Family Gap Year - 1.5 Months In (Part 1: Leaving and Portugal)

It's been almost exactly one month since we packed up our suitcases, made a few last stops at the house to search for forgotten items, and headed for Chicago O'Hare to fly out. (Yes, we live in Indy, but we always fly out of Chicago because it saves about $1000 once you multiply it by 6.)

Before we left, we ended up staying in 3 Airbnbs in Indiana for various reasons, so we were well versed in packing/repacking before we even took off. It actually served us well, though, as we realized we had overpacked in certain areas (paper items) and underpacked in others (pants).

If you were to ask me on certain days, I would say it seems like time is moving super quickly. On others, it seems like forever since we left. We are starting to settle in to a groove on certain days, and struggling to find secure footing the next.

But when I look back at the photos, I realize we've already done so much, and settling into a new normal is a necessary part of the process.

It's hard to figure out how to balance real life with the urge to entertain the kids and/or vacation like we normally would.

We've run into a few worldschooling families along the way who have given us some great tips on pacing and budgeting, but we know we have to find our own approach. Given that we have such a wide age gap and such a large family, it's going to have to look different from some of the smaller groups we've encountered. So far, the largest family we've met who are doing this is a family from Israel with 3 kids (6 mos, 2, and 8). They were brilliant at budgeting and amazingly brave travelling with such little ones. It's families like theirs that make this crazy year seem possible and worth it.

Here's a quick recap of the highs and lows of the past month. Hopefully I can post more regularly from here on out.

Side note: I can't decide what this as-we-go blogging will be---a record of events? a personal narrative? a travel guide?---so please be patient with me as I find my footing. It will probably be a mix of all three. Also, please know that much of my writing will be done in the small gaps between naps, homeschooling, and trip planning. So you will probably find lots of typos!

But here goes.... :)

The Flight Over

The flight left at 10:55pm (11:55 our time), which we hoped would mean Juneau would sleep through the flight. He did...but not well.

We ended up in the bulkhead seats (extra legroom!) but that meant the armrests didn't move (!!!!) so his neck was bent in all kinds of crazy positions through the night.

Nate and I decided to not job share Juneau Duty during flights. Instead, one person gets a free pass for the flight and we switch roles on the next flight. I took this leg, and it wasn't a bad gig. The stewardesses hated us by the end because he kept trying to lay on the floor under our feet, but he survived! Overall, not a bad flight.

TAP Portugal is definitely not a luxury airline, but it wasn't terrible. And (bonus), they are affiliated with United, so we got some bonus miles that will hopefully serve us well for some of the big flights coming up.

Portugal

We chose Portugal because it had the cheapest transatlantic flights and was highly

recommended by several friends. I have to admit that it wasn't my favorite country, but I didn't NOT like it. As Geneva said, it just didn't stand out from other European countries in many ways (other than the language, of course). Perhaps if we had taken the time to visit the Azores like Madeira, it would have seemed more exotic, but that was cost prohibitive with 6 people.

Portugal, once a very inexpensive destination, really pushed tourism the past few years (hence the cheap overseas flights), so the cost of hotels has really skyrocketed. Of all of the places we've visited so far on this trip, Portugal was by far the most expensive. We are trying to stay under $100 per night for a family of 6, but that was impossible in and around Lisbon. (Yes, I know that $100 seems unreasonably low, but so far we have been able to keep that average, even in Europe. Spain helped with that. More on that in my next post.)

We stayed just off the main drag in the Sao Sebastian area, a nice shopping district. We got a discount because they were doing construction right outside the window, but Juneau thought the bulldozers were great entertainment, so it worked out.

We got started on homeschooling with the kids, something that was a bit of an adjustment. Phoenix was/is not a fan, as you can see from his face in this picture. But he's on fall break now, so we're hoping quarter 2 goes more smoothly.

Zara is working with her former teacher who created a curriculum for her and they have scheduled meetings every 2 weeks. She took to online more readily, but her stuff is more gamified, so that makes sense.

Lisbon was nice, and I enjoyed the cheap metro system since transportation for 6 is always expensive. Metro tickets were on $1.60 each, so I was sold. So far, Portugal transportation has been the cheapest yet.

We did what we usually do and had the kids walk TO a destination with the agreement that we would ride the metro back. Good exercise, saves money, and a nice reward at the end of the day. Promising a scoop of gelato or telling them that "the key to ice cream" (as we used to call it) was at the end of the hike helps. :)

One day, we took a day trip to Sintra, a town that has recently become Instagram famous

for its yellow castle.

We didn't actually go to the castle since the kids are not huge museum/castle fans at this point, but we did enjoy the town. It is exceptionally touristy, so not our everyday vibe but I'm glad we went. The views were gorgeous.

The highlight of the day was our visit to the Quinta da Regaleira, a 16th-century palace and garden that looks like it's straight out of a hobbit's playbook. It reminded me a bit of Gaudi Park in Barcelona---quirky, lovely, etc.

In the middle, there is a walk-down well that was used by the Knights Templar for initiations or something. (I didn't get to read much about it because I was chasing Juneau everywhere, terrified he would jump over one of the many ledges the park has to offer). It was really neat, though, and we were glad we went.

We also made a day trip to Cascais (pronounced "cash-kysh") to go to the beach. This required a 45-minute train trip, but it went fast. We spent the afternoon on the beach, which the kids really enjoyed despite the fact that they supposedly hate sand and are afraid of sea creatures. (This is what happens when you live 1300 miles from the nearest ocean.)

We ended up eating at Taberna Clandestina, which is apparently highly recommended on TripAdvisor, although we just stumbled upon it.

It was good food but tapas-portions, so be prepared to order more than one item per person. The fried ravioli was a big hit (see picture). The seafood was also great, especially the cod, which Portugal apparently loves. They even had codburgers, but we never ended up trying one before we left.

If you end up in Cascais, be sure to check out Santini Gelato. Our Airbnb host told us it was the best gelato in Portugal and Cascais's was the flagship store. Prepare to pay American ice cream prices for European portions, but it's well worth it.

Another thing that was apparently very popular was the cherry liquor that was served in edible chocolate shot glasses. It was 5 o'clock somewhere, so I tried it one morning. It was definitely an acquired taste. I decided that too many cherry-flavored medicines in my childhood may have ruined me on cherry-flavored anything. You may have a different reaction, but ew....

But overall, the food highlight was the pastel de nata, Portugal's signature dessert. We accidentally ordered one at the airport on arrival thinking it was a bite-sized quiche but it was sweet and custardy and definitely not quiche. But good. After several taste tests, Nate and Phoenix (the biggest nata fans among us) decided that the best nata was in Sintra. They were making it in the shop window, which added to the appeal. Nate was inspired and made a video about the pastry's history.

I'm going to try to post more about what we've been doing and hopefully catch up to real time soon. We are currently in Tuscany, Italy, which has a very different pace from the rest of our trip so far. More on that soon!