Europe - Day 9 - Last day at Praia Dona Ana

Jul 31,

Today was our last day at the beach as tomorrow we head into Lisbon. We went late in the morning, and stayed for a couple of hours before having a late lunch. Lionel and Bella actually came back to the apartment first, but Sofia and I stayed a little longer. Lionel didn't want to stay out in the sun for too long, but I was surprised Bella didn't stay as long as she could. She said she was cold and hungry, so she decided to head back with him.

At the beach we enjoyed a good old donut, which the girls were wanting to get since yesterday, and we collected a few more shells. I found the tiniest ones, that I could actually fit well within the palm of my hand. Since it was our last day, I also decided to brave the cold water and get in there. It felt really cold when I first got in, but then it was actually refreshing. I'm glad I checked it out.

Europe - Day 9 - Morning run

Jun 31,

This morning I got up early, at 7:00am, to go for a run. I didn't set the alarm hoping I would wake up early on my own, and indeed the light outside woke me up. The morning light was beautiful, and the beach was still empty, so I headed there first. I took a few pictures and, although not easy, I peeled myself away from the beach to continue my run. I was hoping for at least 4 miles, and was able to push for 5. It wasn't my best run ever, as I was feeling tired, but as always I was glad to be out there.

Europe - Day 8 - The shell exchange

Jul 30,

After dinner Bella and I had our "shell exchange". We had collected shells throughout the day, and she wanted to trade some of them. Sofia didn't want to participate, so it became a Mami-Bella affair. I let Bella choose whatever she wanted from my pile, except for four little pink shells. Being pink and all, those were mine to keep. 

Europe - Day 8 - Calor de Playa

Jul 30,

Unlike yesterday, today we did have beach weather. It was sunny, and hot, and you really felt like being outside. Lionel and Bella went to the beach first, before lunch, but I stayed with Sofia at the apartment. She wanted to do rainbow loom outside, by the deck, and wanted me to stay with her. So I did. They were only at the beach for about an hour, and came back to eat lunch here with us. 

After lunch I took the girls back to the beach, but Lionel stayed behind for a little while. He wanted to rest, and avoid the sun for a little longer. The girls played around in the water, built castles, and of course found at least one reason to start arguing. 

When Lionel came down to the beach we all went on a boat ride to see the "grutas". The girls of course whined that they wanted to stay at the beach and continue playing, but I really wanted to go on the boat and it was only 30 minutes. So we did. And it was totally worth it. Everybody enjoyed it a lot as it is an experience you don't get every day. We went into a couple of caves, under a couple of bridges, and saw some cool natural sculptures on the rocks. 

After coming back to the apartment for showers and some rest, we went back out for dinner. We didn't go far, only a couple of blocks from here, but it was a bit of a chili walk.  It appears that around here the weather cools down a lot as soon as the sun goes down. A little unusual for a beach town. 

Europe - Day 7 - Lagos, Portugal!

Jul 29,

Today we left Sevilla and did the almost 3 hour drive to Lagos, where we are staying for the next 3 days. The girls were really excited about it, especially Bella, so nobody complained much during the drive.  I was excited as well, as I had never been to Portugal before. The girls were excited for the beach, but also because this is the nicest place where we are staying. They have their own room, with a big bed each, and we have a fancy rooftop terrace. Not to mention the amazing view of the beach.

When we got here we dropped our stuff off at the apartment, went out for lunch, and then went to the supermarket. That last part was "fun", as we kept driving around trying to find it. At some point we ended up right in the center of town, with their super narrow streets, which made Lionel very unhappy. The worst was when we turned into a street full of tourists, walking in the middle of the street, and we had to move super slow to ensure they got out of the way - without running them over.

After the supermarket we eventually made it to the beach. The irony of it is that we have been burning up for the last few days, with how hot it was in Cordoba and Sevilla, so now it feels kind of cool here at the beach. It is not really cold, but it is cool-er. So it is all relative. And the water is cold, which doesn't seem to bother the kids but will for sure keep me out of there. 

Europe - Day 6 - Re-encuentro

Jul 28,

Before we left Sevilla we went out for dinner with Sonia and her family. She is an old friend who lived in Cincinnati for a couple of years, a few years back. She was part of our international group that did a bunch of things together before many of them left town - or had kids. It was great to see her again and meet her kids and husband, who was very nice. We enjoyed dinner, talked for a while, and took a short walk afterwards. But then the kids got tired so we headed back.