Portugal 2023 - Trip with Parents and Betsy

Day 1: Sunday April 23 to Monday April 24

Off to Portugal! We had a relaxed morning at home, enjoying breakfast and getting the dogs off to Langdon's house. We finished packing and headed to our 4:45 flight to Heathrow. Check-in was easy and we got on the British Airways flight without incident. We had a whole row to ourselves and after a nice-inflight meal and discovering that Fiona loved the BA spicy pretzels - we settled down for some sleep. The kids actually slept surprisingly well for a flight.

We were unfortunately a bit late arriving and so missed our Lisbon connection. We were handed new tickets as we got off the plane that routed us through Madrid with a LONG lay-over. After a quick stop for emergency pees, Crystal got in line to talk to the agent while Mac and the kids watched the bags. Crystal got an agent that was remarkably (!) helpful and rebooked us right into Porto, saving us a long drive. They also rebooked our car rental (!) and gave us ticket vouchers (!) and (we would discover later) would refund about 3/4 the cost of the total trip due to the "disruption" (!!!) Meanwhile Mac and the kids got cookies and coloring books from another BA agent. A surprisingly easy layover in Heathrow.

After a relatively easy layover in Heathrow where we got snacks and played in the kids area, we boarded a Finn air flight only to sit on the runway for an hour. The tablets were still charged so it was relatively ok. We got into Porto, picked up our car, realized they lost our car seats and then headed over the the rental house in Port where Chris and Andy (who arrived earlier after a few days in the Azores) were waiting with soup, sandwiches and Pain de Rata - a delicious custard dessert. Showers, baths and then bed after a long day of travel.

Mac apparently "never" sleeps on planes.

Fiona does though!

Day 2: Tuesday April 25

We all slept in after a hard day of travel and then Andy and went to pick up Betsy, Jesse and Nora at the Porto airport. We spent the day exploring the property, swimming, sun bathing and catching up. The house was truly amazing! It was gigantic and had a pool, a little cabin next to the pool with bathrooms, extensive bedrooms as well as an espresso machine and big kitchen!

We all had LOTS and LOTS of espresso as we worked to adjust to the time zone changes. We had lunch by the pool and then walked down to the little restaurant at the bottom of the hill. We ordered WAY too much food as well as white wine sangria and Portuguese folks and tourists mingled at the restaurant along the river. It was a relaxing and enjoyable dinner with delicious food. This was the anniversary of the carnation revolution (more on that later) and a national holiday in Portugal, so the restaurant was packed!

The kids were pooped and Elliot read a bit and then went to bed while Wes, Andy and Mac played pool before heading off to bed. The best part of the night was putting Fiona to bed, but forgetting her socks. She loudly demanded them then declared “give me my socks, I’ll put them on” then slammed the door in Crystal's face - awesome!

View from the living room.

Pool and pool house.

Looking out from the balcony onto the Duro River.

Everyone loves Nora!

An amazing pool! It was bit cold, but the sun was shining and it was a blast to be in an out of the pool all day long.

Hanging out in the sun!

Nora loves Elliot!

Day 3: Wednesday April 26

Today was a day trip to Porto! We started off the morning with lots of espresso and latte's! Mac was enjoying being the barista and the espresso machine was humming along all day. We had a delicious breakfast of eggs, toast and fruit. Everyone slept in - including Wes!

We packed up and headed out to Porto. It was a relatively short drive into the city and all of a sudden we were in tight, narrow streets. This would prove to be difficult on the way out, but for the time being we were descending a hill towards the river and so it wasn't a big problem that we had a standard transmission. We parked at a parking lot near the main fancy bridge in some VERY small parking spots that took quite a bit of navigating.

We started off by walking across the main bridge in Porto and then catching the furnicular for a relatively short but pretty spectacular ride up the hill. Betsy, Jesse and Nora then split off to explore the food scene while the Oregon Cooks + Grandma and Grandpa explored the city. We headed to the main train station to look at the famous blue tiles and the fancy trains and then on to Livraria Lello - also known as the Harry Potter bookstore.

A classic bookstore, the inside was ornate and the book selection was beautiful. The day was getting hot and the line was long - but - Crystal correctly identified that if we bought a year membership we could enter and any point (regardless of line length) and it was only minimally more expensive than tickets. So we bought a membership and skipped the line. Elliot loved it! Grandpa got a little overwhelmed with the tight quarters and we finished up with a few classic book purchases and a journal for Elliot.

