Okay so I was trying to make these blogs really detailed so that you could see some of the amazing history and landscapes from Portugal. But what I'm realizing is that it's February and I'm still working on the day after Christmas. So I guess you'll be getting more of a synopsis from now on. Sorry.
This is a statue outside the fort at the town of Silves. Apparently the Moors held most of southern Portugal for a long time and this town was their capital. The fort walls were pretty amazing but not much inside to really get the picture of what it would have been like then.
Kind of fun to see a castle look just the way you used to draw them in school.
The boys were off golfing so this was a girls and babies trip.
Apparently one of the kings who lived here married a princess from the north. She missed the snow so much that he planted miles of almond trees around the castle. They bloom in the beginning of spring and are supposed to have these huge white blossoms that made it look like snow.
We walked all along the outer-inside wall of the castle. In the US you'd never get away with this kind of safety violation and it really freaked out Taylor's mom who is afraid of heights. It didn't help that Ethan has only 2 speeds- asleep and all-out run.
Every town has it's own castle and cathedral it seems. Tragically this one was closed so we didn't get to see inside.
That afternoon Taylor stayed with the kids for naps and early dinner while I went off with his family to explore some of the coast which is made up of this crazy limestone with huge holes in it.
There was a fence around an enormous hole we could see from the top so we climbed down to where we could see partially in from the cliffs. Pretty amazing- just wish I could actually get inside.
Mack, Sam, me, Sonia, Barb (with the Carvoeiro Lighthouse and one of the huge holes in the background.
Here's the hole without us blocking it.
Taylor's dad was determined to get down to this beach but couldn't find a way to climb down. He's that little black speck on the far side.
Sunset over Carvoeiro.
This is a statue outside the fort at the town of Silves. Apparently the Moors held most of southern Portugal for a long time and this town was their capital. The fort walls were pretty amazing but not much inside to really get the picture of what it would have been like then.
Kind of fun to see a castle look just the way you used to draw them in school.
The boys were off golfing so this was a girls and babies trip.
Apparently one of the kings who lived here married a princess from the north. She missed the snow so much that he planted miles of almond trees around the castle. They bloom in the beginning of spring and are supposed to have these huge white blossoms that made it look like snow.
We walked all along the outer-inside wall of the castle. In the US you'd never get away with this kind of safety violation and it really freaked out Taylor's mom who is afraid of heights. It didn't help that Ethan has only 2 speeds- asleep and all-out run.
Every town has it's own castle and cathedral it seems. Tragically this one was closed so we didn't get to see inside.
That afternoon Taylor stayed with the kids for naps and early dinner while I went off with his family to explore some of the coast which is made up of this crazy limestone with huge holes in it.
There was a fence around an enormous hole we could see from the top so we climbed down to where we could see partially in from the cliffs. Pretty amazing- just wish I could actually get inside.
Mack, Sam, me, Sonia, Barb (with the Carvoeiro Lighthouse and one of the huge holes in the background.
Here's the hole without us blocking it. 
Taylor's dad was determined to get down to this beach but couldn't find a way to climb down. He's that little black speck on the far side.
Sunset over Carvoeiro.
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