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.

Swedish Summer

Well, I was very excited to stay here in Stockholm for the summer.  We suffered through the dark winter, and I thought it only appropriate to stay in Sweden at the best time of the year.   I keep hearing locals talk about "Swedish Summer" and now I know exactly what they mean.  Besides a few days in May, where the temperatures reached 70ºF, I've been wearing pants, jackets, and sometimes sweaters everyday.  This is not what I consider summer.  I love the heat, the sun, the pool, the beach, and everything else that we consider "summer".  If we didn't have all these guests visiting us, I would be feeling very sad.  But, since we do have a full line up of family and friends visiting us from the states, this summer is, and will be perfect.

Aunt Dee and Uncle Jimmy were here for a week

How can it possibly be July already?  I have been thrilled to have my 15 year old niece here with us this summer.  I love not only having a girl in the house, but I love having a teenager as well.  Since she lives in Florida, I don't feel too bad that the weather has been horrible this month.  At least she's getting a change of pace.  

Me and Nat

Dee and Jimmy's visit flew by.  Despite the awful weather, we covered a lot of ground, and found time for a Fika each day (Jimmy's favorite pastime).  They arrived just in time for Midsummer, a huge holiday here in Sweden.  It's the official start of summer where many Swedes begin their 5-6 week vacation, the sun only sets for a few hours, and Stockholm becomes a ghost town.  People warned me that Midsummer Eve is the time to celebrate, and since there were only  a handful of city dwellers still here, we decided to have a very traditional Midsummer in Skansen.  Despite the empty city, Djurgården was packed with tourists and some remaining Swedes.  The weather was cold and rainy, so it wasn't exactly the evening we had planned for.  Finding a restaurant that was open that night was VERY difficult.  We made our own fun, and quickly realized that next year, we leave the city and head to an island.  Here are some pictures of us celebrating....

Steve and Jimmy making wreathes 

Chase wearing his wreathe

We love having Nat with us

Steve jumped right in and made a wreathe for Chase.  Traditionally, they go on the Maypole, where adults and children dance around, singing traditional Swedish songs.  We were not able to get close enough to the Maypole, the crowds were too large, but we did hear the songs as we walked by.  We were too busy looking for food to worry about the crowds.  The Swedes eat pickled herring, boiled new potatoes with fresh dill sour cream and chives.  We opted for "Swedish Pizza", which tasted like bacon wrapped in a pancake.  Not sure I want to know the exact ingredients, but it was fun to try it.  

Daddy chowing.... Smith's not so sure

Dee and Jimmy liked it

A lot of alcohol, specifically beer and Shnapps is consumed on the Eve.  We chose to pass on the Schnapp, but did enjoy some wine later that night.  We sat on Strandvagan, looking at the water, drinking wine, champagne, and hot chocolate.  Then decided to roam the streets, trying to find a restaurant that was open.  I am still amazed at how empty the city was that night.  We did find one place that was hopping, the noise could be heard from blocks away..... Fridays.  Yes, we spent Midsummer Eve at Fridays.  I will say, it was a great crowd, American food, and a fun night with family.  

The next day we went on a Segway Tour of Djurgården.  This was definitely the highlight of the week  for the crew.  Nat and I were the only ones that followed the Segway "rules".  Dee tried, but crashed into a tree midway through the tour.  Jim and Steve, well, let's just say, they made our poor tour guide so nervous that she told us after that she will never forget her "American group".  I was so cold that I stood as stiff as a board for the entire 90 minutes.  My toes were completely numb by the time we finished, and a much needed Fika was enjoyed afterwards.

The tours of Stockholm did not stop there.  It was fun going on these tours with everyone, and now,  I am an expert on parts of the city that I haven't spent a lot of time in before.  Södermalm tour was my favorite so far.  The guide was excellent.  Her sense of humor added so much to the experience.  She was actually the same guide that I had at the City Hall tour with Sandi and John.  (Do you guys remember her?).  I love Södermalm, and I realized that I don't go here enough.  It's a huge island that has a very unique feel.  It has been compared to Brooklyn and other "trendy/artsy" areas of NYC.  SoFo was Dee's favorite part of Södermalm, even though we didn't spend as much time in there as we would have liked.  We were able to see the home of Mikail Blomkivist, journalist in Girl With The Dragon Tattoo,  located at Bellmansgatan 1.  Several scenes in the movie were set here.  The views on Södermalm are the best in the city.  It is set very high on cliffs overlooking the waterways.

