Although there is a lot I am worried about in this post-election season, I’m focusing on the good today. I’m here in the beautiful Coachella Valley for the winter, playing golf in the morning, playing games and having Thanksgiving dinner with friends. Working it all off with some pickleball in the evening.

We have an amazing daughter and son, who married other amazing people. They are all making the world a better place in their own way. We have two grandchildren who are precocious, loving, and thoughtful, yet they are only 2 and 4 years old.

I have a wonderful wife who has somehow loved me for more than 66.66% of my life! I’ve had more than my share of successful careers, and now I get to work on a project that I love, that helps students who need it most, (Runestone Academy) and I get to do it on my own schedule, when I’m not too busy doing other things I love (see above). In short, I have a lot to be thankful for!

Had fun visiting friends in Alexandria the last two days. I even got to revisit the site of the Runestone.

Check out Runestone Origins on the Runestone Academy blog.

We arrived at our AirBnB in Grundarfjörður on an amazing evening. We have a beautiful view of the ocean and Kirkjufell mountain right out our window!

After a good nights sleep we spent our saturday in Snaefellsnes peninsula, driving a big loop and taking in lots of sites, stopping for short hikes along the way. The morning began with very sunny weather and the seas outside our window were completely calm.

Our first stop was the town of Hellissandur, the street art capital of Iceland. There are so many different buildings with murals painted on the side. This is probably the most famous of them.

Not too far down the road from is the Saxhóll crater. A small volacano that is easy to climb. Johannes led the way in grand style! The views from the top were great, but it was super windy! One of those winds where you could lean way into it and not fall over.

After an impromptu comfort stop behind one of the many rocks next to the road we continued on our way to Djúpalónssandur Beach We spent a good amount of time here exploring the remains of the Epine GY 7, a British trawler that shipwrecked here in 1948.

We also spent a lot of time getting our feet wet in the North Atlantic, throwing rocks into the ocean, sitting on the beach, and saving many starfish that had washed up on the beach.

It is a great little hike with lots to do. Oh and we all tested our strength by trying to lift a series of rocks, that were part of a test for old sailors. The weight of the rocks ranged from 50 to 340 pounds. You had to be able to lift the 120 pound rock if you wanted to be an oarsman.

After our hike we ate a picnic lunch at one of the picnic tables near the parking lot.

Next up was Arnastapi and statue of Bárdur Snaefellsás, the giant troll man. By this time the youngest ones had had enough touring and were in need of some play time, luckily there was a small playground that was perfect for the situation.

Although there was a real need for some nap time, and yes, by this time it was way past nap time. We had one last stop for the day at Ytri Tunga Beach The main attraction here was to see some seals.

The weather at the beach was really windy, but we did see some seals, so mission accomplished! We had just under an hour to drive back home and it was very quiet in the van.

Dinner this evening was a smorgasbord of what we had leftover for groceries, Icelandic hotdogs, French friends from the fish and chips a few nights ago, and even a few pieces of fish, not to mention the Mac and Cheese that Nana brought with.

Next stop, a short night in Reykjavík and an early morning flight back to Minneapolis.

Today was a pretty easy day, we wanted to give the grandkids a bit of a break and let everyone else have an easy morning. So we had our breakfast, and headed off in the van to Gulfoss. These are some serious waterfalls! The Icelanders compare them to Niagara Falls. 1200 cubic meters per second!

The geysir was just a short drive from the falls. The term Geyser originates from the Icelandic Geysir. They don’t tell you that at Yellowstone.

We ate our traditional lunch of turkey and pepperoni sandwiches in the parking lot of the geyser center, and then headed back to the house. Maren, Kaia, and Tanner had nap time and Johannes had some quiet screen time. Jane, Josh, and Rachel went back to see more waterfalls, and I got the lamb braising for our evening meal of curry. Considering it wasn’t my kitchen, and I guessed at spice amounts before even leaving home, it turned out great.

Tomorrow we are on the move again to a new house in a new part of Iceland namely Grundarfjor. We will be there two nights before spending our last night in Reykjavik.

Today we moved from Vik to our country house on the golden circle. It was a little shorter day with a couple of waterfalls, a trip to the farmers bistro, and a stop at the secret lagoon. We awoke to heavy fog and rain. You have to love dreary weather to live in Iceland! I must say that we have been quite lucky to have a mix of weather including some beautiful sun!

