Ultimo Semana em Portugal

Can you believe the time finally arrived… our ultimo semana (last week) in Portugal!  But what a week! When I signed off on the last blog, Smudge’s family was about to arrive home. Well…they did…and Smudge was sooooooooooo happy to see them.

And it was so nice for all of us to have the family back home! I’ve known this family my whole life and Nick and Katie used to play with me and come camping with us when I was just a wee pup. Not to mention all the times they have come to the Shuswap lake where we all dove off the dock and swam and swam and swam!

I think Nick was seriously considering coming back to Canada with us. He wanted to do a swap straight across. Dex would stay in Portugal and he would come to Canada. (Do you think his sister would miss him?)

Since we only had 6 days left to spend with Smudge and his family, of course we made the most of it.

We enjoyed many “lasts”, like going for walks…here’s the girls…

 …my last view of the beautiful ocean near where they lived.  

And of course we went to our local beach for one last dinner there. 

We also visited some of our other favourite beaches…

But we won’t miss how crowded the beaches are on weekends now that all the kids are out of school and the tourists are here in droves…

We went on a cool hike in the Sintra area…

and hung around the pool for a little R&R (although mom got in trouble for taking me down there as dogs aren’t allowed in the pool area…can you believe it?)

But Nick and Katie sure had fun playing catch

and Nick liked jumping in the air and catching the ball. He’s pretty good at it too!

Mom, Dad, Linda, Katie and Nick went to this really cool fiesta in Estoril

 

…while I caught up on my beauty sleep on the deck (after all we had been doing a lot of walking and there was more in store for the rest of the week…not to mention that I wouldn’t be able to partake in my deck naps much longer).

Speaking of which… mom and dad sure enjoyed taking in the view and sipping wine on the amazing deck!

Of course there was one last dinner at Gordo’s (mom and dad’s favourite little pizza place). Louis and his partners were so nice to us while we were in Portugal.   

We also made a final trip out to Guincho to enjoy a walk above the beach (amongst the sand dunes).

 

There was this really cool old fortress there that we hadn’t seen before…

 

As you can see, this place is beyond spectacular…so we just had to take one more photo of my dad with the beautiful coastline as a backdrop.

Mom and dad also went out for one last dinner at Gordinni’s with their new and old friends in Portugal.

Dave and Linda are their old friends (not in age of course, but in the longevity of their friendship as mom and Linda have known each other since they were 3 years old and have been best friends for many, many years). And then there is Cristina, João, Anabela, Joana and Luisa who are the new friends they made while in Portugal. We hope they all come to visit us in Canada so we can reciprocate their kind hospitality.

Our final day finally arrived and it was a very nostalgic day for us all. Lots of cuddles and hugs were had by all…

Dad and I even had time for one last cuddle and nap on the couch…

 …and of course there was one last dinner with the family.

And now they will be enjoying their beautiful deck while we are back in Canada.

Speaking of going home…it started out well (albeit very early in the morning) on July 3^rd when we went to the Lisbon airport to fly to Frankfurt. Dad and I even had time to play on the grass before the plane departed.

But then the wheels fell off (so to speak). When we went to board the flight from Frankfurt to Calgary, our airline (who shall remain nameless but I will give you hint by saying that it is one of the main Canadian airlines) refused to fly me home. They said they had some sort of pet embargo for the summer (due to the heat…although it wasn’t hot in Frankfurt or Calgary so go figure). Anyway, mom and dad were very angry (as you can imagine since they had confirmed several times with the airline that I was scheduled to fly on this flight and they had not received any notification about this supposed embargo). So our luggage was removed from the plane, they brought me to the baggage area so mom and dad could collect me and we stayed the night at the Sheraton Hotel at the Frankfurt Airport.

The silver lining to this horribly stressful event was that I got a break between the two flights and I got to spend the night with mom and dad in the hotel. We also went for a great walk in a huge natural park near the Frankfurt Airport and I got to drink water from my own bowl in a lounge in the Sheraton Hotel while mom and dad had dinner and drinks. They loved me there…and who could blame them!?

