I just found an iPad app that lets you create blog entries. I was recently asked if I was keeping up the blog and the answer of course was "no". Now I can blog when I am too lazy to get up. I really love my iPad!
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Friday, July 1, 2011
Happy Birthday Canada!
For the first time, the ward decided to celebrate Canada Day with a pancake breakfast. I felt a little grumbly when Paul got up at about 6:30 to go and help with the grill. Whose idea was this? It was my first official day of the summer to sleep in! We survived and I even managed to pry the kids out of bed to partiicipate. The mountie in this picture has the last name of Roy. She also has the ancestor Antoine Roy who came to Quebec in the 1600's. Antoine has the distinction of being the first murder victim in Quebec after being caught in bed with the landlord's wife by the landlord himself. She is going to share some of her family research with us.
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Merry Christmas 2010
Merry Christmas everyone, it’s Christmas day and I’m finally writing this. We’ve had a great year. Paul and I have had our first big travel adventure (see previous post). We loved it so much we are working hard to go back this summer. The kids had a blast at my parents’ while we were there and didn’t miss us a bit (see pictures on previous post).
http://www.ldschurchtemples.com/vancouver/gallery/
Other highlights of the year include the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, a visit from Grandma Kay in April and a visit from the Holleys in family August. We unfortunately lost Billy Stone who died in February, he had been a beloved member of our family for 29 years. We have spent many moments talking about what he is up to right now and what mischief he is making in heaven.
Here is the kids’ turn:
Hayley
Hayley is too busy watching James Bond to write. Hayley has had a big year, she turned 13 in May and is becoming a teenager. She continues to dance and loves it. She is in three classes; ballet, jazz and lyrical as well as a twice a week conditioning class and “spins and leaps”. She enjoys spinning and leaping around the house. She continues to attend French Immersion classes at school and is now in grade 8 which is the first year of high school in Canada.
Summer
This year was a great one. A lot of fun things took place. The temple was finished this year and all the youth in the temple district gathered together to put on a show in celebration. It was called TYC (Temple Youth Celebration) and it involved lots of singing and dancing. It was a lot of work, but very fun. My parents went to Portugal this summer as well. My Aunt Maureen came to stay with me while my siblings went to my grandparents’ house. I’m glad that it worked out that way because I was able to stay and take care of my neighbours’ children while they worked. I made lots of money which really helped.
I’m in the 11th grade this year, which is kind of scary. I have to think about where I want to go after I graduate and what I want to do. I’m sure it will all work out in the end though. I hope that everyone has a Merry Christmas.
Spencer
The best thing that happened this year was that I turned eleven and got to go and visit Grandma in Maryland. I went to a baseball game in Baltimore, Maryland. I flew there by myself. I went to my Nanny and Grandad’s house when my parents were in Portugal. I rode horses and played Monopoly and rode quads. And I also saw tanks with Grandma and the Museum of Air and Space in Maryland. I went ice blocking at my birthday party at Redwood Park with AJ and Dalas. The hill hd lots of bumps in it so when you hit them it would make us fall off the ice cube (check out earlier blog posting for photos of his party).
Apart from the usual bugs, there have been no major medical issues this year!! Paul continues to enjoy his job and has been with the company 11 years. He was released from his calling in the bishopric in the summer after serving for three years and is now the 11 year old scout leader.
My position as a Resource Teacher was cut in June, but they gave me an opportunity to teach grade 1 on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I have 18 grade one students and 5 grade two students, they are adorable and we have a lot of fun. It’s fun to see their growth at this age.
Our kids are growing way too fast, it’s unbelievable. It’s hard to believe we are getting that much older too.
A big highlight of our year was the dedication of the Vancouver temple. In January we moved into a beautiful new chapel alongside of the temple under construction. In May the temple was dedicated. It’s lovely to see the temple every time we go to church. Here are some links to some photos of the temple.
http://www.ldschurchtemples.com/vancouver/gallery/
Other highlights of the year include the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, a visit from Grandma Kay in April and a visit from the Holleys in family August. We unfortunately lost Billy Stone who died in February, he had been a beloved member of our family for 29 years. We have spent many moments talking about what he is up to right now and what mischief he is making in heaven.
Here is the kids’ turn:
Hayley
Hayley is too busy watching James Bond to write. Hayley has had a big year, she turned 13 in May and is becoming a teenager. She continues to dance and loves it. She is in three classes; ballet, jazz and lyrical as well as a twice a week conditioning class and “spins and leaps”. She enjoys spinning and leaping around the house. She continues to attend French Immersion classes at school and is now in grade 8 which is the first year of high school in Canada.
I’m in the 11th grade this year, which is kind of scary. I have to think about where I want to go after I graduate and what I want to do. I’m sure it will all work out in the end though. I hope that everyone has a Merry Christmas.Spencer
The best thing that happened this year was that I turned eleven and got to go and visit Grandma in Maryland. I went to a baseball game in Baltimore, Maryland. I flew there by myself. I went to my Nanny and Grandad’s house when my parents were in Portugal. I rode horses and played Monopoly and rode quads. And I also saw tanks with Grandma and the Museum of Air and Space in Maryland. I went ice blocking at my birthday party at Redwood Park with AJ and Dalas. The hill hd lots of bumps in it so when you hit them it would make us fall off the ice cube (check out earlier blog posting for photos of his party).Ashley
This year some things that I did were exciting. In May I got baptized. Jenna O. also got baptized on the same day. When I went to Hundred Mile this year, I got to drive the quad for a bit. I also got to ride the horses. I went to Hundred Mile House because my mom and dad were in Portugal. In October, my family got some exchanged students. Their names were Miho and Ayaka for Halloween they dressed up as witches. This year for the (ward) Christmas Party, I was Mary. I sang Away in a Manger, it was fun, that is my year.
We hope you all had a Merry Christmas and hope you have a healthy and prosperous new year.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Portugal 2010!
