Proof of Spring in Portgal

The Storks of Portugal aren't delivering babies...they are having babies!  All along the roads, you see their nests.  They like to live where there is a good view...AND sometimes their high rise apartments have several floors.  I guess it's always nice to have a neighbor in case you ever have to borrow an EGG!  

The other sure sign of spring is all the beautiful flowers.  We live in a big city but it is still easy to find these blossoms.

These purple trees are amazing...they don't get any leaves until after these gorgeous purple blossoms all fall off.  All the other trees have gotten their leaves long ago.  The dark bark along with the vivid purple color is really striking.

Our Most Expensive Meal (pretty much ever ! )

 He looks like a nice enough man, right?  He was actually a pretty good waiter. 

 This is a nice looking fish...as fish goes.  It was actually really delicious!

This is that same fish grilled to perfection.  However, what no one bothered to let us know was that this is a $200 fish!!!  Five people were served this fish along with a FEW potatoes & carrots.  The final bill was a whopping $200!  Ok, so we did have drinks (mostly bottled water) and bread & butter (bread & butter are always extra here, usually about 3-5 euros...their little basket of bread was $14 ! )  It was a seafood restaurant with the fish sold by the kilo... Never stopped to consider the end results.  The restaurant was right next to the ocean- we were the only ones in the restaurant..(I wonder why?)  Good food, good company, even good service.  BUT we left broke and hungry... and maybe a little wiser?!?

When You Leave Family...It's Nice to Have Family Come to You!

Yeah!! A visit from Home!  Senior Missionary couples get special priviledges... this is one of the best!

Jared & Ingrid arriving at the airport in Portugal after a 20+ hour trip...So Happy to see them, but they must be happy to be off the plane!!!

No time to rest...we took them straight to Belem...See the sights, eat some great food and top it all off with Pasties de Belem- Yum!

Hard to believe this is just $3.45 at our favorite place.... Pao, Pao...quejo, quejo

Still looks pretty happy for no sleep!!

 We had them here for only 5 days...not very long really, to show them a country that we have come to love!  We could only pick a very few places and these are only a very few pictures of our 5 day adventure. 

   Eating in the little outdoor cafes was a lot of fun...Ingrid had Octopus at this cafe...Said she LOVED it!?!

Who needs a mote around your castle when you build it in the middle of a River???

Great Little Bed & Breakfast that we almost didn't stay in!  Got there just at dusk...way out in the middle of NOWHERE!   Down a little one lane dirt road in a sort of 'run down' area.  Outside was nothing to impress anyone BUT such a nice woman who ran it.  She has only 6 rooms and a beautiful dining area with lots of space to relax and chat.  It is an old paper factory that she inherited and remodeled.  So glad we stayed...It was such a fun experience & adventure!

This is the outside!!

We got to see a new castle we have never seen before with Jared & Ingrid...  Small but well preserved and pretty cool inside!

Very amazing spiral staircase leading to a look out tower!

 Of Course we had to get a picture of the "Privy"  It came complete with this little stone divider between the two 'holes' so you would have some privacy while you visited.  Just make sure you were not walking around on the hillside beneath!

A mad dash north to the city of PORTO... by now their heads must be spinning!!  But, Porto has it's own beauty and charm.

 

'Harry Potter' inspiration book store in Porto

You can't help but feel like you're in a magical kingdom when you are in Sintra!!

These are images of Capuchos Convent...ancient convent of 8 monks living very sparse lives of dedication and separation.

The Last two days were spent in Lisbon seeing some of the amazing things in this city. 

A wild Tuk Tuk ride!

 Before coming...Ingrid had found a beach she wanted to visit...After trying one day when covered in fog- we returned so they could make the difficult hike to the bottom of the cliff.  They assured us it was well worth it!

The biggest problem with having loved ones come to see us is that they also have to leave!  We had a great time showing them around.