Needless to say we finally made it to Calgary, thanks to Lufthansa and their pet friendly staff…and I was reunited with my older brother (Bear)

 and little sister (Smudge 2).

However, Smudge was a little wary about me at first. When we first got home, she just perched from above and watched me eat my snack. I don’t think she knew what to think of me!

But pretty soon everything got back to normal and I was able to have a little nap in my favourite chair at home…with no more airplane rides for awhile!

Footnote: I hope all the “lasts” on this blog didn’t make you sad. The word “last” is quite deceiving. This blog really was about sharing many “firsts” (new friends, new places and new adventures) and all the lasts really just become “lasting memories” of the amazing journey I spent with mom, dad and Smudge 1 in Portugal. I had the time of my life and am so grateful for the opportunity to live there for almost six months. In fact, I think I am a much better dog for it all!

You may wonder what the next chapter holds…well, that is a good question and although I do not know exactly, I do know that the journey is certainly worthwhile. So the real question is “what should I call the next chapter?”

Uma outra pausa

Another brief pause from my blog…

I can’t wait to tell you about Smudge’s family coming home last week and how excited Smudge was to see them.

And how much fun we all had together during our last week in Portugal.

And then the adventure of getting home (which was quite an adventure thanks to a very bad airline).

And finally seeing my big brother (Bear) and little sister (Smudge 2) at home.

But we are all a litte busy this week settling in and catching up on things so mom told me I have to put the blog on hold for a few more days until she can help me with the photos….but stay tuned, there is more to come!

So Many Tails…

Where to begin…? We had the most incredible week in the Alentejo region, which is the south central region of Portugal that stretches all the way from the western (the Atlantic coast) to the eastern (the Spanish border) part of the country.  With the cool places we stayed at, the amazing sites we saw and all the friends we made, it really was the crème de la crème of our little get away trips!

We started our trip at a rural quinta called Verdemar. It was near the small town of Cercal which is close to the Atlantic coast. Verdemar started out as a fairly integral part of a very tiny village called Casa Novas and then it was renovated by Cristina and Nuno over 20 years ago and turned into a really cool quinta.

Bartog lives there and guards his home…he’s a 12 year old Portuguese Podenga dog like our other friend Mel who stayed with us for a week back in April.

 And then there is Bella, who is Bartog’s 2 year old daughter…she loves everyone, especially Tim!

We went on great walks in the countryside with our new friends…they showed us the way so we wouldn’t get lost.

 There were so many cork trees…

 

And cacti…which are an interesting contrast, much like the “beauty and the beast”, with their pretty yellow flowers and very sharp thorns!

 

Verdemar was such a cool place to stay at. It had a kind of main area, where the family shared breakfast and dinners with their two legged guests,

 

 

Mom and dad said they had some great meals there (I won’t bore you by telling you what we ate while they were wined and dined)!

 

Of course there was a pool on their very lovely grounds….

 

And then the place where we stayed, which was called Casa Grande, was really cool!

 

 

The bedroom was very cozy so we could all relax…read a bit (if you are so inclined), snooze and curl up in wherever you want to… 

…notice Smudge in the end table?

We had so much fun playing in the grass…

Smudge in particular liked playing with little Bella…I can’t believe how much they can wrestle!

 

We sure are going to miss Verdemar , Bartog and sweet little Bella!

 

(Thank goodness there is a Bella at home too, although she is quite a bit bigger and blacker, but she’s just as sweet and playful)

While we were staying at Verdemar, we visited the SW part of the Alentejo and Costa Vincentina .

It was fun cuz’ we got to take a long walk on a really cool beach…

 and mom and dad had a great seafood lunch.

 

And then we went to Cabo Sardão, which had amazing cliffs and a cool lighthouse.

There were storks nesting all over the rocks…

After spending 3 days in the SW part of the Alentejo,  we headed east towards the Spanish border. It was a great drive and we saw field after field of sunflowers.

We just had to stop for a wee pose

cuz’ these are mom’s favourite flower!

Then we visited an amazing historical village called Marvão. Marvão was built in the 9th century as a stonghold for the Portuguese to keep the Spanish at bay, since it was only about 20 km to the Spanish border.  Dad fell in love with this village cuz’ he liked the history and the way the castelo and fortress were built.