Portugal has held a special place in our hearts ever since 1991 when Paul and I decided to put our marriage plans on hold and go and serve missions. We knew very little about Portugal when Paul was called to serve in the Porto mission. We knew a little more about it when I received my call to Lisbon six months later!
Finally, seventeen years after returning home, with the help of airmiles, we were able to make our trip.
Paul's Journal:
Day 1
Portugal was an adventure right from the very start. Véra was waiting for us at the airport as we exited customs, but she is just as directionally challenged as Amanda and didn't quite know how to get to where she was taking us!
From the airport we drove through parts of Lisbon, across the ‘new to us’ bridge, and into Barreiro. The whole time I was trying to take in every second of the drive, while at the same time getting our handy GPS to work, only later did I learn it has to be motionless to start properly. In Barreiro Véra decided to find the local chapel, and there we could find someone who knew where Maezinha’s house.
Our first chance out of the car was wonderful, to be able to stand in Portugal once more. To have all five senses take in what has been missed for 17 years. I can still picture the apartment building across from the chapel, it was so Portuguese.
At the chapel we were able to gather directions, but out problem was that Véra is truly Amanda’s twin. Directions are a foreign language in any language. So it was up to me to really understand what was being said. Funny enough, my Portuguese was more than a little rusty. It was here we learned our first new Portuguese word of the trip. “semáfara”…stoplight. Maybe it was 17 years of forgetting, or maybe it was because we never drove a car, but semáfara was new to both of us. It was also fun because the directions were wrong, not right after 4 semáfaras but after 8.
Maezinha’s place was pure Portugal. She lived in a tiny apartment in a small apartment building, in an odd little town. Her place was crammed full of all sorts of odd little things that little old ladies hang on to. For example, her bed room barely had any room to walk around the bed, yet the bed itself had 20 plus decorative pillows that would go ‘who knows where’ when it was time to sleep.
Vera, my MTC companion who is from the Lisbon area picked us up and took us to Maezinha's in Barreiro where we would be staying. Barreiro was the first area in my mission.
When we stopped for directions I was really relying on Paul and Véra to somehow get it straight between them. I don't understand directions in any language, so I was just hoping that Paul's Portuguese was strong enough to pick it up for the both of us. I was pleased that I was able to understand quite a bit of what was being said. We were very tired so it was a little difficult to focus on what was said. There was one guy there that I understood quite well, so I made the assumption that he was an American speaking Portuguese. I was quite pleased when I found out that he was actually Portuguese. I started to feel that we would actually be able to speak and understand on this trip.
We finally found Maezinha’s house. She was living in a different apartment than the one where she lived when I served in Barreiro. She had since divorced and moved. Her husband was not a member of the church and had been a very heavy drinker. I had been a little afraid of him when I was there. This was probably because I had no idea what he was saying (I had just arrived in the country) and I knew he didn’t like the church. He had cataracts and was always drinking so I was never able to figure him out. Nothing about Barreiro was specifically familiar to me, but everything felt familiar in a general sense. When we walked into the apartment building, the sound of the door closing and the smell of the stairwell were familiar as though it was yesterday. Maezinha’s place was very small and full of furniture and knick-knacks (very common for Portuguese apartments).
Maezinha was awesome from the moment that we stepped into her place. She had prepared food for us and was anxious to chat and catch up. We brought her a framed Greg Olsen print as I knew that she liked church art and I was pleased that she liked it. I was also pleased that we had one thing out of our suitcase. She showed me all of the art and things that other people had brought to her throughout the years.
Maezinha told us that she had a student renting her spare bedroom and that she would sleep on the couch so that we could sleep in her room. I felt badly about that but she seemed so pleased to see us that I thought it would be okay for the two nights that we planned to stay with her. She was a real sweetheart. When we settled in and started to talk to her I was amazed at how much we were able to understand. I couldn't catch everything she was saying but it was easy to follow the topic of conversation and understand the main message of what was going on. This was exciting!
The day after our arrival, we set out to visit Sintra, just outside of Lisbon.
Sintra was cute right from the start. The train station was a cute little ‘pueblo’ style with open arch doors on both sides of the building. We exited to the street, which is inches from the door of the train station and stopped to make sure we had or bearings. At which point an older 50 something gentlemen and a cute 20 something lady asked us, in Portuguese, if we needed any help. We told them, in Portuguese, we were here to see Sintra. They responded, in Portuguese with a strong Brasilian accent, we were welcome to join them as they too were being tourist in Sintra today.
I of course can’t remember their names, but enjoyed the morning we spent in their company, they were in Portugal for a conference on Psychology. He was a professor and she was one of his students. Amanda and I were wondering just what an older guy was doing with something that young and how they were acting together. But things are just different in different countries. No matter, it was great jumping into the language so quick with complete strangers, talking about anything and everything.
The day in the sites of Sintra was amazing. Thinking back I find it hard to put together that it was just one day, all the different building, with their unique personalities, as well as their surrounding gardens, vistas, paths, and hills. So much to take in that the mind must think it took days to do. Fond memories include sitting in the gardens by the Queens manor eating our lunch we purchased that morning, just thinking that we were actually on the other side of the Atlantic, which is on the other side of North America, having lunch
The day continued with a Mr. Toad’s style bus ride up the hill to Pena Palace. More amazing sites and more wonder gardens. Another fun moment was purchasing tickets from the booth. I approached, asked questions, in Portuguese and purchased tickets. The lady, in Portuguese, asked, “Your Portuguese is very good, how long you have been here?” I replied, “Today is my second day here.”
“WHAT?”
I then needed to correct my answer and explain that I had lived in Portugal for two years 17 years ago. She still complimented me on speaking so well for being gone so long.
Tired and all walked out we retraced our steps back to the train, then boat then arriving at MiaZinna’s at a late hour. Only to discover that she was waiting eagerly for our return, ready to feed us and talk our ears off for several more hours.
Ruins of the Moorish castle up on the hilltop. There was so much to see in Sintra that by the time we got up the hill to see the ruins, they had closed for the day.
