Spring Break - Lisbon, Portugal

 This year we decided to go big for Spring Break. We took a week trip to Lisbon, Portugal. 

Scott and Jen and Grant and Laurel were able to come on the trip. Also Grandpa and Grandma van der Horst came with us.

Saturday:

We arrive and got our bearings.

This is the Praca do Comercio down the street from our apartment.

Our apartment had this teeny tiny elevator.

These were the views from our balcony. So charming!

We did a lot of walking. We also got around with guided tours and we took buses and trams and ferries and this trolley.

One interesting and quirky thing about Lisbon is the sidewalks. They are all made with these small black and white stones. They have unique designs on every street. 

Sunday:

We went to church at the Lisbon Branch- it was a special service for Palm Sunday. The kids felt right at home when two American missionaries greeted us at the door. They had translation equipment for English speakers. I was able to understand 100% of the Portuguese. (All the speakers this day were Brazilians.) They gave everyone Easter flowers.

Then we took the bus back to the apartment to rest up.

In the evening we went to Sao Roque. This is a splendid old church with what is purported to be the most expensive chapel in the world. 

We took the bus to this church because it is located uphill. We walked back down from there.

Monday:

We had an adventure day. We went to the Arrabida Natural Park and did a guided coasteering tour.

If you know what canyoneering or mountaineering are then you can imagine what coasteering is.

The ride there was exciting because the back door of the Land Cruiser (where we were seated) kept popping open while we were coming down the high way.

We suited up in wetsuits and helmets.

We climbed down to the edge of the cliff.

And jumped in!

We did some swimming

and climbing on the cliffs

That rock looks like a cow. We climbed up to the top of the cow's head and jumped in from there.

It was exhilarating and exhausting. We did 8 cliff jumps.

Then we went back to Lisbon and we visited the Cathedral. 

On Tuesday we went to Belem for the Monastery and Tower.

This is an example of late Gothic architecture called Manueline. Very impressive. 

Each column was uniquely decorated. This one was covered in laurel branches.

Then after a lunch break, we went to Sao Jorge Castle

On Wednesday and Thursday we visited Sintra; a nearby town which was a retreat for royals and elites of Portuguese history.

This is the Moorish Castle. It is a real historical castle from the Moorish occupation, but it was also rebuilt and enhanced to make a more epic view in the neighborhood. 

Sintra gets pretty busy with all the other tourists, but it was relatively uncrowded at the Moorish castle. Maybe that is why we enjoyed it so much. The weather was absolutely beautiful all week long. 

The Pena Palace has a fairytale feel. It was built during the Age of Romantacism and the drama is very intentional.  

We also drove through the country side and stopped at the sea. 

On Thursday we visited Quinta da Regeleira with its Knights Templar inspired initiation well. The gardens we really fantastic, especially at Monserrate.

This place was so fancy, even the horses stalls were posh. 

This well goes down into the hill and connects to some caves below. Descent and emergence symbolizes rebirth. The 9 levels are reminiscent of Dante's 9 levels of Inferno

We had some amazing food. We went to an out of the way restaurant in a small town and had cabrito, or baby goat- which is a traditional Easter meal in Portugal. It was one of the best meals I have ever had.

It was a wonderful trip. The logistics of visiting another country all worked out. The weather was fantastic. The food was so good. The sites were amazing. The company was the best!