Lots of sunshine - finally!!

All is well here! The weather finally cleared for good on Wednesday, so I have been enjoying the beach. It's the perfect temperature right now, but I can tell it's going to be nice and hot in the summer. I've also spent a little more time exploring Lisbon - there is a really cool neighborhood called the Bairro Alto that we went to for dinner. It's all of these hilly streets filled with bars and restaurants. I ordered a grilled sea bass and it came whole...I think the people at the restaurant were very entertained watching an American girl try to get the bones out to eat it - I'm sure there's an easy way that I don't know about :) It was great though! Looking forward to trying out more of the restaurants and bars in that area. Also went back to my favorite chicken piri piri place - definitely becoming regulars there...it is so good! This weekend planning on going out in Lisbon and then on Monday we're renting a car and hitting the road - taking a trip to Paris and Amsterdam! So excited - I've never been to either place, so I'm really looking forward to it. I am sure I'll have tons of pictures when I get back! xo

Happy Birthday, Mom!!!

Since I was sad to miss my mom's 60th yesterday, we decided to have a little party of our own out here in her honor and sang Happy Birthday in English and Portuguese and Freddy (he loves parties!!) did the honor of blowing out her candle (we only had a #8 :) ). Hope the party was a blast - I am sure it was! We had a nice stormy day here - the rain doesn't seem to want to stop, but we managed to sneak in a walk outside and then had a really nice dinner with Meaghan, Vasco, Tomas and Freddy. They are taking such good care of me and I love spending time with all of them. Looks like we might be in for more rain today - I'm hoping for some sun this week - ready for a beach day!! Lisa and I are thinking about buying a 2 week train pass and planning a trip within the next few weeks, so I'll keep you posted! Mom - hope you had a great birthday and I can't wait to celebrate with you in Portugal! xo

Lisa is here!

The last few days I've been spending at the beach...so nice and relaxing. I could definitely get used to this life! Lisa got here on Tuesday night - her cab ride wasn't too eventful and they managed to find the street and the house :) I was excited for her to get here and to show her around. Yesterday I took her on my morning beach walk and then we explored a little and went into the town of Cascais that I hadn't seen yet - adorable! Tons of shops, restaurants and bars. Then we got back and headed for the beach. It was nice in the morning, but then started to get a little cloudy so we walked up to one of the beach front spots - Jonas Beach - and had some toastas (paninis) and the best sangria ever!! We will definitely be going back there. It started to pour last night, so we just stayed in. Today is raining again, but we're thinking about puttin' on the rain coats and heading into Lisbon for lunch! xo

p.s. Happy Birthday FT and Pappas! Tony - glad we got to catch up for a little and Pappas, I had this in your honor :)

Here Comes the Sun....

The sun finally came out today! It was gorgeous. I walked from Estoril (where my apartment is) to Cascais and back...it's a beautiful walk that I plan on taking advantage of every day. There are little cafes the whole way with perfect views where you can stop to eat or drink (I have a feeling Lisa and I will be frequenting these - I also found 3 bars within walking distance!). Today was my first alone day - Caitlin and Taylor left this morning. It was so fun to have them here to welcome me and to show me around the first few days. I miss them already! I ventured out to the grocery store and then to the beach. I'm hoping tomorrow will be just as nice! Thankfully no more explosions - I did meet the nice neighbor downstairs today and she told me it was a snapped wire/ cable. She also gave me her cell number in case I needed anything :) Love to you all!

p.s. UB - pretty sure I saw Fritz today...apparently the dogs in Portugal eat as well as the dogs in Portland :)

Let the adventures begin...

Hi All! I've arrived in stormy Cascais. Since the stories have already begun, I thought this would be the best way for me to keep you all posted :) I made it here safely and did really well on my flights...but, let's just say my first night alone started with a bang. Had a wonderful day with Caitlin, Megs and the kids - they were SO nice and picked me and my 50lb bags up from the airport. Got back to the apt and went to sleep about 10 (after and episode of Friends and Ugly Betty!) and was sleeping like a baby when I awoke at 4:00am to what I thought was lightening...got up to watch b/c I thought it would be cool over the ocean when I noticed it wasn't lightening at all, but an exploding transformer - or something like it - next door (of course my lights had gone out already...)...it was then I realized I never asked what the number for 911 was!! So after watching the sparks fly and hoping the house next door wasn't on fire, the police pulled up - the downstairs neighbors thankfully also woke up and called - they checked it out, a firetruck arrived and apparently it was fine b/c they left shortly after...so that is the story of my first night! The lights were out until about 11:30 today, but now I'm back up and running. The weather is still ugly (jenny & christy - my Italy hair has returned, but thankfully my coat has not!), but it's just great to be here. Thank you all for the support - I am so excited for all of my upcoming adventures. Pictures to come shortly!! xo