Travel – Page 19 – Valerie's Voice

Young At Heart

We are heading up to my aunt and uncle’s farm on Bay Lake in northern MN. We haven’t seen them for over a year. My uncle turned 89 last September. We look forward to visiting with them, my only living aunt and uncle. Below is a story from a summer visit with them in August, 2012.

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I am sitting here on the deck, breathing in the fresh air, hoping it infuses me with the youthfulness around me. I hear loons calling and the water fountain gurgling and look out to see the sun slowly exposing the field where eight cattle are leisurely grazing.

My uncle, age 84 11/12 (85 next month) has embarked on a new adventure this year. In order to keep his land deemed agricultural he bought eight steers and is fattening them in his field. Not only that, he adopted a new puppy too, Max. And did I mention he plays tennis three times a week?

We came up for a weekend get away before the busy fall season. My aunt and uncle are my relatives still living who have known me since I was born. It’s always fun to come up to their lovely home on Bay Lake.

Yesterday afternoon they arranged to take us on a pontoon ride with some friends of theirs. It was a glorious sunny day with blue skies and wispy white clouds. We climbed aboard the boat and the skipper (Jack) and his wife (Jean) maneuvered the boat away from the dock and we were off on a leisurely ride along the lake shore of Bay Lake, admiring cabins, seeing other boaters and skiers, and getting quick glimpses of loons before they dove under water.

Back on shore their friends invited us to stay awhile. She showed us her lovely garden and picked a stunning white and violet dahlia for me. We ate snacks and then headed back to my aunt and uncles place. On the way back we find out this very hospitable, lively couple are both 87 years old!

As we drove up the lane to my uncle’s place we are greeted by two strategically placed plastic penguins that my uncle found in the pool-house and placed playfully in the yard.

Oh to be young, like 85 or 87!

Portugal: a few more fun facts & photos

Portugal is the largest cork producer in the world. Cork is the bark of a “Cork Oak” tree. Cork oak: Quercus suber

In 1755 Lisbon was struck by one of the most powerful earthquakes in European history….9.0 magnitude, which was followed by a tsunami and fires that brought the city to rubble. 275,000 residents were killed and 85% o the buildings were destroyed.

Portugal is on of the world’s top surf spots. Portugal has a coastline that spans 497 miles.

Portuguese is the official language of nine countries.

Overlooking the Atlantic and one of several beautiful beaches below us. I found a lot of sea glass on that beach.

The North Beach, Nazare, Portugal. Waves can get as high as 100 meters…once or twice a year they say.

An old mural made of tiles…beautiful and precious.

Another “Interruption of Service” Adventure

This is one of our many adventures we had while in Mozambique over the Christmas holiday in 2014. A different kind of “interruption of service” from two hired van drivers.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA — The Indian Ocean

In 2014 our family spent Christmas together in Maputo, the city where my son (Tim) and his family lives. While we were all together my son planned a special stay at a resort on the Indian Ocean for the New Year. We had a late start the day we headed north to Zongoene Lodge. We rented a van and two drivers to help transport our large group – they arrived two hours late. Once on our way we drove out of the city traffic and had a nice drive along a four-lane highway. After a couple of hours we turned off the highway and started down a muddy, rutty, dirt road. The sun was setting. Our resort was still twenty-two miles away. There had been flash floods the night before and there were many flooded sections of the road. As we drove further into the countryside the road got muddier, the puddles got deeper, and the ride got scarier.

There were five of us in Tim’s car and the 12-passenger van, with the two hired drivers, carried seven others from our party. The road kept getting worse. We came upon another hill and Tim’s car slid down it. We pulled over and watched for the van – I was praying it would make it down the hill without toppling over. It did, but that was it…the angry drivers got out of the van and said they would go no further (as if it were our fault the roads were bad). It started raining again and night had fallen – and it was very dark – and we were somewhere in the middle of Mozambique – with a 2 ½ month old baby! Hmmm…I turned and said to my daughter-in-love, “it will be interesting to see how God gets us out of this mess.”