Our first stop of the day was at the Skógafoss waterfall. It is the largest waterfall we have seen so far. There are 500 stairs leading to the top if you want to see the falls from two angles.

There was another falls, called hidden falls very near Skógafoss which turned out to be a real highlight! We were there early and when we got to the falls nobody else was there. These are also falls where you can walk behind them, kind of magical!

One of the few reservations we made on this trip was for our lunch at the farmers bistro. The bistro is part of a mushroom farm, so of course mushrooms feature pretty prominently in the menu. It was a tough call between the mushroom burger and the buffet which featured mushroom soup. But I went with the burger. It was a totally unexpected presentation!

The buns for the “burger” were two portobello mushrooms, the actual bun was a kind of fried crouton like mixture, and then there was meat which was probably a blend that included lamb. Plus some aioli… The desert menu listed “mushroom ice cream” I just could not turn down the chance to try that! It also listed Carrot ice cream which would have been fine to skip, but it actually tasted a little like sherbet. Still, I really did like the Mushroom with honey topping.

After lunch we waited an hour, (because you have to right!??) and then went swimming at the secret lagoon. Well, it wasn’t very secret, as there were a lot of people there. It is the oldest pool around dating back to the early 1900’s. The water was a very comfortable

The grandkids were very tired but we went to a nearby wine bar anyway, after that we got fish and chips takeaway from a nearby restaurant, which was delicious!! The only thing that would have made it better would have been to eat it right there!

By the time we got to our AirBnB, everyone was tired, especially Johannes and Maren who had only been napping between stops. The rest of us were ready to explore the wine bar nearby, and we thought that the fish and chips would be a good takeout option to avoid staying out too late. Even so, we learned that it is probably not a great idea to be out after 6:30 with a 4 and 2 year old!!

That is enough for today!

Every country seems to have its own unique kind of natural disasters to worry about. Whether it’s hurricanes, sandstorms, typhooons, tornadoes, whatever. In Iceland one of those things is glacial flooding. It happens fairly frequently when water builds up and suddenly explodes out of the glacier. This happened the day before we flew to Iceland, and it closed a section of the ring road. The ring road is a pretty important road around the island, and in fact in many cases the only way to get from point A to point B. For us this closure could have meant two days of our trip needed to be rescheduled. For others who were not so lucky, they needed to drive more than 14 or more hours out of their way to get to the airport or to get to their hotel! Yes, if you haven’t seen a map of Iceland, the middle part of the island has no roads. Our map from Hertz explicitly forbids us from driving anywhere near the middle of the island.

Thankfully the Icelandic people know how to deal with all of this, and quickly got the road opened, at least one lane, as you can see in the picture above. OK, all that sounds very dramatic for something that ended up barely impacting us. Once through the one lane stoppage we had smooth sailing, but along the way we saw many signs of past breaches of the road just like ours. It’s very interesting to note that eruptions and ice melt have actually increased the size of Iceland rather dramatically! The ice melt decreases the mass of the island and causes it to rise up out of the sea! The lava flows and glacial flooding have added more than 5km of distance to the coast in many places! Yep, visiting Iceland is a good geology lesson.

Our first big stop of the day was at Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon. This was such a beautiful hike up a river gorge, and several of us said it was one of our favorites of the trip so far.

After the hike we had a nice picnic around the back of our van! Turkey and pepperoni sandwiches, Pringles, weird Icelandic Doritos, and delicious Icelandic butter cookies with chocolate! It’s a hoot traveling with a 4 and 2 year old, as they love picnics! Eat pringles first, chocolate second, set the sandwich down on the gravel… Get upset when the tiniest crumb of Pringle falls on the ground and you are not allowed to eat it. Yes, parents, we have all been there! I’m just so happy to be the grandparent!

With Lunch behind us it was time to move on to the Fjallsarlon Glacier Lagoon, this was not a small commitment as it was another 1.5 hours drive away from our house through lots of flat land. Ocean on one side, sheer cliffs on the other but we were in the flat glacial runoff area. In the end it was a good stop for all! You just know that when you get to water the 4 year old grandson is going to end up with shoes off and pants wet!

It was just after 6 when we arrived back in Vik. So we stopped at the Black Crust pizzeria, the line was really long for getting a table, much less for 8 so we grabbed a to go menu and went back to the house and called. Jane and Josh dropped us off and then headed to the Brewery for some beers! Conveniently, the pizzeria and the gas station share a parking lot, so while one filled up the other picked up the pizzas. We were sitting at our kitchen table eating delicious pizza around seven. We had a black crust Langostine with truffle cream cheese and Rucola, a marinated duck pizza with orange syrup and nuts, and a pretty traditional salami and cheese! Each was the favorite of at least one person!

