I've been wondering if the name for this blog is still appropriate. Steps of Faith seemed very relevant when we started out on this journey, but here I am posting about one more trip we've been on and I am wondering... are we stepping out in faith by taking an adventurous trip to Portugal? I've decided that, yes, if you have a husband like mine who loves to plan crazy adventures, it IS a step of faith! But more importantly, I recognized that every day we are taking steps to follow God's will for our lives. Living in Indonesia continues to have the same challenges as when we first came and we are always faced with new ones. We are always striving to live in obedience to what God wants from us regardless of the difficulties we face, but also realize along the way, that God has given us amazing opportunities of which it is okay to enjoy.
Thus brings me to our summer adventures. We, of course, were looking forward to going back to Canada (this time on good terms), but decided to enjoy some family time before the busyness of visiting with loved ones began. Portugal seemed like the logical choice (one of the cheapest, actually) and we spent 10 wonderful days exploring this beautiful country. I have included way too many pictures for this blog entry, most likely, but I did spare you from having to look through over 1000 of them. Regardless of the amount of pictures, my hope is to share the beauty of the cities and the rural areas of Portugal and some of the adventures we enjoyed along the way.
During our layover in Amsterdam we were able to meet up with a family that Paul lived with for a few months while doing a semester there. They even provided us with the much coveted Stroopwafles and Wilhelmina Peppermints.
Lisbon, Portugal
We flew into Lisbon and spent two nights in the city before heading out on our roadtrip to Northern Portugal. We did a lot of walking and sightseeing here.
Paul and I tried a favourite liqueur of the Portuguese called Ginjinha.
We arrived in Lisbon just as they were nearing the end of their St. Anthony Festivities.
Portugal is known for their unique tiles.
Eating sardines and sausages is part of the annual tradition during the St. Anthony Festival.
Painted Tiles
Food was amazing. We enjoyed a lot of delicious sandwiches.
St. Jeronimo Monastery
A cold, rainy day meant a lot of sightseeing indoors. We went to visit the Maritime Museum.
St. George's Castle
Enjoying Sardines and Sausages.
Famous Portuguese pastry. Pastel de nata. Kids were hoping for ice cream.
They weren't as excited as we hoped they might be.
After two nights in Lisbon we rented a car and started our road trip north.
The Atlantic Ocean was freezing!!
The kids were paid to go into the water.
Jolene wasn't interested.
Beautiful town of Cascais
Driving into Sintra
Qunita da Regaleira. A 20th Century home with magnificent gardens and so much to explore.
One of our favourite places to visit.
Castle of the Moors. A hilltop medieval castle.
Pena National Palace.
We enjoyed quite a few picnic lunches that consisted of Portuguese buns
with meat and cheese, fresh fruit and some wine for Paul and I.
Cliffs at Cabo da Roca
A long hike down, but it was worth it.
Beautiful Nazare Beach
Alcobaca Monastery
Town of Aveiro
Fish dinner and dancing in the courtyard with Daddy.
Canal Tour
Tried to do the right thing and pay a parking ticket at the police station,
just to be told "don't bother."
Porto, Portugal
Paul celebrated his birthday in Porto. His wish was to eat a
Francesinha sandwich and go on a wine tour.
The Francesinha is a sandwich with 4 or 5 different types of meat covered with
melted cheese with gravy poured over top. Need I say how delicious it was?
Wine Tour
The city of Porto
Amarente Water Park
A fun surprise for the kids... once we found our way there.
Our ultimate destination in Portugal was the National Park
which is where we stayed for three full days.
We enjoyed the outdoors immensely and had beautiful weather the entire time.
We stayed in a really great place. Casa do Avo. The owners took
very good care of us, including fresh lettuce and buying us souvenirs.
And we woke up, Saturday morning, to a marching band.
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| New shoes for hiking. |
One of our favourite spots.
Hot Water Spring
After our amazing road trip north, we made our way back to Lisbon where we spent our last night before heading to Canada.
So, maybe the steps of faith we took in Portugal seemed easier, but, all in all, we continue to put Him first in everything we do and wherever we go. What an amazing opportunity to explore this part of the world.
