Setubal & Environs and the Obama effect

We are staying in Setubal, home of the sardine industry. It is also known for the production of the best muscatel wine in the world! So, we have been making sure to pack on our Omega-3 and other nutrients while we can. Right next door to our apartment is a simple and inexpensive restaurant with very good food...we have befriended Fernando (the owner). He has a huge outdoor grill for grilling fish and "cow." Once he knew we were from Chicago, he asked us about President Obama and our opinions about him. This was just an excuse for him to let us know how much he LIKED him! Our personal experiences have reinforced the latest poll about President Obama´s popularity throughout the world. This year our souvenirs were simple requests to fill: Obama´s paraphernalia!

Near Setubal we visited the Castelo de Palmela (in Palmela) but no before having some grilled sardines with our friends Ramiro and Silvia. A very interesting history behind this 12th century fortress or what remainds of it. Afterwards we drove along the coastline headed for Serra de Arrabida. We drove up a very steep hill (James was sweating) but the reward was amazing...the end is at Cabo de Espichel on the Atlantic. By the time we arrived it was rather cool and very windy! David of course insisted in at least wetting his feet to find out how cold the water was...for him not too cold of course.

Meeting new people as a benefit to home swaps

Even though I am the perennial optimist, it is always refreshing to be reminded of how much kindness exists in the world. As we arrive to Setubal, 40 km north of Lisbon we call our friends Ramiro and Silvia whose house we are staying at during our trip in Portugal. They come to give us the keys and show us around the apartment. This is nice as we always find challenging using some European appliances. James thinks appliances should be only meant to do one thing! So this washer\drier appliances do a good job at neither...but I digress. They are wonderful people, they come with their adorable 11 year old daughter, Clara. Ramiro is a principal at a nearby high school so inevitably we spend some time talking and comparing the Portuguese and American educational system.

So what is so nice about this experience? This is the first time actually meeting them...I had contacted them via e-mail a few months ago requesting hospitality and they agreed! This is another strategy for affordable travel. So we are staying at stranger´s house. I guess my mother never did a good job at teaching me not to talk to strangers let alone stay in their aparments!

Part of our travel experiences is not just looking at monuments, small villages, big cities but in adding a human component to it. We LOVE meeting new people and home swapping has allowed us to connect and make long life transatlantic friendships.

Driving to Portugal

We thought about leaving early but life does not always work as planned. And after all, who wants to run around on a vacation? So, after a light breakfast...we head towards Lisbon. We first stop at the corner grocery store for fruit, bread, cheese and ham for a lunch on the road. Packing lunches is one of our strategies to save money which allows us to travel on month long vacation to Europe. No, you don´t need loads of money to do it!
I have to admit James has gotten much better about driving long distances! He was not complaining about being sleepy at all (I am sure he has his own version of the story). Of course we have found a way to combat it...healthy snacks and audio books. This year we are listening to Harry Potter.
Driving in Europe after all of these years seem rather easy. Actually, James likes the roundabouts and think they are the greatest inventions!

How time flies when you are having fun!

Our second day in Madrid was spent walking around Plaza del Sol and other places nearby. Of significance is the visit to the oldest (opened in 1725) restaurant in the world "El Botin" situated on the street calle de cuchilleros. Their specialty is roasted lamb and pig (21 one day old pigs to be more exact). For you literary buffs, this famous restaurant was a haunt for Hemingway´s and Goya supposedly work there before becoming a painter. We did not eat there of course as the food was out of our budget but it would have been worth it just to feel part of history.
Third day, we decided to visit Segovia a two hour train ride from Madrid. We had lots of fun in this beautiful town full of history. Our third and last day in Madrid was spent doing more walking and the grand finale was a dinner\flamenco show. We had tapas which were average but the highlight was the show...such energy! I was sweating just watching the dancers! One can feel the passion they feel for the music as they move.

Where in the wolrd are we now!

I guess writing while on a trip is not as easy as I though it was going to be. Even though we have had access to a computer so far, it has been difficult to do so. We arrived in Madrid after a pleasant flight. For some reason, it did not feel as long flying to Paris this time! However, we were absolutely tired our first day in Madrid. We did not do much, took a short nap and went to the pool afterwards we had dinner and tried to go to sleep but found ourselves too exhausted to sleep!
Getting used to the jet lag has been a problem for us this time. We go to bed late because we are not sleepy and have a hard time falling to sleep. We should be dead tired after all the walking we do but that does not seem to do the trick.

Expect the unexpected

Two days before our trip I discovered there was a misunderstanding...the family we are exchanging with arrives a day earlier than anticipated!!! What does that mean? It means we are possibly homeless for one night! What that means for us as well is that we need to move faster to get the house ready one whole day in advance!!!

I contacted the family and they were not very happy with the prospects of coming to a home full of people after a long transatlantic flight. We are not happy either but one thing I realized about the home exchange experience is that you have to expect the unexpected. So, this experience may not be suitable for the faint of heart. Even though I never considered my family or I the adventurous travel type, I realize you do need to be the adventurous type to embark on this kind of adventure!

Luckily, my husband (although not so happy in the beginning) and the kids are very easy going and adapt to new situations rapidly. As the old adage goes 95% of a problem is attitude! (or something like that)

We still love home exchanges and wonder why we did not start doing it sooner!

David's Birthday

Today we are celebrating David's 11th birthday.   We are busy getting everything ready.  This is the first time in years David will celebrate his birthday in the States.  Since we started our travels abroad he has spent his birthdays in France and Spain.   He is excited about spending his birthday among family and friends.

Getting ready for our exchange in Madrid

Perhaps I should have done this before...oh well, such is life.  We travel to Madrid (via Paris) next week Saturday.  Although, we are very excited it requires a lot of work.  You see, we exchange houses when we travel.  I like to think of it as exchanging lives for a month as well.  But first things first, since we exchange houses, this year a family from Spain is coming to stay at our place.  This in turns means we have to leave our house "presentable."  One can argue that is a drawback to exchanging but on the positive side, it makes us do things around the house we normally don't have the time to do.  

OK. so back to why I feel we exchange lives...as opposed to the regular tourist experience, we are placed in a regular neighborhood.  We get to meet some of the neighbors and interact with them. We also get to shop at the local supermarkets and open air markets (which we love).  

This year we will be in Spain and Portugal so I will be posting regularly to keep you posted about our "adventures."