Surfing to Porto

 

The next morning with fresh laundry a la Joe (so much laundry traveling with kids), we had a very yummy breakfast at our hotel before setting out for more stops. Toobular beach was a bit toobless but the kids loved it all the same and then we joined the chocolate festival in medieval Obidos while shopping and walking around. The kids enjoyed a giant donut and chocolate fondue candy on our way out. The next stop to Nazare was spectacular and well worth a visit. The city with the tallest waves IN THE WORLD, Nazare is a surfers dream with 4/5 of the Guinness book of world records set there for surfing the tallest wave (80 feet high). We hiked to the lighthouse end and watched the powerful ocean sputter and snarl. It’s angry froth meeting the happy waves. Truly spectacular; I enjoyed watching from a safe distance!

We finished our driving for the day in the city of Aveiro and arrived close to 8:30pm. We found our hotel eventually and kids crashed on phones while we enjoyed a drink with Nin and Dunc in their adjoining guest house. The funky smell was not appreciated but the company and drinks made it all worth it ;)

Breakfast in Aveiro turned out to be outstanding and fresh! The boys enjoyed their first Nutella crepes while the adults ate yummy omelets with salad and bread. The kids ran off their morning sillies at the pirate park across the way from the imitation Venice gondolas and foot bridges adorned with colourful hanging ribbons. Such a quaint town, it’s a pity we didn’t have more time. Our first stop outside of town was the Costa Nova city to check out the stripped houses lining the ocean. I have fallen in love with the city and am contemplating when I can come back and live here for a month or more and write. We met an older British couple who also came on vacation once and never left! Our lunch on the beach with more vino verde and ahi burgers was yummy to say the least. Unfortunately we couldn’t stay long as I would have liked: our port tasting awaits!

Who doesn’t love wine barrels, a dark cellar and the dusky smell of fermentation? 2/3 of my children!! The tour was super informative and three glasses of port served with chocolate at the end to cap off our Portugal experience. We rushed to return our cars and board our plane to Paris, France!

Portuguese Paradise

We touched down super late into Lisbon, found our hotel by taxi and crashed into our beds! The next morning we enjoyed breakfast at a cafe not far from our hotel. Basking in the sun and cheap eats we followed up breakfast by a trip to the park to burn some energy and get the vibe of Portugal. So far, so good. A hidden gem for me; I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to get here! Inexpensive, cheerful and warm, the rusted red landscaped houses are as picturesque and they are functional. I love all the bursts of colour. Back to our traditional Europe days, we decided to walk to our next destination 30 mins away (aka 1.25 hours with kids) but we enjoyed the leisurely stroll through tourist eateries, mosaic cobbled streets lined with tourist shops and fountains in the centre. Baked goods and cafes at every turn, art for sale and on buildings, a huge fountain to make a wish, not to mention beautiful buildings and happy tourists. Lisbon we love you!!!

We made it to the medieval castle with 360 degree views of the Atlantic Ocean. Honestly spectacular views in every direction! We walked the caste walls, peeked through defensive lookouts and imagined we were protecting ourselves from ocean invading intruders. The Fort was fabulous and super sturdy, but we were shocked at the low walls and no tourist supports put into place. I’m not usually a nervous Nellie, but Miss T bopping around as usual, I had to hold her down!! it made me super nervous.

We watched the sun set with some drinks in the same park, getting more of the local flavour before half of us headed for dinner and half of us headed to the hotel for pizza delivery and an early bedtime.

The next morning we had breakfast at the hotel before taking a cab to the tower of Belem. Really beautiful tower right on the ocean. My water babes immediately took to the beach finding sand crabs and building a new home for them while Joe visited the military museum and Nina and Duncan took a walk/listened to an artist playing music. Alas the tide washed in and set the crabs free and we took a cab to the X Factory art district. Colour and creativity inked every inch as we chose American fare for lunch. The kids have seriously missed burgers, fries and milkshakes!

We walked all around after lunch, looking into windows and stopping in stores. B got his ears pierced to commemorate our trip and I tried to talk Joe into matching tattoos (no such luck)! We took the train and the tram back to the park for a stop at our fave convenience store. We enjoyed drinks with Nina and Dunc while listening to the traditional Fado music of Portugal. Nin and I grabbed takeout from across the street while practicing our French with a charming man in the lineup. So many French speakers in Portugal, it’s been a treat! Traditional Portuguese food; we ordered peri peri chicken, roasted potatoes, sautéed spinach, buttery soft salmon, rice and veggies. We chowed it down before bedtime.

The following morning Duncan and Joe grabbed rental cars at the airport and we all drove to Sintra for breakfast and sightseeing. We took the local bus to the top of the hill and bought tickets to the gorgeous gardens of the Peña Palace. We got up to the gate two mins later only to be told the workers decided to strike and the park had just closed. We pleaded, argued and glared but sadly they would not let us in. Very disappointing since this was our main reason for coming to Sintra. B and E snuck in to grab some pics while we waited and waited for a bus. Another traveler in front of us was pissed to put it lightly. She was raging at everyone she could and insisted on a full refund even if she had to walk down the mountain.

