Day 1: Old San Juan, Puerto Rico

It feels as if I have not traveled in forever!  I am about to start a trip that has been on my to-do list for a long time, cruising the Southern Caribbean!  I could not leave at a better time as there is a winter storm rolling in to Texas. I do feel a bit bad that I left behind a very cold Texas for an oh so warm San Juan, but my timing could not have been better. 

I have a couple days to explore the area before the cruise starts.  I have been to San Juan several times; I am just going to enjoy the popular tourist sites and wandering around outside. My hotel has free drop off so I am doing my own walking tour around Old San Juan.

Castillo San Cristóbal . . . thanks to my national park pass for free entry.  I love the sentry boxes!

Santa María Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery

Castillo San Felipe del Morro . . . I was too lazy to walk inside.  

Gato Park . . . I was expecting to see a ton of cats but not many were out and about.  

Paruqe de las Palomas . . . know as pigeon park; I always want to go here but always think about the germs and diseases!  They freak me out when they start flapping their wings and flying.  

Capilla del Santo Cristo de la Salud . . . I have never been inside the gates as it is always closed!

Blue Brick Streets . . . I read about this online and have never noticed the blue tiled streets.  They are pretty cool and became a mission to watch for them as I walked around Old Town.

  

I really just enjoyed hanging out at a nice leisurely pace.  I often stopped at benches and enjoyed the day.  I picked up a mango paleta at Señor Paleta to enjoy while hanging out . . .

. . . and then a large tour group showed up and were being noisy so I headed out to explore more.  I ended up on Calle Fortaleza where I was yelled at for not stopping for a guy trying to get me to buy something that I am certain I did not need. He was down right rude and continued to yell not so nice things at me for waving and saying no thanks, jerk!  I continued on my way and stopped for a ate lunch at Pirilo Pizza Rustica.  I found the return hotel shuttle and enjoyed the rest of my day relaxing!

Cozumel, Mexico

Cozumel, Mexico is the one and only stop of this Mariner of the Seas cruise.  

I had booked us an excursion called Dune Buggy Ride to Beach and Snorkeling.  Now that Colin is 21, he can be our chauffer . . . and my parents are considered too old for certain excursions by the cruise company; go figure!  It was an easy laid back drive and stop at a beach and restaurant.  We did not plan on doing much except enjoying the sunshine!  

Cruising Mariner of the Seas

Oddly enough exactly 14 years ago we all boarded Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas in Galveston for our first cruise.  Today we are doing the same thing! This Christmas I gifted my parents a cruise and oh we are coming along too!  The four of us set off for a four day cruise from Galveston to Cozumel.  It wasn't the most exciting itinerary but it was a good escape for all of us.  Good-bye Texas!

Not so fast . . . so the cruise had only been gone from port about two hours when the call of alpha alpha alpha came over the intercom . . . that means a medical emergency.  A short time later the captain informed the guest that there was a medical emergency and currently coordinating with the Coast Guard for a medical evacuation.  A short time passes, we hear alpha alpha alpha again.  The captain comes back over the intercom and informs the guest since there are two medical emergencies he has made the decision to return back to Galveston port.  Texas has some weird alcohol law that you can only serve certain drinks until you are at least 12 miles into international waters and the casino would remain closed too.  So back to Galveston we went . . . it was a quick unloading of two passengers and it was good-bye Galveston, take 2!  

The newly 21 year old mapped out our plan for bar hopping while I just shrugged my shoulders. 

Our Bar Hop Favorites

The Bamboo Room:  Royal Zombie

Barnacle & Barrel Pub:  Stout Espresso Martini

Boleros:  Coconut Mojito

Let me be honest . . . those were my favorite drinks and it was a bit weird to all sit together and have a drink before dinner.  We also spent some time in the casino . . .

. . . I can not stand to throw away money, but it was fun to play the penny machines for a few hours and walk aways with some money.  We really enjoyed the laid back pace of the cruise especially the sea days of just hanging out doing a lot of nothing!

