Portugal

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A street in Lisbon, looking towards the castle.
A street in Lisbon, looking towards the castle.

Portugal was not a country that I ever considered visiting but it was the only European city with a direct flight to and from Maputo, Mozambique where my son and his family live. So that is why we chose to meet in Lisboa (Lisbon) for our Christmas holiday. I’m so glad we did.

I’m not sure what the attraction was for me. My husband says it’s because we were with family, and of course that’s true, because whenever I’m with my family and grandchildren it’s the best time and place! But Portugal had a lot to offer and I have envisioned myself going back and spending a month or two there.

What made it so special? The people! They were so friendly. Also, we lived in an apartment while in Lisboa, and the bottom half of a house while we were on the coast in Nazare, which seems more authentic than staying in a hotel. I enjoyed the community plazas, parks and trees, the beautiful countryside, the water – the Rio Tejo (Tagus River) and Atlantic Ocean, the history, the quaint cobblestone streets. I liked the unique buildings of stucco or tile, with ironwork, trim painted different colors, all with clay colored roof tiles that made them interesting.img_5225

img_5226We had a wonderful time with lots of different activities…eating out, but also cooking at “home”. I loved the small mercado’s (markets) where we grocery shopped, and the reasonable prices. It was fun getting familiar with several words of a different language – and I am in awe of my grand-daughter who, at the age of 26 months, can understand both English and Portuguese. I loved the many Pastelarias (bakeries) and discovering a favorite pastry which is called Pastel de Nata…I might try to see if I can make it here at home.

The weather was unusually nice the locals told us. We had two days of rain out of 14 days and the temperature was in the 50’s (F). The natives were wondering where the rain was…we were thankful for the sunshine.

Castle
Castle

We visited many sites, with two young children who were troopers (as was their mom and dad getting them ready and carrying them many different times). We went to Castelo De S. Jorge (St. George Castle) built in the 11th century. We walked up, up, up the hill from where we were staying in Lisboa to beautiful views from the castle…a National Monument “that occupies the old medieval citadel and consists of the castle, the ruins of the former royal palace as well has part of a residential neighborhood” (first settlements in 7-8th century B.C.)”

One day we took a trolley to Belem, the port city where many years ago so many explorers left Portugal to discover new lands. We had a private tour to a national park along the Atlantic Ocean with beautiful vistas and beaches. We enjoyed walking the narrow old neighborhood streets and the big bustling city streets. We went in the oldest book store in the world (1732) and Cervejaria Trindade, the oldest and most beautiful beer house in Portugal (a convent turned into a beer factory).

We went to see the modern section of Lisboa too, to a park plaza along the Rio Tejo, and to Oceanario de Lisboa, an aquarium…how fun to see the wonder and amazement in the children’s eyes.

While staying north of Lisboa we took several day trips to near-by towns.  One day we walked around Obidos (means walled town) with a 14th century wall encircling this town on a hill which is very quaint and picturesque. We visited several old churches dating as far back as the 11th century…how did they build them so large and so straight and so tall back then?

Cistercian Monastery of Santa Maria, Alcobaca, Portugal. Construction began in 1178.
Cistercian Monastery of Santa Maria, Alcobaca, Portugal. Construction began in 1178.
Bertrand bookshop is the oldest operating bookshop, established in 1732.
Bertrand bookshop is the oldest operating bookshop, established in 1732.

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Of course, being with family…both sons and their wives, and holding our nine-month-old grandson Ezra (who wasn’t so sure of us the first few days) and walking hand-in-hand with Zoey, our granddaughter, was the best.img_5151

img_1857To be continued…

European Holiday

A couple of years ago we celebrated Christmas in Mozambique, Africa. Our son was, and still is, living in city of Maputo. That year I was so excited to meet my first grandchild, little Miss Zoey. We had a great time and many, exciting adventures and the best part…our immediate family was all together even though we were far away from home.

Once again we are very excited and look forward to many, new adventures on our European holiday in Portugal. We will meet our second grandchild, Mr. Ezra Nghala, for the first time in Lisbon.  And the best part….our immediate family will all be together again for Christmas, this time in Portugal.

