How do you get teenagers out of bed before 8am on vacation? Take them on a Thomson Family Adventure and leave them alone to bond with the other kids. The group dynamic takes over; no one wants to miss anything and so they are front and center every morning. It’s a wonderful thing!
Last night everyone had agreed there would be no sleeping in. Four our last day we wanted as much time as possible. We met for a quick breakfast at 830 (challenging when you see the array of breads, fruits, cheeses, meats, cereals, yogurts and juices you could spend hours consuming) then walked down the steep drive of our hotel, across the bridge, and into a beautiful church. Have I mentioned all the beautiful churches in Portugal? This one is particularly focused on a saint named Goncalo who is know for helping women get pregnant. There is a long line of devotees kissing the hands of his statue, the elderly in thanks for past abundance, the younger ones perhaps working on current wants. We warn our kids to step away from St Goncalo.
Exiting the church we wander just around the corner to the local Saturday market. Wow! Everything from touristy souvenirs to music cds, to fruit and vegetables, to kitchen wares, to socks, dresses, and suits, to roosters, bunnies, and baby chicks all spread out over a vast area. We wound through the maze of vendors taking in the slice of local life. Leo and I found a small black rolling suitcase for 15Euros, an almost exact replica of the red one Mira and I bought in China for about $3 – both required to return home with the souvenirs. In this case it means the port wine we cannot carry onto the plane, and Leo is carefully considering how to wrap and pad the bottles to survive the baggage handling. I am envisioning the line of small rolling suitcases I might accumulate over years of traveling if I don’t start planning better.
After market Leo Mallory and Sam want to go bike riding, and Joana the guide and Steven (Sam’s dad) go along with them; Gladys and I opt to wander another street of shops and small markets. We also enjoy a nice espresso in a café on the square and do a bit of people watching before meeting the rest of the group back at the hotel. It seems the bike ride required a sense of humor with a series of troubles from no rear brakes to chains dropping off mid ride. Luckily everyone was game for this new definition of adventure and they all said they had a great time. Nothing like new stories to tell.
No one is hungry for lunch, probably because in the last week we have consumed enough food to last us the entire month. So we head to the water park knowing there is a snack bar there is we need it later. The sky is a bit over cast and I almost feel a chill in the air, but the kids are ready for the water. The park consists of threes systems of water slides – wavy, circular, steep – that dump you into small pools, and two larger pools for swimming and playing. It is very nice in that it is small enough to enjoy from one vantage point – in our case lovely padded lounge chairs! The sun came out and the adults – Steven and I, Joana, and Victor our driver who speaks almost no English but is so much fun to have along – take turns napping and reading and joining in on the water slides. I discovered Victor enjoys a Sudoku puzzle as do I - but he has the program on his cell phone and he uses it to cheat when he gets stuck! I have forgotten the Portuguese word for cheater! but hope I won't have to use it again anyway.
Last night everyone had agreed there would be no sleeping in. Four our last day we wanted as much time as possible. We met for a quick breakfast at 830 (challenging when you see the array of breads, fruits, cheeses, meats, cereals, yogurts and juices you could spend hours consuming) then walked down the steep drive of our hotel, across the bridge, and into a beautiful church. Have I mentioned all the beautiful churches in Portugal? This one is particularly focused on a saint named Goncalo who is know for helping women get pregnant. There is a long line of devotees kissing the hands of his statue, the elderly in thanks for past abundance, the younger ones perhaps working on current wants. We warn our kids to step away from St Goncalo.
Exiting the church we wander just around the corner to the local Saturday market. Wow! Everything from touristy souvenirs to music cds, to fruit and vegetables, to kitchen wares, to socks, dresses, and suits, to roosters, bunnies, and baby chicks all spread out over a vast area. We wound through the maze of vendors taking in the slice of local life. Leo and I found a small black rolling suitcase for 15Euros, an almost exact replica of the red one Mira and I bought in China for about $3 – both required to return home with the souvenirs. In this case it means the port wine we cannot carry onto the plane, and Leo is carefully considering how to wrap and pad the bottles to survive the baggage handling. I am envisioning the line of small rolling suitcases I might accumulate over years of traveling if I don’t start planning better.