Everyone had strict instructions that we needed to be out the door by 8 or there would be no time for a coffee stop! So the after dinner activities were largely packing and getting organized to get out the door in the morning. Incentives do work!

The weather today was super promising! Small chance of rain, medium chance of sunlight, and big chance for adventure! Our first stop was the home of the Puffins!

Boy do they look awkward when they try to fly! From every angle and every view, take off or landing! But they are very colorful and cute!

Our next stop was one of the many black sand beaches. This beach has a warning system, green — explore with caution, yellow — don’t get too close, red — stay in the parking lot. Never turn your back on the ocean and watch closely for rogue waves.

The plan for the afternoon included the Katla ice cave tour, a lava show, or chilling at the house with the grandkids. The ice cave tour is on the Mýrdalsjökull glacier which is on top of the Katla volcano, currently well overdue for an eruption! No need to worry it is very closely monitored and the guides all have an evacuation plan should an unexpected eruption occur.

It is quite a ride just to get to the glacier, and our guide definitely subscribed to the theory that you can minimize the impact of potholes in the road by driving as fast as possible over them! The glacier itself isn’t like other glaciers as it is covered in ash, and the ice itself has many layers of ice with ash in between the different layers.

As part of our hike we also got to help maintain the trail for those coming after us. Just a little work with an ice pick.

After returning to the house I started the spaghetti for supper and Tanner and Johannes headed to the lava show. We also tried it the sauna and hot tub on the deck. This house is so amazing views of the ocean out one window glaciers and horses out the other!

Our Iceland adventure started nearly 10 months ago. We told Kaia, Tanner, Josh, and Rachel that we wanted to bring the whole family on a vacation. Their assignment for Christmas was to make a PowerPoint presentation on where we should go. Then we would discuss the options and vote, if necessary. The presentations were all amazing, and we could see the personalities of each infused into their ideas and presentations!

By the end of lunch, the clear family favorite was Banff Canada! Iceland wasn’t even on the list. So why are we in Iceland? Incomprehensible yield management software at Delta airlines. The price to fly the family from Minneapolis to Calgary was crazy! When Jane started looking around it was clear that Iceland was way cheaper, the best value, and the flight time was not terrible for the two youngest among our group aged 4 and 2. Nobody had presented Iceland, but everyone thought that someone else would. So it was an easy decision.

We arrived in Iceland only a few minutes late, despite our late departure. I don’t know if it was lasting effects of the CrowdStrike problem effecting Delta’s transfer this plane from the hanger to the gate software or what. But neither did the staff at the gate or the pilot for that matter, everyone was mystified by the fact that our plane arrived at MSP many hours early and then sat in the hanger until just minutes before were supposed to depart.

Whatever the ultimate explanation, the flight was fine and we arrived in Iceland at 7:30 AM local time 2:30AM according to our sleep systems. That affected the youngest the worst, but all of us still had some jet lag.

Getting through customs was easy, and although rental cars are always so frustratingly slow, we got some sweet upgrades on our Rental van! A slightly larger van, plus free WiFi hotspot! That is a nearly $600 savings for all of us to have WiFi in transit without paying for a Verizon travel pass. Our first stop between the airport and Reykjavik was at a bakery for some snacks and coffee.

This was a great stop for everyone to get the wiggles out after hours on an airplane and then sitting in the van.

Next up was grocery shopping in a foreign country where no one speaks the language! Pretty good, and sometimes amusing, what is “semi-skim milk?” Is this block of stuff called Smjör really butter? Why yes it is if you put your glasses on and read the small translation. Do we want to buy onions and then figure out how to get the self checkout to recognize what we are weighing? No we do not.

Part of our plan for this trip was to buy stuff to make lunch sandwiches in the van while we are out hiking and enjoying the scenery. So we made some lunch!

The next stop was an unscheduled gas station stop when our low pressure light suddenly went off. None of the tires were under pressure so we continued on to our first waterfall. This is a very famous waterfall as Justin Bieber made a music video from behind the water! We were able to go behind the waterfall as well!