Me, Dee and Jim after our tour

Dee and Jim

Our next tour took place on Gamla Stan (Old Town).  I mentioned in my past blogs how much I love this area of Stockholm as well.  This tour was not quite as entertaining. The guide was extremely long winded, and there were twice as many people in the group than on the Söder tour.  Dee and I got ourselves into a little bit of trouble when we started taking pictures of one of the group members because she looked identical to one of our friends from Florida.  She was less than happy with us..... causing Dee and I to laugh like school girls in a classroom with a mean teacher.  We ended up leaving this tour early and having fika at Chokladkoppen on Stortorget. They make the best hot chocolate (and even had lactose free milk), so I could indulge.

hot chocolate with a touch of love

Steve met us at Orangeriet after our tours and we were able to show Dee and Jim one of our favorite hangouts on Kungsholmen.  We walked home afterwards, enjoying the nice night.

selfie on the walk home

beautiful view of another favorite restaurant/bar

Other adventures we took with Dee and Jimmy were a trip to  Östermalms Saluhall.  Dee loves this place as much as I do.  We ate good ol Swedish cuisine and then walked around in the rain for the next hour.  I would say they got a dose of Swedish life that day.  Of course we had to squeeze in another fika, and what better day to do it then a cold, rainy day.  We also took a boat tour and saw Stockholm from the waterways.  This two hour tour was full of information and also full of beautiful views.  The boys were not quite as entertained, but thankfully there was a snack bar on the boat that kept them happy.

The week ended with a dinner out at Grand Escalier with Dee and Jimmy, while Natalie babysat the boys.  Before dinner, we visited the Ice Bar and had a lot of laughs drinking on ice (literally).  My favorite quote of the night:  Dee:  "I wonder how they clean these glasses."  For those that don't know, EVERYTHING in the bar is made of ice, including the glasses.

The much dreaded Thursday morning arrived where we had to say goodbye to Dee and Jimmy.  I love having guests visit, but I hate saying goodbye.  Being so far away from friends and family is the hardest part of this journey.  We are so thankful that so many of you took the time, and spent the money to come visit us this summer.  These are memories that will be treasured forever!

The good news is that Natalie is with us for six more weeks.

Nat, me and Dee

After saying goodbye, we all jumped into our mini van (first time we have ever taken one) to Jake's tournament in Vasteras.  It was cold and raining (shocker) most of the weekend, but the boys pulled out a bunch of wins to earn a spot in the quarter finals.  This tournament is one of the largest in Sweden, where there were many good teams.  After a hard fight, we lost, and headed home on Sunday.  Natalie deserves praise.  She suffered through it all, in the rain, and never complained once. I even had to wake her up very early a few of the days.  Did I mention that ALL THREE boys were car sick on the way up?  Yes, I cleaned up vomit three times.  One of those three (name withheld) even managed to throw up in my bag.  After the first incident, I was prepared with a bag, in case we had a round two.  When second son claimed he was going to be sick, I handed him a bag and relaxed a bit.  After hearing, "sorry mom, the bag had a whole in it and now throw-up is in your carry-on bag", I wasn't so relaxed anymore.   So poor Nat, had to spend the entire car ride in the back with these little monsters puking everywhere.  

We did have time to kill between games, so we found a mini golf near the field.  The man who owns it lived in Florida for 20 years and just moved back to Sweden.

Pirate Golf was a hit!  We took these pictures for you Bebop:

Sunday was a day of straightening the house, doing lots and lots of laundry (in my washer/dryer that takes three hours to do one load), and filling our refrigerator with food for the week.  Natalie was finally able to unpack and move into her "own" room.  We spent the week doing a lot of things and shopping was one of them.  I'm finally able to shop with a girl, instead of chasing three wild boys around the store.  Jake and I went to the library and signed up for a library card, and decided that we like the library system here much better.  It's a self check-out, and Jake loved the independence.  And... the librarians were actually nice.  Although there are english books in the library here, we were choosing Swedish books.  Yes, Sofia, our tutor, has us reading swedish picture books.  Even though it took us over an hour to complete one book, we are proud to say we did it!  

