We headed out for Barcelona this morning via train. We had a couple delays and we cut it close to our train departure. Bbbbuuuuutttttt we made it.

When we got to Barcelona, we changed train lines and the train we needed to get to the other train we needed ran into an issue and we eventually had to take another train to get to the train we needed. So…..yeah. We saw a quick snapshot before we got on the train that took us to our hotel.

Tired and hungry, we checked in, dropped our stuff and went to grab food. It’ll be an early night as we are doing the hop on/hop off tour tomorrow. (No, Keely isn’t really that mad. Just tired and being goofy.)

Oh Madrid! We had intended on going to see one or two things yesterday to make today a little more relaxed. However, our flight from Porto was delayed, which pushed back our timeline a bit. Then, when we landed we were told we were unable to deplane as we were waiting on paramedics for a passenger. That also pushed our timeline line back. So, instead of fighting our way downtown, we decided to relax and do some laundry.

Today though, we saw A LOT! We started at the Reina Sofia. I HAD to see Guernica by Picasso. Let me start with, I am not typically a Picasso fan. I don’t not like him, he’s just not my jam. However, I saw Guernica in an art history class and it’s been stuck in my brain ever since. So, I had to see it in person. There were some sketches he made before and his women of Guernica series plus a bunch of other stuff by him.

There was also a lot of Salvador Dali. I actually grew to like Dali a little more. Obviously, there was a lot of art by other people as well. There was some…..interesting modern art.

After the museum we walked and walked and walked and walked and walked some more. We hit some pretty cool places. The Crystal Palace was under construction so we couldn’t see that. However, we saw Madrid’s version of the Arc de Triomph. We saw allllllll the government buildings, the Palace, the Cathedral, Temple of Debod, and a bunch more. Most importantly, we stopped at Chocolateria San Gines for churros and chocolate.

After all of the adventuring, we got to see my friend Keren! Man, I’ve missed this girl! We had so much fun catching up!

We deliberately built in “slower” days so we wouldn’t wear ourselves out. We kinda wanted to enjoy the time, ya know? So this morning started with some pool time. We got Keely in the steam room and the sauna. She was not a fan of the steam room, lol! If you make it to Porto, the Boeira Garden Hotel Porto Gaia is definitely the way to go. It it bougie, yet casual.

After cleaning up, we headed out into Porto. We found a pocket sized car that looked like it had the power of a golf cart. We began at a coffee shop that was recommended to me by my new friend from the train. Fábrica Coffee Roasters was a good recommendation!

After exploring a bit and enjoying a hot chocolate (ya know….for health reasons) Keely and I went into the Lello Bookstore. I nerded out in the fanciest bookstore ever! I’m not sure what it is about having decorated ceilings in Europe, but I’m here for it.

Next we ate, had a few tasty beverages, and then went to a wine tasting. While wine may not be her thing yet, she did like the taste of sangria. That could be bad.

Wade scaled the side of the hill (I’m being dramatic, but there are A LOT of steps) to get to the palace and get a gorgeous photo of the sun setting over the river.

Tomorrow we head to Madrid. Mother Goose says you should visit Porto.

We took a train up to Porto this morning. The train ride was enjoyable and I made a friend. When we arrived at our hotel, we were greeted with a sampling of some local port wine and chocolate. In our room were complementary pastel de natas (yum!) and a complementary small bottle of port (double yum!) The wooden keys and QR code to enter your room makes it feel uber swanky. The worlds largest bottle of wine is on property too. So there is that.

Then we headed out to The World of Wine. We went through the Chocolate Story first. We learned a lot. Mostly, I need to consume more chocolate on a regular basis. For health reasons, of course.

After consuming some tasty chocolate and winning a chocolate bar in a claw machine, we went to The Pink Palace Experience. It was all about Rosé wine and had tons of fun photo ops!

After some yummy chocolate, wine, and some snacks we headed back to the hotel for a little more food and to snuggle up in our robes and slippers. I enjoyed a little patio time.

We headed out to Belém today because I wanted to see Jerónimos Monastery. The church connected to it was amazing!! Vasco de Gama is entombed there.

While we waited to get in the monastery, we ate some cherries and checked out the gardens. Well, Keely and I did. Wade waited in line. Thanks Wade! The hour wait was worth it imo. My sunburn disagrees.

Then we explored a bit, ate gelato (lemon gelato in the lemon is the way to go!), had dinner and tried some snacks. I added a weird Wade photo for your enjoyment.

Overall, Lisbon is great! Good food, clean and easy subways and train, and it feels very safe.

Off to Porto tomorrow!