It was raining like crazy, and we were all wet from the waterfalls so we were very glad to have a text from our AirBnB host that our house was ready ahead of schedule! The house is beautiful and the views of the ocean, mountains, glaciers, and nearby horses are spectacular!

Dinner ended up being at Smidjan Brugghus, the brewery right near our house. The burgers and fries and beer was great. We then worked at keeping everyone awake until just after 8:00 when we gave in and went to bed. Our night was extremely abbreviated when just after nine, our roommate started asking for her mommy! This happened a couple more times before she finally slept through until the morning.

The plan for our first full day in Carvoeiro (pronounced curve-way-go) was to go sea kayaking through the amazing Benagil sea caves! When we arrived on the corner where we supposed to meet our guide we were a bit early, and nobody else was there yet. Eventually our guide came, long hair, rings on every finger, tanned, very suave. “You are going to have a great day” he said! “I just know as soon as I walk out the door what the sea is going to be like, and today is a very good day.” Another guide heading up the hill asked him, “have you had a look?” We were on the side of the second guide having driven by the landing area. He walked around the corner and returned a few minutes later, with a smile on his face and a new question for us. “Are you ready to get wet?”

Personally, I’m not a huge fan of “getting wet” in the cold Atlantic waters. But I’m willing to be a good sport from time to time. This was one of those times. The next problem was my shoes. Sir, do you have sandals or flip-flops? Nope these are the only pair I brought, well you can walk barefoot down the hill and back then.

So, down the hill we went, and when we got to the landing area the waves were just crashing in, coming in fairly large curls of blackish water! Our guide was undaunted, “If you trust me a little, I can get you out past the breakers and into the calmer water. We probably can’t go into any caves, but it will be fine!” Given his track record so far none of us were inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt, but nevertheless we noted a couple of kayaks going out in between the really bad waves. Suddenly the guides were all huddled around a phone staring intently, I heard the word “suspended.” And finally the guide admitted defeat. The maritime authorities have declared that all kayaking trips are cancelled this morning. I could still get you there, but you would all be breaking the law. LOL.

So our day of kayaking was a bust. Even worse, none of us took a picture of the waves!!

With kayaking out of the picture we headed to Carvoeiro to do the boardwalk. It was very scenic and considerably drier than the kayaks.

After doing the boardwalk we came back and made ourselves sandwiches, and hung out at the pool, reading, dozing, and whatnot.

For dinner we headed back in to Carvoeiro for dinner at an Indian restaurant called Gurkha Kitchen. It’s a Nepalese and Indian place that was very good. We / I was definitely in the mood for something a bit different than we had been eating for the last week, and this fit the bill perfectly. Papadams, some dumplings, some Nepal curry, it was great. We could have gone higher on the spice levels but we all enjoyed the food very much.

This morning we woke up, took our time with coffee etc, and then headed for Sagras, it is the farthest southwest point Europe. You know this because there is a bratwurst stand that says Last Brat before America!

Unfortunately when we arrived a massive cloud bank was rolling in, and we couldn’t see anything! Also the fort was not open because the workers were on a one day strike! So it was kind of a bust. Here you see our selfie at Sagras and then another selfie just 30 miles away less then an hour later!

The second picture was taken in Lagos on Ponte do Piedade, it was so beautiful that after taking pics from above, we ended up driving into town, finding a charge point, eating lunch, and then booking a boat to take us out to see it from the water!

By the time we finished the boat trip and walked back to the car it was nearly 5:00, so we still had a very full day despite the challenges of the morning. We headed back to the hotel, showered, rested for a bit then had a light dinner at a nearby pizza place called Mona Lisa. It was kind of funny because it was just right around the corner, but then Jane discovered that they only took cash. We were nearly out, so it was kind of like college. Well, we have some euros, you have some euros, and if we turn in our towels at the front desk we can get our 40 euro deposit back and have enough money to eat! It sure beat jumping in the car and driving a mile to find an ATM!

After dinner Jane and I went to the end of the lane to enjoy a bit of sunset!

Just as we were about to go to bed we got the news alert. The jury was in! Would they convict Trump? We waited as the pundits did their punditry and then finally the verdicts were read. One by one, guilty, guilty, guilty, guilty on all counts! A small celebration broke out and a chant of “Lock him up!” Of course, soon enough the convicted felon emerged to tell us that “it was rigged” LOL!! This is a good day for America, the system worked and finally we are holding Trump accountable. In any other decade in our history, for any other political party, the nominee would bow out of the race, or the party would demand the presumptive nominee give way. Sadly that will not be the case here.