That evening, Smith really wanted to go to the park.  Nobody in the family was volunteering to take him. Chase was ready for bed, Jake was relaxing, Steve was working.  Nat jumped up and happily said she'd go.  She also told Smith that she would ride Chase's scooter so he would have someone to ride with.  Did I mention that Natalie is a sweetheart!  The three of us headed to Rålambshovparken and had a great time.  There were a lot of people picnicking and hanging out on the grass, even though they all had warm clothes and blankets around them.  Nat climbed, jumped, scooted, zip lined, and really enjoyed herself at this park.  I met an American woman that was visiting for the week.  We got home close to 10:00pm, but it felt like 6pm with the sky being so bright.

Nat and Smith racing down the street

 Harley girl

Smitty zip lining

cousins

Nat Zipping

The next day we all headed back to the same park and played basketball as well.  After the park, we came home and played board games.  I love that Nat likes games as much as I do.  I finally have someone in the house that will play with me.  Sequence and Rummikub have become our new favorites.  

Chase taking a shot

Smith riding his scooter all around the park

Jake watching his shot

Nat playing Chase's favorite game.... Connect 4.

World Cup Soccer is on all the time in our house. I've even become hooked on it.  Baseball is a thing of the past for me, at least for the next few years.  Swedes don't even know what a softball is.  I've become the true definition of soccer mom.  Jake told me the other day that he's impressed how much I've learned about soccer.  My skills on the field are not quite as impressive as the knowledge in my head.   We decided to go to O'Leary's and watch some World Cup games, but before hand we played a bit of bowling.  Nat, Smith and I were on a team against Chase, Dad and Jake.  It doesn't matter who won, it was good family fun!  hahahah

Nat got a strike

Chase did a dance after each roll

Jakey with his running start

Big push chase

Go Smitty Go!

Brotherly love

Yesterday we had a lot of errands to run before we started packing.  The boys needed shoes, we had to buy suntan lotion, (since we haven't had any need for up to this point), and take care of some other miscellaneous things.  I took the boys to what is known as a "great" children's shoe store, Barniko Specialiten on St. Eriksgatan.  This the second time I've gone here and they have been closed for some random reason.  I think I have just officially boycotted this place for good.  As we walked home, we passed Stockholm Cupcake.  Many friends here in Stockholm have told me about this place,  so we stopped in for a taste.  I must say, besides being the most expensive dessert I've ever bought my children, they weren't anything to write home about.  The boys actually said they didn't want then ever again.  When the owner looked over after Smith made that comment, I decided it was time to go and never come back.

before they took a bite

The night ended with a 9pm bike ride for the entire family.  We cruised around our island, Kungsholmen, then stopped for shakes/ice cream at 10:30.  It was a late night, but super fun.  Smith rediscovered his love of bike riding, after a year of not being on one.  I realized the next morning, when my butt bones hurt like the devil, that I haven't been on a Spin bike in a year.  That made me very sad.  I used to tell all my newbies to get through the pain, continue to come to class for three days, and you will not feel that hurt again.  Wow, I am a newbie on the bike now.  

Nats on her rent-a-bike

Today was packed full with fingerprinting and renewing our Swedish residence cards.  If you have been following this blog from day one, then you will remember the nightmare of a time we had trying to get these cards in the first place.  The second time around, much easier.  We were in and out in less than 30 minutes.  We are old pros at this stuff now.  I guess when you make every mistake the first time around, you become an expert!

The rest of the day was spent preparing for our trip.  We are officially all packed for our 8 days in Portugal.  Steve got a dose of what having a teenage girl is like, while packing for a trip.  It was so nice to watch him compromise and let Nat keep all of her shoes and jackets (yes, she is packing jackets for an 80 degree vacation) in the suitcase.  I'm very proud of both of them.  Nat for standing her ground and insisting that she needs every article of clothing that is in that bag, and Steve, for going with the flow and moving us into a larger suitcase.  

The Payne's (plus 1) are heading out tomorrow morning... bright and early for 8 days of sun, beach, water sports, and lots of fun in Portugal.  

Smith insisted that I use this picture somewhere in my blog