Trick or Treat 2011

Halloween as we know it is a pretty American holiday.  Just in the last 5 years or so have they been embracing it here in Spain.  Pilar and her family had never experienced actual trick or treating in a neighborhood, so we had to drag them along with us!  Her kids were excited, but a tiny bit nervous.  They kept practicing how to say "trick or treat" before we got onto base.  It took them about 2 houses before they were 100% into it!  We spent the rest of the night trying to keep up with all of them as they ran from house to house.  It was a good time!

Portugal -The Algarve, Lagos

Lagos is a cool, hip, funky town.  We made this our home base and went on all our day trips from here.  The old town was a little confusing at first, but it didn't take us long to get orientated.  It has an awesome pedestrian, well mostly pedestrian only street that runs thorough the old town.  We ate almost all our meals here.  Some were better than others, but you'll have that.

We came across a plaza that was once the home of the very first slave trade market in Europe.  It was fascinating to see and sad at the same time.  It provided an excellent platform for us to speak to the kids about slavery.  We had a good little discussion.  I'm not sure how much they really understood, but enough that they were very concerned.  My hope is that someday when they're sitting in history class, they'll have an a-ha moment and remember what they saw here.  The school they currently attend is a bit of a melting pot and because of the diversity they have friends that are all sorts of colors and nationalities.  They're so lucky to grow up this way.

The girls are standing in the main part of the market, where the slaves would have been put on display.  You can see the ropes that would have held them as "shoppers" perused the goods....so terrible!

We also went into the Church of Santo Antonio.  We wanted to see it because it's considered to be one of the best baroque churches in Portugal.  It's dedicated to the patron saint of the military, Antonio.  The altar in the church is amazing and I'm glad we were able to see it.  I am always so impressed by the craftsmanship and talent that people posses!  The church is also attached to a small archaeological museum that had a decent amount of items to keep us interested. 

Down at the port we booked a short cruise to take us out to see the cliffs.  it was fun, but unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate.  It was too windy for us to go into the caves so we only got to see them from the outside.  Kind of a bummer, but it was still super fun.  Carley liked it so much that she was almost asleep by the time we got back to shore...I can't blame her though, I love to be rocked by the waves too.

old roman bridge no longer in use

We came across this cute merry go round and the girls enjoyed a few rides.  We ended up coming back the next night so they could ride again!

Thanks for a great trip!

Portugal -The Algarve, Sagres & Salema

On our second day, we headed further West to Cape Sagres.  Back when people thought the world was flat, this was the spot that was considered "the end of the world."  This kids got a kick out of that tid bit!  A navigation school was founded here by Prince Henry the Navigator.  This was the spot that many sailors started their journeys.  Unfortunately it's also the very same place that many of these adventures ended their journeys too...dashed upon the cliffs. 

On our way we made Trent stop at this cute store.  We didn't end up buying any pottery because it wasn't anything original, but the way he had it decorated was fun to see.  I loved all the colorful plates up on the walls.  I bet he gets a lot of people to stop in because of it!

Carol

This is the fortress, that was also the navigation school.  It had a huge area to walk around in and we enjoyed exploring it.

They had this very teeny tiny little chapel.

Luke found a small skeleton on our walk.  He wanted to take it home, but we talked him into a photo instead.

We stopped in the town of Salema for a bite to eat.  This cute little restaurant was yummy and right on the beach.  It was nice to be able to eat and relax at the beach for a while.

Then we drove out to Cape St. Vincent, just a short 15 minute drive north.  Here is where the light house stands as the official marker for "the end of the world."  We couldn't go in because it's being renovated, but we were able to enjoy the views and shop at the gypsy market that runs here daily.

this picture makes me laugh.  the kids are pretty tuckered out from us hauling them all over!

For dinner we ate at this cute little place on the main promenade in Lagos.  We got lucky because a street performer began to play just as we were sitting down.  He was really good!  Had a great voice and played a lot of songs we liked.  The girls enjoyed it too and even danced around to the music.  It the perfect ending to a wonderful day.

Portugal - The Algarve, Tavira

Tavira was our first stop.  The town cozies up to a river and we found it very quaint and pleasant.  The streets weren't busy, but they weren't deserted either.  We had a great time wandering around taking in the sites. 

We went to a little museum that gave us a birdseye view of the town.  We had to go up a tower to the "dark room" to view the city through the Camera Oscura.  During our 15 minute, 365 degree, tour of the town we learned a bit about its history and the lay of the land!  It was pretty neat, and if you wanted to you could spy on your neighbors pretty good from up there!

This is all that remains of the "castle".  The base of the it is supposedly Neolithic, while later inhabitants, the Phoenicians in the 8th century bc, the Moors in the 8th century ad, and the Portuguese in the 13th century, added their own layers to the structure.  Today not much is left but the city has turned this area into a beautiful garden park to enjoy.
 

Luke had fun pretending to shoot arrows at the pillagers down below...defend the castle!!

The entrance into the castle garden.

A look out tower that is still intact.

This is the old town gate.  It's the only part of the city walls that survives from the 16th century.  Our kids didn't even notice it was there....

This is called the "Roman Bridge" but no one knows for sure who built it.  It was here when the Moors arrived and has been called the "Roman Bridge" ever since.  The current structure is from 1657, with parts rebuilt after a 1989 flood.  Today it is a pedestrian only bridge, which was great for us because our kids ran back and forth across it looking for fish.

This guy fascinated the kids.  They just couldn't understand how he could stand still for so long. 

during lunch the kids decided to sample the lemons...it was funny to watch!

 Breakin' It Down

Before reaching our hotel we made a little side trip off the highway to check out a chapel of bones!  It was weird to see, but interesting at the same time.  Not sure of the history behind such a room.  Supposedly a much larger and cooler one exists up near Lisbon, we'll have to remember that when we head up that direction.

just a little creepy....