Mark's niece Lindsey and her family live outside of Zurich, Switzerland.  Mark's sister Karen and her husband Steve were visiting for much of December, so Mark traveled there just after Christmas.

Though a few days late, Mark played Santa and brought gifts for Lindsey's kiddos, Chloe (7) and Owen (4).  They are both into Legos right now, so shopping was easy.  Legos are available throughout Europe.

The weather in Zurich was cold, but mostly clear.  So one day, we decided to go skiing.  Not surprisingly, there are loads of ski resorts in Switzerland.  The kids will even go on ski trips as a part of their regular school curriculum.  

We took a 45-minute drive to the Flumserberg ski resort.  It was bright and sunny, and the temperature was pleasant at around freezing.  The kids had private ski lessons, though Chloe joined us for one run down the mountain afterwards.  For Mark, Karen, and Steve, it had been some time since we had been on skis.  It's was a challenging, but fun day!

Due to our Portuguese language class, our Christmas events this year were a bit limited.  Ryder made his usual trips to the beach, at times with some Christmas garb.  We had a few friends over for a Christmas Eve prime rib dinner, featuring a juicy, US beef roast courtesy of Costco Seville.  And Santa was able to visit us, even with our lack of a chimney.

To celebrate the conclusion of our intensive Portuguese language class, we decided to travel to London to see the play Wicked just before Christmas.  Debra wanted to see the play before then seeing the movie here in Portugal.  We only were in London a couple of nights due to a busy holiday schedule, but luckily, travel to other countries here is quite easy.

On the day we arrived in London, we went to the Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park.  One of our fellow students from the Portuguese language class had mentioned it as something worth seeing.  We had expected it to be a Dickensian Christmas market, so were surprised that it was mostly a carnival/amusement park with lots of rides and neon lights.  It was still fun (there was a small Christmas market, but nothing out of Dickens), and we enjoyed mulled wine and bits of food.

We arrived for our matinee showing of Wicked on the next day.  No cameras were allowed during the show, but Mark (and others) were able to snap a couple of pictures during the curtain calls.  We thoroughly enjoyed the show and will make an effort to see other plays which might come to Portugal in the future.

Of course, London is not only a great theatre town, but it is also a fantastic place for food.  So before we flew back to Portugal, we were able to dine at the two Michelin star restaurant A.Wong.  It is a fine dining Chinese restaurant, but at lunch time, they offer a dim sum tasting menu.  Of course, we had to try it, and it was fantastic!

We are sorry that we haven't been able to update the blog for the past couple of months.  The Portuguese language class which we began in October really took a large part of our time and energy.  The good news is that we are finished, and we both passed.  We expect to receive our official A1/A2 Portuguese Language Certificates next month, which means Mark can apply for Portuguese Citizenship in January.

We have several new posts which will be coming in the next few weeks.  But first, Mark is going to Switzerland to visit his niece Lindsey and her family, along with Mark's sister Karen and her husband.

Wishing all of our friends and family a joyous holiday season.  We appreciate your checking in on us, and we look forward to sharing our new adventures in 2025.  

In order to apply for a Portuguese passport, one key requirement is to show proficiency in the Portuguese language.  There are two ways to do this.  One is to take a government-run test, which we've heard can be challenging.  The other is to attend a sanctioned language class for 150 hours total, for which you receive an A1/A2 certificate thereby eliminating the need to take the government test.  We've chosen to do the latter.

Our local city of Tavira offers free language classes which are two days a week and last for an entire school year (October - June).  This year over 400 people signed up for about 120 slots.  So instead, we opted to take a paid intensive course, which lasts for just ten weeks, but meets four hours per day, Monday-Thursday.  

We are now into our third week of class, and while it is very intensive (we've begun dreaming of Portuguese studies!), it has gone well.  The class is on a video call, so we can do it from the comfort of our apartment, and we meet in the afternoon which doesn't interfere with our schedule of dog walks and golf.  