Well unbelievably, Tim’s cell phone worked, he called the lodge, and the manager borrowed four-wheel drive vehicles from resort guests and came to rescue us.

An overview of the landscape and resort on the Indian Ocean.

We waited over an hour but finally two vehicles arrived with the manager of the resort in one of them. We transferred our luggage and rearranged the twelve of us into the three vehicles. Then the van driver stepped on the accelerator, spun the van tires in the mud, turned the van around and sped away…madder than a hornet’s nest! They headed back to the city and we headed to the resort, another ten miles down the dark, flooded, muddy road.

We had been dispersed into different vehicles with strangers, in the middle of Mozambique, trusting we would all end up in the same place in a short while. The resort owner was behind the wheel of Tim’s car since he knew the road and could maneuver the dangerous spots. Another one of our party was a good sport. He ended up in the open bed of a pickup truck bouncing all the way to the resort…in the rain! Finally we all made it to Zongoene Lodge, at midnight, with a sigh of relief and praises to God.

We had an enjoyable week at the lodge on the Indian Ocean. The sun came out and the roads dried up so they were passable on the way out.

Interruption of Service

This was not the trolley we were on...but it's similar. — This was not the trolley we were on… this one is similar but smaller and older.

One morning we walked to the trolley stop to get a ride to Belem. We were among many others with the same idea. There was standing room only on Trolley #15, but we made it, stroller and all. We enjoyed a delightful, sunny day in Belem, a port city, and when we were ready to go back to Lisboa we went to the trolley stop and along with many others waited for the right trolley to come along. Several #15 trolleys passed us by because there was no more room…finally a bus came along with room for all of us and the stroller. We got on.

Ten minutes into the 30-40 minute ride the bus stops and the driver tells everyone to get off…he said it’s an interruption of service. That’s all. We all have to get off and he drives away leaving us stranded. Again we wait for another trolley or bus but the same is true as in Belem, they are full…maybe one or two people can squeeze in an already packed trolley, but not our big family and a stroller. After about 30 minutes we decide this is not working so we hailed the next taxi we saw and it took us back to the plaza close to our apartment.

Interesting.

We had transportation snafu in Mozambique in 2014, a little more dramatic, that I will post soon.

Additional photos from Belem, Portugal

The birthplace of my favorite pastry (and of many others!)…pastel de nata. This cafe opened in 1837 and is popular mainly from the fact that their recipe is a closely guarded secret – or because they crank out 20,000 a day so they are fresh! (according to Rick Steves)

Monument to the Discoveries, surrounded by scaffolding.

Dining Out in Portugal

There are four restaurant experiences that stand out from our time in Portugal.

The first one was a small place on the same street as our apartment. There were several small restaurants along this street that was closed to traffic.

Our rented apartment was on this street, which was closed to traffic.

There is an unusual practice in Lisboa…a lot of restaurants have a person standing outside the restaurant trying to entice people to eat at their place. On our street there were several small restaurants in a row, all with outdoor seating, all with guys trying to lure us in.

We did eat at one of them…I don’t even remember the name but the friendliness of the staff made it an outstanding experience for me. They were all so patient and served us in anyway they could, all the while paying special attention to the children. They loved the kids. I thanked them for their kindness! I had Creamed Cod and it was delicious.

Isaias...a very small local restaurant. — Isaias…a very small local restaurant.

The second place, Isaias, was a stop on our all day tour to the National Park. It was an out of the way place our tour guide knew of and tourists do not. Locals love the place. It is not in Rick Steves book, although we love his tour books! Isaias is run by two older guys, grilling fresh fish outside on a grill built into the wall of this corner shop. Inside in the front room is the counter with the register and two tables, and a narrow room in the back has four small tables. We waited outside for 45 minutes as the tables freed up – they needed to put two tables together for our group. There were five of us that day so they put two tables together to make six place settings. Since there was room for one more a single customer was seated with us! I loved it! They only grill fresh fish and everyone enjoyed their meal. I had a giant Tiger Shrimp. Yum.

