I’ve been staring at my computer for a while now, trying to figure out how to sum up an entire year of adventure. This year was truly a remarkable experience for all of us. I’m so thankful we had this opportunity and that we were brave enough to take it. We have been back home…
Category: Portugal
Family Gap Year Survey: Same Trip, Different Eyes
I mentioned before that my sister created a survey for us to complete about our year of adventure. Here are the questions and everyone’s answers. This was such an incredible way to reflect on the year and my sister came up with such interesting questions. It captures our highs, our lows, and is full of…
Portugal Recap
Portugal is a truly beautiful country, and was our first time in Europe. The five weeks we spent in the colorful city of Lisbon flew by. Living here felt relaxing and easy. The cobblestone streets and gorgeous architecture made even a trip to the grocery store enjoyable (and we made a lot of them). We…
Schools Around the World – Portugal
Portugal’s public school system is overseen by the Ministry of Education. Portugal offers both a mix of state (public) and private schools, but most families send their children to state schools because they are free and local. Roughly 80% of students in Portugal attend state schools. School Structure and Calendar Primary education (Ensino Básico) is…
The Alexis Angle – Portugal
Portugal is the second to last stop on gap year (crazy, right?) and it is so pretty here! When we first drove through the town late at night, it was clear that we were in a whole new place. The buildings here have such a unique design that I immediately loved it. Here are some…
A Day of Lisbon Landmarks
Our weekly field trip took place on Wednesday again this week and we spent the day visiting more of Lisbon’s landmarks. We went to Pastéis de Belém and tried their famous secret recipe. It did not disappoint! From there we walked around the Jerónimos Monastery. Afterwards, we walked to the Belem Tower and finished with…
The Slow Creep of Travel Fatigue and a Fun-filled Weekend
I’ve been feeling what is likely the slow creep of some travel fatigue. It was bound to happen eventually, so I’m not surprised. The feeling comes and goes. I want to embrace the last part of our year, but we’ve also had to start talking about the logistics of things when we get home. Things…
Can You Trust Your Own Eyes? A Visit to Lisbon’s Museum of Illusions
Friday is the labor day holiday here in Portugal and a lot of places will be closed. Because of this, we did our weekly field trip today and visited the Museum of Illusions. The kids picked this field trip and they were super excited to go. It was a very small museum, but so well…
Defying Gravity and Learning to Bake in Portugal
The last couple days have been pretty hot. The heat made me wonder if there was a beach within walking distance that wasn’t the Tagus river beach we’ve already seen. I opened Google maps and searched “beach”. Weirdly, the first thing on the list was something called “Floating Me.” This is a spot where if…
Walking Tour of Lisbon and Date Night in Alfama
For Field Trip Friday this week we did a free walking tour of Lisbon. I can’t remember where I first heard about this tour, but it got great reviews. The company runs solely on tips, which I thought was interesting. Over the weekend the kids and I made a trip back to the flea market,…