Day three started much like day two, morning at Maezinha’s, walk to the ferry, across the Rio Tejo and then to the train station. Seems like a simple sentence, but we must have taken 50 pictures before getting to the train station. Our destination today was the Lisbon mission office to visit the missionaries there.
We exited the train at the Benfica station. Unlike the cute Sintra station, Benfica was more of a housing area of Lisbon. I had the GPS working so we punched in the address we had and started walking. We thought about using a taxi, but we were still worried about our money lasting the whole trip. We thought about a bus, but we didn’t have a map or schedule and didn’t want to risk riding who know where. So we walked.
After about 30 minutes we arrived at were we thought the office should be, but of course, no office. That wasn’t our only problem at this point. I only had the car charger for the GPS, so it decided to die, leaving us map-less. Also, Amanda’s feet were not made for walking. Heat and walking just turn her feet into ragged shreds of skin. We took a minute to sit and rest. At his point I saw a post-man walking by and asked if he knew where the mission office was located. May seem like an odd question, but if you worked the area, you would notice something like young American boys in white shirts and ties that took every opportunity to contact you, and being a post men, very happy to see you. And I was right.
Trying to save feet, we grabbed a passing bus, missed our stop, and had to walk back only to discover the street we wanted was right next to where we caught the bus. Strolling another block we saw a herd of Elders exiting a car right in front of the office.
“Oh, Elder!”
We had an enjoyable visit with the missionaries. Things seemed a bit awkward at first trying to talk to this bunch, like we just had nothing in common. I was able to hand out the Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and the Kool-Aid that I brought. That won a few smiles. Minutes later the mission president and his wife arrived. This was a nice bit of luck as it saved us from tracking them down. The President was nice enough, but his wife was a chatterbox. It was fun chatting with her while the President and the missionaries went about their day.
With our trip to the mission office wrapped up, we planned to head to the Torre de Belem and continue with being tourist. Can’t remember just where, but I was able to get my hands on a bus map. It was nice to put our feet up and let the bus do the hard work.
The area near the Torre de Belem is wonderful. They did a really good job just keeping things simple so people can enjoy the beauty of the river and the two attractions, the Torre de Belem and the Padrão dos Descobrimentos. Sadly we did not pay attention to the clock and both were closed before we arrived. This did not stop us from enjoying the calm of the river, or the shade of the Torre. Having rested our feet for a bit Amanda was eager to find the Mission home. This was a big deal for her as Amanda has zero sense of direction and doesn’t recognize street in our own neighbourhood. But to her credit, using the Torre de Belem as a landmark and direction from her memory we were able to find her mission home.
The hour was late now, and having left directions with Maezinha not to wait up and do not have dinner waiting, we decided to venture back to the Praça do Comercio for dinner. We caught a bus from the mission home and then walked the streets near the Praça looking for something yummy….and walked…and walked.
Nothing looked yummy. A mix between Portuguese items and ‘American-ized’ items, vaguely described, all unappealing. Finally Amanda’s feet could walk no more. So we sat at an outdoor restaurant that looks much like every other place in the area, but ours was right next to a sex shop. Somehow we missed that little detail in our shuffling. I remember ordering the squid and was unimpressed.
After dinner we took the ferry back across the river and Amanda could walk no more. There was a cab waiting at the terminal, like most bus, train or ferry terminals, it is easy to find a cab. We entered the cab and told him the street. He responded that there were 3 streets with that name. I responded that the house number was 12. He responded that didn’t help at all. I told him that it was quite close, that too didn’t help. I told him to drive and I’d give him directions...At which he decided that he no longer understood my Portuguese.
Exiting the cab Amanda endured the walk back to the apartment.
Now somehow in our morning we did not pick up any snacks or water, water being very, very important. The weather was quite warm and we were out in the sun a lot. Battling to stay hydrated was a constant thought. So Amanda held a spot in line and I dashed down the street to find some water. Prices, like in most places, spike and dip by location. If you are in a heavy tourist area, a small bottle of water is a buck. If you are go to a market on a quiet street a huge bottle is twenty cents. So not wanting to spend tons of cash on stupid water I went for a quick dash down the lane. After not finding anything anywhere, I dashed back.
Upon returning to the Jeronimos, I found Amanda was no longer in line. To our surprise, the Lisboa card that we purchased a few days earlier included this museum. The massive line was only to pay.
Now, I won’t even begin to try to describe the Monasterio dos Jeronimos. It was purely incredible.
After the Padrão we need to head back to the ferry terminal. We had booked a river cruise of the Tejo and were quite excited to have a relaxing moment. On the way to the ferry we tried to contact Véra. Having finished her classes, she was eager to meet up with us for the cruise. After talking with her on the phone she explained that she would not be meeting us for the cruise, but would see us after. This was a touch worrying to me as ‘after’ was booked solid for us.
We arrived on time for the cruise and even had time to grab some water to drink on the cruise. The boat began taking on passengers and everyone dash about trying to find the best spot. We chose a place on the back deck that was just in the shade of the upper deck, but still allowed a nice view of the journey. Sadly we were soon joined by others.
These others were a school group from England, 20+ kids between the ages of 16 and 18, plus their teachers. Now these kids had zero interest in being on this cruise. Most talked loudly to each other, others played on their PSP and what not. Most were just bemoaning that they were there. Now I did enjoy the cruise. It was a nice boat ride up and down the Tejo that provided great views and nice photo shots. However, it would have been much nicer if those kids would have just shut up.
Exiting the cruise we found Véra. She explained that she and some friends were having dinner at the Hard Rock Café. They wanted us to join them so we all could just chat. Now, our problem was that we needed to be heading to the airport to pick up our rental car. We needed this car as we were traveling to é tonight. This was a pickle for us as we had an understanding, ‘we are in Portugal to see people first, sites second.’ So Véra and her friends came before other things. Finding a pay phone I called the car company to explain that I would be late to the airport as I am grabbing dinner first. With that out of the way we headed off to dinner.
