautiful walk to the ocean

Once at the beach, I caught rays European style.  They don't seem to enjoy the beach chair like we Americans do.... so I roughed it on the towel.

The busy beach

The boys, especially Smith, were enamored by the sandy cliff.  They spent a good part of each day climbing it.... And running and rolling down.

Chase's legs would go so fast that he would tumble down

Nat and I decided it was too fun to pass up.  I especially liked the leg workout it gave me climbing this monster.   Now I know why kids are always hungry... the boys climbed this thing at least 20 times each day.  Twice was enough for me to get my heart rate up.

We dug holes, built sand castles, and played paddle ball as well.  

Smith loved all the "caves" that were built into the cliffs.  We had are own special cave where we kept our drinks and fruit from the sun's heat.

We wanted to take advantage of the paddle boats, banana boats and jet skis that were available to rent, but the water was so cold, we were all chicken to go in.  Let me explain what I mean by cold..... the first few minutes that your feet and toes were in the water, they actually went numb.  A dull headache would then begin.  If you were brave enough to stay in past that time (which Nat and I were), then your entire body went numb.  The thought of dunking my head under this frigid water was more than I could bare.  So, we enjoyed the beach from the sand most of the time.

I love this picture of Steve.... especially because he's wearing Nat's glasses.  Even with teenage, girly glasses, he's still so cute!

Did I mention that Europeans not only like to sunbathe from their towel, but they love to sunbathe topless?  Yes, my boys' eyes nearly popped out of their heads when they first discovered this beach-going tradition.  It's always the women that have no right being topless, that are the ones proudly sporting it around the beach.  No picture necessary here... I'm sure you've "seen" enough.

The resort had numerous pools and water slides, so we usually spent the second half of the day in those areas.  The pool water was a far cry from warm, but it was much more bearable.  Bebop, you would be proud.  I actually spent a good deal of time in that water, and I even went under.

Jake and Smith loved hanging on this palm tree

a few of the water slides on site

smith on the fountain with the beach in the background

Steve, Smith and Chase throwing a ball

Nat swimming with Chase

The food in Portugal was definitely not on the top of my list.  We ate at a few of the restaurants on the resort, which I would not recommend.  We ventured out into Old Town a few nights where the food was much better, but not fantastic.  We ate a lot of steak this week.  I did like Old Town though.  It had a great vibe, lots of restaurants, bars, and shops.  There was a bit of hustling when it came to choosing a restaurant though.  I'm not a fan of being bombarded while I am choosing a place to dine.  Portugal as a whole reminded me of Mexico.  The surrounding area was not well kept, the homes looked run down, and there wasn't any pretty landscaping.  The people were very nice though.  English was spoken by everyone, which made it very easy to get around.  Steve learned that this area  is a big expat community for the Brits.

Our first visit to Old Town

Nat and the boys on the streets of Old Town

Chase and Smith played with all the toys

Acting crazy on the streets

The second day we were in Portugal, the temperatures dropped 10 degrees.  It was breezy and cloudy.  I panicked a bit wondering if the bad weather was going to follow me around Europe.  Thankfully, the rest of the week was hot and sunny.  We decided to go obstacle course climbing at a place next to our resort.  It was the most fun I've had in a really long time.   

Smith and Nat on the practice course

Chase was so brave

Chase tackling a course

 This next picture has Smith in the red sweatshirt leading the way.  Jake is waiting on the platform for Smith to get across and Nat just completed the "spiderman" web.

Nat and I found this part of the course most difficult

Steve and I were impressed with all the kids.  They had no fear!  Chase was up really high on some of the courses and he never got scared.  He loved it!

the zip line was part of the course

Nat, Jake and I finished the day with the most difficult course.  Since I was the oldest, I led the way.  There was one point where I had to zip across the terrain, land on a small platform, climb a ladder to the top of the tree, and then grab a rope and "tarzan" across to the next tree.  Having a slight fear of heights, this was very scary for me.  I actually was trying to figure out a way to get out of it.  I then decided that I had to be mentally stronger than this..... I talked myself through it and finished the course.  My adrenaline was pumping.  

Nat in one of the trees that we had to climb

Jake finishing one of the harder courses

Nat and Jake were climbing partners

Smitty zipping to finish one of the courses

Me during my final climb

Nat crossing the trees

Steve zipping in to finish a course

That night we thought it would be a good idea to make tacos.  We were all tired from the long day of climbing.  Steve and I saw that they had taco mix in the grocery store, so we assumed they had all the other ingredients that went with a taco.  Wrong we were!  Apparently when Steve asked the butcher for chopped meat (to make tacos), he thought that ground pork stuffed with spinach and cheese was how we Americans eat our tacos.  Not realizing that the meat was stuffed, Steve took it home, tore it open, and instantly found himself on Hell's Kitchen trying to impress Chef Ramsay.  Chef Ramsay is easy to please compared to our boys when it comes to tacos.  The result.....

Chase instantly cried and yelled at Steve.... "why did  you change the tacos that I like?".  Smith and Nat didn't love them, but both ate them without complaining.  Jake came in after playing soccer and and had no clue that there was a recipe change.  He sat down and gobbled up three tacos not noticing the difference.  I wasn't very hungry, so I chose to eat only one..... which was quite enough for me.  shhhhhh

The next few days we spent enjoying the beach and the pool.  I finished one book and was half way through the next.  Sitting by the beach and pool, sipping cocktails, while tanning, is my dream vacation.  

