Europe

Charlie and I just got back from Spain and Portugal with our friends, Tim and Roma. We had so much fun. There were a few rocky moments, but all is well. We arrived in Lisbon Saturday morning and waited in the customs line for just under two hours. It was in a very large room and it seemed like we were the only people wearing deodorant. Yikes! Then we eventually made our way to the car rental where more waiting then off to the parking garage. More lines. The garage was so jam packed that the parking attendants would e-brake and spin the car in place so that they could pull into the parking spots! It was a little scary, but reminded my of a James Bond movie. It was kind of cool.

It was too early to check into the hotel so we drove over to some sites we wanted to see. We sat in traffic for a while before deciding to postpone the Sintra trip. We headed back and went to Belem tower and Jeronimo Monastery. Belem tower is really cool and located in the water. It is 500 years old and still in good condition. It was amazing. The monastery was breathtaking. We headed back to our car to find it unlocked and everything in it gone. All we had left was our camera, passports and credit cards. Tim and Roma only had a camera and chap stick. Luckily the thieves left the printout of our hotels in the car. We spent the next 5 hours at the tourist police station. Thankfully Tim speaks Portuguese. We were so tired that we literally slept on the floor until it was our turn. By this time all we could do was find our hotel and eat dinner. The next morning we tried to buy a few things, but nothing is open on Sundays. Eventually we found one pharmacy and bought some toiletries. It was about $9 for a toothbrush! So in all of our pictures we are wearing our glasses, no make-up, and clothes we bought in Spain(Thanks Tanner and Vanessa for letting us buy some new clothes on base. You are life savers!!)

We headed on to Cadiz, Spain and visited some of our friends who are stationed in Spain. We ate at the best restaurant. It was really amazing. It was great to see them again and they helped us out a lot. Then on to Granada where we probably got a little carried away with the European ice cream. So yummy!! We saw the Alhambra and wandered around the city. It was great. Then we drove to Sevilla for more castles, cathedrals, and ice cream of course. There were beautiful gardens around the castle in Sevilla. We had heard that the police station had some of our things back in Lisbon and were very excited to hear that they had Tim and Roma's passports. We had been dreading spending a whole day at the embassy trying to get temporary ones. We were not able to go to Morocco because of the passports, but we could see it and Gibraltar on our drive from Cadiz to Granada. Wow, that was one of the best parts. We had a great view and were able to take some pictures. Another highlight was the monastaries. The detail that the artisans put into the monasteries in particular was astounding. I was touched by all the effort that went into every square inch. One of the towers we went in had been there for over 1200 years! I loved my trip.

On the way home we went through security in Lisbon. I got through first and waited for everyone else. Tim joined me and we watched in amusement Charlie get pulled aside and the guard snap on some rubber gloves. I was laughing, but he only got a thorough pat down. I tried to take a picture, but another guard came over and made us erase it. :( Like I said in my previous post I was getting homesick at the end and really wanted to see my kids and eat some American food. I was really missing cold milk, soft bread and salad dressing. We were really fortunate while we were there and the food was very good, but after a little more than a week we were craving something a little more familiar. I think I need a relaxing vacation next. ;)