Portugal trip

James and I were delighted once again to be invited to Portugal by our friends Cristina and Alex. Ricardo is now 4 and gorgeous little Pedro 11 months. With both husbands working hard and traveling Cristina and I were looking forward to a week of catching up. The family has moved since our visit in June last year and their new home in a private estate is just beautiful with stunning views of the mountain.

Monday - after a quick 2 hour flight to Lisbon Cristina met us at the airport. It was so good to see my friend again! Once home and after a bit of lunch James was eager to get into his swimmers and tackle the pool which was beckoning him from the cool interior. Although the weather was hot (pleasantly so) the pool was still a little cool for my liking. But he got right in and we had a bit of a play before going to collect Ricardo from school at 5.30. Upon arriving a teacher spoke kindly to James in Portuguese and took him by the hand to go and get his friend. The boys held hands and chattered away (in two languages!) as they walked to the car - it was so sweet!

Tuesday - after a blissful nights' sleep (utterly dark thanks to shutters and utterly quiet) we took a morning train south by the coast and subways into Lisbon to Europe's largest Oceanarium. It was amazing and the boys enjoyed getting right up close to sharks and sting rays and a gi-normous Sun Fish. We spent a good few hours there and afterwards strolled out along the newly developed waterfront for a ride on a cable car/gondola.

Wednesday - I was looking forward to visiting the mountain town of Sintra after Cristina sent me a postcard of their new surrounds. This lovely 19th Century town is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. To James and Ricardo's delight we hailed the Hop-on Hop-off bus that took us to the Palacio de Monserrate, Quinta da Regaleira and Castelo dos Mouros. All three places were beautiful and I couldn't stop taking photos (sound familiar Marty & Mum?!). However as the day drew to a close and we descended from the mountain top James tripped and fell into a large rectangular stone slab, cutting his forehead open. Cristina called for an ambulance which arrived in a flash then proceeded to take us down the painstakingly slow and steep mountain road then roared along the motorway into Lisbon. James was seen immediately and received 5 stitches. He recovered well and was the focus of attention at pre-school the following Monday. He wasn't keen for more adventures after that but I don't think the experience will deter him in the future.

Thursday - a relatively quiet day given the excitement of the previous one! Our only objective was to find a table on the beach at Parede for lunch. We did so and enjoyed an hour or so relaxing by the beautiful blue sea.

Friday - our last day. In the morning we re-visited the village of Cascais where we had been last year. The boys took some time at the beach where the water was lovely and sparkling azure and warm! Even for me! I can't believe I actually got them out of the water at all, they were having such fun. We bought another 'Lucky Chicken'. Alex came home from Germany at lunchtime so we were able to catch up briefly before James and I packed and reluctantly headed for the airport.

Thank you Cristina, Ricardo and Pedro for a wonderful time. We will always have fond memories of Portugal. Obrigado and adeus!

Photos are here.