Having dinner with Vera and her sister and niece at the Hard Rock Cafe in Lisbon.
Part of me was annoyed that we were eating at the Hard Rock. I’m in Portugal, thousands of miles from home, and eating at the Hard Rock? However, it had been a few days since I had a real American meal, and I was soon thankful for a massive American burger. Another down side was that the restaurant was very noisy, so it was hard to hear anyone speaking, which makes understanding Portuguese even harder to understand.
After finishing with dinner Véra offered us a ride to the airport to grab our car. So in no time was buzzed though the city and arrived at the airport. We waved good bye to everyone and went into the airport to arrange for our car. Now the deal is, I was supposed to get to the airport, phone the rental company, and they would drop off the car. However, when I called the company, they were closed. I scrambled for the rental information off my phone and confirmed the numbers and arrangements. Tracking down a second number, which belonged to their Algarve office, I hoped to find anyone to talk to. Luckily someone not only answered the phone, but they actually were interested in helping us. After lots of waiting and seVéral calls we found out what had happened. The employee that was setup to bring us our car had gone home for the day. They had come by the airport and waited and waited. Not finding us, they called it quits and left.
I’ll accept part of the blame. We should have been at the airport at a certain time and we were late. However, we told the company that we were running late and they said they were fine with that. They never said, if you’re not there by X we’re leaving. At the moment, none of that mattered. We were at the Lisbon airport. No car.
Unbroken, we quickly came up with a new plan. Stay one more night at Maezinha’s, then from her place go to the car company as soon as they open. Grab the car and head to Loulé. The travel back to Maezinha’s seemed long. We were tired. We were ready for something a little slower. But that would have to wait for now, cause we had to sleep tonight and find the car in the morning.
Once again across the ferry and once again we moved about Lisbon on the metro. It was a bit of a grudge as Amanda’s feet were near death, plus we were hauling all of our luggage with us, but we managed. After asking directions a few times we did arrive at the rental car company. At this point it seemed all the blues faded away and once again we were back in the ‘Nao faz mal’ way of life.
Renting the car was a breeze, the GPS lead us out of the city and just like that we were south bound to Loulé. The drive was wonderful, really wonderful. Everything was fresh to us and exciting to take in, the whole drive to Loulé was enjoyable.
Loulé was an area that Amanda had served in all those years back and although she was not there long some of the members there remembered her. Sandra’s mom, Tome, was one of them. Shortly after dinner, her and her husband joined us at Sandra’s home. The mode was wonderful. Mario, Sandra’s mother’s husband, was in the tourism business. He goes about selling books and postcards and such to all the little stores. Hearing about us, he came with his arms full of everything he could grab while leaving the house. Generous gifts all about the Algarve.
As the sun was setting, I was growing tired. It had been a long day and I was done. However, Sandra had something else in mind. Now when one is tired, speaking and understanding a foreign language gets harder. I understood something like ‘go, walk around, park.’ Ok, I thought, I can muster the strength for that, after all, these people are wonderful. ‘Go, walk around, park’ turned out to be an all night festival. (My brain was mush too, but I did understand where they were taking us, lol - Amanda)
It was a great Portuguese festival complete with dancing, music, food, shops and crafts. You’ve heard the phrase, “catch your second wind.” This must have been my fourth or fifth ‘wind’ of the day of a long ‘wind’ catching trip. But it was a lot of fun and I would have been sad to miss it. It was a Portuguese festival, and we were in Portugal just for this kind of thing.
Finally, seventeen years after returning home, with the help of airmiles, we were able to make our trip.
Paul's Journal:
Day 1
Portugal was an adventure right from the very start. Véra was waiting for us at the airport as we exited customs, but she is just as directionally challenged as Amanda and didn't quite know how to get to where she was taking us!
From the airport we drove through parts of Lisbon, across the ‘new to us’ bridge, and into Barreiro. The whole time I was trying to take in every second of the drive, while at the same time getting our handy GPS to work, only later did I learn it has to be motionless to start properly. In Barreiro Véra decided to find the local chapel, and there we could find someone who knew where Maezinha’s house.
Our first chance out of the car was wonderful, to be able to stand in Portugal once more. To have all five senses take in what has been missed for 17 years. I can still picture the apartment building across from the chapel, it was so Portuguese.
At the chapel we were able to gather directions, but out problem was that Véra is truly Amanda’s twin. Directions are a foreign language in any language. So it was up to me to really understand what was being said. Funny enough, my Portuguese was more than a little rusty. It was here we learned our first new Portuguese word of the trip. “semáfara”…stoplight. Maybe it was 17 years of forgetting, or maybe it was because we never drove a car, but semáfara was new to both of us. It was also fun because the directions were wrong, not right after 4 semáfaras but after 8.
Maezinha’s place was pure Portugal. She lived in a tiny apartment in a small apartment building, in an odd little town. Her place was crammed full of all sorts of odd little things that little old ladies hang on to. For example, her bed room barely had any room to walk around the bed, yet the bed itself had 20 plus decorative pillows that would go ‘who knows where’ when it was time to sleep.
The photo above is of the Torre de Belem (Belem Tower), it is very iconic of Lisbon. When the explorers left Lisbon, this tower which sits at the mouth of the Rio Tejo (Tagus River) was the last thing they saw. It was also the first thing they saw as they navigated back into the city. The tower was not far from the Lisbon South Mission home.
Vera, my MTC companion who is from the Lisbon area picked us up and took us to Maezinha's in Barreiro where we would be staying. Barreiro was the first area in my mission.
Vera hadn't changed a bit (and she said the same thing about me). Paul said we were salt and pepper twins because we are both a bit scattered and completely lack navigational skills. Maybe I should have combed my hair after the transatlantic flight?