After market Leo Mallory and Sam want to go bike riding, and Joana the guide and Steven (Sam’s dad) go along with them; Gladys and I opt to wander another street of shops and small markets. We also enjoy a nice espresso in a café on the square and do a bit of people watching before meeting the rest of the group back at the hotel. It seems the bike ride required a sense of humor with a series of troubles from no rear brakes to chains dropping off mid ride. Luckily everyone was game for this new definition of adventure and they all said they had a great time. Nothing like new stories to tell.
No one is hungry for lunch, probably because in the last week we have consumed enough food to last us the entire month. So we head to the water park knowing there is a snack bar there is we need it later. The sky is a bit over cast and I almost feel a chill in the air, but the kids are ready for the water. The park consists of threes systems of water slides – wavy, circular, steep – that dump you into small pools, and two larger pools for swimming and playing. It is very nice in that it is small enough to enjoy from one vantage point – in our case lovely padded lounge chairs! The sun came out and the adults – Steven and I, Joana, and Victor our driver who speaks almost no English but is so much fun to have along – take turns napping and reading and joining in on the water slides. I discovered Victor enjoys a Sudoku puzzle as do I - but he has the program on his cell phone and he uses it to cheat when he gets stuck! I have forgotten the Portuguese word for cheater! but hope I won't have to use it again anyway.
Leo, Mallory and Sam hardly stopped – they had a blast going down the slides, each run a new experiment on how to do it – feet first, head first, sitting up, lying down, on your knees, hitting the water straight or curled or feet up in the air. At snack time – can you believe hunger overcame us? – we discovered ‘tosta misto’ a most delicious grilled ham and cheese sandwich which I am quite sure will be requested at home, in Portuguese, for years to come. We also remarked on how popular Fanta Orange is here, though I prefer the pineapple soda which I think is yummy. Steven had a tiramisou ice cream cone! I stuck with a small drinkable yogurt and a bite of Leo’s second tosta misto… Then back to the water! I went down the slide 6 times, which according to Sam was the number required in order for her and her dad to come with us to Morroco. When it was time to leave we could hardly believe it had been 4 hours – oh, another best day!
After showering and changing we drove about 45 minutes to Guimaraes… known as the birthplace of Portugal, as King Afonso chose it as his capital in 1139. This is an old city! We walked through the Largo da Oliviera - the large main square – where the old ‘city hall’ is built as a second story with space below for the local market vendors. Down streets to smaller narrow streets in the medieval area (where cars whiz by so fast as you press against the buildings, certain they will run over your toes!) we come to our restaurant. Set in an old stone building, the inner décor is very modern and stark in an inviting sort of way. Our farewell dinner is delicious, pork with a chestnut gravy and potatoes, and a custard for dessert – and there is a series of toasts to the great time we had all week.
Back at the hotel there is mandatory packing before the kids retreat to the outside patio for cards and a coke, though the waiter never appears to serve them. There is some huge fashion show happening on the plaza across the bridge, right outside our windows. Music, lights, a big crowd, it all presents quite a festive atmosphere though I am not inspired to move in closer to check it out. Eventually I invite the kids back to my room to enjoy the sodas from the minibar and they talk and talk and talk until – 1am? I fall asleep, I don’t know when it breaks up. But I do know Mallory and Gladys have to leave at 3am …
After showering and changing we drove about 45 minutes to Guimaraes… known as the birthplace of Portugal, as King Afonso chose it as his capital in 1139. This is an old city! We walked through the Largo da Oliviera - the large main square – where the old ‘city hall’ is built as a second story with space below for the local market vendors. Down streets to smaller narrow streets in the medieval area (where cars whiz by so fast as you press against the buildings, certain they will run over your toes!) we come to our restaurant. Set in an old stone building, the inner décor is very modern and stark in an inviting sort of way. Our farewell dinner is delicious, pork with a chestnut gravy and potatoes, and a custard for dessert – and there is a series of toasts to the great time we had all week.
Back at the hotel there is mandatory packing before the kids retreat to the outside patio for cards and a coke, though the waiter never appears to serve them. There is some huge fashion show happening on the plaza across the bridge, right outside our windows. Music, lights, a big crowd, it all presents quite a festive atmosphere though I am not inspired to move in closer to check it out. Eventually I invite the kids back to my room to enjoy the sodas from the minibar and they talk and talk and talk until – 1am? I fall asleep, I don’t know when it breaks up. But I do know Mallory and Gladys have to leave at 3am …
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