Our European adventure:part 2

Ola from Portugal! Well we are in the thick of it, just under half way through and everything has been amazing...we have drove through the Asturia mountains of Spain and on to Portugal. Traveling with children is great experience. People have been very welcoming to us, always stopping and looking at the baby and playing with Leeluu. It feels like the family ties are very strong here in Europe and for that I am grateful.

After Bilbao we drove to Cantabrian coastline, where we spent the day at Parque Natural de las Dunas de Liencres. A beautiful beach with meteor like rocks that provide a shady spot. We packed a lunch and explored the shore, a great day it was!

I really enjoyed driving through the north mountains of Spain, it was SO lush and green. We stopped in Ladines which is a very remote small mountain village. I had no idea that it was like that when I booked the place. What a pleasant surprise! The town people were super nice. There are cows and sheep everywhere with bells around there neck! Hearing the bells ring into the evening...its like a different world. Very cool.

On to Porto. I was super excited about this city because this is where the wine cellars are. We took a tour of Sandeman. It was really neat to learn about how Port is made and the tasting was fun too. Ocean and I had a nice day out and about in the city. We went to a famous bookstore  "Lello"...but we couldn't take photos. It was right out of a harry potter movie! Very cool staircase, carved wood walls with a huge stain glass ceiling. I just sucked it all in, hoping to remember it when I am old and wrinkly.

We are now in Lisbon...a beautiful city. Reminds me very much of the west coast. The coast is lined with beach after beach, the metro passes directly by them so you get a great tour. The highlight of this city for us has been the Oceanario, one of the worlds best aquariums.  This place is a must for families. Not only do they have tons of different species of fish, but they also have a mission to protect and conserve our oceans.

On our way down to the Algarve and then back over to Spain to spend some time in the sun! Keep you posted :)

Our European adventure: part one

my version of patatas bravas!

Hola from Spain! This has been an amazing adventure, so many sites to see and things to do. We can not possibly do them all ( although we are trying). The first week we were here, staying at hotels was hard because I was unable to do any cooking. Which means eating out....with the language barrier I am sure I have eaten some non-vegan friendly food! HA We have tried our best though. From here on in, we are staying at apartments with kitchens. I really enjoy the markets here, just buying groceries is an experience. I am now looking forward to cooking for my family for the remainder of the trip.

Simone has started to eat which is fun. She has taken a liking to olives! I have also given her fresh strawberries, avocado, banana, and peaches, and even a little taste of baguette :)

I enjoyed being in the south of France very much. We visited with some friends in a town called Pezenas.  So far this has been my favorite place on the trip...fresh food and antique markets made it even more charming. We have rented a car and the driving has been great! ( thanks to the GPS hehehe). There is grape fields everywhere!!

Pezenas

 We have stopped in little towns here and there, and are now back in Spain. Spent the day at the Guggenheim yesterday in Bilbao. What a site to be seen!

At this point I think the whole family has adjusted to the way of life for the next little while. We are making our way into Portugal in the next few days, but before we do that we are going to do a few beach sessions! I hope to post some food in the next little bit. I hope you enjoyed reading my friend Maria's guest post about vegan parenting. I know I did! Look for her next post coming soon to my blog!