 

Delightful Day Drive

img_4727One lovely fall day we took the scenic drive down the Mississippi River along the Minnesota side and crossed over the river in Winona and headed north on the Wisconsin side. We stopped at the overlook in Alma and hiked in a park there. Next we stopped at Danzinger Vineyards and sipped ginger beer while sitting outside in the fall sunshine, overlooking the beautiful river valley, listening to live music playing in the background. We continued up the road north to Nelson’s Creamery  where we ordered Rueben and Hot Ruby Sandwiches. An ice cream cone was the grand finale of all the good treats we had that day.  The drive back during sunset was an added bonus to a wonderful time…trying to get snap shots of it all. img_4734img_4735img_4744fullsizerender-44

Sight & Sound Theatres

IMG_1742I was very excited to see the production of Moses at the Sight & Sound Theatre in Branson, Missouri where we were vacationing last week. Having seen previous shows at Sight & Sound we knew we were in for a very special evening. It was a wonderful production telling the biblical story of Moses.

That is what the Sight & Sound Theatres do…bring Bible stories to life on stage – using amazing set designs, props, costumes, actors and actresses, live animals and music. The huge stage, and aisles, are filled with creativity on all levels leaving the audience in awe and wondering how they do it!

From the Moses program; “Staging such a huge story drove our creative production team to new levels of innovation…”

“Digital tools streamlined our process, but we also spent countless hours handcrafting every element…50 set pieces, 12 carts, 9 miles of fabric…”

“Each member of our team embraced this venture one task at a time – brick by brick- until the extraordinary setting of the Exodus came to life in Lancaster County, PA, in 2014. And now, after shipping the show across the county on         48 tractor-trailer trucks…(Moses is) here in Branson!”

In the Lobby
In the Lobby

A fun fact about Sight & Sound for us  is that my husband, while growing up in Lancaster County Pennsylvania, went to church with the founder of Sight and Sound, Glenn Eshelman.  Gary knew his family well and remembers going to his studio with his family for portraits long before the first slide show began in 1976.  I remember going to Pennsylvania in the early years of our marriage and seeing the slide show set to music entitled A Land Of Our Own, not knowing then it was the beginning of a great success story with two live- production theaters today. They are celebrating their 40th anniversary:  1976 ~ 2016.

My husband and I have seen nearly all the plays, mostly in the Lancaster County, Pennsylvania theater.

Moses did not disappoint. It is an epic story and it came to life at the Sight and Sound Theatre in Branson, Missouri and is worth seeing.

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Click here to view their website.

 

Missing Photos

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All shades of blue and pink and purple hydrangeas grow everywhere on Cape Cod. Nobody told me this before we went on vacation to the area in 2012. I was pleasantly surprised. I love hydrangeas and took many photos and even made a poster from them.

This was the same vacation when I broke my foot. When I went to look for a photo to post with the broken foot story I couldn’t find our photos of the trip. My husband got out the hard drive with our back up photos and they were not there either.  In a way I feel a sense of loss because we can’t find them.

The hydrangea pictures posted here are copied from the site I used to make my poster. Thankfully they were still archived on the site!

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Sunflowers

IMG_4008 Sometimes a photo needs to be taken just to remember the scene even if it isn’t a good shot. In this photo, taken from a moving vehicle,  I tried to capture a portion of a field of  bright sunflowers along Interstate 94, near Alexandria, Minnesota. It caught me by surprise and took me a minute to figure out what was growing in this vast field. I was delighted to see bright, yellow flower heads with brown centers of the sunflower, standing tall with thousands of stalks, all facing east. It was a beautiful sight and worthy to record and remember.

Big Ole

IMG_4018Big Ole stands 28 feet tall on the north end of Alexandria, MN near a trail head for the Central Lakes State Trail, a Minnesota scenic recreational rail trail, where we biked this past weekend. Big Ole’s shield states “Alexandria – Birthplace of America”. Having grown up in Minnesota, with a strong Norwegian heritage, I have not heard, and was surprised, to learn about a Rune Stone that was found near Kensington, Minnesota in 1898. Some authorities believe the Vikings etched runes (characters of ancient alphabets) into the stone and the stone is dated 1362. The Rune Stone is in a museum in Alexandria – there is some controversy over its authenticity but it is an interesting story.