As you can see, we were pretty high up on the top of a hill, so the view was fantastic!

There were plenty of look out posts so the Portuguese could watch for the Spanish invaders…

and they had some pretty big cisterns to store their water…it was kind of creepy down there and full of bugs, so we asked dad scout it out on our behalf.

There was also a really pretty garden right outside the castelo.

 And there was a big wall that ran around the whole village.

 …with some pretty steep staircases.

So all in all, it was a very pretty little village with windy streets

and lots of watering holes …

  

which was a good thing cuz’ it was scorcher of a day.  In fact, Smudge, mom and I had to rest in the shade a few times while dad did his exploring.  

It was a great day and fun was had by all!

But the best part of our trip was the absolutely amazing Quinta da Saimeira we stayed at for four days. It was nestled in the hills between Marvão and the town of Castelo de Vide.

When we went on our walks to explore the remnants of villagers gone by and other cool stuff on the property, we could see Marvão way up on the hill.  

Not only was the countryside spectacular…

but the woods were also full of fun things to explore…

 and there was a really neat dunking pool!

…ok so maybe it wasn’t intended to be a dunking pool but first Smudge fell in and then I did. Dad had to rescue us both as the sides were too steep for us to climb out on our own. And then dad lost his sunglasses…but don’t worry, he got a rake and retrieved them from amongst all the slime that was at the bottom of the pool.

Here’s the pool that you are supposed to swim in…

We hung out at the pool a lot!

We also hung out a lot on the deck of the little apartment we stayed in, which was called Casa da Figueira.

It was such an amazing deck with the most incredible view, that we had most of our meals out there…

And dad stared getting quite artistic with his photographs.

But who could blame him with sunsets like this…

In case you’re wondering, the rest of our “Casa” was pretty cool too.

And of course the place would not be complete without its own “tail”. This is Splinter who is very friendly and lives there with his two-legged friends. (There used to be two cats who lived there as well, but they are gone to kitty heaven now)

With a place as fantastic as this, I’m sure you can imagine how hard it was to leave it, even for a few hours. But we did manage to go on a couple of excursions, one of which was to this really cool lake and dam.

It sure was a good thing that we went that day cuz’ it was over 31 degrees and we needed to swim!

But since Smudge doesn’t really swim (he only waddles in the water a bit) mom and dad had to make a shady spot for him.

When our four days were up, it sure was hard to leave Quinta da Saimeira…but mom and dad said they will go back when they come to Portugal again (although I doubt I will be with them if it’s just a short vacation cuz’ I don’t like the long plane ride).

At least on the drive back home, we stopped for a picnic lunch in the town of Chamusca, which was right beside the Rio Tejo. So guess what…I got to swim again!

I think this was one of the best vacations I have been on…there were so many different places to explore and Smudge and I got to play and play and play in the big outdoors… to our hearts content!

Of course it’s always nice to get home and enjoy the comforts close to home that one sometimes takes for granted…like a nice cuddle on the couch with my mom.

P.S. Don’t tell Smudge (cuz’ I don’t want to ruin the surprise), but his family will be home within the hour…he’s going to be sooooooooooo happy to see them!!!!

Uma Pausa

I am going to take “uma pausa” (a rest) from the blog this week as we are going on a wee vacation. Tomorrow morning we are heading to the Alentejo, which is in the south-central part of Portugal. This will be our last get away while we are here and I am sure it will be packed full of new adventures!

Not that we really need a big rest or anything cuz’ life here has been pretty relaxing. For example, over the past week we had a very easy pace. It was a long weekend for the Portuguese, but dad had to work, so we only had a “normal” weekend with our own daily adventures.

Like walking along our local beach on the rocky parts and playing in the water…

I think I mentioned before how busy the sandy parts of the beaches are now and they are off limits to us four-legged fellows for the summer. But they sure are colourful with all the different umbrellas and towels.

And at least one of our favourite little café’s (Avencas) along the beach wasn’t too busy so we went there for breakfast.

