Well, today started with difficulties printing and difficulties in getting out of bed......so (Sceaux) we changed our plans (we had planned to bike to Versailles which we will do another day) and decided to take a beautiful bike trail from near our house all the way to the Chateau de Sceaux. Along the way we saw some soccer fields, urban greenbelt, petanque pits with matches underway, and lots of trail users (both walkers and runners). it was a pleasant ride and so worth it to arrive at this gorgeous property with a grand canal through the middle, massive landscaped gardens and the chateau at the top of the hill overlooking it all. We were able to ride all around the property (which would have taken forever on foot). We stopped along a boulevard with a tree ... read more

Well, our dry spell is over! We are finally embarking on another home exchange, this time to the outskirts of Paris. Just in time for the UEFA Cup 2016 (dang, missed it) and the Tour de France (will have missed that too...). Well, we will find something to do......We leave in just over a week but wanted to set up our blog in advance. Gotta pack. Au revoir... read more

Today has been an unexpectedly delightful day!! We had booked the boys for a 2-hour morning fishing excursion with no other real plans for the rest of the day. Late last night the company sent us an email asking us would we be ok with a free upgrade to the 4-hour fishing trip. Well, yes, we would be ok with that. So, we got an early start off to Alvor which is only 10 minutes away and the boys got on their boat at 8:30 and headed off for a 1/2 day of fishing excitement! For this paragraph, I (Nigel) will take over writing. The fishing was an absolute blast. There was constant action. You were either re-baiting your hook, getting a nibble, striking to hook a fish, or else someone else was reeling one in. ... read more

This morning we relaxed and built up an appetite for the Ribizio (all-you-can-eat fish) by running and swimming. We went back to the same restaurant and had all the same staff (same greeter, same waiter, same owner lady) and they remembered us and even remembered what Russell's favourite fish was last time! This time Nigel had the Robizio along with Russell. I had grilled squid and Rachel stuck with the bunless burger although once the fish started coming, she wished she'd had the fish too...... The fish started coming and Round 1 was Blue Mackerel (Russell's favourite from last time). It was a big hit again. Next up was Sea Bass (they loved this one too). Next was salmon steaks. Then Scarab which was Nigel's second favourite (after blue mackerel)! Russell got this far and then ... read more

Ah, Espana! We headed out as early as we could (without setting the alarm). The drive was about 2 1/2 hours total. There was no change or difference when we passed into Spain, although there was more signs of agriculture, notably olives and sunflowers. However, we did notice that the time on the iPad jumped ahead an hour - turns out we changed time zones! We parked at a mall on the outskirts of downtown and took a bus into the old city centre. Our first stop was at a Tapas restaurant with outdoor tables. We enjoyed the grilled squid, fried camembert with raspberry sauce, avocado stuffed with seafood, grilled swordfish to name a few. We also had a dish of paella. All delicious! Next was the Cathedral and the Giraldi tower. We didn't actually go ... read more