During the mission, we had to was our clothes by hand in a cement wash basin like this. This is Maezinha's washbasin out on her patio. It is now a planter because she now owns a washing machine! We also noticed that she had a dishwasher. The portuguese people all seem to have cell phones now. When we were in Portugal, very few people even had a phone in their house.
Maezinha's open air dining room. For some reason we didn't take any pictures of Maezinha in the first few days. Maybe she was camera shy, there is one later on that I will add in. Maezinha loves to feed and entertain people. When I served in her area, she fed us all the time and always said "Come mais filha" (eat more, daughter).
Here's a picture of Maezinha that I grabbed from Facebook. Vera spoke English to us on the ride to Maezinha's but when we arrived at her house we were surprised at how well we were able to understand Portuguese. I had spoken to Maezinha on the phone prior to leaving Canada and was quite dismayed that we didn't seem to be able to understand eachother. Fortunately when we were face to face it was fine!
Amanda:
We were so excited when we arrived in Portugal, but after a very long flight we were also a bit tired and bewildered. I was happy that we saw Véra waiting for us as we left customs. She looked just as I remembered her. We had been companions in the MTC for three weeks, then returned to Portugal to serve in the Lisbon North Mission. We had written a little bit during our missions and later had some contact through email and Facebook. Véra had been unsure as to whether she would be able to pick us up at the airport because she is a very dedicated "football" fan and Portugal had made it into the finals at the world cup. She didn't want to miss a game. Paul was not exaggerating about her navigation skills (nor mine) but I did take comfort that I'm really not the only one that can't find her way around.
Before we left the airport, we bought 3 day Lisboa Cards, these were good for transportation in Lisbon and discounts at various tourist attractions. I really didn't care about how lost we were, it was just unbelievable that we were in Portugal. We had been dreaming of doing this for years and now we were really here! It was really awesome to just look all around us and take it all in. Everything looked and smelled so familiar but not in the way that home is familiar.When we stopped for directions I was really relying on Paul and Véra to somehow get it straight between them. I don't understand directions in any language, so I was just hoping that Paul's Portuguese was strong enough to pick it up for the both of us. I was pleased that I was able to understand quite a bit of what was being said. We were very tired so it was a little difficult to focus on what was said. There was one guy there that I understood quite well, so I made the assumption that he was an American speaking Portuguese. I was quite pleased when I found out that he was actually Portuguese. I started to feel that we would actually be able to speak and understand on this trip.
We finally found Maezinha’s house. She was living in a different apartment than the one where she lived when I served in Barreiro. She had since divorced and moved. Her husband was not a member of the church and had been a very heavy drinker. I had been a little afraid of him when I was there. This was probably because I had no idea what he was saying (I had just arrived in the country) and I knew he didn’t like the church. He had cataracts and was always drinking so I was never able to figure him out. Nothing about Barreiro was specifically familiar to me, but everything felt familiar in a general sense. When we walked into the apartment building, the sound of the door closing and the smell of the stairwell were familiar as though it was yesterday. Maezinha’s place was very small and full of furniture and knick-knacks (very common for Portuguese apartments).
Maezinha was awesome from the moment that we stepped into her place. She had prepared food for us and was anxious to chat and catch up. We brought her a framed Greg Olsen print as I knew that she liked church art and I was pleased that she liked it. I was also pleased that we had one thing out of our suitcase. She showed me all of the art and things that other people had brought to her throughout the years.
Maezinha told us that she had a student renting her spare bedroom and that she would sleep on the couch so that we could sleep in her room. I felt badly about that but she seemed so pleased to see us that I thought it would be okay for the two nights that we planned to stay with her. She was a real sweetheart. When we settled in and started to talk to her I was amazed at how much we were able to understand. I couldn't catch everything she was saying but it was easy to follow the topic of conversation and understand the main message of what was going on. This was exciting!
The day after our arrival, we set out to visit Sintra, just outside of Lisbon.
Day 2 -Sintra
This blogger does a great job of describing Sintra:
http://www.travelfootprints.ca/2010/12/sintra-the-town-with-a-fairytale-setting?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+travelfootprints+%28travelfootprints.ca%29
Paul's Journal
We started early eager to get a jump on the day. We walked from Maezinha's to the ferry terminal. It wasn’t a long walk and it was still neat being on the Portuguese streets. On route we popped into a small ‘mercado’ and picked up a few bits of bread and fruit, plus a bottle of water for the day. Being the first time I’ve purchased anything in Portugal in 17 years I was a paying a lot of attention to just what was going on. The cashier told me the price and I was sure she was confused. “Are you sure? I’m purchasing all of this.” She was sure. Food and water were a lot cheaper then we had expected. In fact, it continued to surprise me every time.
We bought our tickets for the ferry and thoughly enjoyed the trip across the Tejo River. We must have taken 50 pictures on just this little 20 minute boat trip. The views of the Lisbon river front were amazing to tourists like ourselves.
From the Lisbon side we needed to again walk to the Rossio train station as our destination to day was Sintra. This walk lead us right down "tourist central" part of Lisbon. The streets and pracas were jumping with everyone trying to sell anything Portuguese. With a few questions about which direction we were heading we soon found the train station.
This blogger does a great job of describing Sintra:
http://www.travelfootprints.ca/2010/12/sintra-the-town-with-a-fairytale-setting?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+travelfootprints+%28travelfootprints.ca%29
Paul's Journal
We started early eager to get a jump on the day. We walked from Maezinha's to the ferry terminal. It wasn’t a long walk and it was still neat being on the Portuguese streets. On route we popped into a small ‘mercado’ and picked up a few bits of bread and fruit, plus a bottle of water for the day. Being the first time I’ve purchased anything in Portugal in 17 years I was a paying a lot of attention to just what was going on. The cashier told me the price and I was sure she was confused. “Are you sure? I’m purchasing all of this.” She was sure. Food and water were a lot cheaper then we had expected. In fact, it continued to surprise me every time.
