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Two weekends ago (man, we're behind on this blog!) my parents came to visit us in Portugal - my mom for the second time and my dad for the first. They had been on a hiking trip in Tuscany the previous week (they lead very rough lives) and were able to arrange their flights so they came through Lisbon on the way home. Jason and I rented a car in Coimbra and met my parents at the airport in Lisbon on Saturday. We drove south from the airport to the Algarve and stayed in Lagos again, this time at a resort within walking distance of downtown. We had a two bedroom apartment that looked over the pool and had a huge balcony, where we spent all of the time that we were "home." On Sunday we drove along the coast and visited some of Jason's and my favorite sights (Sagres fort, Cabo Sao Vicente/the end of the world), and also found some pretty new beaches along the western coast of Portugal.
The next day, we drove back up north to Coimbra and stopped along the way in Obidos, the walled city where Jason and I went to the chocolate
festival back in November. It was a really pretty day and the town was magically almost tour group-free, so we had a nice time. Then we drove up to Coimbra, Jason and I dropped off the rental car, and we met my parents at our apartment for some wine, cheese, and chouriço before dinner at one of our favorite restaurants along the river. After dinner we went back to my parents’ hotel to check out their room, and found that they had somehow managed to get what must be the coolest hotel room in all of Coimbra, with views over the river and up to the university.
The next morning, I took my parents on a quick walking tour of Coimbra before their noon train to Lisbon. We went to the university, walked through the botanical gardens, and saw the old cathedral, and then it was time for them to go. It was sad to say goodbye to them, but in a few months we’ll be living close by (and maybe even in their house for awhile if we can’t find a place!).
Super extra special thanks are owed to my parents for the following reasons:
1. They
treated us to fancy meals
2. They carried back a full duffel bag of our stuff PLUS a big ceramic rooster that made its way back to the states in my mom’s backpack
3. They brought me travel-size toiletries from Target for our trip this summer
4. And finally, the biggest treat of all, they surprised us with four cans of Campbell’s soup (dragging them across Italy) all the way from Minnesota. This may not sound like all that great of a gift to most of you, but to us it’s huge because you can’t get canned soup here and we’ve really missed it. We’ve already eaten two cans and they were delicious.
Thanks, guys!
- Lindsay
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