The built in grill with the owners grilling fresh fish. — The built-in grill with the owners grilling fresh fish.

A peek in the door to Isaias...very small. — A peek in the door to Isaias…very small.

The third place that stands out is a family-run restaurant we happened upon in Nazare, a fishing town on the Atlantic Ocean. Again, it was small with a few tables, but it was warm and friendly. We decided the grandfather was helping to clear the tables (there were about five tables) and the son was running the place by helping the one waitress – a daughter maybe? – and collecting the money. His wife and the grandmother were in the kitchen, about the size of mine at home, doing all the cooking. I loved the idea of everyone in the family chipping in. I had Grilled Cod.

The fourth place (not in preference order) was not so much the ambiance, although it was very nice (and recommended by Rick Steves), but what we sampled there made it a unique experience. My husband had read about a delicacy enjoyed by the Portuguese that was supposedly very tasty: Boiled Barnacles! They happened to be on the menu so we ordered a plate to taste them. I wasn’t going to try them (I’m not so adventurous in my eating) but since my daughter-in-love tasted one I had to too! They were OK…but I don’t ever need to try them again. My husband and son cleaned the plate!

Grandchildren, Family and Christmas 2016

Zoey, our 26 month old granddaughter, is adorable, adventurous and doesn’t seem to be afraid of anything…and she understands two languages!

Ezra, our nine month old grandson, is cute, happy and growing fast!

We arrived at the Lisbon airport on Christmas Eve day. We hailed a taxi and gave the driver the address of our AirB&B apartment we had rented for the week. He dropped us off two blocks away since the apartment is on a street closed to traffic. He unloaded our luggage, gave us walking directions and drove away. We juggled our luggage, followed the directions, and found the apartment. The manager was there to give us the keys and instructions. We asked where we could buy groceries and we asked about a church where we might attend a Christmas Eve service. We didn’t make it to the church service…jet lag kept us away…it would have been a Catholic midnight mass – in Portuguese.

Our flat was on the third floor, the top floor, since they count the main level as zero. — Our flat was on the third floor, the top floor, since they count the ground level as zero.

We settled in and then went out to find the grocery store. We knew we had to buy for the next two days since the store would be closed on Christmas. We picked out things we could recognize… chicken breasts, rice, frozen carrots, bread, eggs and some cinnamon type toast to take the place of our traditional cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning.

Our oldest son and his wife chose to stay in a hotel two blocks away from our apartment. After they settled in they came over and we waited for a call from our youngest son and his family. The call came and, of course, their taxi driver dropped them off at a different location a couple blocks away. They told us the name of the street so the four of us set out on a hunt to find them. They had to be within a two-block radius. Rua Augusta, was the street name they gave us and as we turned the corner – joy! – there they were standing their with their two young ones waiting to be found. It was a great reunion.

The next morning after not-so-good cinnamon toast, we read the Christmas story the children opened gifts and I brought a gift for everyone– warm and cozy slippers.

We sat down to a delicious meal. Our daughter-in-love took the few spices that were in the apartment kitchen and made a tasty chicken marinade with rice and carrots.

Later that evening, after dark, we walked to Rua Augusta (a pedestrian mall) and joined the throngs of people out on this pleasant Christmas evening. We walked to the plaza along the Rio Tejo where there was a tall, colorfully lit Christmas tree and vendors roasting chestnuts on an open fire (grill) which we tried and liked.

It was a very festive and wonderful European Christmas.

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6

Portugal

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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.

We 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.

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 11^th 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 7-8^th 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 11^th 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.

Bertrand bookshop is the oldest operating bookshop, established in 1732.

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.

To 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

One 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. fullsizerender-44

Sight & Sound Theatres

I 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!”

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.

Click here to view their website.