Lisbon to Chicago - Day 20, June 23

We awoke to a notice from the airline that our connecting flight from Frankfurt to Chicago was cancelled and did we want to rebook or take a refund?!? So we spent the next couple of hours on the phone trying to work out a plan. Thankfully the airline rebooked us on TAP airline on a direct flight, leaving about 45-minutes later, saving us 6 hours! Miraculous outcome! We decided to keep our same taxi pickup time just in case we had any issues.

We had everything in order by 8 AM, so I decided to make the 1km walk to Mantegaira, our favorite pasteis de nata maker, to pick up some to bring home as gifts. I had a tight window and took one wrong turn that led me up 100 steps, but made it in time to take 3 trips up and down those flights of stairs to bring luggage down to the taxi.

On our way home...

Complete chaos once at the airport. Only 4 of us had tickets! We went through multiple check-in spots, waited in line at help desks while being on hold with the airline, while simultaneously working the chat. After 2-hours of this, and mentally preparing for Corey and Lily to stay behind for the night, we were able to get seats! So grateful for the direct flight!

We sought out a Smash Burger on the way home to indulge in some good greasy American food.

Home by 9 PM and with our sweet Finn.

He had a sad goodbye with his Austrian family - Ruth and Thomas. We promised to try and take him to the beach half as much as they do! And then we took him to pick up a jeep that he will let Caden and Lily use to drive him there.

Lisbon - Day 19, June 22

The tuk-tuk tour of the city gave me a good sense of where to run this morning. This was only morning to run in Lisbon, so I had a lot I wanted to cover. Early mornings are such a great time to take in the city. The streets are quiet and the light is magical.

Caden's spirit animal :)

Dr. Sousa Martins statue, surrounded by plaques from those that believe praying to him (he has been dead since 1897) had provided a cure. Known for his work treating the poor in Lisbon, Dr. Martins died by suicide after realizing he had contracted tuberculosis and would face an imminent and painful death.

Beautiful shadows dancing on the front of the building we are staying in, which I had ample time to notice after realizing when I returned that my key didn't open the main building door :)

After a quick shower, Corey, Caden and I headed to the coffee shop nearby we wanted to check out. A gorgeous setting with many cool products but the coffee was meh.

"If we all wanted it, the world be wonderful"

My cute dates.

The kids wanted a heartier breakfast so headed back to a brunch place they liked in Cascais. I met up with them there. The girls and I headed off to explore and Caden went back to the flat for a bit.

The girls and I waited in line to ride up the Sant Justa elevator. Corey and Caden arrived just in time when we made it to the front of the line. The kids went up and Corey headed off to meet our friend's Idris and Hyet who were also in Portugal for the conference. So great to catch up with them, but sadly I didn't manage to get a photo! 

After they left to catch their flight, we ordered a bottle of wine and chatted a bit. After awhile, the girls joined us for a light lunch. From there, Corey headed off to pick up the finished tiles and the girls and I took off in search of what is claimed to be the worlds best chocolate cake at a shop aptly named, "The Best Chocolate Cake in the World" (link). The quest *may* have been slightly influenced by the bottle of wine and the porto-tonic. Anyway, Ubers are really inexpensive so we decided we would cover the 3km by car rather than foot. What was estimated to be 4 minutes away, ended up taking 30-minutes, so it was quite the journey. 

We decided to walk back, which took less time! Sadly, I did not think to take any photos of this cake, but it was pretty good. We will recreate it at some point. It involves chocolate merengue, chocolate mousse, and chocolate ganache. How could it not be good?

After the cake and a little quiet time, we headed to our farewell dinner.

I was feeling a little off (probably as a result of my "lunch"), but everyone else really enjoyed their meals - Corey especially, which is captured below.

We walked home taking in the hills, steps, some of us even sliding down the railings, and taking in the beauty of Lisbon.

We stopped for gelato by the Dr. Sousa Martin memorial, then headed home and finished packing.

Cascais to Lisbon - Day 18, June 21

Early run farewell to Cascais this morning. So many beautiful places around our little neighborhood! I wanted to be sure to capture them.

The little street by our house. So amazed at the care with the beautiful stonework!

Our favorite breakfast spot. So much so that I went there 3 times :)

A really good coffee shop.

Streets by our house we would walk to going to the main square.

The theater next to our place.

This one I have titled, "shadow of a runner" - homonym intended.

While your eye is drawn to the beautiful golden hues of the building and the bright blue sky, notice the odd baby statue peering over the side.

I just could not capture enough photos of the walkway behind our house.

Cute farewell photoshoot on the rooftop deck.

We had one last brunch at Euphoria before checking out of our place in Cascais...off to Lisbon!

And we are off! This is the view out the taxi window navigating these narrow streets. We had one minor mishap of shattering a bottle of port '_' and traveling 20 minutes out of town before realizing the house key was in Caden's pocket and needing to turn around.

It is only 30-minutes to Lisbon. We arrived before check-in so the Airbnb host told us we could drop our bags at the house. We were a bit dismayed to realize our unit was the "penthouse" one, up 4 flights of stairs. Corey was at his conference, so it was just me and the kids. We huffed on up, and then sat around and waited 20-minutes, catching our breath, and waiting for someone to let us in.

This pic above is our building.

These are the stairs we conquered, while we waited to be let in.

Looking out from the "balcony"

The bag drop.

Heading out to explore the markets set up across the street from our place, and to procure Ronaldo jerseys of course!

A highlight was having a chance to view a team of workers laying stones in the walk way. They had a big pile of stones that sifted through to find the right size and shape for their respective area, before tapping them into place with a special hammer.

We sat at the little café across from our place and had some snacks while we waited for our official 3 PM check-in time. I told our waiter, a bigger guy, that he resembled Robert De Niro. He got the biggest grin and chuckled as he yelled over to his buddy, announcing what we said. His buddy, a fellow waiter, did not miss a beat! He had a big belly laugh and then came over and offered us his glasses. Recalling this story still makes me smile :)

The yellow building behind the girls at the café was where our flat was located.

We checked in. Quaint and quirky - 2 bedrooms, a pullout couch, kitchen and bathroom all with slanted ceilings (and floors!), but perfect for our last 2 nights. You can't beat the location surrounded by nice restaurants and at the top of the hill to get to the other Lisbon neighborhoods.

The kids rested up / took some time for their phones, and Corey and I set off to explore a bit and to get a drink. Around every bend there are so many lovely outdoor seating areas! We chose sitting on the steps, complete with little pillows, that a restaurant was set up around.

We met the kids at the Time Out Market. A ton of different local vendors with long tables that required a bit of stalking and luck to find a seat at. In the hall they had big screens with soccer playing that added to the lively atmosphere.

After dinner we strolled for a bit before hopping into a tuk-tuk to explore the city.

We stopped a few spots for the beautiful views.

Hard to tell in this photo, but we were freezing in this photo! Evenings get really chilly and the temps, in the low 70s during the day, were colder than usual for Portugal.