Initial Thoughts on Lisbon- Part 1

A few months ago, over Whatsap, I was telling two great Irish friends about the impending sabbatical I would be taking. These two girls and I had many fantastic traveling adventures together in our early twenties- the best being a stint in Edinburgh. Now, many moons later, one of said buddies suggested, “D’ya reckon you could leave the kiddos with your folks for a few nights, and we take a trip somewhere fun?” Ummmm- is the Pope catholic? And so a plan was hatched to spend a long weekend (3 nights) away in Lisbon, Portugal.

How to describe Lisbon? Lisbon is a city rich in European history with beautiful old buildings, narrow winding streets, and culture oozing out of every nook and cranny.

At the same time there’s modern touches everywhere, woven in to the fabric of this ancient city.

This is a city that has a ton of character and a quirky side that draws you in.

The dilapidated stands side by side with the beautifully in tact which actually adds to the character and allure of Lisboa. There are cranes and signs of restoration all over the city.

Even the craftmanship of the paved streets and charming squares awed me!

The airbnb we stayed at was in a terrific location. It overlooked a square called Praca da Figueira and had the most amazing views from its rooftop balcony. The castle was right behind us.

Lisbon is huge and there is so much to do and see. Tomorrow I’ll break down the three days and share our adventures.

(Some of these pictures come courtesy of one of my traveling companions-AM Kelly.)

A Trip to the Park

If you ask my daughter what the highlight of her trips back to Ireland are, she will more than likely regale you with stories of the park. Our favorite is a fabulous park right down the road from my folks: Ballincollig Regional Park.

It is actually a gunpowder mill. The mills are on the other side of the park and we didn’t make it over that far yesterday morning. But if you are a history buff, there’s a lot of interesting history about Ballincollig right there.

Anytime there’s a playground, my kids will be happy! And this one is one of their favorites.

Who needs a PlayStation when you can throw stones in a river? The park is on the River Lee which is the big river running through Cork.

The four-year-old got odd because his sister threw the stones in first……

…….and then he discovered ‘magical golden stones’ and all was right with the world again!

The fairy trail always takes us a long time to get through because my daughter likes to knock on ALL of the fairy doors! (There’s a lot of fairy doors!)

And finally, there’s usually a little cafe where mom and I can grab a cuppa if we are so inclined.

A fabulous morning trip to the park!

A Trip to the Park

Anytime there’s a playground, my kids will be happy! And this one is one of their favorites.

Who needs a PlayStation when you can throw stones in a river? The park is on the River Lee which is the big river running through Cork.

The four-year-old got odd because his sister threw the stones in first……

…….and then he discovered ‘magical golden stones’ and all was right with the world again!

The fairy trail always takes us a long time to get through because my daughter likes to knock on ALL of the fairy doors! (There’s a lot of fairy doors!)

And finally, there’s usually a little cafe where mom and I can grab a cuppa if we are so inclined.

A fabulous morning trip to the park!

Lifetime Labs Easter Egg Hunt 2018

We took the kiddos to a little Easter egg ‘hunt’ this morning at the Old Cork Waterworks. Basically, there was a round of activities that kept them busy for a few hours. They had a blast.

There was a little tent where they got their faces painted.

They got their jump on at the bouncy houses.

Playgrounds are always a hit with my kids.

The falconry from trabolgan displayed some birds of prey.

And the grand finale ended with the kiddos exchanging their wristbands for full-size easter eggs! Very exciting!

The event took place at the Old Cork Waterworks so we also took a wander around the old restored buildings which told the story of how water was supplied to Cork in the past.

All in all, a very successful morning!

Thanks, Penneys!

What to do on your first day when you’re jet-lagged to the high heavens because you woke at 2.30am (6.30pm Seattle time), and your body is wide awake and ready to partay? You do your annual shopping trip to the Irish store that kits out your kids for the entire year……Penneys!!!

It’s like the clouds opened on an otherwise cloudy day, and a chorus of baby angels serenaded us!

My American friends might be wondering what Penneys is? Penneys is a store that is to fashion as Southwest is to flying. If you like to shop and ever visit Ireland, you will definitely want to pop by a Penneys. Although I’m not sure there is such a thing as ‘popping by ‘ Penneys. When I took my American friend there a few years ago, it was hard to get her out of there. Several hours were spent wandering the isles.

Check this link out if you do ‘pop by’. Tip Number 7 is the one that resonates with me; “It’s very simple. If someone compliments any part of your outfit, you MUST say “Thanks, Penneys!” and you MUST tell them the price. It’s the rule.” Really! The urban legend goes that tourists have gone back to their own country thinking “Thanks, Penneys!” was just how to say thank you in Ireland- it is said on such a regular basis!

As an Irish woman living in the US, the annual Penneys trip is a must when I go home. If I pick things up for myself in Penneys, chances are 300 other Cork women will also own that same top. But when I go back to the States, it’s a five dollar hot commodity that I can pretend cost me an arm and a leg!

The kids did so well- bribes of ice-cream afterwards definitely helped.

The other Irish store that I visit when I come home is Dunnes Stores. My sister n law is from Canada and it is one of her faves when she comes this direction. There was some gorgeous kid’s stuff in there today. We spotted a few bits for my mom as well.

Overall my six year old made out like a bandit today. I don’t think I’ll have to buy clothes for her for the rest of the year! The four year old didn’t do too badly either.

Some of the loot! We picked up some Irish jerseys for the kids for a tenner in Dunnes (top right corner).

My daughter’s pile for right now. There’s another one for the next year up.

Not a bad way to get over jet lag!

And we’re off!

Day one of the big adventure. We’re sitting at Seatac airport as I write this. Not going to lie, I may have turned into the crazy credit card lady this past year. The travel credit cards I opened pretty much funded our trip. It saved us thousands! I could give The Points Guy a run for his money at this stage. One of the cards we opened gets us access to the lounges, and when you are travelling on your own with a four and six year old….well it’s really lovely!

My four year old is currently obsessed (I mean obsessed!) with trains. So when he discovered the lounge has a grand view of the many light rail trains flying past the window, excited screeches of “Choo Choos! CHOOOO CHOOOOS!” have been echoing around the room. I’ve given up telling him the lounge is a quiet zone. It’s just. so. exciting!

Here’s to many hours of screen time. We’re coming for you Dublin!

One Week To Go…….

This is my last week at work before the sabbatical. It’s going to be a pretty manic one with transitioning the class to their new teacher and hosting parent conferences……but totally, totally worth it!

Not many teachers can say they are taking a three month paid sabbatical! I know how lucky I am. At our school, if you have worked there for ten years- you can apply for the program. This is my eleventh year working at my amazing school. And I was so delighted when the sabbatical was granted to me!

We plan on visiting family and friends in Ireland for the first four weeks (sans Wyatt). Wyatt will come join us for five weeks as we drive from Slovenia down through Croatia, and spend the last week in Dubrovnik with my Mom and Dad, and my sister and her family. Then the kids and I will take four weeks and actually travel around Ireland. It’s been a while since I’ve done the tourist thing at home. We plan on taking in Galway, Wicklow, Antrim, Louth and Wexford.

slovenia-croatia-itinerary — We took Rick Steve’s two week guide to Slovenia and Croatia and extended it to five weeks.

Instead of inundating my social media with pictures and stories from the trip, I plan on using this space to keep a record of it all. It’s really more for myself- on those grey Seattle January loooonnnggg days- to look back on and enjoy.

I just need to get this last week in the books and then it’s Bon Voyage for a while………….

The Journey Begins

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton

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