Simon’s parents, Seymour and Luba, celebrated their 50th anniversary in October. In anticipation of this landmark, we decided it was fitting to have a mini-reunion during our fall break with the whole Frumkin/Morales clan along with Luba’s sister Galina and her husband Rick. We debated where best to celebrate and ended up choosing Portugal. We began our adventures in Lisbon where we stayed in the central part of the city. We walked around the pedestrian areas and parks in our neighborhood, stopping at local spots for coffee and Pastel de Nata, a delicious Portuguese custard dessert.

On our second day we took the train out to Sintra where we explored the amazing Quinta da Regaleira. This property was owned by a family of merchants from Porto and then was sold in 1892 to a man named Antonio Caralho Monteiro who had made a fortune on coffee and gems before returning to his parents’ home country of Portugal. He redesigned the mansion and ground, incorporating symbolism from alchemy, Rosicrucians, Freemasonry, the Knights Templar, and Christianity. The mansion and chapel buildings were interesting, but the most delightful part of the visit was exploring the expansive grounds and tunnels, including the photogenic “Initiation Well”. I had fun playing with the object eraser on my phone camera to make it seem like we had the place all to ourselves. The kids enjoyed scrambling up and down staircases and paths and finding statues, ornate benches, and other hidden treasures nestled amongst the natural beauty- trees, waterfalls, pools, and caves.

The next stop was Pena Palace and we opted to catch a ride to the palace on one of the many tuk-tuks. The drivers stopped along the way to point out places of interest like a house that John Lennon and Yoko Ono had regularly rented and was recently bought by JK Rowling and a mansion that was the set for the Johnny Depp movie “Ninth Gate.” A tuk-tuk cruised past us on a windy road. As it whizzed by we read “Safe and Funny” which was written on the side of the tuk-tuk. Our driver told us the funny part is true but definitely not the rest.

After a fun and safe ride, we arrived at our next stop, Pena Palace. The site’s history goes back to the 12th century when there was a chapel dedicated to “our Lady of Pena” and later a monastery that was built at the order of King Manuel I. Like much of Lisbon, the earthquake of 1755 left the monastery in ruins. In 1836, Queen Maria II and King-consort Ferdinand acquired the property and built the palace. The architecture and interiors were stunning. If given the opportunity, I would return to Sintra and spend more time exploring the extensive grounds of the palace that are home to an impressive arboretum. We also didn’t make it to the Moorish Castle nearby which sounded to be worth a visit.

On our last day in Lisbon, we did another tuk-tuk tour in the morning, exploring different parts of the city and stopping to check out art, architecture, and views. Mila and Bonnie took a cooking class where they learned to make Pastel de Nata. When the instructor asked Mila what the highlight was of the trip so far, Mila replied, “This class!” It was a truly memorable experience for her. We ended our night at a Fado show up the hill from our home base.

One of the Grade 7 teachers at our school is from Sines, Portugal and Alden was enthusiastic about visiting her hometown. After some debate as to whether the detour was worth it, Alden persuaded us to take the “scenic route” and make the stop. We had a seafood feast, found some tasty gelato, and then explored the lovely small town, including the town castle and Vasco De Gama statue (Sines was also his hometown).

Just south of Sines we visited a nice beach, Porto Covo, and spent some time exploring the rocky formations and small tidepools. We were all glad that Alden was so persuasive as this area was really beautiful and definitely worth visiting!

We spent the next four nights in the Algarve, based out of a seaside villa in Guia. The view from the top balcony of the home was beautiful, especially at sunset. It was the perfect home base to relax after busy days out exploring and eating delicious seafood feasts. We enjoyed light dinners of charcuterie, cheese, tinned fish, salads, olives, and pickles followed by board game fun.

When researching things to do in Algarve, I stumbled across a donkey farm that offered a ride through the countryside and a meal on the farm. It sounded idyllic, so we booked it and crossed our fingers that we wouldn’t get rained out. On our first full day in the Algarve, we headed to the farm and met our human and donkey hosts. Unlike horses, the donkeys need to have a guide lead so we were trained on how to guide a donkey. We had a lovely ride through orchards, meadow paths, and the neighborhood streets. About halfway we stopped at a local cafe to enjoy some coffee and Amarguinha, an almond liquor made in the area. We felt a few drips, but the rain waited for us to get back to the farm before starting in earnest. Fortunately, our lunch table was in a covered area in the garden. There, we were treated to an amazing meal made from ingredients mostly sourced from the farm and from neighbors.

Although the forecast had looked like we might be rained on for our entire trip, we only had one day where rain dominated. On that day, we decided to visit Museu de Portimao, a museum housed in a former sardine processing factory. There we learned about the history of the area, including the central role played by the fishing and canning industry.

The following day, the rain ceased and we explored the seaside towns to the east of Guia. A highlight was a hike through the inlets of Ria Formosa lagoon. The lagoon used to host the largest population of seahorses in the world, but today that population is at risk of extinction. The area is now a protected national park and is considered an important bird area, as it is a stop-over point for many Europe-Africa migratory routes. I wish that my dad were there with me that day to help identify and capture photos of the many birds. He would have been delighted!

On our final day, we explored the beach by our villa and then returned to the western side of the Algarve to see the views of the scenic Ponta da Piedade. We had a fabulous last seafood feast together in Lagos before heading back to Lisbon to catch our flight. Living so far from home, we treasure the opportunity to be together with our family and explore such a beautiful and interesting country.