Vail, Colorado

We took a little escape once Colin finished his fifth semester of college . . . not to brag but he aced all his classes.  I am especially proud that he made an A in Organic Chemistry; he worked very hard and it paid off!  Thanks to points and miles we are flying and staying for free which is nice because ski passes and food aren't cheap!  I picked Vail, Colorado, and we flew into Eagle County Regional Airport . . . which has to be the nicest airport!  As we were landing we were a bit concerned at the lack of snow!

I picked Vail mainly because there was a Hyatt Hotel, Austria Haus that looked adorable and reminded me of Europe . . . and I had enough points to stay for free with a suite upgrade reward too. 

I was most excited about the sitting area with a fireplace since I knew I would be hanging out in the room a lot the next few days!

 

Now on to the real fun of Vail!  Colin was a bit nervous since he had not skied in two years!

I told him he would be fine and soon after he set out on his own I received me a text  . . . 

According to Colin this was common throughout the day . . . young and old!  He had a great two days skiing but decided he wanted to give snowboarding a try so we signed him up for a one day lesson!

He loved it but said it was a lot more work than skiing!  While Colin was on the slopes, I was out exploring the village.  I never knew there was a connection between Vail and the 10th Mountain Division.  There was a great museum that was worth a visit!

 

Of course we ate . . . a lot . . . Pazzo's Pizzeria, Pepi's, Red Lion, and  Alpenrose Vail . . . .

Our favorite meal was at The George which was in a basement down a long hall with an ID check before entering . . . it was a bit strange.  Colin had seen a sign for Surf-and-Turf and he was sold; I had fish and chips and it was excellent!

We discovered the best ice cream at Sundae next to our hotel which was so yummy!  We stopped every night for a scoop!  Good thing the hotel and flights were free because food is pricey here.  

This trip was also to celebrate Colin's 21st birthday! 

I can't believe he is 21 . . . we had a nice relaxing 4 days with great sunny weather.

Portugal Trip Review

I have had Portugal on my list for a long time!  I am so glad I was able to spend two weeks exploring but of course there is so much I did not get to see or explore.  After 27 hours of travel to get home here’s a recap of my favorites and not so favorites.

The Azores was really the star of the trip.  I know I complained a lot but honestly it was my favorite part of the two weeks.  I loved the off the beaten path, the scenery, and not many tourist!  As I think back, I was in awe of the beauty even though it took a lot of grit to do the hikes. 

Don't get me wrong . . . I loved the cities I visited but the isolation and nature won me over!

Favorite Cities

1.  Cascais

2.  Porto

3.  Sintra

4.  Lisbon

Trip Stats

Flights: 9

Miles hikes:  34.3

Miles walked:  51.7

Ubers:  8

Hotels: 6

pastel de nata:  not enough!

Day 16: Belém, Portugal

It is my last day in Portugal.  I am ready to go home but have one last area to explore.  I am staying in Belém and booked a walking tour and no one else showed up so the tour became a private tour.

First stop:  Jerónimos Monastery

The Jerónimos Monastery or Hieronymites Monastery is a former monastery of the Order of Saint Jerome near the Tagus river in the parish of Belém, in the Lisbon Municipality, Portugal. It became the necropolis of the Portuguese royal dynasty of Aviz in the 16th century but was secularized on 28 December 1833 by state decree and its ownership transferred to the charitable institution, Real Casa Pia de Lisboa.

Sadly the Cathedral was closed due to renovations.

Across the street:  Pastéis de Belém

This is where pastel de nata started!  It is believed to have originated at the nearby Jerónimos Monastery; the bakery claims to have the original recipe, which is kept secret.  The story I was told was that when the monks were expelled from the city they sold the recipe to the bakery.  They are all hand made.  They had a display where you could watch them being made . . . these ladies were chatting and rolling dough.  

I found them very good.  It had a crunchy flaky crust even when cool with a firm texture center in middle not runny.  It is a good inexpensive treat! 

