Summer Fun Part III - Porto!

Our last stop was Porto, in the north of Portugal. There we were able to visit with my Aunt Maria João, my cousins Inês and Filipa, my uncle and my great aunt Augusta who is now 91 years old. I hadn't seen them in almost 14 years so it was an incredible experience to spend three days with them and see them connect with Joana and Julia. As you can see from the picture below, Filipa and Joana bonded particularly well and had a blast playing with dolls and doing silly games.

This picture is my aunt and the one below is Filipa with the girls.
We also had the opportunity to meet my cousin Victor's family. I had not seen him in 14 year either and we loved meeting his wife and two boys during a very active dinner (the boys and girls enjoyed playing together and running around in the restaurant). Above is a video of some funny moments at my aunt's house. I truly cherish the moments we spent together. Thank you for your hospitality and love!

Summer Fun in Portugal Part II

Ready for the second part of the summer fun? I hope so, because we have filled this post with pictures and videos galore!

A week had already gone by and in between visiting with relatives, eating delicious meals and enjoying the sun (with some wind, which was unexpected), we decided to take a trip to the famous Slide and Splash. It's an enormous water park, ten minutes from Portimão, that I had enjoyed quite a few times during my childhood and teenage years.

We enjoyed the company of our cousins João, São and the girls Mariana and Leonor (pictures below). Leonor, had a camera that took incredible footage underwater so we decided to show off the skills that Joana and Julia had learned before arriving to Portugal. Take a look at the video and decide for yourself if it isn't pretty impressive what Ms. Carol (their swim teacher) was able to accomplish in just two weeks.

One more adventure we undertook was the boat trip along the Algarve coast. We ventured on a pirate boat through the turquoise sea and visited the beautiful grottos along the coast. It was an incredible experience. It's a shame that many Portuguese who live in the Algarve don't take these trips. It's not just for tourists, in fact it should be mandatory for the locals. What a memorable way to appreciate the beauties our home town has to offer. The picture below was taken on the boat. Oh, and enjoy the video also :)

By now we only have a few days left. So we attempt to spend as much quality time with relatives as possible. We visited my uncle Armando and Aunt Felismina, who are now retiring in Portugal after living in Germany most of their lives. Below is a pictures with all of us and one with their son, Fernando, my brother Jorge and my husband John - the guys!

But there was still some time left to enjoy the beaches, at least for a few more days before leaving to go to Porto, the northern "capital" of Portugal. That, by the way, will be Part III, because there isn't room in this post for everything. So here is a nice family picture and a video of the fun at the beach.

The last evening was spent at my brother's apartment on the 12th floor, enjoying yet another glorious meal, the stunning views of the city, the mountain and the river (see pictures below), we some more moments together as a family. We were also able to snap a picture of the proud grandparents with their three princesses: Clara (7 months), Julia (2 years old) and Joana (3 years old). Part III will be our trip to Porto. See you then!

Summer Fun in Portugal Part I

Dear all,

Get ready, this is long post full of pictures and videos. We have a lot to tell you!! So this is Part I of the summer extravaganza.

At the beginning of July 2011, John, I and the two girls flew to Portugal to spend three weeks visiting relatives, friends, going to the beach and eating A LOT of good, healthy, fresh Portuguese food. So after a taking off and landing three times, we finally arrived in Lisbon, the capital. Namaw and Mawmaw joined us in Lisbon where we spent sometime visiting the city in the great company of friends that have known me pretty much most of my life.

Thank you to Ana Escoval for picking us up at the airport and hangin

g out with us, Miguel Maia and his wonderful family, Lia, my Aunt Marieta and cousin Mário for spending time with us - I missed seeing all of you and loved the moments we spen

t together- and, of course, Kika and Paulo for taking Namaw and

Mawmaw to visit the beauties of Sintra. Above all a big thank you to Lena and Rodolfo a couple that has known me since I was born, my neighbors from Odivelas. After visiting the Lisbon Aquarium (pic above) , one of the largest and best in the world, we had lunch with Lena and Rodolfo and then we spent good quality time with them at their beautiful apartment overlooking Parque das Nações.

They also took us to see Belém (picture above) and treated us to a feast that they called "lanche" but that could actually have fed a whole army. Those figs were sooooooooooo sweet!!

The two days in Lisbon flew by, but our mission was Portimão, the Algarve, southern Portugal known for the sun, ocean, beaches and fresh food and seafood. So off we went on a 3-hour train ride to Portimão. Joana and Julia were so excited to ride and I quote "the biiiiiig choo-choo train!". Below is a video of that experience.

Upon our arrival in Portimão, Vovô and Vovó were thrilled to finally see us and especially their little granddaughters! Their house went from a quite 2 person home to one filled with 10 to 14 people almost everyday for the next 15 days! Below is a video of the wonderful dinners prepared by my mom. Vovô and vovó are, undoubtably exquisite hosts!! Thank you for everything! We love you!

One of the most exciting moments for me, in particular, was the moment when I would get to meet and hold my niece for the first time. Clarinha was at the time 6 months, now 8, and continues to be a darling, quiet, easy-going baby. She loves to smile at everyone and has no trouble sleeping wherever she is....lucky parents!! I wish I had more opportunities to hold her but Julia made sure that every moment was cut really short. Joana, on the other hand, was not jealous and loved to tickle her, kiss and hug her and attempted to play with her. Below is a picture of Clara.

We were also very lucky to have the opportunity to spend time with my cousin Fernando, from Germany, who made sure to schedule his vacation at the same time as ours so that he could meet Joana and Julia for the first time. And it waspretty clear that they loved to play and cuddle with Fernando as much as he did with them.

Of course, one of the most important things to do in Portimão besides spending time with family is going to the beach. And we wanted to make sure we would see as many as possible so we went to a different beach every time. Below is a video of a couple of those beaches and some pictures for you to see how beautiful the scenery and the water are. The first picture shows the view from the beach apartment where Namaw and Mawmaw stayed. That is exactly what they saw every time they looked out the window or the balcony. Nice huh? More pictures and videos on the next blog. So go and check them out!!

Summer Fun!

This is part 1 of a three-part Summer extravaganza! The summer began nice and hot as it is common in good ol' Texas. Joana and Julia were enjoying the pool, the school activities, and playground and all of their friends. The most important thing was that we were approaching the date when we would all go to Portugal to visit Vovô, vovó, Uncle Jorge and Aunt Ana and meet their first child, Clara (or Clarinha as Joana and Julia like to call her) for the first time. We would also have a chance to see cousins and uncles and aunts and friends....oh my!! AND Namaw and Mawmaw were joining us on this adventure.

But to make sure the girls would be ready for the sea and the beach fun we decided to enroll them in swimming classes! This was an incredible experience. Ms Carol (the swimmers' whisperer...lol) is able to teach little babies and children to swim in 2 WEEKS!!! I was a bit skeptical, at first, but here is what happened at the end of two weeks. Thank you

Ms. Carol (wwww.swimwithcarol.com) for such a great experience and we will be back next year to perfect the skills learned with you.

In Julia's class the parents get to swim with the children because they are younger than 2 years old. They play games, chase toys in the water and sing songs. Daddy got a chance to enjoy the experience on the last day of class after returning from a long trip. Here is what Julia was able to do after two weeks!

Joana's class was different, the children were on their own with Ms. Carol as the parents watched from a few feet away. Ms. Carol had little games

and competitions for them everyday and they all did so well! Check out the last day of class.

At then end, they all received a little diploma and below is a picture of both girls with Ms. Carol!