 

What I mean is that mom and dad had breakfast, while and Smudge and I hung out. I like the sunbeams…

and Smudge likes to lie on dad’s feet! 

After our long walk along the beach, we laid on the grass and rested some more near our pool.

We also visited a very pretty little village called Alhandra, which was on the other side of Lisbon up the Tejo river. It had a really cool walkway and I got to swim lots in the river.

A few of the walkways here in Portugal have these cross-training stations set up along them. It’s a really neat idea, but no one was using them today…

In fact it almost felt like a ghost town on parts of our walk in Ahandra…but it was Sunday and a long weekend after all, so perhaps people were out of town.

The funniest thing we saw was a poop-pit…can you believe that those silly two-legged ones expect us four-legged ones to use this….go figure?!

Well I have to go pack my kibble, toys and blanket…so I will say goodbye for this week.

But here’s one more photo so you don’t forget what I look like over the next week…

Divertimento todos dias

Before I tell you all about the “divertimento todos dias” (fun every day) we had with our friends who came to visit us, I wanted to share two more photos of our friends at the dog park.

This is João and Cookie

And Luisa and Buda

Every time we go to the park we have so much fun…and Smudge particularly likes seeing all his buddies!

Speaking of buddies, mom and dad’s good friends Krys and Les came to visit us. These are the friends that mom and dad went to Morocco with in 2008. We often visit them at their amazing “homestead” in Golden, B.C. They have sooooooo much space and they are nestled in the beautiful Rocky Mountains. I love going to their place cuz’ I get to explore lots and there are so many cool smells. But I miss Rain, their four-legged companion, who used to show me around the place. (Rain has gone to doggy heaven, but I bet he is having fun in the never ending pastures there).

Of course one of the first things we did was take them to our local little beach for dinner…it has become quite customary for us to take our guests there and the Sangria is great too (so mom tells me)!

I made a new friend there as well. I liked the little girl cuz’ she cuddled me, but the little boy was a bit nasty as he tried to kick me (watch out for him when he grows up)!

Our friend Cristina took them on a tour of Lisboa (and yes, you guessed it, Smudge and I stayed home). They visited Castelo de S Jorge, which is on a hill in the middle of the historic part of Lisboa.

 

It’s quite the view from way up there!

And then they went to this amazing little place for lunch which was across the Ponte (bridge) de 25 de Abril . They would never have found this little gem of a restaurant without Cristina. They told me lunch was great and it was a particularly fun adventure when the sky opened up and poured cats and dogs on them (not literally of course as that wouldn’t be good for the cats and dogs).

It was great that Dad could take a few vacation days so we went up north with our friends. First we stopped in Guimaraes, which is an amazing historical town where the first king of Portugal resided…we didn’t meet him though cuz’ he was longggggggg gone! It was sure a cool town with a lot of churches, cathedrals and other religious stuff.

But of course we took time for a wee water and beer break.

  And what BIG beers they were!

We stayed two nights at Casal da Batoca, which was in Fafe (just 70 km NE of o Porto). It was another amazing gem that Blue Paradise arranged for us. Just take a look at this place…first the entranceway into the property…

and then the beautiful grounds.

There was a pool (and tennis courts)…

And there was a big building where the meals were served. Our apartment was attached to this…on the left side, but more about that in a minute.

Above the dining area was a cool recreation room …

Our place was called the hayloft and it was the most amazing apartment!

In addition to the two painstakingly refurbished family (or great rooms)…

there were two bedrooms with attached (modern) bathrooms …

 

and a very modern and functional kitchen.

But the piece de résistance (or the icing on the cake, so to speak) was the fabulous deck…where we spent most of our time together.

It was particularly good for Smudge and me cuz’ we could lie out there (and nap or watch the world go by) while the two-legged ones went for breakfast or dinner next door.

I really can’t say enough about this place cuz’ it had something for everyone and we all loved it!

While we were up north, we visited the lovely city of Braga, which was an interesting combination of old and new.

With all of our walking about, we took plenty of time to rest in the shade…

Then we visited the neat town of Barcelos. It had a river running through it so I got to go for a swim!

And after lunch, we walked through a pretty park and rose garden.