We bought our tickets for the ferry and thoughly enjoyed the trip across the Tejo River. We must have taken 50 pictures on just this little 20 minute boat trip. The views of the Lisbon river front were amazing to tourists like ourselves.
From the Lisbon side we needed to again walk to the Rossio train station as our destination to day was Sintra. This walk lead us right down "tourist central" part of Lisbon. The streets and pracas were jumping with everyone trying to sell anything Portuguese. With a few questions about which direction we were heading we soon found the train station.
Pena Palace in Sintra
On our way to Sintra...
We're definitely in Portugal now! Cobble stones everywhere.
hillside in Lisbon
tilework at the train station in Lisbon
Now again, this is Portugal. This train station was like an art gallery. Murals were everywhere, tall, tall ceilings and wonderful stone work.
The train ride to Sintra began to reveal an ugly side of Portugal. Graffiti. Ugly, worthless graffiti was everywhere. Even the word everywhere can not describe how prevalent it was. You’d think it was not possible to sell that much spray paint, but it kept going for miles and miles. Not just one neighborhood or another. Not just here or there. It was everywhere, all of Portugal and lots of it.Sintra was cute right from the start. The train station was a cute little ‘pueblo’ style with open arch doors on both sides of the building. We exited to the street, which is inches from the door of the train station and stopped to make sure we had or bearings. At which point an older 50 something gentlemen and a cute 20 something lady asked us, in Portuguese, if we needed any help. We told them, in Portuguese, we were here to see Sintra. They responded, in Portuguese with a strong Brasilian accent, we were welcome to join them as they too were being tourist in Sintra today.
I of course can’t remember their names, but enjoyed the morning we spent in their company, they were in Portugal for a conference on Psychology. He was a professor and she was one of his students. Amanda and I were wondering just what an older guy was doing with something that young and how they were acting together. But things are just different in different countries. No matter, it was great jumping into the language so quick with complete strangers, talking about anything and everything.
The day in the sites of Sintra was amazing. Thinking back I find it hard to put together that it was just one day, all the different building, with their unique personalities, as well as their surrounding gardens, vistas, paths, and hills. So much to take in that the mind must think it took days to do. Fond memories include sitting in the gardens by the Queens manor eating our lunch we purchased that morning, just thinking that we were actually on the other side of the Atlantic, which is on the other side of North America, having lunch
The day continued with a Mr. Toad’s style bus ride up the hill to Pena Palace. More amazing sites and more wonder gardens. Another fun moment was purchasing tickets from the booth. I approached, asked questions, in Portuguese and purchased tickets. The lady, in Portuguese, asked, “Your Portuguese is very good, how long you have been here?” I replied, “Today is my second day here.”
“WHAT?”
I then needed to correct my answer and explain that I had lived in Portugal for two years 17 years ago. She still complimented me on speaking so well for being gone so long.
Tired and all walked out we retraced our steps back to the train, then boat then arriving at MiaZinna’s at a late hour. Only to discover that she was waiting eagerly for our return, ready to feed us and talk our ears off for several more hours.
National Palace - the two cone shaped chimneys ar over the kitchen.
The Moors had a great view point up here as they guarded their territory.
Heading up the hill to see the Quinta da Regaleira. Regaleira palace in the background.
One of the lookout towers in the gardens ... maybe Mum can get Dad to build one of these so she can look out over her acreage. All of the buildings in the Quinta are not that old, they were built at the turn of the 19th century.
I wasn't able to find out what kind of rock this is but they remind me of skulls.
According to Wikipedia, there is some symbolism in all of the turrets and caves in the Quinta. It signifies the trip between darkness and light, death and resurrection.
It's interesting to learn about that symbolism because when I saw this, I thought it looked like pictures I've seen of the garden tomb where Christ was burried.
There was a beautful view from the courtyard of the Pena Palace.
Clock tower on Pena Palace. I don't think it keeps accurate time any more!
Pena Palace
Ruins lit up at night
Day 3 -Lisbon
Paul's JournalDay three started much like day two, morning at Maezinha’s, walk to the ferry, across the Rio Tejo and then to the train station. Seems like a simple sentence, but we must have taken 50 pictures before getting to the train station. Our destination today was the Lisbon mission office to visit the missionaries there.
We exited the train at the Benfica station. Unlike the cute Sintra station, Benfica was more of a housing area of Lisbon. I had the GPS working so we punched in the address we had and started walking. We thought about using a taxi, but we were still worried about our money lasting the whole trip. We thought about a bus, but we didn’t have a map or schedule and didn’t want to risk riding who know where. So we walked.
After about 30 minutes we arrived at were we thought the office should be, but of course, no office. That wasn’t our only problem at this point. I only had the car charger for the GPS, so it decided to die, leaving us map-less. Also, Amanda’s feet were not made for walking. Heat and walking just turn her feet into ragged shreds of skin. We took a minute to sit and rest. At his point I saw a post-man walking by and asked if he knew where the mission office was located. May seem like an odd question, but if you worked the area, you would notice something like young American boys in white shirts and ties that took every opportunity to contact you, and being a post men, very happy to see you. And I was right.
Trying to save feet, we grabbed a passing bus, missed our stop, and had to walk back only to discover the street we wanted was right next to where we caught the bus. Strolling another block we saw a herd of Elders exiting a car right in front of the office.
“Oh, Elder!”
We had an enjoyable visit with the missionaries. Things seemed a bit awkward at first trying to talk to this bunch, like we just had nothing in common. I was able to hand out the Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and the Kool-Aid that I brought. That won a few smiles. Minutes later the mission president and his wife arrived. This was a nice bit of luck as it saved us from tracking them down. The President was nice enough, but his wife was a chatterbox. It was fun chatting with her while the President and the missionaries went about their day.
With our trip to the mission office wrapped up, we planned to head to the Torre de Belem and continue with being tourist. Can’t remember just where, but I was able to get my hands on a bus map. It was nice to put our feet up and let the bus do the hard work.