Tomorrow some hiking and then just relaxing before head into Lisbon on Saturday. It’s hard to believe that we are heading back in just a couple of days.

The train ride started peacefully enough. However when the conductor came to check our tickets the guy across the aisle was unresponsive. Like does he have a pulse? Unresponsive! A couple of stops later the EMTs got on the train and managed to get him awake. Soon after he was off the train. As usual the paperwork took longer than anything and we were soon 20 minutes behind.

We had thought that the train ride would be fun, with four seats facing each other, maybe a table to play Euchre or Qwertle. But the train was a “historic” train. No tables, no electricity to recharge devices. But the scenery was very nice. We got off the train in Pinhão to visit the Quinto Do Jollata winery, high above the city. We needed to either Uber or take a taxi. The Uber was advertising the ride for 5 euros, but no drivers were taking us up. There was a taxi with a feisty Portuguese woman driver. She told us 15 euros. When we said we were told that it would be 5 she slammed the car door shut in a huff. Then probably swore at us. We agreed to her 15 and got in for the ride. By the time we arrived we all thought that 15 was probably appropriate! The views from the winery were spectacular!

The tasting area was also beautiful.

There was a trail from the winery down to the city, and we had decided ahead of time to walk down. The host at the winery said to follow the dirt road to the end of their property then to climb over the fence to their neighbors, and continue to walk toward the bridge. By the time we got to the fence, one of us had had it! LOL.

Once back in the city we boarded a boat for a ride to Tua. More beauty but this time from the river!

In Tua we had a bit of an adventure finding the train station. We didn’t have a lot of time, and in our haste ended up away from the station, but deciding that the most expedient way forward was to simply walk the tracks, listening carefully for an approaching train!

We arrived safely! As it turned out the train to Porto was at the station but the train to Pocinho was not there yet. We looked for a conductor to see if we could just hop on and go back to Porto, and I finally found one, but just as I was asking him the question the train to Pocinho pulled in and he said if we wanted to go to Porto we had to get on right now. We dithered for a second to long and thus were committed to riding to the end of the line. In the end we all agreed we should have jumped on the train back when we had the chance.

The ride back to Porto was fine, but long, and at times VERY crowded. Speaking of crowded that is the only way to describe Time Out! Finding a place to sit took a couple of trips up and back, but we did eventually find a place for the four of us to sit. Jane and Holly saved our spots while Brian and I braved the ravenous hoards to gather our dinner. Jane had the duck rice which was kind of like a layer of rice with duck over the top covered in a thick layer of cheese. It was delicious. I had the Sea bass over Quinoa with Crayfish sauce. Also wonderful, but it turned out to be a starter! I wish I had ordered two!

To say we were exhausted after 12 hours on the train, and hiking and wine tasting is an understatement. Tomorrow is an easier day with just a bit of walking around town, and maybe visiting a port house.

We started today with a short walk to meet our guide, Maria, for a food tour of Porto. Maria is a private chef and sommelier who does these tours as well. She grew up in the neighborhood of Porto that we were visiting. We made several stops during our tour so let’s review, step by step.