Our 20 fellow students span the globe, with people living in Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, England, etc.  Most are living or soon to be living in Portugal, and it is a lively group.  We are learning a lot, but it is a large time commitment.  At the end, we hope to be at least partially conversant in Portuguese, and we'll be the proud owners of our A1/A2 language certificates.  

It's been three years since we committed to purchase this new apartment, and the builder finally informed us that deeds would begin to be transferred (in other words, some buyers will finalize their purchases) in mid-October.  We still had not stepped foot into the building, much less our own unit, so we arranged to do a walk-through on October 7th.  Overall, we liked what we saw, but there were still several things that needed to be finished.

We confirmed several of the features which attracted us to this unit including the underground garage and storage, the heater for the in-ground pool, underfloor heating, the central vacuum system, and the central heating/air conditioning.

But there were a few things that weren't completed.  Most notably, the cooktop had not been installed into the island, and the patio entertainment area (with counter, refrigerator, and sink) had not really been started at all.  In addition, some finish items and cleaning needed to be done.  

So we gave a punch list to the builder and told them that we would need to do a second walk through when the items are completed.  This could take a few more weeks, so it is unlikely that we will close on the apartment until sometime in November, which after waiting over three years doesn't seem that far away.

Just like in 2022, we decided to leave Tavira for several weeks during August to avoid the heat (which worked out well because we avoided a small heat wave) and the many tourists.  This year we chose to go to Galicia, a region of northern Spain which is directly north of Portugal, and the Portuguese city of Porto.  Of course, since we drove, we were able to take Ryder with us.

We chose Galician towns to visit primarily based on their proximity to a dog-friendly beach.  Unlike Portugal, Spain has a network of dog beaches which allow dogs off-lead all year round.  Our AirBNB was just on the edge of the city limits of Vigo (a city of over 200,000 people) but within a five-minute drive of a dog beach.

About an hour drive north of Vigo is the town of Santiago de Compostela, which is world famous for its cathedral -- where the remains of St. James the Great, one of the 12 apostles of Jesus, are believed to be held -- and for the many pilgrims who from all directions have made their treks or "caminos" since the 9th century.  

After one week in Vigo, we continued north to the province of A Coruña and the small town of Ares.  In this case, there were two dog beaches within close proximity to our AirBNB, one in Ares and one in nearby Cabanas.  We determined that the one in Cabanas was the much nicer of the two, with the dog beach simply being part of the regular people beach and with lots of restaurants and shops nearby.  

A little over a one-hour drive away from Ares was Cathedrals Beach (Praia das Catedrais).  The beach has a variety of natural arches and caves which can only be viewed at low tide.  Admission tickets were required, and for safety reasons, people were only allowed on the beach for two hours on either side of low tide.  

The Galician food was wonderful, just a little different and a nice break from Portuguese cuisine.  Lots of fresh seafood, grilled meats, and great Spanish wines and sangria.  

After two weeks in Spain, we made our way south to spend a few final nights back in Portugal, in the city of Porto.  Mark visited Porto back in 2019 during his first visit to the country.  But when it became apparent that the city was not a candidate to be our Portuguese home base (too wet and cold in the winter), we haven't been back since.

Porto is the second largest city in Portugal, and it has a rich history much of which is tied to port wine.  Traders would bring Portuguese wine from the Douro Valley (about 50-100 miles east), down the Douro River, and ultimately to processing facilities (with names like Taylor's Graham's, and Sandeman) located on the south shore of the Douro, in the Porto suburb of Vila Nova de Gaia.  Much of the finished port wine would then be sent on to England and beyond.

We had Ryder with us for most of our walking tour of Porto, and the city was quite crowded with tourists.  So we decided to do a quick (mostly outside) tour of the major sites, with the idea that we would come back to visit another time.  Porto is an easy 5-6 hour train ride from the Algarve.  

Another reason to come to Porto was to celebrate our 36th wedding anniversary.  We decided to dine at the two-star Michelin restaurant at the Yeatman Hotel, just over the river in Vila Nova de Gaia.  It was a lovely setting and a wonderful meal.

