Setubal Peninsula - Portugal

It had been a while since we had taken the girls on an "adventure" in Portugal. Matt will be heading to Italy soon for nine days and, shortly thereafter, the girls and I will head to the U.S. to visit and where Olivia will be a flower girl in a wedding. So, we really wanted to take advantage of family time this weekend.

We headed to the Setubal Peninsula. Specifically, Arrabida. The Arrabida National Park covers two beaches that the locals of Lisbon like to head to. We chose a hike that lead to one of the beaches. We found ourselves winding up steep roads overlooking the ocean. The views were breathtaking (though, pulling over for pictures at the most stunning spots was impossible). After an hour of driving, we found our starting point for the hike. The approach was very steep and a bit dangerous, especially when carrying a child on your back. We ended up taking the girls out of their carriers and Matt helped get the girls down to flatter ground. We should have worn pants, because all of us got a bit scratched up!

After the steepest and rockiest parts, kids back in their carriers, we enjoyed the rest of the rocky hike, frequent views of the ocean causing us to stop and admire the view. Eventually, we found ourselves walking down steps toward caves leading into the sea. Olivia pretended that she could hear Gollum talking. When we were out of the caves and finally walking toward the beach and restaurants, she proclaimed, "Daddy, I can't hear Gollum anymore!"

Lila and Mom take a break and enjoy the sea breeze

As we entered the beach area, we realized were were starving, therefore, quickly stopped at a restaurant. Octopus salad was quickly put in front of us, as an appetizer, and Lila, Matt and I gobbled it right up, while Liv dined on bread and complained that she didn't have butter.

Octopus salad and vinho verde

It was over a Euro for each pad of butter so we didn't allow it at our table. Our guidebook suggested that we not miss out on the local dish, caldeirada and it did not disappoint. Matt was hesitant to try it, however, noticing that I really wanted to try it, the foodie that I am, and noting that the dish served two people, he tested it and out and, of course, enjoyed it.

Matt hiked back up to our car, while the girls and I hung out on the beach. The girls made friends with a few locals.

Liv and Matt take a beach stroll

Lila finds a ditch to dig in

Who needs the radio when Lila sings all the way home!

I know that several of my friends' toddlers' no longer nap. I believe them when they tell me that they've outgrown them...yet, I don't quite grasp it because my two toddlers desperately require naps. Today, Lila fell asleep on my back for a good while. As we walked the mile or so to or car mid-afternoon, Olivia fell asleep on Matt's back. She was so sleepy, she was delirious. As we got her into the car, her head rocked side to side, her eyes rolled into the back of her head, and she mumbled sentences Matt and I could not understand. She continued to sleep all the way home. Later, we had little trouble getting her to bed...I guess we can say we all had a full, exhausting day...and tomorrow...the beach, park, dinner in Lisbon...who knows!

They Ate It!

Popsicles

Last week, in my search for healthy snacks, I came across a spinach and strawberry Popsicle recipe. So, I tried it out. I blended equal amounts of strawberries and spinach together, then added three tablespoons of unsweetened applesauce and two tablespoons of local honey. As I was pouring the brownish liquid into six Popsicle molds, I thought to myself, "Gross, there is no way my girls will eat this."

They devoured them! Olivia ate every last bite of two of them. Lila has had one so far, but that's only because she makes such a mess, I limit her to one or two messy treats a week. I will definitely be making more of these Popsicles!

Homemade Yogurt

Since yogurt is a bit pricey here, and my mother in law has told me, more than once, that homemade yogurt is easy to make, I decided to try making my own. I used the first recipe on the page here. I used organic, plain yogurt with live cultures as a starter. After heating whole milk, cooling it a bit, and adding yogurt, I poured it all into a 1.5 quart corning ware bowl, put a glass lid on it and kept in my oven, heated to about 105 degrees (+/-), and left there for 3.5 hours.

The result was creamy plain yogurt, which I stirred and added a little bit of local honey to. Yum!!! Lila and I ate it for breakfast this morning. I did notice that some of the film I had removed, after cooling the milk, still found it's way into the yogurt, but, next time, I'll just run the mixture through a strainer.

Next time I make yogurt, I'm going to use some of the yogurt I make as a starter for my next batch, saving me money on buying a container of store-bought yogurt for use as a starter.

I must admit, I feel duped by the marketing of yogurt. Who knew it was SO easy to make yogurt? I can't believe it. I'm going to take my leftovers, add some pureed blueberries and fruit and make frozen yogurt Popsicles. I like to use small amounts of real maple syrup or honey to sweeten plain yogurt and I'm so happy to find an alternative to the ice cream sold at grocery stores here (which contains high fructose corn syrup, which I like to avoid). My girls will be in frozen yogurt heaven!

Fun in the Sun

Summer is in full-swing here in Portugal. We've been having fun in the sun, that's for sure! The beaches are swarmed, beer flowing steadily from taps, the smell of grilled fish luring passersby into the beach eateries all along the coast. On any given day, driving down the marginal, you'll see bathing-suit clad locals and tourists strolling to and from the beach. Love-struck couples walk hand-in-hand, stopping for kisses so passionate, you'd think they were being filmed for a love scene in a movie.

The mornings and evenings are cool and breezy. The children fall asleep quickly and deeply after a long day in the sun. Life is good!

We've been attending playgroups and barbeque's. When we are home, we spend it relaxing and out of the sun - giving our bodies a chance to wind-down and recover after such fun and sun-fill days!

Lila is still uncomfortable in the water. However, she is making progress. She's starting to kick her feet in the baby pool and splash water on her face, blow occasional bubbles if I get in with her and so on. I'm going to try to spend the next couple of weeks easing her into the water further. Hopefully, her fear will subside. Olivia, on the other hand, becomes more at ease with the water every day. She puts her whole body under water and swims a few strokes before coming up for air. She's not afraid of jumping in on her own. I'd like her swim instructor to push her a little harder in order to get her more comfortable and stronger when swimming without any swim aides. I think she's just about ready for that.

It is so beautiful here. The blue skies and blue sea, blending with old structures and new. Sail boats dot the coastline. It's often hard to keep your eyes on the road when driving down the scenic coastline. Some of my friends have views of the sea (from their balconies) so lovely, I just stand and gaze out, sighing sadly when I have to turn and leave.

I am looking forward to visiting home in a few weeks. However, I will certainly miss it here! It's a good thing that summer here lasts through October. When I get back in late August, there will be plenty of fun times in the sun left!