Portugal Week 3

Enjoy the last installment of our Portugal vacation...

MADEIRA:

Funchal Chapel

Madeira Casino

The Beatles Yacht...REALLY!

Old Men + Dominos = Really Serious and Mad Old Men

Trying out the free fruit at the fruit market.

 

Sliding down a hill...

...a really long and steep hill!

Going Swimming! In natural pools!

Something you can't do as a missionary!

Sister Dantas' famous lasagna.

She just got back from being in the hospital the day before!

We are still up on the board!

The Machico Branch

Dantas Family

Ponte di San Lorenzo

Going on a hike

The end of the hike

The water was ice cold!

Santana...old typical homes of Madeira

LISBON:

View from Cristo Rei

Cristo Rei

Are we in San Fran or Lisbon?

Torre de Belem

Torre de Belem, the tower that used to guide the sailors during Portugal's heyday of exploration. The King and Queen would stand on the top of the tower to cheer on Vasco De Gama, Ferdinand Magellan, and other explorers as they departed.

 

 

We got to visit a Carriage Museum in Lisbon...

This is the carriage that carried the pope back in the day.

 

This is the carriage for the princesses!

Heaven in a pastry!

The main gate to Lisbon

A Lucci-sized car

This is the place where Pres. Monson dedicated

Portugal for the Preaching of the Gospel.

Behind us is the western most part of Europe.

 

 

On our way home we had a "made for movie" experience. A "Home Alone" experience to be exact. We flew into Newark from Lisbon. We were going to fly to Colorado and then to Salt Lake. Well, we did just that more or less.

 

When we reached Newark we had a 3 hour layover. While we were eating our airport pizza the skies darkened and a hurricane type rain started to come down. At first a few flights were being delayed 45 minutes or so. We were hoping that by the time our plane was going to leave everything would be fine. Then more and more flights were getting delayed with an unknown time of departures.

 

Then all airports in New Jersey/New York were shutdown with no incoming or outgoing flights. We were a little worried but we had a 2 hour layover in Denver so we thought we had some leeway. This went on for hours.

 

We landed in Denver and our plane to Salt Lake had already left. It was late at night and we just wanted to get home. We were planning on taking a bus or something to get to Salt Lake. After 3 weeks we wanted to get back to our home so badly. We felt like we needed to stop at the Service Desk of our airline and see if there was anything they could do. We told the man our story, he checked our tickets and saw that the airline had switched us to the last flight, that night, to Utah.

 

The kicker...it's scheduled to leave in 10 minutes and it's on the other side of the airport...literally! We took our flipflops off and ran through the airport like the McCallisters. They called the gate to let them know we were coming. We got there just in time. I felt like I was going to throw up on the lady at the gate. (Think of runnig a marathon with no previous training...it was a killer!) After all was said and done we were home a few hours after our scheduled time. Now when we watch "Home Alone" we will know exactly how they felt! :)

Portugal Week 2

We are now moving into Tyler's Areas...

AVEIRO:

We only stayed in Aveiro for a couple hours. There's really not a lot you can do. But it is a gorgeous place.

Averio Mall and Canal

Aveiro Mall (Kind of looks like City Creek)

The famous canals of Aveiro

The best food in Portugal! Too bad it's Brazilian. :)

Yum!

COIMBRA:

Coimbra University

 

Wanna walk up those steps to go to classes everyday?!

Can you find me?

The View from the Coimbra Chapel

 

Having dinner with the Dias Family.

Supporting Portugal in the Euro Cup.

We stayed for a total of 7 minutes before we bailed

because of the huge clouds of smoke.

Our nights in Coimbra usually consisted Tyler playing Wii Soccer with Lucas.

 

 

While we were in Portugal we got to see Lucas graduate from Elementary School.

In Portugal the last year is 4th grade.

 

The graduation was held outside. It started at 9, on a school night!

 

After Lucas' Graduation.

 

 

I was so excited to visit a place called "Portugal de Pequeninos" or "Little Portugal." All the sisters would talk about it on the mission. I really enjoyed it.

Little Coimbra University

Little Portugal House

Little Guimaraes Castle

Portugal Week 1

After leaving London, we headed down to Portugal. It was a surreal moment when we steped into the airport that we were in 3-4 years ago, leaving as missionaries, and now we are tourists. It was crazy. We visited my areas first (the northern part of our mission). We visited Braga, Maia/Porto, and Gaia. Gaia was actually the area  that Tyler and I both served in and where we met a missionaries.

Landing in  Porto. It was nice to see the red roof tops again.

Tyler was so excited to buy Guarana at the airport.

After words he realized it's the same one that we have here in the US.

BRAGA:

Hanging out in Braga, with by bestest friend, after mission curfew.

It felt so weird to see the city so dark.

A garden in dowtown Braga.

The view of Braga from Bom Jesus.

Bom Jesus.

A classic missionary picture from Braga.

Our VIP tour of Braga Stadium, thanks to Felicia!

Guimaraes, my last mission area,

and now aparently the Culture Capital of Europe.

Castle of Guimaraes, a few schools on a field trip.

Too bad we don't have castles we can visit on field trips here.

Outside the Castle

Junior and Joana the Newlyweds.

Joana is a recent convert that I taught many time in Braga.

One of the sweetest people I know!

Nadine and I waiting for a play to start.

Nadine worked alot with the sisters in Porto.

Familia Dias, our home away from home for 3 days.

The best food and company of Portugal.

GAIA:

Pastel de Natas, the BEST pastry in the world!

No joke, I probably had 10 while in portugal.

Tyler's favorite pastry.

Our old missionary apartment in Gaia.

Pons...one of the weirdest, and funniest member of Gaia.

The Golden Girls of the ward.

Celeste with the red scarf is the oldest and longest member of the ward.

She remindes you every time you talk with her. :)

I had the most fun lessons in her house.

Familia Ribeiro. Cutest boys ever!

MAIA/PORTO:

Familia Silva.

This family is the strongest, and humblest family I ever met on the mission.

Familia Filipe.

These boys were shorter than me when I was in Porto, crazy!

The mom was the Relief Society Pres. when I served in their ward.

The oh so famous subway stop for zone conference.

Next stop...Combatentes, we heard way too many times during our mission.

The mission office.

We had some awesome interviews with President Henry here,

and learn many life lessons from Elder French here too.

The Mission Home.

A great place to have your first and last night in Portugal.

If Tyler had his wish we would visit every soccer stadium we could,

after seeing Chelsea and Porto I was done. :)

A view of Porto from Gaia.

Porto Bridge designed by the same man that did the Eiffel Tower.

When we left for the southern part of the mission, we had to stop at the metro stop, that we have a picture together as missionaries. I thought my companion wanted to say goodbye to Tyler because they had served together in another area. But come to find out, Tyler planned it so that he could see me again before he came home.

2008

2012