We started with champagne and small bites in the bar before being shown into the kitchen.  

​Then to our table which had a great view of the Douro River and the city of Porto.

We had a great time on our August road trip.  We are already thinking about where we will go next August.  Ryder is, too!

Portugal's territory includes two sets of islands.  In January 2022, we visited Madeira, which is to the south, just off the western coast of Africa.  This year, we decided to visit the other set of islands, the Azores, which are due west of mainland Portugal, in the middle of the Atlantic.  Azores Airlines began direct flights from Faro (the airport of the Algarve) this year, so it was an easy two-hour flight to the largest island, São Miguel also known as the Green Island, where we spent a relaxing week.

We stayed in Ponta Delgada, the capital of the Azores archipelago.  It was established in the 15th century and has served (along with cities on other Azorean islands), as a waypoint for explorers and sailors for centuries.  

Most of the attractions on the Azores are outdoors.  So while we were based in Ponta Delgada, we had a rental car which allowed us to see all the gorgeous scenery, usually with a drive of an hour or less.  On our first full day, we traveled to Sete Cidades on the western part of the island. 

The area of Sete Cidades includes a massive volcanic crater three miles across, and the views there are the ones in all of the Azores travel brochures.  At the bottom of the crater are two lakes, one green and one blue due to the reflection of the sky and nearby foliage.  In reality, the lakes are connected and simply separated by a road/bridge.  Our first stop was the Vista do Rei overlook.

Next, we took about an hour hike to get to the Boca do Inferno Viewpoint, which gave a slightly different view of the Sete Cidades area.  Unfortunately, there was some cloud cover on this day, but the images were still spectacular. 

After stopping for refreshments and tea at a small village on the lakefront, we continued to the western edge of ​São Miguel island and the Miradouro (overlook) da Ponta do Escalvado.

Ponta Delgada is on the southern coast, in the middle of ​São Miguel.  The most populated areas of the island are in this middle section on both the north and south sides, and there are lots of beautiful sites to see.  

Lagoa do Fogo is another crater lake on a high point in the middle of the island offering spectacular views.  The area is often covered with clouds, but we were able to get one nice day of partial sun.

While São Miguel does not currently have any active volcanoes, it doesn't mean there is no thermal activity.  In the village of Furnas on the eastern side of the island, we saw numerous cauldrons of bubbling water, and sulfurous fumes filled the air.  The residents of Furnas have used this thermal heating for centuries, particularly for a famed dish, Cozido das Furnas, which is cooked underground using the heat of the volcanic vents.  

In Furnas, Terra Nostra Park includes wonderous gardens and a large thermal pool where people can bath in the "medicinal" waters.  The garden's inception dates back to 1780, when the then United States Consul on the island of São Miguel, Thomas Hickling, in 1775 built his summer residence.

Because the Azores are part of Portugal, the food and drink are not surprisingly similar to what we would have back on the mainland.  But there were some unique things which we sampled, along with some surprise finds.

​There are only two tea plantations in all of Europe, and both of them are on São Miguel.  We took a little tour of one facility and then hiked amongst the groves of tea plants.

On a recommendation from a friend, we visited A Mulher de Capote, a manufacturer of various liquors including gin, vodka, fruit liquors, etc., all made locally in the Azores.

The Azores makes a large proportion of Portugal's cheese because there are so many cows that graze on the grassland hills.  Grapes are grown on several of the islands, so quality wines are produced with their own unique terroir.  We went to a private cheese & wine tasting, where we were able to enjoy these delicious products.  

We ate in several very nice restaurants in São Miguel, but our biggest surprise was to find a smokehouse in Ponta Delgada.  Jonny's Smokehouse in the downtown area served authentic smoke meats, something we've missed since smoking of meat is not common in Portugal.  We had the brisket sandwich and the chicken wings, and they were very good.

​We enjoyed our stay in São Miguel, and we have every intention of returning to the Azores.  Next time, we will probably visit other islands, perhaps Pico and Faial, as they are only a few miles apart, so are easily visited together.  We can't wait!

