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…
Category: Portugal
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,…
Feira da Ladra, Panteão Nacional, and 300 Days of Travel
Our days lately have been a mix of school, long walks along the cobblestone sidewalks of our neighborhood, and a few other outings. The kids finished their research projects on Portugal and are moving on to an end of year project that will cover our adventures for the entire year. Alexis and I visited the…
Plazas, Arches, and the Tagus River
Yesterday we all set out for a morning walk to the Tagus river. We didn’t really have anything planned, just that we wanted to walk along the river. Four hours, 14,000 steps, and some sun-kissed cheeks later, we made it back to our Airbnb. We visited the Praça do Comércio (Commerce Square), the Rua Augusta…