Grandma and Grandpa caught a quite lunch in a cafe while The Oregon Cook's too a CRAZY tuk-tuk ride through the city, up to some viewpoints, over bridges and then back to the waterfront. The kids LOVED the tuk-tuk ride and the crazy turns, up and down and blowing wind were the perfect antitode to the hot weather. We ate a quick bite and re-joined the entire family for the 6 bridges boat tour.

This was a water tour through the Duro river, essentially all the way out to the Atlantic ocean. We passed under the bridge of Porto, past the old port houses and got a great waterside view of the city. Andy helped retrieve a cell phone that had fallen over the side (!) and we really enjoyed seeing the city of Porto from the water.

We then headed off to the Port houses with a hope for some tasting - but the kids were not having it. People were hot and tired so we bough a quick bottle of red and white port (one each) than bailed. It was....interesting getting out of the parking garage. Getting the car going up a ramp around tight corners was really the limit of Mac's driving skills. Afterwards, Chris remarked she knew where we had gone by the smell of burning clutch. Oh well. At least we got out.

Back to the house for a cold swim and some leisure time before we had a pasta dinner and bed. Our bags, that had been previously lost, arrived and so we not had our car seats and kid goggles. After the kids went to bed we lit a fire in the indoor fireplace and had a Port tasting. The white Port in particular was very good and a white Port / Tonic cocktail was the surprising win of the night! A great day in Porto!

On the bridge across the Duro river at the start of the day.

Taking in the view from the furnicular, we walked across the bottom of that bridge and our car was parked just on the other side of the river.

Porto train station with famous blue / white tile depicting important scene from Portugal's history.

We love street performers! This was really unique, he had hooked up electric wires to each of the vegetable and the kids so that when they touched the vegetables, a specific musical note played from his speaker. The kids LOVED it!

Harry Potter book store! So called because it was supposed to be the inspiration for J.K. Rowling's description of Hogwarts.

Outside the bookstore, waiting for the tuk-tuk. Taking some fancy pictures by the fountain. This was a hot and unshaded square and the kids were barely holding on.

Tuk-Tuk!!! They LOVED it!! Elliot and Wes would hold Fiona around each curve and then Fiona would LAUGH and LAUGH and LAUGH. A nice break from walking.

Up to a view point, same bridge as earlier - just the other side of the river.

At the dock waiting for the 6 bridges tour to start!

Vinho Verde, blue skies and great family! A cold dip in the pool was exactly what we were looking for after a hot day in Port.

The goggles came!

Seems a little overkill for a kid who knows how to swim...right?

Vinho Verde! Or is it white Port? Either way - delicious!

Little waterfall on the property!

Port tasting at night around the fire!

Day 4: Thursday April 27

It was a bit of a hard night, but breakfast brought more latte art and more espresso. We had hardboiled eggs for breakfast and enjoyed making "head eggs." Basically you just smack it on your head to crack the egg. It was predictably hilarious and messy. We packed up, took a few last photos at the house and split up for our drive down to the Algarve. Betsy, Jesse and Nora drove with Chris and Andy and the Oregon Cook's were in a separate car (now known as T-ROC).

We first headed to a town call Aveirno as there was a Hertz office there and we had to drop off the car seats we rented from them as ours were here now. This ended up causing some headache later as they couldn't get their paperwork straight - but that's life. Navigating was bit challenging and we only went the wrong way down one, one-way road (that we know of). We took a gondola ride through the city to explore and then on the way back to the car caught an Oompa band (of all things) playing in the street. We watched for a bit, ate some Gelato and Pain de Rata and then piled back in the car.

Next stop was the walled town of Obidos. This was a Mediaeval walled town with a cathedral and castle. It was super cool! On the way in we passed through a monstrous stone gatehouse and there was a woman singing in the gatehouse with the music echoing all around. It was pretty magical. The town was known for the Ginja, which is cherry liqueur in tine edible chocolate cups. Tasted a little bit like cough syrup, but was a cool experience. We walked through the town up to the walls - all along the way talking to Wes about his desire for a sword (they were selling a lot). We eventually made it up to the walls of the town and looked out over the surrounding country. There were arrow holes and everything. A surprising lack of railings made it anxiety provoking for us and soon we were down for a shady lunch and then back to the car.