On the drive back to Lisboa, we stopped at a small village called Esmoriz. It had a cool walkway that was made of huge rocks….I wonder how they got them all to fit into place, not to mention how they ever moved them there in the first place.

There was a neat beach there and a lot of people were surfing.

When we were back home dad took Krys and Les up the west coast to see Guincho, Sintra, Azenhas da Mar and the beautiful coastline, which are some of our favorite places here in Portugal. (Mom stayed home with us cuz’ she had homework to catch up on and I asked her to help me with my blog)

On their little outing they stopped for lunch at this cool beach called S. Juliao…

 

And then in the evening mom, dad and Cristina took Krys and Les to a Fado house where they had dinner with Fado (jantares com Fado). They looked like they had a lot of fun…

And they said that all the Fado singers were really good that night.

 The gal singing is the one who is advertised on the poster…

Of course Krys and Les’ visit would not be complete without seeing the very crowded beaches…

 and going to a futebol game…

 

Dad and Les went to this very important national game with our friend João and his daughters…Portugal won of course!

Regrettably…Krys and Les’ visit was coming to an end so mom and dad took them to Gordinni’s, which is one of their favorite restaurants that looks over the water.

I sure am going to miss my good buddies…

but see you back in Golden!!!

Familia parte duas….

I’m still a bit behind on my blog so I better catch up with “familia parte duas”, which is part two of our two weeks of family visiting. After returning from their two day adventure in Porto, Auntie Nat and cousin Bennet only had two days left of their stay in Portugal so we had to make the most of it! On one day, mom, dad and Crisitina took them all on a mini tour of Lisboa. As you can expect, Smudge and I stayed home (once again), but it really was for the best as it was a smokin’ hot day and we had more fun resting on the couch.

I think my cousin Bennet enjoyed Lisboa though…starting with his morning coffee with a local (albeit historic) poet…

 

Going up a cool elevator to see Lisboa from above…

 

And then visiting the ruins he saw from below…

 

Of course there was lots of walking involved…

 and some icecream.

A few monuments and photographic moments thrown in for good measure…

 

 

And the ever important beverage break…

With the grand finale being a pretty cool tram ride!

So all in all, I think it was a pretty full day for them, but they didn’t stop there cuz’ after taking Smudge and me for a nice long walk, they headed out for the evening for dinner and to enjoy some Fado singing.

 

Auntie Nat and Bennet’s last day in Portugal was also a day full of adventure that started with dad, cousin Brenda, Smudge and I going to Belem for a Starbuck coffee (which is one of dad’s favorite coffee placess).

Smudge and I are getting so comfortable being on the train that we just lay back and relax (with Smudge resting on dad’s feet of course cuz’ they are much softer than the floor of the train).

After Belem, we all headed in the car to Lagoa Albufeira, which is this cool lagoon and beach just south of Lisboa.

 

It was so much fun there cuz’ I got to swim in the lagoon and dad and I walked along the beach.

I think Auntie Nat and Bennet enjoyed the water a lot….

and we all relaxed on the beach for a bit since we had been having  such busy days.

Look closely and you will see Smudge laying under the umbrella since he doesn’t like to lay in the sun much, but not me, I like the full on sun AND I was pretty tuckered from all my swimming!

I think Bennet liked laying in the sun too.

For their last dinner here, they went to a local restaurant and celebrated three birthdays: Auntie Nat’s was in April, dad’s was in May and cousin Bennet’s was coming up in June. They said it was a lot of fun, but how would I know since (once again) Smudge and I stayed home and ate kibble!!!

In spite of being left home from time to time, I sure enjoyed having my Auntie Nat and cousin Bennet visiting cuz’ Bennet and I share each other’s clothes and can really groove together…

I know mom really loved having her sister here too,

and it was such an amazing bonus that cousin Brenda could join in the mix while Nat and Bennet were here!

But hold on…that’s not the end of “familia em Portugal” (family in Portugal) cuz’ cousin Brenda still had four days left  and we sure made the most of it! Unfortunately dad missed out on the fun cuz’ he had to go to London for work again.

