London and Paris and Lisbon Oh My!

By: Amanda Pretti
Since I have been taking over this blog, I feel obliged to fill you in on the beginning of our trip. Our first stop was London. We passed the colossal buildings enveloped by old stones with intricate designs, yet they seeemed insignificant to the city. Every corner I turned I fell in love with the relaxation, tranquility, and beauty of London. After marveling at the old buildings, we were lifted into the night sky by the biggest ferris wheel I have ever seen! It was called the London Eye. We were 340 meters up in the pitch black sky gazing over the lights and streets of London. While in London, we had dinner with the locals at a Turkish restaurant. From our hotel, we could wake up to the gorgeous view of Big Ben and the London Eye. With the perfect wakeup call of Big Ben to start the day, we took our first black cab to the Thames River. We hopped on a long boat that led us under the London Bridge and ended right by our hotel. After that we saw the Lion King! It blew me away at how real it seemed. It left me astonished at how they could have possibly put on such an amazing show. Throughout the show I had to keep on pinching myself to make sure it was not a dream! The next day we got a brief introduction to the beheading and executions of the 13th century during our visit to the Tower of London. We toured the Bloody Tower and the White Tower. We also ventured inside the Tourture Chamber. One of my favorite parts was seeing the crown jewels. After the tour of the towers we went to the Natural History Museum. When you first walk in, you come face-to-face with a HUGE dinosour. We learned all about Mammals, Whales, Dinosaurs Bones, and Blood Cells. What a journey!
We then ventured off to Paris and exchanged our Pounds for Euros. We went to the Eiffel Rower and went all the way to the top but were soon annoyed by the many people trying to sell us things. After the amazing bird's-eye view of Paris, we hadour first crepes which turned out to be our favorite breakfast food in Paris! We used the subway system, the Metro, in Paris, which was really easy to use. It was so cool how fast it went. The next day we visited the Catacombs. We waited in line for over an hour, but I would have to say it was worth the wait. There were piles after piles and row after row of skulls and tibias in the underground tunnels. They created the Catacombs to make Paris a more sanitary place since the graveyards were filling up. They moved all of the bones from the cemetaries to into the underground tunnels. It was really cool (yet a little disturbing) to see how old the bones were. After exiting the Catacombs we walked beside the Seine River. We then wento to the Lourve! There, we also befriended a Fench chef. Before saying goodbye to Paris, we lost ourselves wandering through the small streets of the Latin Quarter. There was shop after shop and stand after stand of food. It was the cutest little place I have ever seen! We left Paris with a sigh and headed off to Portugal.
We arrived in Lisbon (or as the Portuguese call it, Lisboa.) We took a trolley up to the Alfama and ended up at a huge castle called St. Jorge. The castle had spectacular views overlooking Lisbon. As a family, we have all come to a consensus that Lisbon was one of our favorite stops. We love to walk around on the cobblestone and look at all of the little ourdoor shops and cafes. After the castle, we went to a plaza where there was a huge fountain and a pattern on the floor that used to make people seasick. As crazy as this might sound, the boys found one of their favorite new hobbies: pigeon catching! As much as we loved lisbon, we packed our suitcases and headed for a nice beach break at the Algarve, away from the city. I am so grateful to be here and love the adventure of travel!

Madness in Madrid

by Amanda Pretti

After leaving the small city of Granada, we drove through countryside filled with olive trees and rugged mountains to arrive in the thriving metropolis of Madrid. We have adjusted nicely to Spain time, which means dinner at 10pm. We woke up bright and early the next day and ate our new favorite meal, churros con chocolate for breakfast (for breakfast!) After our delicious meal, we toured the Palacio Real. It is hard to believe that someone would live in such a spacious, huge, and absolutely stunning place. The gorgeous palace proved to exceed my expectations with the curtains spilling onto the marble floor, the vibrant colors that remain humble, and the chandeliers dangling above it all. When we had our fill of the palace, we went to the ReinaSofia art museum. We saw rooms full of Picassos, including one of his most famous called the Guernica. The masterpiece is 25 by 11 ft. It was about his inner rage during the time of the war when Guernica was bombed. Besides Picassos original style, we saw numerous Salvador Dali paintings as well. After leaving the museum, we saw our first bullfight. Of course, I bet you could have guessed that the boys had endless energy and loved it. As for my mom and I, we could have easily left after the second bull but were forced by the boys love for the entertainment to stay for all six. We are off to yet another city in the morning. We will face the challenge of a six hour drive to Barcelona, or as they pronounce it "Barthelona." Wish us luck!

Madrid: Amanda is taking over the blog!

Hi from Madrid,

Obviously, I have been sadly neglecting my blogging while trying to keep up with our travel plans. So I am officially turning this blogsite over to Amanda, journal-keeper extrordinaire. You can expect to see updates on a regular basis now. Thanks Amanda!

We are alive and well in the Algarve!

Hello my friends,

We have been traveling for only 12 days, only 12 days(really?), but I finally have had a chance to catch my breath so I can begin our blog!

After London, Paris, and Lisbon, we have spent the last 4 days recharging our batteries at the edge of the earth. We are in the Algarve region of Portugal on the southwestern coast near Cape Sagres, which was once thought to be the end of the (flat) earth since it is the western most point of Europe. We are staying in a restored fisherman's cottage in the small fishing village of Salema. Besides exploring the amazing beaches in the area, we are savoring the local cuisine of cataplana (fish stew) and camarones piri piri(spicy shrimp). I am thoroughly enjoying the local Vino Verde (green wine) which is a nice refreshing effervescent white wine). You can buy a bottle for less than the price of a diet coke! Yesterday, we went fishing on a Portugese fishing boat and then got to eat our catch which they grilled for us right on the boat. Fresh fish has taken on a whole new meaning!

Since we picked up our car in Lisbon,venturing down to the Algarve was our first real road trip in Europe (although our drive from the Lisbon airport to downtown Lisbon may well qualify!) Also, this is our first apartment experience as opposed to the hotel. Wow! Do I ever miss my nice Maytag supersized front load washer and dryer! Since we packed light only bringing a carry-on sized bag each, we were well out of clean clothes by the end of the first week. So I had my first taste of doing laundry in Europe. After finding out that clothes dryers are considered a luxury in southern Portugal, I soon realized that it can take a full 2 days for clothes to dry in this moist seaside air (much longer if you get an unexpected rainstorm). My skin and hair do appreciate the moisture, though. Amazing cheese here and fresh bread every day. I thought the kids would tire of daily croissants, but no! And they are amazing. Good thing I am able to swim daily in the sea.
Tomorrow we head to Sevilla in southern Spain. After that, on to the white hilltowns of Andalucia. Then we will try to connect with Tamara in Grenada.
Adeus for now