A few months ago Lana and I decided to plan a week-long trip to Portugal to enjoy another European country before she was too far along in her pregnancy to fly (she's just into her 7th month already!) and I start travel with the Air Force this summer. It was a great trip...one that's highly recommended for those who have the opportunity! Lana had been to Portugal previously, but it's been on my travel list since we were station at Aviano AB, Italy. We also invited some friends of ours who have two kids about the same ages as ours.
Lana did all the specific planning of the flight, train, and hotels so thanks to her for a job well done! It was an easy and relatively cheap flight from Luxembourg to Lisbon on EasyJet. The first two days were spent in Lisbon before we took a 2.5 hr train ride to the south coast near Albufeira. The skies were sunny the entire week with temps around 70° F during the day, which made for two straight weeks of sun after one in Germany the week prior...the first this spring. In Lisbon we stayed at the Lisbon Rooftops Guesthouse, a great location in the center of the old town with great views over the city and close walking distance to the sites.
Some of the sites we visited were the Santa Justa Lift, Castelo de S. Jorge, and the Rio Tejo. We were able to see most of these sites walking by foot, but took the historic yellow tram once...a hit with the kids! Breakfast consisted of Portuguese custard tarts fairly often as well.
In the south of Portugal we stayed at Alfagar II, located a short walk from the beach. The location and hotel were great even though the pools and ocean were still too cold to swim. Our time there consisted of sleeping in (as much as we could with the kids) and relaxing on the beach or near the pool. We were blessed to enjoy such a nice place and have the ability to do so!
More Pictures:
Portugal
The end of 2013 in Germany was special because we were able to spend some of it with my family from the USA. My brother-in-law and sister, Justin and Jenna, along with their daughter Aria and my youngest brother Devin were all here. We spent Christmas in Germany and then drove to France for some snowboarding and the New Year. Justin and Jenna are in Albertville, France learning French as they prepare for missions in Africa's Ivory Coast (click here for their blog). We enjoyed relaxing at our house, drinking hot chocolate, eating Lana's and Jenna's Christmas cookies, and visiting some of the local German Christmas markets in our town, Trier, and Traben-Trarbach.
In France we spent half of our time in Albertville and the rest in a small town called Le Noyer at a chalet type house Lana found for us. Albertville was home of the 1992 Olympics, so there's great snowboarding about 30-40 minuets away. In Le Noyer, Liam was able to ski for the first time at a kid's ski school and did quite well!
It's crazy we're welcoming 2014 already! Liam is almost 4, Lilli will be 2 next month, and #3 will be arriving this summer! Our assignment here in Germany is half over as well, and I passed the 10 year point of being in the Air Force this past April. Time flies just like the Bible says in James 14:4, "Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes." Here's to 2014 and making the most of our time while we still have it!
This year for Thanksgiving, Lana and I drove to her grandparent's house in Chieming not too far from Salzburg, Austria. The location is a perfect spot to relax with family and enjoy God's creation. The scenery is amazing with Lake Chiemsee with the Bavarian Alps in the distance.
We took a day trip down into the mountains to a town called Reit im Winkel where there was plenty of snow for sleding with the kids. Another place with scenery that only pictures can do justice. Genesis 1:1 "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth".
A weekend trip a few weeks back to Strasbourg, France. Can hardly get enough of European traveling...
Strasbourg cathedral...