First we had breakfast at our local beach and explored the pools left behind when the tide goes out…

Then mom and cousin Brenda visited the “Parque e Palacio de Monserrate” (this time Smudge and I were happy to stay home and nap since we had such a busy morning). Mom told me all about the “gi-normous trees” they saw there!

On Brenda’s second last day, we  jumped in the car and drove to Mafra and Ericeira with Cristina. Mafra was boring as far as I was concerned (cuz’ Smudge and I stayed in the car while THEY visited a convent and palace), but mom and Brenda sure thought it was cool.

I really liked Ericeira though cuz’ we got to explore a cool beach nearby called Ribeira d’ilhas. It had a fresh water stream which was great for a wee drink or two.

We also got to hang out with them while they had lunch at the beach…

…and we got to walk with them around the cool village of Ericeira!

Sadly…cousin Brenda’s visit came to an end. We spent her last day walking along the seawall just enjoying being outside and appreciating the natural beauty of Portugal.

She had her last Sangria at Pedra do Sal…while she witnessed her final Portuguese sunset (for now)!

“Adeus minha familia” (goodbye my family)…thank you for visiting and see you back home!

Tantos Primeiros

I know, I know…you’re probably thinking what a lazy dog I am since I haven’t written a new blog since May 13^th. But I have a pretty good excuse you know. After all, there have been so many firsts (tantos primieros) here in Portugal which have kept me (and mom) quite busy the last couple of weeks.

The first “primeiro” was my auntie Natalie and cousin Bennet arriving on Saturday, May 14. We haven’t had any family visit us since we have been in Portugal, so that was pretty cool. And I have to admit that I was quite surprised when they walked through the door as I wasn’t expecting to see anyone from back home. It was so great to cuddle on the couch with my cousin Bennet who I hadn’t seen since Christmas.

 

Of course for their first evening in Portugal we all went down to our local beach and had dinner…well actually, THEY had dinner while Smudge and I rested under the table.

 

On their first full day in Portugal (Sunday), we all went to Guincho, which is a really big beach that I told you about before. We love this beach, even though they have restrictions now against dogs being on certain parts of the beach cuz it is getting busier. (I don’t know what the big deal is though…are they afraid we will pee on an umbrella or beach towel or something…actually that’s a good idea, I think I might try that!)

 

First we went for a walk along the beach so that auntie Nat and Bennet could get a feel and smell of a Portuguese beach and the Atlantic Ocean.

 I think they liked the beach almost as much as we do!

Then we watched dad have his kite surfing lesson.

 

By the way, the Border Collie in the picture is Jade…she is the instructor’s (Marcas) buddy.

It was so hot, but Smudge and I figured out how to keep cool by laying in dad’s shadow (when he wasn’t chasing the kite of course).

After Guincho, we went to Azenhas do Mar cuz’ they have some really cool waterfalls and pools we like and can play in and drink from.

 

 

And then we went to Sintra where auntie Nat, Bennet and dad visited the “Parque e Palacio da Pena”. (Mom, Smudge and I walked through a cool park while they were at the palace.)

 

When we got home, we all relaxed on the deck.

 

It was a really full day and I think my cousin Bennet had a bit of jet lag…so of course I showed him one of my favourite spots for a wee nap.

 

The next day, mom and dad took them to Cascais on the train. Smudge and I stayed home because it was smokin’ hot that day and we needed our beauty sleep. But mom told me about all the fun things they did…like the cool park…

 

where they saw an amazing peacock. (I have never seen a peacock…I wonder if they like dogs)

 

And a restaurant where cousin Bennet was being offered as a menu item.

 

After walking around Cascais, seeing the marina and the park, having lunch (and gelato), they walked along the seawall heading towards home.

 

Mom told me they saw this really neat art exhibition on their walk.

She took lots of pictures of their day (without me and Smudge) so I wouldn’t feel too left out…even though I was stuck at home with the “wee white one”!

 

But then I got another big surprise on Wednesday, May 17^th when my cousin Brenda arrived! This was her first time in Europe and I was so excited that she chose to visit us on this momentous occasion. I really like my cousin Brenda cuz’ she rubs my belly a lot and she (and her three sisters) have always had a special affinity for us four-legged friends. Kin folk like that are really special to me!