 

Next stop:  Padrão dos Descobrimentos

Short walk to:  Belém Tower

Since I was the only one on the tour it ended a bit early.  So I made my final stop at Pastéis de Belém.  I had time to waste so got in the long line to get a table . . . it moved fast!  I enjoyed my second pastel de nata of the day . . . I should have ordered more since this was probably my last chance while in Portugal!

If you are in Lisbon, Belém is a great way to spend a half day!  I walked back to the hotel to check-out and grab my bags to head to the airport.  My flight is super early so I am staying near the terminal so it is an easy walk in the morning.  It was a very basic hotel but clean.  Hotel Star Inn Lisbon Airport is a five minute walk to the terminal and the theme is American movies . . . 

. . . I was not sure what to think of all the over the top movie themes, but I must admit that small bottle of port wine was a good way to end my time in Portugal.  Oh and it was Graham's.

Day 15: Lisbon, Portugal

I only had one full day in Lisbon so wanted to make the most of my time.  I could not find a tour that visited everything I wanted so I sort of did my own thing.  I was up super early and of course where I was going was not open.  I started my day by taking a ride share to São Jorge Castle.  Not much to do but wait with the other three people . . . watching kids being dropped off for school . . . watching peacocks roaming the street. 

It was getting close to opening time and people were lining up to buy tickets.  I already had a ticket and was the first one in the gate to scan my ticket!  They had a few free tours but they did not start for an hour so I roamed around and climbed stairs that made my heart beat a bit faster and had death grips on the railing so I did not fall off the ledges.  

It was starting to get crowded so I was happy I arrived early.  I then became fascinated with all the peacocks as they were everywhere!  I really wanted to see one show their feathers, but they just walked around eating bugs.

 

I did do a couple of the included tours.  I really did like them as they were about 20 minutes and you just showed up.  I did the Who was Afonso Henriques? Tour . . . 

. . .  he was Portugal's first king and the Archaeological Site Tour. 

 

After a couple of hours it was time to move along and have a snack break at Pastelaria Santo Antonio.

Apparently they won best pastel in 2019 . . . and admit they were very good!

The next part of my day was a tuk tuk tour.  

I wanted an overview of the city that did not require me to walk up and down and all around!  So I spent the next three hours with Francisco.  He knew a lot of interesting facts and information about Lisbon.  

• Lisbon has 2 patron saints; Anthony and Vincent
• Saint Anthony was born in Lisbon.
• 119 churches in Lisbon (not sure if this is true; but there are a lot)
• There are seven hills of Lisbon and each is important to the city
• The earthquake in November 1755 killed 25% of the cities population; 40,000-60,000 people

There were more facts, but I did not write them down because he talked faster than I could take notes!  

The tuk tuk tour would go where ever I wanted to go . . . of course I did not have a firm plan and just said take me to places you think I would like.  We stopped at a lot of churches, the Pantheon, and viewpoints.  Honestly, I just enjoyed having someone drive me around to see the city. 

Time seemed to go super slow but we ended up in a part of town where this sweet lady was selling Ginjinha which is cherry liqueur in a chocolate cup.  You drink it then quickly eat the cup.  It was pretty good!  And she was the sweetest grandma!

Let me be honest . . . by this point I was tired, bored, and hungry.  I was ready for the tour to end but he continued to show me places.  I decided to end the tour at a place called LX Factory.  It was an industrial area with shops, restaurants, and bars.  I was starving and popped into Sophia Pizzoteca & Bar.  It was so bright and fun . . . the sangria was cheaper than water!  Oh and whoever decided to cut the pizza with scissors is seriously a genius . . . best idea ever!  I still find it weird to scan a QR code to order and that is basically the only way to get your food!  It is efficient and no need to wait on anyone for a refill or if you want to order more food/drink but honestly I like to interact with people when I order.

My hotel was about a 2km walk so off I went to rest and relax for the night!