We got up at 3 am Phoenix time to finish up packing and head to the airport. After a 5 hour flight to JFK, we waited out the 5 hour layover and a delayed flight before finally boarding to Lisbon. Keely was unimpressed with the food and preferred sleep (she better start getting adventurous with her food!) Wade and I had a little fun with her.

When we landed, (8:15 am Lisbon time and 12:15am Phoenix time) we headed through customs (no document to fill out!) Keely got her first ever passport stamp!

We knew going to bed would only prolong the jet lag, so we got headed out to explore. We took the subway downtown to start checking things out. (The subway is surprisingly clean and calm. It was kinda chill.) Lisbon is beautiful! It’s full of old world charm.

We had a tasty almond croissant as a snack. Then we found a Portuguese version of 5 below with rubber ducks galore. That was followed up by some wine tasting. Now, if you know Keely, you know she is a rule follower. She said she would try some wine and beer in Europe because “It’s okay there.” We got her to try some wine. She is not a fan lol!

We wrapped up our day checking out some landmarks, amazing views, a beer museum, and THE OLDEST STREET SIGN IN THE WORLD.

We are WIPED OUT! We are trying to stay awake until 8pm and then it’s lights out!

Tomorrow, we plan on heading to a monestary (maybe they’ll take Wade) and a few other quick sites with yummy food filtered in there.

In 2020, we were planning on taking K to Europe. We were going to spend 4-5 weeks abroad and hit as much as we could. Then, well……… we all remember what happened in 2020.

Fast forward to now. We are FINALLY going to take her to Europe……for 6 weeks. We are still cramming in as much as possible while still trying to make it memorable. The plan is to hit 14 different countries in that time. Portugal, Spain, France, Switzerland, Lichtenstein, Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, Slovakia, Luxembourg, England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. (No, we aren’t doing any Italy. That will have to be it’s own trip entirely.) Some countries we are going to multiple cities and some countries we are only going for a day. Most cities we are only spending a day to a day and half there. So, when I say a “Taste of Europe”, I mean just a sample of what Europe has to offer; give her an idea of what else is out there and see where she may want to go back and spend more time.

In the meantime, I am trying to wrap up the school year, which includes packing everything up due to construction over the summer. K will be going to DC for a week (without us) for her 8th grade trip. She will also have her promotion from 8th grade (and I have to process that I will now have a high schooler). We also have a wedding we get to attend.

Here’s to a very active summer! (Below is the general map of our trip)

We spent 2 weeks relaxing and slowing down in the keys. We had pool time and/or beach time almost every day. We had days where we didn’t do anything but hang and the pool/beach and read. Erika went scuba diving 4 mornings and Wade and Keely went snorkeling one day. Erika got to see some sharks so that made the trip worth it.

We went to Key West for a day. We’d like to go back and see a few more things, specifically Dry Tortugas.

We went to the Aquarium Encounters in Marathon as well as the Sea Turtle Hospital. We fed barracuda, tarpon, tortoises, stingrays, and turtles while at the encounters. We got to learn about the amazing work they are doing at the Sea Turtle Hospital and then feed the sea turtles there. Definitely, go check out the Sea Turtle Hospital!

We went to Robbie’s of Islamorada one day. We hand fed tarpon. Like, really big tarpon. It was scary and hilarious all at the same time.

We had a few rough patches. Erika developed a sensitivity to the sun. She had to wear a shirt for the last week in Florida anytime she was in the pool (So no, she isn’t sunburnt. Anytime she was exposed to the sun, her chest and back would turn really red). Keely had a terrible migraine. It triggered a pretty significant case of post drone syndrome. Essentially, she had a “cold” afterwards due to her bodies reaction to the migraine. Other than that, we had a fantastic time! We are all kind of sad to leave. However, now we head north to Lexington. It’s time to pageant!

Keely and I finished our visit with Amber in Charlotte and headed to Atlanta to fly down to Miami. Wade finished his visit with his dad in Orlando and met us in Miami. After a bit of shopping, we headed to Islamorada. We hit up Florida Keys Brewing before heading to our spot in Marathon.

While Keely and I headed off to Atlanta for her to compete in a pageant, Wade headed out on his solo road trip across the country. He made a stop in Biloxi, MS for a Collective Soul concert.

After we pageanted, Keely and I headed to Charlotte to visit with Amber. We were even able to catch up with Maegan, one of our former cheerleaders we coached. (She’s doing awesome! So proud of her!) Wade got to Orlando and visit with his dad and hit SunCreek Brewery.

We have one more day here in Charlotte before we head down to Florida.