Kids slept for the final push down to the Martinhall resort in the Algarve. We stopped for coffee and first dinner at a surprisingly nice and well stocked rest station. After a few brief direction snafus, we made it to the resort. This resort was specifically marketed a child and family friendly a boy were they! At check-in the kids each got a little backack and stuffy while the adults got a glass of port (!) and then we headed up to a FANTASTIC house. We met the rest of the family there, had second dinner and headed to bed.

Last photos in Porto.

Aveirno - first stop, SNACKS!

Gondola ride along the river to explore the city.

Oompa band as we were heading back to the car.

Gelato and more snacks!

Walking up to the old walled town of Obidos.

Gingja for the parents!

The whole city looked like this. It was clearly a very old walled city and while it had a thriving tourist infrastructure - there were people who lived in the town.

Top of the wall next to arrow slots, looking out on the surrounding countryside. Amazingly there were very few hand rails to keep people from falling off.

Shady lunch.

She was still singing when we were walking out. This was the gate to the city and the two gates between the inner and outer walls were off set to allow for better defense against attackers. The up shot was that the acoustics were amazing. While we didn't understand the language, the music and setting was beautiful.

Objective achieved - tired kids!

Day 5: Friday 4/28

Woke up in the morning for a morning swim in our houses private pool! This was really great for the kids to just head right out and hit the water. Then breakfast and family time. There was a really great running trail that extended from the resort along the cliff edge above the Ocean - honestly an amazing run. Crystal and Mac took turns going for a run while Betsy/Jesse/Nora took a hike and Chris / Andy hiked out to Prince Henry the Navigator's fort. Unfortunately Andy sprained his ankle along the way, but everyone had a great and relaxed morning.

We then headed down to the main resort swimming pool and beach for some more swimming time and ate dinner down at the pool. (Poke bowls, hamburgers and tasty drinks!). We played some family soccer, played on the playground, took turns on the slide swing and enjoyed the day!

We were then back at the house for showers and getting ready for dinner. Fiona was soooooo tired, but we were out for a nice dinner at one of the restaurants. It was really well set up for kids!!! Glass walls looking out in the ocean, kid play ground just below the restaurant so you could see. The adults got to chat while the kids playing in the zip line! Ice cream for dessert and bed after a chill day.

This was the running trail - really an amazing trail along a high cliff right next to the ocean!

One of the many playgrounds with trampolines and climbing equipment.

Fancy dinner with the Atlantic in the background.

The de-bone our fish for us. Mac and Chris' fish shared a kiss. The food was really delicious, excellent seafood that was prepared well.

Day 6: Saturday 4/29

Up early for another run along the ocean - it was just too beautiful not to go. The breakfast and getting packed for our kayak trip to the Benagil Caves! We planned a family sea kayaking trip and everyone would go, other than Chris and Nora. We arrived at the parking lot and took a brief hike along the cliffs overlooking the ocean (the same ones we would kayak along in a few hours) and had a brief snack before walking down the hill to our kayaking outfitter. We got a safety briefing and then were down to the beach and out onto the kayaks.

The beach itself was a sandy beach sandwiched between two high cliffs on either side. It was full of tourists and kayakers though the sand was deep and warm and the water was beautiful blue. We got a great start to the day and were out in the waves. WE were kayaking in and out of sea caves worn into the rock. Mac and Fiona were together, Crystal and Wes and Andy and Elliot. The waves were medium sized and the cliffs towering over us. Unfortunately Crystal dropped her phone into the ocean (!) into about 10-15 meters of water which had the majority of the photos from the adventure. We did get a few at the end when we stopped at the major beach INSIDE of a cave and caught up on some photos. It was unfortunate to loose the phone but we all loved the trip and it was really a unique place to be.

With a whole tired family we headed back to the resort, spent some time swimming then had pizza at the house and got to bed.

Hiking along the cliffs before kayaking, it was REALLY sunny here. you can see all our sun shirts up.

A top 5 picture of Wes. This beach was actually inside of a cave! We got to paddle in and then spend some time exploring the sea cave.

Snacks and cold drinks after were a hit!

Then back to the pool to cool off and recover before dinner.

Day 7: Sunday 4/30

We were up in the morning for another trail run to enjoy out last day in the Algarve. We ate some of the leftover pizza for breakfast and had a relaxed morning of playground, playing in pools and playing soccer at the Martinhal resort. We packed up and headed out - saying good by the the resort.