I loved this view of the Ocean.... not so much of the photo bomber in the pool

Monday night was Steve and my 13th anniversary.  We ate at Fugi, Japanese steak house.  It was in New Town, or "the strip" as they refer to it.  It was walking distance to our resort (15 minute walk).  This was the best meal of the week.  The service was great, the company was awesome, and the food was delicious.  It was a perfect way to celebrate our anniversary.

Jake sipping on some Miso soup

the flames always captivate the audience

Love these two

My (sometimes) sweet family

We laughed at the differences in cultures, and how simple things such as a Japanese steak house can be so different, yet so alike.  The chef doesn't do the fancy tricks like we're used to in America.  They also don't put the plates in front of you and serve you as they cook it.  Instead, he cooks the entire meal, divides it on the plates that remain in front of him, then it's all served to us by the waitress.  The steak is the last thing they put on our plate, after we've finished the rice, shrimp, and veggies.  

The meal was so lovely that Steve and the boys gave the sweet Japanese waitress a hug when we left.

The following night was a World Cup match so we ate on the resort and hung out on the patio/bar watching Brazil get slaughtered by Germany.  Nat and I played Rummikub while everyone yelled around us.  The weather was perfect, the boys were all happy, and we had a great night.

We woke up early Wednesday morning for a day at Aquashow, water park.  Something about water parks and amusement parks that regardless of how old/young you are, you feel like a kid again.  

We had such a great time on all the rides and slides.  What Mommy has to realize is that I have neck problems and that all that fun had a hefty price the next day.  Thursday, Friday, Saturday and part of Sunday I had a massive headache.  I wasn't sure if I picked up a mild virus, or if the neck injury caused it, but I had a headache, achy muscles, and slight nausea for the next two days.  

That evening we ate on the resort again so we could secure a good spot on the patio for the Holland vs. Argentina game.  Since we made a few friends from Holland, we watched the game with the whole crew.  Nat and I sat on the same couch and played round two of Rummikub while watching Holland lose a tough match to Argentina.  The difference between Dutch fans watching their favorite team play and Americans watching their favorite team play...... not a lot of yelling and cursing at refs and players.  If we were in America, watching a football game, it would have been a VERY loud crowd, and I probably would have put earplugs on my children.

We were crazy that night

crazy night of fun

Intense game of Rummikub

Nat didn't make it for the whole game

Our vacation was quickly coming to a close.  We all agreed that we had a great time, but going home was very appealing.  The resort was nice, but I think the standards are a bit different in our neck of the woods.  A lot of people warned me that these resorts are not what we are used to in the Caribbean and in America, but we brushed them off.  I now understand what they meant.  The resort did not have an ATM on site, however, we couldn't charge things to our room at the pool and beach.  They all wanted cash too.  When I go on vacation, I want you to make it super easy for me to relax and spend money.  hahaha....   They actually did the opposite.  

The food quality was not at all what we expected it to be on site, so we decided to spend our last two nights in New Town and Old Town.  

Of course Nat and I squeezed in a mani/pedi before the week was over.  It was very interesting how they did the pedicure.  We never put our feet in water, instead, we laid on a table as if we were getting a massage.  They did our pedicures in that position.  It was really nice, so no complaining from us.  Just very different than what we're used to.  

Nat and I before dinner

Yummy little Tex Mex restaurant

Love this picture of Chase... not me

Nat loving some mint chocolate chip

Smith usually wears more of his ice cream than he eats

Yummy

The last night in Old Town was a lot of fun.  We ate at Bank the first night here, so I convinced everyone to try a new place.  They all loved their steaks at Bank so much that I had a lot of convincing to do.  Here's a picture of Jake the first night, cooking his own steak on the stone.  Afterwards, he modeled my denim jacket on the street.

The final night in Old Town, I chose Bravo.  I ate Salmon, the others enjoyed another steak.  We all agreed that the dining experience was much better at Bravo mainly because Bank rushed us in and out.  We ate so fast at Bank that we were actually angry afterwards.  

This restaurant allowed us to take our time and enjoy each course.  And.. the desserts were AMAZING!

Hence our happy faces!!!!

After dinner we strolled the streets, spent money on souvenirs, and watched a few street performers entertain the crowd.

smooches with my boys

This little performer looked up my skirt during his routine

Chase got his sword which was his only goal that evening

Donal Duck showed up for the night too....

The saddest part for me was saying goodbye to the beach, the warm weather, and eventually to my tan.  I know that this will be my only week of "real" summer.  I enjoyed every minute of it... and really wish I didn't take for granted that I grew up on Long Island, minutes from the beach.  Lived a good portion of my life in South Florida, minutes from the beach, and all of our family lives minutes from the beach back in America.

I will end with these three things....

This is the first dish I was introduced to in Portugal.

Yes, his teeth are still attached

Next, I'm reminded that I'm raising international children when I hear comments like this come from my four year old's mouth:

After landing in Germany, connecting to Portugal, Chase looks out the window and says, "Mom, we are in Germany!"  Surprised that he knew this, since neither Steve nor I said a word to him about our connection, I asked how he knew that we were in Germany.  He looks out the window, points to the German flag on the plane next to us and says, "because there's a German flag right there mom".  

I know for a fact that I didn't know what the German flag looked like when I was four years old..... as a matter of fact, I may not have known what the German flag looked like until I moved here last year.

Finally, I forgot to mention that this was Chase's favorite thing on Alfagar Beach Resort.....

Chase used the bidet after all of his poops

We just got word that our next guests have arrived safely at Arlanda airport.  Can't wait to share the adventures of the Gavin's and Payne's in Stockholm.