1. Nota and coffee and Hungarian cookies. We had been waiting to try the Nota since we landed in Lisbon. But we did not want to have our first taste be something mass produced for airport visitors. This did not disappoint. The Nota is a pastry filled with egg custard. Seriously, the egg custard reminded me of my mom’s whipped cream where you could feel the sugar crunch between your teeth as you ate it. We also had a shortbread cookie that was half dipped in chocolate called a Hungarian. Both were great. Lots of pastries are made with egg yolks because the nuns who originally made the pastries used the egg whites as starch to stiffen their habits.
2. Spice store Romeo and Juliet (cheese and apple jam) At the spice store where Maria has shopped since childhood we tried the Romeo and Juliet, a slice of cheese topped with a dense slice of Quince on top. The salty cheese and the sweet marmalade were a perfect combination.
3. Market From the spice store we headed to the main market. It is a beautiful open air market, newly remodeled I think. Apparently once you have the license for a stall you can pass it on to your direct descendants, otherwise it is very hard to get in.
   1. Figs with Walnuts: we started with a taste of a fig stuffed with a walnut. Pretty tasty even for me who is not a big fan of figs.
   2. Beans (lupins) and Olives: The olives were olives, enough said. (I’m not a fan) But the Lupins were really interesting. You peel off a thin shell and then eat them. The consistency and taste reminded me of a rather hard cheese, and Maria confirmed that the lupins are often used to make a vegan cheese.
   3. Oyster and Mussels: Fresh oysters and Mussels. Pretty good. Brian did the oyster on the half-shell, the rest of us mussels. Not sure I’ve had a raw mussel before, it seemed like it had been cooked and then served cold.
   4. Sardines and Cod on crackers: Ok, this one tested us a bit. Sardines were a real staple of the Porto diet, especially if you were a working class family. I really wasn’t even sure I wanted to try one, but when you are on a food tour you just do it, that’s what you are there for. I thought the sardine on a cracker was quite good. The cod was more fishy to my taste but still decent. We actually went back and bought a tin of sardines to take on the train to the Douro valley. The cod in Porto is all dried, and then reconstituted when it is time to eat it, can you say Luetefisk?
   5. Ginja: Time for a drink! Ginja is a cherry liquor served in a chocolate cup. I’m not a huge cherry fan, but this tasted a little more like anise, or if you are in a bad mood you might say cough syrup.
   6. Iberian and Black pork: Although I had tried the black pork, this was our chance to see the Iberian and black pork side by side. When we tried several slices of the different pork side by side it was easy to see why the black pork is so much more expensive. 60 euros per kg for the Iberian, and 180 euros per kg for the black. In fact Maria said that when you are getting the black pork it is important to have the butcher cut it in front of you so that you can verify that it is the black pork. When we got some to bring on the train we did just that. We also learned how they use every part of the pig, and how in the battle against Spain the residents of Porto were used as human shields to protect the city which never fell! (Porto Invictus) The humans used as shields were treated to the best parts of the pig whereas the people being protected made due with the worst.
   7. Bread: We tried the peasant bread made with malt, barley and wheat flour. It was a very dark bread, and tasted like it had molasses in it, but that is just the malt. It lasts for a couple of weeks, and then you use it in bread pudding.
   8. Bonus Ginja: as we were leaving the market another tour guide came up to us with a tray of Ginja — We didn’t use it all with our group, please enjoy another glass!
4. Fancy Paste store: This was kind of an odd part of the tour. Whereas everything so far had been about the peasants and working class people and their food, this was a high end store featuring tubes of paste made from every region of Portugal. We tried some savory, some sweet, and some chocolate. We felt a little pressure to purchase, and so we did get three tubes to bring on the train.
5. Hot dogs and drinks: Our last stop was at a local establishment that makes the best hot dogs anywhere. This place is famous because Anthony Bourdain loved the place and featured it on his show. Reportedly he and the owners also became good friends over the years and he visited every time he was in Europe. There was a line to get in, but the hot dogs (and buns!) were really good.
6. Time Out market: As a bonus, Maria walked us through the Time Out Market, right next to the train station. This is kind of a high end food court where a few different Michelin starred chefs make their food available. It looks like the perfect place to grab a bit to eat when we get off the train from the Douro valley.

After the food tour we rested for a few minutes and then headed out across the bridge to Gaia. Along the river in Gaia is where all of the port houses are. The wine is transferred from the Douro Valley into town where it is aged and transformed into port. We planned on tasting in the Douro, but still enjoyed some time at the rooftop bar of one of the places. By the time we were done there we took the cable car back up to the bridge and walked back to our apartment. We were exhausted, so Brian and I walked to Rocky’s for some kebabs and pizza for supper.

As much as I was dreading the flight on Ryan Air, it was a very smooth and uneventful flight. We had upgraded to premium tickets so we had assigned seats, as well as “priority boarding”. That just meant that if you were at the gate early enough you got into the queue to get on the plane ahead of the non-priority passengers. If you didn’t, then you were stuck in the queue wherever it was when you showed up. Luckily we heeded the alert to head to the gate a little more than an hour before takeoff.

I was seated next to a very cute two year old, whose parents were mortified every time he made a sound. I just kept smiling and telling them it was fine. He was fascinated with my iPad, but declined to help me with the NYT crossword. We arrived in Porto and our next destination was the Metro. We were not sure how to find it…

It was a very easy trip on the metro with one transfer to get within a couple blocks of our AirBnB here in Porto. It’s a lovely 3 level apartment overlooking a little alley off another alley. There is a restaurant right below us. After dropping our luggage we were all a little “hangry” so we found a restaurant just up the hill, we had a reservation for 9PM so we just wanted a drink and a few tapas. The restaurant also had the sandwich called a Francesinha. It’s a slice of bread topped with steak, topped with more bread and then ham and sausage, topped with bread and cheese and tomato sauce. It’s Portuguese hangover food. (For the record we were not hungover) For us it was like having a grilled ham and cheese sandwich with tomato soup poured over the top!! Talk about childhood memories.