Tenting

 

IMG_1638On our recent trip to Canada we camped one night in a city park on our way home to Minnesota. We enjoyed a campfire then crawled into our sleeping bags about 10ish, but since it was the 4th of July weekend fireworks sounded late into the night and we didn’t fall asleep right away. So when we woke up in the morning we were surprised to see a tent in the site next to us. The owner must have pulled in late  and set up the little tent. When I came back from the bathroom a tall, young man crawled out of the tent. We nodded at each other and I wondered if he’s traveling with anyone. As I was getting  breakfast ready  another young man crawled out of this tent. I thought that’s nice,  he is traveling with someone but I thought the tent must have been cozy. Then to my surprise a third man crawled out of this two man tent and I started to giggle. They rolled up their sleeping bags, lifted the little tent right off the ground, took apart the two poles, folded the tent and put it all into the trunk of their car without saying a word, then drove off. It was comical to think we used our big family tent for the two of us and they had a small two person tent for three of them! What a fun way to start the day.

Walking in Old Quebec

I love to walk and it’s a good thing because it was our primary mode of transportation in Old Quebec. We parked our car when we arrived on Thursday and picked it up again Monday when we drove north out of town to Fjord-du-Saguenay.

We met up with friends from New Hampshire in Old Quebec and trekked all over.  Quebec City was founded in 1608 by Samuel de Champlain and is one of the oldest cities in North America. Old Quebec is a historic neighborhood in Quebec City.

It’s a charming place: once a gated city with walls surrounding it except along the river where cliffs were the protection in days gone by. It has a very European flavor and is predominantly French speaking. Just being infused with the aura of Old Quebec was intoxicating.

IMG_1487Our B&B was lovely place and the location great. The proprietor was a petite woman with a wonderful accent who wore beautiful dresses. The breakfasts were European: meats and cheeses, breads & croissants, jelly, fruit, yogurt, hard-boiled eggs (with slightly soft yolks) and some cereal available for those who really wanted it. Breakfasts with our friends were leisurely, filled with lively conversation.

Daily we walked down narrow cobblestone streets, taking in all the beautiful sights…colorful window boxes and creative doors, boutiques and bistros, fountains and street musicians and art galleries, indoor and out. We found our way to the Chateau Frontenac along the St. Lawrence Seaway. IMG_1462

We ate our lunches and dinners in charming places: sidewalk cafes and indoor restaurants, with a jazz band accompanying us. One day we had a picnic on Ile d’Orleans with fresh picked strawberries sold at the farm stand along the road, wine and local cheese from a small market and fresh baked baguettes from a small boulange (bakery).

Another day we hiked all around the Plains of Abraham (battlefield turned into beautiful park) and down many steps to walk along the river back to our B&B Later that evening we walked on the wall, around Old Quebec, as a challenge and to see all aspects of this town (and back up many steps). All in all we calculated our mileage was about ten miles that day (with help of a fit-bit and markings on the maps).

Our final walk out of the city gate on Monday morning, to our parked car, was energized by feelings of gratitude for the opportunity to visit this enchanting old city.

 

Maps…Don’t leave home without them

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We arrived home safely from our two-week road trip through Canada. We had a wonderful time and great road conditions and we took many “blue roads” as a friend calls them…not major highways but back roads.

Our first stop on the way (seems a long time ago now) was at a friend’s house in Elkhart Indiana…we knew the way…we put her address in our GPS an off we went. The next stop was at a cousin’s in Pennsylvania and again, we punched their address in our GPS and ended up on their doorstep. It was after that when I became lost. We didn’t bring a road atlas, or any maps, because now we had GPS. I soon discovered I’m lost without maps. I need to see the big picture, the back roads, and the alternative routes. I need to see where we are going and where we came from and the whole big state or Province. We began stopping to pick up maps along the way at the visitors center (you can also buy them in the gas stations but the same map is free just down the road!) I was much more relaxed having that big awkward paper in my hand, folding it every which way, to get my bearings.

I have added maps to our perpetual packing list.