Eventually we decided to pay for a private jeep ride down and walked back partway through the adorable tourist village. More colourful shops, art and tourists winning and dinning. The shining sun every day has really added to our Portugal enjoyment and wiped away much of the earlier annoyance. We took the scenic coast drive and made our first stop in Praia da Foz da Lizandro a quaint surfing town that’s heavily populated during the summer months. The kids had a blast on the beach building a fort and then enjoyed an early dinner before our last hour drive to the Peneche peninsula. The kids were worn out at that point and chose to stay in while the four adults went downstairs for a most delicious seafood dinner. We paired dinner with never before heard of vino verde (green wine) which is apparently only made in one district of Portugal. Delish!

Goodbyes and hello

***No real pics for this blog, so I threw in some fun ones!
A happiest countries report popped into my feed today and listed Israel as number 4 up from number 9 from a 2020-2022 survey (Canada was 12 and USA 14). I actually found the most dissatisfaction amongst Israelis and many Arabs this trip. Our hotel was peppered with miserable looking staff and many places we stopped had workers looking like they’d rather be somewhere else with the exception of Achlla and our last felafel feast. The continued and escalated Jewish/Arab unrest as well as shifting political goal, not to mention the skyrocketing cost of goods is my best guess for the energy shift. It certainly isn’t the scenery or my family that remained the top highlights of this spectacular trip . Adios Israel, bring on the cheap eats of Portugal!!

Happy family pics make travel seem so exotic and romantic. Here is a less than glamorous story: I booked through kiwi.com (first time) and declined the optional transit coverage assuming 3 hours was more than enough time to get through Milan onto our plane to Lisbon to reunite with Nina and Duncan. We’ll 2.5 hour delay in Tel Aviv and a subsequent 45 mins delay on our second flight left us in a tight crunch that wasn’t impossible to make. The major grey area was the checked baggage. Family meeting on the plane, we decided Joe and the kids would race ahead, check in and I would try my best to make it with our large suitcase. Or spend the night in the hotel and catch the 6am flight. With 45 mins until the flight was scheduled to depart, I raced through the airport to an empty check in desk, large suitcase in tow. Joe had also received a no at the check-in desk but continued through security with  boarding passes emailed to us from Kiwi (with no seat numbers) and headed to the gate instead. Eventually, Joe called me on messenger and told me to get to the gate; they’ll let us on if I get there, but not him alone with the kids. Apparently his lack of persisting and perhaps our cute kids, made the check-in gals agree to let them on!

Security refused my large baggage and I had to decide to leave it behind or miss my slim chance.

Suitcase dumped open, stuffing our favorite items into two flimsy plastic bags and my bag pack, I raced thru security sweating in places that aren’t very ladylike. I’d love to say I sprinted like a gazelle through to gate A09, but my bags wore me down and I called Joe for a life line. He rescued me mid slog and we rushed together to the gate. Miss T sobbing with relief and the boys cheering, we rushed to board as the very last people on the plane. I can honestly say, my children won’t forget tonight’s events  anytime soon . 

Dead Sea and thousands of years of history

When our glamping plans fell thru, we booked a last minute all inclusive resort at a Dead Sea hotel. Heaven has arrived as we stepped into the beach oasis with unlimited beverages, meals, a gorgeous swimming pool with water slides and steps to the salted sea. Miss T took a brief dip before decided it wasn’t for her. The boys and I loved the mineral bath, floating and enjoying the salt embrace. We finished a delicious meat dinner and headed for drinks in the theatre with live music and lots of action. A late night had by all but it was worth it ;).

The morning brought us to a Moroccan decorated lobby and a warm breakfast of eggs, cheeses and so many breads. We lounged in the spa of heated Dead Sea water, a hot tub and sauna. Very relaxing since the minimum age required was 16 ;). After the spa, we slathered in mud for the obligatory pic. One tiny family member refused . The rest of the afternoon was spent lounging poolside drinking kiwi margs and enjoying the pristine pool. We lunched and left for Masada immediately as quickly as time allowed and made it up on the last trolley. Exploring thousands of year olds history, thinking about what life would have been like living between 37 and 31 BCE period when  Herod the Great built two palaces for himself on the mountain and fortified Masada Really peaked our historian imaginations. Nothing to complete a trip south quite like a parking lot camel ride, a first for B and T. No one else opted to ride!!

It was such a pleasure spending time with our aunt and uncle that we opted to have dinner with another set and a half! Cafe Ramon is our new fave dinner place. 

Our last day together in Israel, Joe and the crew spent the day laughing and playing in the Mediterranean and walking around the artistic Tel Aviv, while “some” of us stayed behind doing school work with a feverish little. We reunited at Omi’s for a Shabbat feast with cousins and aunts and uncles. True to a Jewish mother, we were overstuffed with homemade fish tajin, roasted vegetables, potatoes, delectable salads and so so much more! We said goodbye to Omi and Saba with the promise to see each other soon. 

