One month later. . .

Today marked the one month anniversary of our life in Portugal. We spent the weekend exploring a new (to us) beach called Praia das Macas and hiking near Sintra.

David's First Surfboard

100 Euros for a used surfboard -awesome! My neighbor and I took the train to a nearby beach this morning for some surfing. I have a lot to learn about catching waves, including the etiquette of catching waves around other surfers, but it was a successful, and injury free day in the water.

Lisbon Adventure, part 1

We finally took the 30 minute train ride all the way into Lisbon. After a stop in Belem, and a snack of the famous Pasteis de Belem, we visited a few sites then continued into the center of Lisbon.

The Mosteiro do Jeronimos - this cathedral was built in part to honor Vasco da Gama who set sail from Belem, an area of Lisbon. The style of the cathedral was influenced by the goods and animals the Portuguese was in India. It is the first time I've seen elephant statues in a Catholic church!

The Padrao dos Descobrimentos (Monument to the Discoveries) was built in 1960. Henry the Navigator stands at the front, but he is backed up by many important people. . . including a queen, painter, and writer!

We had dinner in the Bairro Alto, David had the very authentic meal of whole (guts, heads, and all) grilled sardines!

Back to work

School has officially started. So far the kids are very nice. Here are some random photos from the past week.