The area near the Torre de Belem is wonderful. They did a really good job just keeping things simple so people can enjoy the beauty of the river and the two attractions, the Torre de Belem and the Padrão dos Descobrimentos. Sadly we did not pay attention to the clock and both were closed before we arrived. This did not stop us from enjoying the calm of the river, or the shade of the Torre. Having rested our feet for a bit Amanda was eager to find the Mission home. This was a big deal for her as Amanda has zero sense of direction and doesn’t recognize street in our own neighbourhood. But to her credit, using the Torre de Belem as a landmark and direction from her memory we were able to find her mission home.
The hour was late now, and having left directions with Maezinha not to wait up and do not have dinner waiting, we decided to venture back to the Praça do Comercio for dinner. We caught a bus from the mission home and then walked the streets near the Praça looking for something yummy….and walked…and walked.
Nothing looked yummy. A mix between Portuguese items and ‘American-ized’ items, vaguely described, all unappealing. Finally Amanda’s feet could walk no more. So we sat at an outdoor restaurant that looks much like every other place in the area, but ours was right next to a sex shop. Somehow we missed that little detail in our shuffling. I remember ordering the squid and was unimpressed.
After dinner we took the ferry back across the river and Amanda could walk no more. There was a cab waiting at the terminal, like most bus, train or ferry terminals, it is easy to find a cab. We entered the cab and told him the street. He responded that there were 3 streets with that name. I responded that the house number was 12. He responded that didn’t help at all. I told him that it was quite close, that too didn’t help. I told him to drive and I’d give him directions...At which he decided that he no longer understood my Portuguese.
Exiting the cab Amanda endured the walk back to the apartment.
Padrao dos Descubrimentos (Monument to the Discoveries)
Paul at one of the doors to the Belem Tower (Torre de Belem).
The tower was built in the early 16th century of limestone. It was actually originally built on an island in the river but after the 1755 earthquake the river was redirected and now the tower sits on the shore of the river. I was surprised at the amount of beautiful detail that went into the stonework considering that the tower was built as a military stronghold.
This is the crest of Portugal that appears on the Portuguese flag. This stonework was on the side of a bank at the Praca do Commercio in Lisbon.
Day 4 Lisbon
This is taken at the Jeronimoes Monastery in Lisbon.
Paul's Journal
Having learned from the Torre closing on us the day before, we made a goal to exit the house early to hit the tourist attractions. This time we took the bus from outside Maezinha’s to the ferry. Buses were quite cheap; the hardest part was knowing where each bus was heading. Having asked about we were confident we were going the right way. That and we were trying everything to save Amanda’s feet. From the bus, we hit the ferry, ferry to more buses, and the buses dropped us right at the Monasterio dos Jeronimos. It was on our list of three things to see that morning, so we decided to hit that first.Now somehow in our morning we did not pick up any snacks or water, water being very, very important. The weather was quite warm and we were out in the sun a lot. Battling to stay hydrated was a constant thought. So Amanda held a spot in line and I dashed down the street to find some water. Prices, like in most places, spike and dip by location. If you are in a heavy tourist area, a small bottle of water is a buck. If you are go to a market on a quiet street a huge bottle is twenty cents. So not wanting to spend tons of cash on stupid water I went for a quick dash down the lane. After not finding anything anywhere, I dashed back.
Upon returning to the Jeronimos, I found Amanda was no longer in line. To our surprise, the Lisboa card that we purchased a few days earlier included this museum. The massive line was only to pay.
Now, I won’t even begin to try to describe the Monasterio dos Jeronimos. It was purely incredible.
One of the many confession rooms at the Jeronimos Monastery. Paul is being cheeky trying to listen in on the confession.
Upon leaving the monasterio we crossed the street and the park to the Padrão dos Descobrimentos. A beautiful monument built to celebrate all the voyages of discovery that left from the ports of Portugal.
After the Padrão we need to head back to the ferry terminal. We had booked a river cruise of the Tejo and were quite excited to have a relaxing moment. On the way to the ferry we tried to contact Véra. Having finished her classes, she was eager to meet up with us for the cruise. After talking with her on the phone she explained that she would not be meeting us for the cruise, but would see us after. This was a touch worrying to me as ‘after’ was booked solid for us.
We arrived on time for the cruise and even had time to grab some water to drink on the cruise. The boat began taking on passengers and everyone dash about trying to find the best spot. We chose a place on the back deck that was just in the shade of the upper deck, but still allowed a nice view of the journey. Sadly we were soon joined by others.
These others were a school group from England, 20+ kids between the ages of 16 and 18, plus their teachers. Now these kids had zero interest in being on this cruise. Most talked loudly to each other, others played on their PSP and what not. Most were just bemoaning that they were there. Now I did enjoy the cruise. It was a nice boat ride up and down the Tejo that provided great views and nice photo shots. However, it would have been much nicer if those kids would have just shut up.
Exiting the cruise we found Véra. She explained that she and some friends were having dinner at the Hard Rock Café. They wanted us to join them so we all could just chat. Now, our problem was that we needed to be heading to the airport to pick up our rental car. We needed this car as we were traveling to é tonight. This was a pickle for us as we had an understanding, ‘we are in Portugal to see people first, sites second.’ So Véra and her friends came before other things. Finding a pay phone I called the car company to explain that I would be late to the airport as I am grabbing dinner first. With that out of the way we headed off to dinner.
this cathedral was also built as a military fortress
Having dinner with Vera and her sister and niece at the Hard Rock Cafe in Lisbon.
Part of me was annoyed that we were eating at the Hard Rock. I’m in Portugal, thousands of miles from home, and eating at the Hard Rock? However, it had been a few days since I had a real American meal, and I was soon thankful for a massive American burger. Another down side was that the restaurant was very noisy, so it was hard to hear anyone speaking, which makes understanding Portuguese even harder to understand.