We explored the waterfront area for about five hours before our next meal! Which meant walking around and stopping at a few different wine bars… Yes, periods of starvation followed by periods of foodie excess! Dinner was at a tiny (16 person) restaurant called Taberna dos Mercadores. This was a recommendation from my stepbrother Dwight and his wife Laurance. We made the reservation a month and a half ago, which was a good thing because there was a huge line of people with no reservations hoping to get in. We ended up seated next to two young women from New Jersey (They were in Portugal to see Taylor Swift) who tried to get in last night, but worked their way to the front of the line, only to be turned away! But they came back earlier and were rewarded with a table tonight. They knew exactly what they wanted to order the moment they sat down.

We were happy to have a more leisurely pace! The service was great, our waiter had a fun sense of humor, and the food was excellent. Holly had the flaming sea bass.

I had Veal and a HUGE pot of Risotto! Large enough for the whole table to share. Brian had Cod and Jane had Ribs. Soooo much good food. By the time we were done it was well after 10:00 so we made our way home and fell into bed!

What a great first day in Porto! And yes, for the record, we might need another Francesinha in the morning. Although we have a food tour starting at 11. Stay tuned.

We woke around 7 again this morning. One possibility was to do the difficult hike from Areeiro to Ruivo, the so called “peak to peak” hike. A hike that can take 6 hours, with a LOT of elevation change. We decided to just go to one peak and enjoy the view, then do an easier hike somewhere else. This was probably a good decision as when we arrived at the pico it was very “cloudo” and we could not see much. But I’m getting ahead of myself!

We left the condo, and got in the car to head out… We missed a turn, and ended up on a different route that was basically 6 miles of city driving straight UP HILL. I’m so glad Jane was driving as I would have totally ruined the clutch on our rental car before escaping the city! Stopping and starting behind city busses on what must have been nearly 45% grade. I’m not exaggerating, I looked it up and that grade does exist in Funchal! Many are 25% or more.

Once out of the city the roads were less steep and really quite beautiful. Driving through some really old trees with the sun filtering through, it looked like we were going to be very lucky and get a great view. We happened upon a pack of mountain bikers! What a climb for them.

Sadly when we arrived at the parking area the clouds were starting to roll in.

At one point we could not even see the top anymore. Much less any of the scenery below us! Nevertheless we climbed to the highest point for a quick picture.

The footpath of Ponte de São Lourenço

After Areeiro we headed to the far north eastern end of the island to get some completely different scenery. This was a highly rated hike that lets you see the ocean from both sides of the path as you walk along ridge lines and up and down. The popularity of this was confirmed as we started to see cars parked precariously along the edge of the road at least a mile from the trail head. We made a couple of attempts to get lucky at finding a closer parking spot and were rewarded with a safe and relatively close spot our second lap!

It was fairly far to do the whole out and back hike so I set this saddle point as my goal, although I will say that there was not a consensus among the group as to how realistic that goal was.

The trail was super busy but the sights were amazing. I really loved all of the colors in the layers of the rocks!

After a wonderful hike we headed back to our apartment. We decided to stop for lunch after parking the car, realizing that if we returned to the apartment inertia would set in, and we would likely just sit there and starve. So we stopped at the Coachella restaurant. One of those along the hillside where there was always a woman trying to entice us to stop in and try the food. It had good reviews anyway so we risked it. It was well worth the stop even though we were all tired and sweaty from the hiking.

We still wanted to go back to one of the places back in old town in one of the long alleyways full of restaurants. We walked up and down the alley, accosted at every turn by eager restauranteurs who wanted to convince us to dine at their establishments. It was awful. We finally selected one, and although the food was good, the service was indifferent at best and hostile at worst. I had a steak with pepper sauce and fries. Yes the fries were what I really needed. :-)

After dinner we walked through the entertainment district, listened to some outdoor music and enjoyed a lovely after dinner drink at The Ritz. Tomorrow is a leisurely morning then off to the airport for our flight to Porto!