Saturday we all took a tour of the Memorial Tank Museum in . Old and new, Israeli tanks as well as other countries, we climbed and played mixing history with modern moments. The kids and I also found some stray cats and loved them up as much as they let us! We took a late lunch in Ramle eating at an Arab eatery filled with Shabbat rule breakers feasting on typica Jewish fare. We’ve eaten more hummus and salads in the past ten days then in the past ten years :p. We said our short goodbyes to Nina and Dunc with promises to reunite the next day and dropped the kids off at a cousins so we could head to the bar to watch Ariana perform. The icing on the top of the cake, a child free evening out with friends and relatives, dancing to Ariana’s fabulous band perform and fun food to fill us up. Another late night, but an enchanting one!

The next day, we packed our bags carefully, said our goodbyes and drove to the airport. 

Oh Jerusalem

My aunt and grandma organized a huge family dinner out at our fave restaurant Achlla in Kfar Saba. SO many tiny plates of refillable salads that arrive with fresh laffa bread. Pickled carrots, corn salad, hummus, pickles, baba ganoush, cabbage salad, etc. In addition you can order meat skewers as sides to compliment everything. It was so great to meet up with so many relatives we hadn’t seen in many years. The icing on the cake was the spelling error on their English menu that sent us into hysterics ;).

The following day we trekked by train and tram into the old city of Jerusalem. The western wall remains a pillar of strength to its Jewish and non Jewish visitors alike. The cracks of Jerusalem stone overflowing with paper prayers, the women’s crying and touching the wall in angst. A spiritual awakening for some and for others a daily routine. Being swept up in the emotions is intense. 

The kiddos preferred the dark corners and glittering allure of the marketplace and the Arab shook. We bartered for treasures and found special souvenirs to bring home to Canada. We spent the rest of the afternoon walking around the old city, learning about the destruction of the second temple, touching the pillars that still remain and reading about the marketplace vendors that adorned the city in blank CE.

The kids were beat and headed home bellies full of overpriced ice cream with dad, while Duncan, Joe and I forged on to meet the cousins for dinner. A transit mishap ended us at the airport and back to Modiin where Joe and his sidekick rescued us and drove us to dinner. Alls well that ends well and the expression was never truer tonight!

A journey through Israel

 

After twelve years of re-election, Bibi has appointed an ultra right-wing conservative cabinet who is trying to massively reform the judicial system in Israel. Frustrated by the continual terror, Israeli citizens elected to go far right in the hopes of finding a safer Israel of the future. What they didn’t count on was the pushed right wing agenda that is moving much faster than many citizens are comfortable with. In protest to the proposed changes, they have taken to the street with signs and flags. Joe and I seem to have a penchant for traveling places and finding ourselves in the middle of life changing events. Our last visit to Israel from Jordan took us past a very well reported protest in Amman and our honeymoon in Mexico landed us in swine flu territory with travelers leaving our resort and new ones not filling their spots!!!

With some hesitancy and trepidation, we made our way over the green line into the territories of Israel into what is known as the disputed lands, the “west bank” of Israel and where my aunt lives. I have been canvassing and questioning all the relatives and trying to better understand where Israel came from and where it’s going. Do Palestinians “exist” now and did they 100 years ago? The answers likely depend on which side you’re “on” but Israeli’s make some compelling arguments for keeping the beautiful lands they have made their home. The anger and hatred of their neighbours and sad indoctrination of Arab children is raising a generation that will likely take over the terror their parents have been taught.

 A two-state solution and living side by side in peace has never been a more unrealistic goal and many Israelis are frustrated and sad about it. As someone coming from the west into a Jewish homeland, Israel is the only place on earth where I can wake up Jewish and not have to think about it. It is truly a special and magical place. Despite that perspective, we love Ariana’s home with its multi levels, side rooms and sweeping views of the shomron. We’re able to look out past the patio and see nearby Arab villages. Neighbours and enemies. Friends and foes.  Joe has a special love for the fluffy rock rabbits that look like big gophers. A tasty snack one might think but apparently they’re poisonous to eat and pass illness on to people so best enjoyed from a healthy distance!!

 

Being chauffeured on my past trips to Israel, I never really understood the geography and location of certain cities and the distances between them. Renting a car has been an eye-opening experience and we are lucky to have Joe as our trusty steed driving us around the hillsides of Israel not to mention the invaluable advice on which roads to avoid and why. A vacation our children won’t soon forget! Monday, we made it to Gan Hashlosha a beautiful nature reserve with natural mineral pools and waterfalls for swimming and relaxing. The aqua iridescent pools were stunning and a must see for any would be tourist. The dead skin eating fish pedicure was an added bonus we weren’t expecting with up to 20 tiny fish nibbling at a time! 

 

Evenings have been spent dinning with family and relaxing after long days of travel!