After finishing with dinner Véra offered us a ride to the airport to grab our car. So in no time was buzzed though the city and arrived at the airport. We waved good bye to everyone and went into the airport to arrange for our car. Now the deal is, I was supposed to get to the airport, phone the rental company, and they would drop off the car. However, when I called the company, they were closed. I scrambled for the rental information off my phone and confirmed the numbers and arrangements. Tracking down a second number, which belonged to their Algarve office, I hoped to find anyone to talk to. Luckily someone not only answered the phone, but they actually were interested in helping us. After lots of waiting and seVéral calls we found out what had happened. The employee that was setup to bring us our car had gone home for the day. They had come by the airport and waited and waited. Not finding us, they called it quits and left.
I’ll accept part of the blame. We should have been at the airport at a certain time and we were late. However, we told the company that we were running late and they said they were fine with that. They never said, if you’re not there by X we’re leaving. At the moment, none of that mattered. We were at the Lisbon airport. No car.
Unbroken, we quickly came up with a new plan. Stay one more night at Maezinha’s, then from her place go to the car company as soon as they open. Grab the car and head to Loulé. The travel back to Maezinha’s seemed long. We were tired. We were ready for something a little slower. But that would have to wait for now, cause we had to sleep tonight and find the car in the morning.
Maezinha let us come back and stay with her another night
Day 5 The Algarve
The start of day five was a bit of a pain. Seeing how we were supposed to be in Loulé already, yet, due to car rental confusion, we were starting from Maezinha’s place. However, we were on vacation, in Portugal, so how bad could it really be.
Once again across the ferry and once again we moved about Lisbon on the metro. It was a bit of a grudge as Amanda’s feet were near death, plus we were hauling all of our luggage with us, but we managed. After asking directions a few times we did arrive at the rental car company. At this point it seemed all the blues faded away and once again we were back in the ‘Nao faz mal’ way of life.
Renting the car was a breeze, the GPS lead us out of the city and just like that we were south bound to Loulé. The drive was wonderful, really wonderful. Everything was fresh to us and exciting to take in, the whole drive to Loulé was enjoyable.
fields on the drive between Lisbon and Loule
Once in Loulé the grudge set in again. We found Nestor’s house easy enough, but of course no one was home. We knew they would not be, but we had to call to let them know. In speaking to Sandra, she said to drop our bags then she would meet us on the drive into Loulé, as their place was a touch outside the city. Seemed odd, but we are the visitors.
Following the GPS we moved along the road…not fully understand a sign that said something like “Detour. Road Closed. Don’t go that way.” Well, we went that way and found ourselves right in the middle of some road construction. Not major road construction, just a new round about and some streets, but it gave me a chance to ask directions just to be sure we were heading the right way. The worker gave me a weird look, but kindly pointed me on my way. Next thing I know, we are in Loulé. Oh, and our phone had died, and no Sandra, and no idea where in Loulé we were. Cherry on top is that we were hungry, grouchy nasty hungry, and couldn’t decide what to eat in this foreign land.
This is taken in the country outside of Loule, the names of the streets are written in tiles.
Over the next hour or two I was able to find a library, air conditioned, with free internet, they were also nice enough to plug in my cell phone so it would charge. I was able to park Amanda there while I hunted for a phone card to call Sandra. With said card I was able to call Sandra, reaching voice mail, and explain what happened. While making sure the car was parked somewhere safe and find food to eat. With calm tempers we at last made contact with Sandra and agreed to meet her later at her house.
Loulé Mormons, would be a very good way to describe Sandra and Nestor. As if you plucked a good Mormon family from the heart of Provo and plopped them in Loulé, Portugal. They were overly welcoming, kind to be around and generous with everything they had. Dinner was wonderful and the company delightful. Though we had never met, we talked for hours.
Loulé was an area that Amanda had served in all those years back and although she was not there long some of the members there remembered her. Sandra’s mom, Tome, was one of them. Shortly after dinner, her and her husband joined us at Sandra’s home. The mode was wonderful. Mario, Sandra’s mother’s husband, was in the tourism business. He goes about selling books and postcards and such to all the little stores. Hearing about us, he came with his arms full of everything he could grab while leaving the house. Generous gifts all about the Algarve.
As the sun was setting, I was growing tired. It had been a long day and I was done. However, Sandra had something else in mind. Now when one is tired, speaking and understanding a foreign language gets harder. I understood something like ‘go, walk around, park.’ Ok, I thought, I can muster the strength for that, after all, these people are wonderful. ‘Go, walk around, park’ turned out to be an all night festival. (My brain was mush too, but I did understand where they were taking us, lol - Amanda)
It was a great Portuguese festival complete with dancing, music, food, shops and crafts. You’ve heard the phrase, “catch your second wind.” This must have been my fourth or fifth ‘wind’ of the day of a long ‘wind’ catching trip. But it was a lot of fun and I would have been sad to miss it. It was a Portuguese festival, and we were in Portugal just for this kind of thing.
Sandra and Nestor's three cute children Tomas, Natacha and Jonas.
Amanda - It was fun to come back to the Algarve. I had not kept in touch with anyone there and of course prior to our trip had wanted to do a little more research and track people down but it hadn't happened. Paul had made a case with me for trying to rent a room from members of the church. That way we would save some money and also have a chance to practice our language. The travel guide we had been using had also recommended renting "quartos" (rooms) as an affordable accommodation. Paul had found the name of the branch president in Loulé through the church website. He had contacted him and asked for him to recommend any members that might be interested in renting a room to "ex-missionaries". Nestor, the branch president had offered his home to us, but at no charge. As it turned out, I did remember Nestor's mother in law Tome, who had been very kind to us when I was a missionary. Tome's daughter Sandra was inactive at the time and was living with her father, so I had never met her. Tome was extremely welcoming towards us and insisted that she could remember me from my missionary days. It was wonderful to be treated so warmly.
When Sandra and Sandra took us to the feira, they brought all their children along. I thought they were real troopers to have their kids out so late just to entertain visitors, but I've later learned that having kids out at all hours is the norm in Portugal. 
Tomas
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