The Return to BXL

We left Comporta on July 25 and began the long journey back "home".  It took us 7 days to arrive but we only took 3 to return.  Our first stop was Madrid, to visit Raquel & Luis in Pozuelo de Alarcon, a newish suburb.  

After crossing many hours of desert, we pulled into their apartment complex and quickly changed for the pool.  Madrid has had the hottest summer in a long time and it felt good to splash around and catch up with old friends.  Then they hosted us for a Spanish dinner at their home and we only went back to the hotel when I realized it was after 10:30pm.

The next pit stop was San Sebastián.  Since Joanna had come to Comporta, we decided to change our plans of stopping in the Bordeaux region and instead had pintxos and vino with her in the Old City.  I have been to SS several times but it had been a while and I forgot just how beautiful it really is.

Early the next morning we took off for Paris.  This was the longest drive of the trip but we had no major incidents or traffic and got to my friend Caro Pain's amazing apartment in the Marais just before 7.  

We picked up the key from Marta at the Cafe Saint Gervais, dropped our things and headed over to the Pompidou Center and Place Igor Stravinsky to watch the street life.

We had crepes in the chilly evening and returned the girls to the apartment for bed before taking Cole out for a long walk.  The goal was to see the Eiffel Tower illuminated and sparkling and the night was a success.

Finally, Tuesday morning we checked out and headed back to Brussels, our last stop on the trans-European tour.  What should have been the quickest ride was elongated by a couple emergency bathroom breaks and some last 800m traffic problems but we pulled into the old apartment mid-afternoon and gave Helena big hugs.

Since Jesse had to travel to Oslo that evening, the kids and I checked into the Hotel Amigo by the Grand Place and then off to the Hannestads for our last Carrefour spicy hummus, cucumber, charcuterie, olives and quiche dinner.  Delish!

The Final Road Trip Part 2: Comporta

We rented the beach house for two weeks because my parents came to join us for 10 days and then Jesse finally had a chance to take a break.  Like any beach for me, it's beautiful and fun but still sandy!  The kids are loving it, having finally learned in Biarritz to jump the waves.  

There are three main beach entrances by us, each with a beachfront wooden restaurant to where you can spend hours eating, drinking and enjoying lazy days. 

 

On the days we don't hit the beach, we are pleasing my Dad's sense of adventure by visiting the small neighboring towns of Alcacer, Setubal, Sines and of course a day in Lisbon too.

Jesse arrived the day before my birthday and so we spent a luxurious day at the beach, eating king crab and drinking sangria (have to check who makes the best).  That night he & I headed to the boutique hotel Sublime Comporta for sunset caipirinhas and a delicious dinner. 

The GPS directed us over dirt roads until we hit a no trespassing sign so we floared the minivan and finally found the gated entrance.

We drove my parents back to Lisbon to fly home and picked up Joanna Arencibia, my childhood friend who happened to be in Spain at her brother's wedding.

I tend to see Joanna every five to seven years.  She moved to San Sebastián, Spain, after graduating from college and then to Denver after returning to the states.  However, even with this sporadic schedule, I always find the time we spent together full of one of the best friendships I've ever had.  

Jo joined us at Comporta Beach on Thursday so we splurged on a cabana and spent all day relaxing, swimming, eating and drinking sangria.  Mighty darn perfect.

Our last Friday in Portugal I drove Jo to the ferry at Troia and then joined everyone else at the last beach of the area, Pego.  It was overcast all morning but eventually cleared and we spent a beautiful last day jumping through the waves and eating at Sal's.

The Final Road Trip Part 1: BXL to Comporta

The day after the men came to empty our apartment, I set off to the South with the kids and one amazing babysitter, Emilia.  Our first stop was Vouvray, France, in the Loire Valley.  Along the way we stopped at two of the famous castles: Chambord & Chenonceau.

Then on the second day we made it down through Bordeaux to Biarritz.

Here we took a break for a day and spent time enjoying the beach and waves.

Then off again on July 7 to Santiago de Compostela, Spain.  This was the longest day of driving and not too much fun.  We did make a stop to eat and another to see the north coast at the Praia de Los Catedrales.

Then we finally made it to Santiago and the next morning walked around the beautiful cathedral.

After that box was checked, we got back in the car for a short ride to Porto, Portugal.  In Porto we were graciously offered the apartment of our Brussels concierge, Helena's, daughter, Estela, and her boyfriend.  They cleared out and we settled into a cozy place in the Rio Tinto neighborhood.  It's not fancy but clean and big and easy to get into town to see the sites.

Our first destination was the Ribeiro District, along the Duouro River.  My best description of the beautiful area was as a fancy favela.

Doesn't every wine store hand out freshly picked fruit with your purchases?

The second day we went to the seaside to check out the famously photographed lighthouse.

And then because we still had another day before we could head down to the beach house, we walked back across the Duouro and did a little port tasting.

We are ready to leave but Porto has not disappointed.

The road to Comporta is hot, dusty and empty.  We had lunch in Nazare, north of Lisbon, and then proceeded south through Lisbon and across the great Vasco de Gama Bridge.  About an hour south, we took the exit to Alcalcar do Sal and entered the rice lowlands and pine barrens.  

The road ends at Comporta and then a single road runs along the coast north and south.  Our rental house is in a little neighborhood called Brejos da Carreguerra da Cima and is a white and cement modern gem.  

Our Last Field Trip in Brussels

I can hardly believe our time in Brussels has come to an end.  I've grown to love a place I never thought much of before.  The streets, the houses, even the peculiar Belgians, all fall into a rythm of my days of errands, coffees, lunches and school.  I've learned most local bus and tram routes, found good and so-so restaurants, bakeries, coffee shops and parks.  We've explore most museums, squares, churches and forests recommended by the guide books.  We've left Brussels and spent many days driving through Flanders and Wallonia.  We've been to the beaches and the Ardennes.  I feel like we've covered Belgium pretty well over the past two years.  But I'm still not ready to leave.  I don't think I'll ever really be ready to leave this part of my life behind.  I've never felt more free to explore, dream, learn and experience life than I have living in Europe.  The unique aspect of living the expat life is this freedom of the temporary, knowing nothing is forever before it even begins and yet jumping in to try it anyway.

The kids and I spent the last day of June, before the big move and real summer vacation, on one last field trip of this amazingly easy place to live.  

Le Spectacle Annie

Lauren has done a combination dance, singing and theater class on Wednesday afternoons this pat year at a studio called Stella.  We learned about the place through Kate Smalkin, whose boys, August & Aksel, also spend their Wednesday's playing there.

The end of the year production was Annie, with our kids playing adorable front line orphans, singing the familiar songs in French.  Similar to her self-confidence displayed at the school's Fancy Fair, Lauren enjoyed her time on the stage.