What a Difference a Year Makes

Regal bald eagle, Olympic Peninsula, WA

     April, 2018...the lost month.  During the last week of March (2018), I had two major surgeries, and a third one in mid-April.  I spent all of April in the hospital and by the time I returned home, I had lost 20 pounds and was so weak that I struggled to sit up.  The only way I was able to get around my house was with a walker. A WALKER!

     
     In early May, I started going to physical therapy three days a week.  Initially, even getting to PT was a big deal...I was never sure I could get up and get my ass in the car. I had to prep myself before each appointment with a nap, and came home from each session needing another.  That went on for weeks.

     Incrementally, I got stronger and incrementally, I became hopeful.  Since then, I've been committed to exercising every day. I am stronger.  On most days, I don't need my cane, (except to go upstairs in my house).  I'm still a bit clumsy and trip fairly often, especially when fatigued.  I gained some weight back, which I needed to do in order to build stamina.  Overall, I'm doing OK.

Port Townsend

     April, 2019, has been much different. During the first week, combining work with pleasure, I spent three days with my dear friend, Stefanie, hanging around the Olympic Peninsula. We shopped, went on long walks, and hiked near ShiShi Beach. Then I  attended a genetics conference in Seattle.

 

     This is the trail to ShiShi Beach.  It's a 4-mile hike from the parking lot to the beach and back.  I didn't make it this time.  We arrived mid-afternoon and I didn't have the strength nor speed to get to the beach and back by sundown. So...I guess I need to go back when I'm stronger. I'm happy to try again.






 
     


     I came home for one week, then Wynn, Nina and I flew to Lisbon, Portugal.  Nathan and his girlfriend, Banshamlak, flew from Israel to meet us for part of the time. It was a glorious trip - not only because Portugal is beautiful and fascinating with a long, rich history and friendly people, but because we were together. From Magellan to the soccer superstar, Ronaldo, the Portuguese have lots to showcase.  It's a profoundly Roman Catholic country and we were told that 97% (that's a lot) identify as such. 

The Church of Sao Francisco

     The day after flying into Lisbon we took a train north to Porto, Portugal's second largest city.  This is a spectacular church in the heart of Porto.  Its (overly) ornate everything speaks to Portugal's history of exploration and colonization of other countries, then bringing riches home to decorate; a common practice back then.  

      On day 2 in Porto, we hired a guide to take us to the Douro Valley - the place in the world where port wines are made.  The hills along the Douro River were terraced hundreds of years ago and the terrace walls are protected by the UNESCO Heritage Foundation.  Grapes are grown in this valley, made into port wines, (wine with grappa or brandy as a preservative), then trucked an hour and a half to Porto to age in the cooler seaside air.

      We visited two vineyards; one small, family-run vineyard called Marrocos, where the operations are very different than larger ones, but both still stomp the grapes by feet. Because there are very large vineyards, some owned by foreign entities, there is a controlling body called the Port Wine Institute that regulates everything - how much wine is produced at each vineyard, the types of

grapes grown, the quality and distribution.  Each

legitimate bottle has an Institute sticker. We were told that the Institute protects the smaller vineyards from being bought out by the larger ones.
       We also visited and tasted ports at a large, British-owned vineyard called Croft.  Port wines are sweet, and I loved them.

     One of my favorite parts about traveling is noticing local residents.  This man is a friend of our guide and has lived in this region his whole life.  When I asked him if I could take his picture he said, "Why not?!"...in a charming Portuguese accent.

     No hotel rooms on this trip...we rented AirBnB apartments.  Although we ate out a lot, we enjoyed shopping at local markets for a few home cooked meals.  This is the garden of the place we stayed at in Porto.  That's Nina sitting and planning our day with the Douro River and Vila de Gaia, the city across the river from Porto, in the background.

Wynn

     We planned our trip a la Rick Steves' Portugal travel book.  We did several walking tours he suggested, which brought us to this beautiful city park.

     We walked across the bridge from Porto to Vila de Gaia.  In the olden days, these boats brought the port wine barrels from the Douro Valley to Vila de Gaia to age.  You can go to tasting rooms here, too, and the view of Porto from this side of the Douro River is beautiful.

Drinking cherry liqueur in chocolate cups is a thing in Portugal.  It's called Ginja, and is a great treat anytime of the day!

     The Portuguese love painted tiles and mosaic sidewalks.  This is just one example of the hundreds, perhaps thousands, of miles of mosaic sidewalks in this country.  Most streets are cobblestone and since they are so old, some are very uneven.  I saw several people turn an ankle while strolling along.  I may have missed a few sights because I was looking down while walking.  

     We walked through an open market one day.  The fresh finds were mouth watering.

     After a few days in Porto, we returned to Lisbon to meet Nathan and his girlfriend.

     This is the Monastery of Jeromimos in the Belem area of Lisbon.  It's massive.  If size and grandiose-ness was the measure of importance to these people, then religion was paramount. 

     This is a view of the church's dome from inside the monastery's courtyard. The Moorish architecture is throughout and like most all old churches in Portugal, the insides are covered in gold leaf.

     Close to the Monastery, on the banks of the Tagus River, is Padrão dos Descobrimentos, the Monument to the Discoveries.  It was built in 1960 and you can appreciate its size by the people in the bottom of this picture.  Henry the Navigator is at the tip with the likes of Magellan and Vasco de Gama represented.  It's also massive,  so discoverers must be important to the Portuguese as well.

 

     We spent a day with a guide, Hugo Martins, who took us to Sintra, Portugal.  It was a 20-30 minute drive from Lisbon and is home to many old palaces, castles, and beautiful parks.  On the top of the hill behind us is the Pena Palace.

     This is  the mansion and grounds of Quinta da Regaleira.  A really rich guy built this 19th century gothic home, gardens and chapel.  It's another UNESCO World Heritage site.

Nina and me

     This is the Initiation Well (Poço Iniciáticoin) at Quinta da Regaleira...

...and this is a view of the garden from the mansion.

Nathan and me

     




     Our guide, Hugo, drove us back to Lisbon along the Atlantic coast.

     I took this picture on the last day in Lisbon.  It's from the bedroom window of our AirBnB.  I love the sky, the church, and view of the Atlantic Ocean...note the ginormous cruise ship.

     This trip was really special to me.  Portugal is a hilly place with very steep streets in Lisbon and Porto.  Despite pushing myself to walk a little faster, go a little further, and stay up a little later,  I am certain I was still the limiting factor in some of the activities the rest of my family wanted to do.  But you know what...no one complained!  We all did our best to make this trip memorable...if for no other reason than there were no blowout arguments 😀.