We stopped at the "end of the world" lighthouse - which was on the far south western tip of Portugal on Cape Sagres. It is the farthest west lighthouse in continental Europe and the next land west is Virginia. It was really cool to be standing at the edge of the Europe looking out into the Ocean!

While Andy, Chris, Betsy, Jesse and Nora drove to Lisbon, we stopped at a beach restaurant along the way. This was recomended to us by Eric - who had been their years ago. It was fantastic! A relaxed surfing beach with blue ocean, uncrowded vibe and a relaxed restaurant to eat at.

We then drove into Lisbon, stopping at the airport to drop off T-Roc. We didn't want to drive it around in Lisbon and parking it was going to be ludicrously expensive. We ran into a small wrinkle when the airport Hertz didn't know we had already returned the car seats we rented in Aveiro - but that got sorted out a few weeks later.

We grabbed a cab to our Air B&B in Barrio Alto. An old neighborhood with limited car access, narrow alleys, cobblestone streets and cool old buildings. It was fun!

We dropped off the kids with Chris and Andy then had dinner and drinks with Betsy and Jesse (next to a table of rowdy youths) before they went to bed and we (Crystal / Mac) walked around Lisbon enjoying the night and having a few more drinks.

Lighthouse at the end of Europe.

Cool surfer beach next to the restaurant. Almost nobody was there!

Cool beach restaurant. Relaxed vibes, good food, cold white sangria.

We wore them out!

Dinner in Barrio Alto - the table of rowdy youths was just behind Mac and Jesse.

and the kids got grandma snuggles and book reading!

Day 8: Monday 5/1

Today was the day Betsy, Jesse and Nora had to head home. They were up early and we waived goodbye as they headed out through the narrow alleys of Barrio Alto. We then had a quick breakfast before heading out for our walking tour, called Little Lisbon, with our tour guide Julia.

This was a LOT of fun! Julia was great with the kids and engaged Andy with the history of the Portuguese monarchy, dictatorship and carnation revolution. We did a walking tour / scavenger hunt / mystery maze through the Barrio Alto ending at a fountain with LOTS of Pan de Nata. We saw a little shop where they were made - which was cool. We ended with lunch on the estuary. Andy's ankle was hurting him after an earlier stumble and so he caught a cab home before lunch. After lunch and ice cream, we headed up to the Lisbon cathedral and eventually to the Alfama neighborhood. By this time the heat and the walking was starting to catch up with everyone and we Uber'd it back to the house for some water and cooling off.

The afternoon brought a tuk-tuk tour of Lisbon with a drive through the city to the place where Pain de Nata was invented (the were REALLY good), the discovery monument and some sweeping view of the city.

We had dinner at Times Up market which was a market with multiple mini stalls / food carts of truly excellent (liek Michelin star excellent) restaurants. Only wrinkle was Wes thinking we were giving him a Time Out and having a small breakdown that was easily corrected. Dinner was delicious!! The food was amazing. The kids housed 2 pizzas while we got one of the best grilled tuna dishes Chris and Mac have EVER had, amazing gelato and then home for a well deserved rest!

Off to our walking tour!

Ready to explore Lisbon!

Snacks!

Riding the streetcar, didn't take you too far but was a lot of fun to ride and pretty unique.

Lisbon lighthouse with the setting son on our tuk-tuk ride.

Discovery monument - there is Portugal!

Time's Up Market for dinner with delicious gelato.

Day 9: Tuesday 5/2

Last full day in Portugal! Andy's ankle was hurting and so he decided to say home while the rest of us headed out with our private tour guide, Miguel, for a tour of Sintra

morning wake up with breakfast and Neighbir asking us to be quiet
Dad ankle hurts
Pick up by Miguel, drive to Sinatra
Beautiful Sinatra palace, three phases
Gardens of singes, 9 level well, tunnel lake
Explore gardens, / long dark tunnel and under ground lake, exploring and bathrooms
Goat cheese things
Drive
To the end of the world - end of the world lighthouse
Drive to lunch place with sand playground, overlooking beaching. Eat Sea Breen eyeballs!!!
Then to Pana Palace, hike up hill, red and yellow, monestary and castle
Waiting in line pillow things
Fancy castle kitchen wall wall
Drive home - slept kids
Takeout dinner
Walk around sangria, loud youths
Harry Potter cloaks
Intoxicated packing