So of course on Brenda’s first day an adventure was in order. Mom, Nat, Bennet and Brenda went to Belem for Pasteis, while dad, Smudge and I stayed home since dad had to work and I needed a nap from all the adventures we had been having previously.

 

Then they walked along the water between Belem and Alges to see some sites….

 

 

              Where cousin Bennet almost went for a swim!

Of course they had to stop for some Sangria since it was another first for Nat and Brenda to try in Portugal.

And they ended the day with dinner on Carcavelos beach. (Thankfully dad took Smudge and me for a walk and fed us dinner before he headed off to meet them otherwise I would have been quite peeved off)

The next day, mom, Nat, Bennet and Brenda went to Sesimbra and on their way, they visited a tile factory (Azulejois de Azeitao).

They also made a stop at the Forte do Cavaio that looks over Sesimbra.

                   See the fishing village Sesimbra in the background?

In Sesimbra they had lunch and Bennet collected some seawater from the Atlantic Ocean.

On their way home they stopped at Cabo Espichel, where I think I would have had a lot of fun at since there was lots of space and likely some pretty neat smells since it was so old. But once again, Smudge and I stayed home with dad!

 

 

 

Then the house became empty cuz’ mom, auntie Nat, Bennet and Brenda went to Porto for a couple of days, while (you guessed it), Smudge, dad and I stayed home. Are you seeing a pattern develop?

But at least we get to catch up on our beauty sleep, not that we need it!

(In fact Smudge is so cute, you can hardly tell the difference between him and the stuffy)

They took the train to Porto, which cousin Bennet thought was pretty cool.

And they sure sounded like they had a lot of fun walking around Porto and seeing the sights.

They took a boat tour…

A gondola ride…  

and participated in a few Port tours and tastings. 

 

And even though my cousin Bennet did not participate in the port tasting part, he said he had a lot of fun!

The best part for me was when they came home again and I got to cuddle some more with my cousin Bennet… I like cuddling.

Stay tuned for more adventures ahead with “Familia em Portugal” (Family in Portugal)……

Alas…no blog this week!

My auntie Nat and cousins Bennet and Brenda are visiting right now so there won’t be a blog this week. But look for the exciting pictures and stories next week…we have been doing some fun things!

Adeus for now….

Mais amigos e mais passeios

Mais amigos e mais passeios (more friends and more trips)

As I mentioned on last week’s blog (Tantos Amigos), I knew I had missed some photos of our friends at the dog park. Here’s a few more of the new friends we have made while we are here in Portugal.

Mari and Brownie

 

Joana and Stitch

Sofia and Napoleão

Vasco and Delta

It’s such a great group of people and dogs…we are very lucky to have this park across the street so that we could meet everyone!

 

And did I mention that my dad came home? I was so excited when he walked in the door last Friday cuz’ it had been over two weeks since he had left. I’m so glad he’s back now and I sure hope he stays this time. But the one thing I like about when he goes away is that when he comes home… he is very cuddly cuz’ he misses me too!

Now on to as passeios (the trips). We were very busy last weekend! It started out with us picking up our friend Cristina on Saturday morning. She lives right beside this neat park where they have plants shaped like animals. Unfortunately I could not get close enough to smell (or pee on) them, but they were pretty cool anyway!

And then we went to Evora, where mom, dad and Cristina had coffee while Smudge and I hung out under the table (sound familiar?).

We walked around a bit and saw some pretty cool fountains, churches and other really, really old buildings.

But of course there was plenty of time to stop for pee breaks…it is so handy that there are fire hydrants all over the place!

Then we drove to Monsaraz, which is close to the Spanish border. Monsaraz  is a cool little (and very old) village. I think Cristina told us it was built around the 11^th century.

The village has a wall all around it (to protect the Portuguese from the Spanish…way back when they were fighting a lot), so we had to park outside the wall and take a walk about the village.

…just look at the cobblestone streets we walked on

…and the pretty stone walls we walked by!