Mark's childhood friend, Ron, came across the pond from California to visit his daughter who lives in Edinburgh, Scotland.  After the visit, Ron invited Mark to come north for a few days of golf, along with ample servings of hearty food and Scotch whisky.  Mark's only previous visit to Scotland had been in 2008, again with Ron, to celebrate their 50th birthdays.

For this trip, our base was the lovely Scottish town of St. Andrews, the birthplace of golf and the home of one of the oldest and finest golf courses in the world, the Old Course of St. Andrews.  Mark, Ron, and our friend Roy were privileged to play the Old Course some 16 years ago.

The Old Course is exceedingly difficult to get onto, but the good news is that the St. Andrews Golf Trusts operates six other courses in the area.  On our first day, we played at the Castle Course, a very recent addition which only opened in 2008.  As we played, the course seemed very familiar to us in terms of both terrain and course design.  It turns out that the Castle Course was designed by architect David McLay Kidd, who also designed Bandon Dunes Golf Course in southern Oregon, where Mark and Ron have played several times.  

Prior to our trip, the always unpredictable weather in Scotland had been quite fair, with little rain and good amounts of sun.  Unfortunately for us, the weather took a bad turn when we arrived, though it got better as the trip progressed.  Our first day of golf was nice for the first six holes, then the rain started in earnest.  

Our second day of golf was at Kingsbarns Golf Links, just outside St. Andrews.  In 2008, Kingsbarns was our most-liked course after the Old Course, and it was Mark's particular favorite as he shot a 78 with a walk-off birdie on the 18th hole.  With the weather, the golf was not as stellar this year, but it was a wonderful, if consistently damp and windy, day of golf.  

Our final day of golf was at Gleneagles, a large and popular golf resort, about an hour drive inland from St. Andrews.  We played the Kings Course there, which opened in 1919.  The weather was cloudy but without rain, which allowed us to enjoy this Scottish heathland course, quite a change from the seaside links courses which we had exclusively played before.  

We had a short but enjoyable golf trip, and it was wonderful to meet up with a long-time friend.  It was also nice to visit Scotland with a direct, 2.5-hour flight from the Algarve.  There are so many different places to visit in Europe, all with their own unique cultures. 

We needed to make a day-trip to Costco in Seville, so we decided to take a culinary detour on the drive back to Portugal.  The small Spanish village of Jabugo is about an hour drive to the west of Seville and is known for its signature ham, Jamón Ibérico.  The company Cinco Jotas has been making Jamón Ibérico in Jabugo since 1879, and its products are generally considered the best in the world.  

We arrived in Jabugo in time for a brief lunch at the nearby Restaurante Las Bellotas.  Then we took a very informative one-hour tour of the Cinco Jotas facility, learning about the company and the process by which Jamón Ibérico is made.  

We learned that each ham is graded (via a color code), based primarily on the breed of pig which was used and the process by which it was aged and cured.  Every Jamón Ibérico leg carries a color-coded bar code tag which, with an available app, will tell its grade and the history of its processing.  Even in restaurants, if the colored tag is not attached, the grade and quality of the Jamón Ibérico cannot be known.  

As we neared the end of the tour, we came across this "traveling locker."  It looked to us like luggage one might bring on a 1920s ocean liner.  But it was outfitted to carry a Jamón Ibérico, with all of the equipment needed to store, carve, and serve its precious cargo.  We learned that Cinco Jotas does offer a full-day course to teach buyers how to carve their Jamónes.  Perhaps this locker was offered for sale to those to attend the course.

After the tour, we had a tasting of three different cuts from a black-label Cinco Jotas Jamón Ibérico which had been aged for three years, along with a glass of dry white sherry.  It was so fantastic, we dove right in and forgot to take pictures of our repast.  But we were able to take some Jamón and sherry home with us, so we could enjoy it all again at another time.  It was a fabulous tour that we really enjoyed and a lovely day trip to Spain!