Today was a GREAT day. My feet hurt but my soul is happy. Prepare yourself for seeing photos of the 2nd best hike Jay and I have ever done (Maui is #1).

Days like today remind me how fortunate we are. When the daily stress levels are at a peak, I need to take a deep breath, close my eyes, and remember this hike in the Algarve. I heard someone in a Rick Steves podcast describe vacation in the Algarve as adding to the “Mosaic of Memories”. We all added some tiles today.

We checked out of our Lisbon hotel on Thursday, picked up our rental car, and drive (sort of) along the coast to our next destination – Albufeira in the Algarve region.

We spent Christmas Eve day wandering through the shops in Lisbon. Not much exciting to report, but I wanted to share a few photos from our holiday.

Christmas Day lunch was a buffet at the hotel, full of traditional Portuguese dishes. There were lots of different salads (not the leafy kind, think grains), baby goat, ham, fruits, and desserts.

Tomorrow we pick up a rental car and head south toward Algarve. We are taking the long way there, along the coast. Stay tuned!

Day trip to Sintra, Portugal. We caught a train at Rossi Central Station and about 45 minutes later we arrived in Sintra. We didn’t have a plan, other than 2:30 tickets to see the Palácio Nacional da Pena. Thankfully Lily wanted a hot dog and while it was cooking, Jay and Ty found a guy that knows the area. Don’t worry, mom. I asked him if he was a serial killer before we climbed into his vehicle. He said no, so we were pretty sure it was safe. Here’s the thing. The Sintra train station is allllllll the way down here. And the Palace is allllllll the way up there. We would all have been cussing if this guy didn’t save us from a day of misery.

We ran out of time (and energy) to visit the Initiation Well. I guess we will have to come back someday….

Train from Lisbon to Sintra: easy.

Ride from a non-serial killer stranger who was super helpful and friendly: life (and marriage) saving.

Short walk to the Moorish Castle: worth it.

Ticket to the Pena Palace: worth it.

Hike down from the Palace to town: peaceful and beautiful – a bit strenuous, but lots of steps to make it easier.

Sintra Pastries: not good for my diet but heaven in my mouth.

Wandering the shops of Sintra holding my baby boy’s hand: priceless.

I did not know much about Portugal before arriving. I know a lot more now. So much history, changes in power, catastrophic damage and rebuilding. The city has a great vibe. It feels very safe, the people are happy and vibrant, the sun is shining. So far, I am a fan of Lisbon.

Ugh. The Shearer’s have been on the Struggle Bus. The germs that have been making their way through many households struck us pretty hard. Things have not exactly gone according to plan, to say the least. We are all hoping that we will be mostly recovered by the time we fly to Portugal on Saturday. Fingers crossed…. With every experience in a foreign country – good or bad, there are new things to learn. While this isn’t a “feel good” post, it’s real life – and in our case real life is truly an adventure.

That was the last smile on Jay’s face for several days. Ty succumbed first. Then Jay.

Jay started feeling better Wednesday evening, so about 1 week of misery.

And then I crashed. Hard. Jess called and she said I sound like a man. I have gone through 2 boxes of Kleenex. It’s disgusting and exhausting. Once again, at home I know what I need to survive. Here, not so much. I think I have shared with you all that I hate the toilet paper here. It is not soft. The facial tissues are just as bad – some might argue worse because of the constant rubbing on your nose.

Last night I slept hard. I slept all morning, and plan to sleep all afternoon. Time, rest, and the Hexe Trinken are what I need. I also want my mommy ;). Nothing makes me feel better when I am sick than my mom, but she’s kind of a long way away, so…. Yes, I am a grown woman in her mid-40s. A girl always needs her mama.

Please don’t send me Puffs, Reames, or Vicks. 🙂 I will survive. Just think of this post the next time you go to HyVee and pick up all of your go-to feel-better products. 🙂

The weather outside was frightful – and wet, gross, unpleasant. What’s more fun that walking through a crowded market? Add umbrellas and rain…. As much as people wanted to be happy, the weather was a bit of a Debbie downer. Deanna had the brilliant idea to go tour the Nuremberg Trials museum – indoors for a couple hours to let the rain pass.

My favorite shop was Käthe Wohlfahrt. If anyone is ever looking for a gift idea…. smokers and nutcrackers and villages and ornaments galore!!!!

Last week was Thanksgiving. While this is not a holiday celebrated by the Germans, Jay and I took some time off to spend with friends and family – and eat amazing food. I have so many things to be thankful for this year. Good health, the worlds best husband, 2 children who amaze me on a daily basis, a dog who reminds me to enjoy the little things, family and friends at home who haven’t let the distance separate us, friends here who have become such an important part of my life in a very short period of time, a job that keeps me mentally stimulated and pays the bills, new coworkers that have been great to get to know, and last but not least – being able to spend the month of November with the worlds best in-laws (makes perfect sense that they created the worlds best husband).

Fun (annoying) fact. Finding basketball shoes in Germany is not easy. Amazon came through for us, but it was a struggle.

One fun thing that a few of the International Schools do is host visiting athletes to save on hotel costs. Ty was able to stay with a family in Switzerland during the rugby season. We got to return the favor for basketball. We hosted 2 boys from the Zurich International School – one from Romania, one from Hungary. They were sweet boys, were only here for one short night, but it was a great experience.

Because Ty made the basketball team, I stayed home with him while Jay took his parents to Strasbourg, France for the weekend. They said it was incredible! There were several different markets spread out across the city. Many streets had a different theme. So many lights. So many people. So much hot wine. They had an amazing last weekend in Europe together.

Kirk and Sherry made it home safely. They may need 3 weeks to recover. :). They were troopers – often walking 15,000 steps per day, backpacking through Europe. They explored new places, tried different foods, embraced the experience. I am thankful for them.