On one of the walls there was a very happy gata (cat)…but she is hard to see cuz’ she’s the same colour as the stones. I think she was happy because she was way above us…away from os cães (the dogs), safe and sound.

Unfortunately the place mom, dad and Cristina went for lunch said that they did not allow dogs on the patio…even though there was a little white dog on the patio when we got there (look closely under the chair of the lady with the red shirt).

But mom and dad did not want to make a fuss, so Smudge and I had to go back to the car for a bit while they ate (without us AGAIN…can you believe it?!).

After THEY had lunch, we all walked around some more and explored this really, really old castle.

There was also an old bullfight ring…which was kinda sad as it made me think about all the blood that had been shed there on behalf of those poor bulls.

But on a much more positive note….the view was amazing!

You can’t believe what I could see when I stuck my head through those little holes in the wall.

Take a look for yourself!

It was such a great day and we even made a new friend. I don’t know her name, but she reminded us of Mel, so we took a liking to her right away.

Now after such a busy day, you would think we would have a day of rest on Sunday…but no way. We went on another fun adventure to the Caparica Coast where the beach goes on and on and on!

Of course I enjoyed rolling in the sand…can you see me way in the background?

And dad buried Smudge when he got too warm (cuz’ he doesn’t seem to like to get wet)…

The beach was down below some cool cliffs…

 

And we had to walk through a sandy forest area to get to and from the beach.  Notice the difference when Smudge is excited about exploring a new area….he runs way out in front!

Besides this being a really cool beach, it was also a popular place for people to “kite sail”. I’m not sure if that is what they call it, but it sure looked like fun!

There were so many of them…

 and they even flew right over top of us.

I think dad wants to try it out…

After such a busy weekend…I’m sure you will appreciate what we did next!

A well deserved repouso (rest) of course!

Tantos Amigos!

Tanto amigos em Portugal (so many friends in Portugal)…and they come in all shapes, colours and sizes, especially our four legged friends. We meet in the evenings at the local dog park (across the street from us). There are so many people and dogs coming and going…it’s hard to keep track of who’s who.

 

I thought it would be a good idea to take a picture of all the families so we could remember them even after we go back to Canada (mom helped me take the pictures cuz’ her hand is a little steadier than my paw).

So here’s some photos of our friends here. (I know I missed some…sorry about that)

Sonia, Emma and Enzo

Filipa, Dakota and Than

Lucy and Buana                                                                           

Andrey and Lisa 

Filipa and Ruffus

   Iuri and Kaiser

Ze and Molly

 Sandra and Malu

José and Luna

 Rita and Bolacha

Manual and Noka

  Maria and Pepper

Smudge likes to play with all the dogs…big or small.

And he really likes his people friend Ze too!

But I kind of stick to myself (or with mom). I prefer belly rubs from people as opposed to wrestling with or chasing other dogs.

I think going to the park is the highlight of Smudge’s day. Here are some before and after shots.

Before: Smudge anxiously waiting to go out while watching for the dogs to arrive in the park.

After: Smudge tuckered out after playing in the park and his eating dinner.

You may have noticed that my disposition has not changed much during this time….at least I am consistent if nothing else.

In order to keep everyone in the house happy, we still go on nice walks and to the beach so we can all explore other things as well. I particularly like climbing things and looking over mom’s shoulder to see what she is reading.

 

Mom says that I make her nervous cuz’ I like to get real close to the edge and look over it to see what’s down below.

 

And Smudge likes to go down paths where he is not supposed to go…so mom has to go and catch him.

 As you can see, Smudge mostly just ignores mom and does his own thing.

But when we go for walks, we kind of have our set pattern. I walk way out in front.

 And Smudge takes his time from behind.

Meanwhile mom has lots of time to take photos for me for my blog (cuz’ I’m so busy exploring)…like this cool old (but refurbished) house along the path.

And she got this neat photo of the fishermen out on the rocks…look closely, they are hard to see…and there is a small sailboat on the horizon too.

After all this talk about walking…I bet you know what time it is.

Yup…you guessed it…it’s nap time!

Adeus os nossos amigos…até logo

(Goodbye my friends…until later)