Portugal 2: Sintra

Sintra. The well. This is what I was really excited about so when rain was in the forecast I was less than pleased. This picture Kari candidly captured pretty much says it all. Mostly that cheap poncho did nothing except help guide the water down the front of my skinny jeans and into my converse. Wet jeans are nasty! But... look at the well!

It is perfect. The Initiation Wells (AKA initiatic wells or inverted towers) are two wells on the property that better resemble underground towers lined with stairs. These wells never served as water sources. Instead, they were used for ceremonial purposes that included Tarot initiation rites. The tunnels described above connect these wells to one another, in addition to various caves and other monuments located around the park. Of the two wells, the larger one contains a 27-meter spiral staircase with several small landings. The spacing of these landings, combined with the number of steps in the stairs, are linked to Tarot mysticism. The smaller well contains straight stairs that connect a series of ring-shaped floors to one another. This well is also called the 'Unfinished Well'. A structure similar to these wells can be found in the Pozzo di S. Patrizio in Italy.

This well was on the ground of the Palace de Monteiro. There are lakes and caves, castle pieces, a palace. It was such a beautiful ground. I wish it wasn't raining so we had more time and desire to explore. 

Then it started to downpour so we just hung out in the palace and waited. Well once we saw that it wasn't going to stop we just braved the crazy rain and got soaked. We found an Aldi and Aldi had brie for a dollar... why the heck is cheese to cheap there. It amazes me. We ate a lot of bread and cheese it's like chips in America. 

After the first palace we went and sat in a parking lot hoping the rain would go away. And guess what it did! We raced back up the mountain and literally rain into Moorish castle. RAN. Out of breath up the fortress stairs. In the background you can see Pena Castle. 

The Moorish Castle is the name given to a medieval fortification in Gibraltar comprising various buildings, gates, and fortified walls, with the dominant features being the Tower of Homage and the Gate House. Part of the castle itself also housed the prison of Gibraltar until it was relocated in 2010.^[1] The Tower of Homage is clearly visible to all visitors to Gibraltar; not only because of its striking construction, but also because of its dominant and strategic position. Although sometimes compared to the nearby alcazars in Spain, the Moorish Castle in Gibraltar was constructed by the Marinid dynasty, making it unique in the Iberian Peninsula.^[2]

Moorish castle was so beautiful. Walking along the walls and the view of the city below was breathtaking. Keeping with the luck of no rain we raced to Pena Castle. This place was straight out of Disneyland. It is so colorful and beautiful. Absolutely amazingly colorful and beautiful. 

The castle was built on the site of a medieval chapel dedicated to the local Virgin Mary call “Our Lady of Pena.” This site gained religious importance after a reporting of the apparition of the Virgin Mary. The chapel to honor the Virgin was built on the top of the hill and many people pilgrimaged there. In 1493, the site had two more special visitors; King John II of Portugal and his wife Queen Leonor climbed up the mountain to honor their patron.

Sintra is amazing. It is a necessity in Portugal. 

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Portugal 1: Algarve

The Algarve region. Perfection. Portugal. Views. Wow. We even had sun and 70 degree weather. I didn't think it would be warm and I packed just a backpack which is the reason for my odd fashion choice in the next photos. 

Bengali cave. That is why I wanted to come here. However, the sea was bad and we couldn't swim to the cave so we had to book a boat tour. Tour set for 2:15. In the meantime we hung out at the Mahina beach which has these amazing views. 

Then we did our boat tour with an amazing guide who was showing off for us the whole time which mean we went in every cave- maybe even the ones that were too small or had high swells. 

Benagil cave... if you go I hope you can swim to it and get out on that beach. Do so for me and take a picture. 

Then we went to this beach Cavalo or something like that. It used to be private and then man built a tunnel to get to it and then a tunnel on the side of the cliff here that you can walk along for some views. Slightly scary but also needed to happen. 

Pointe de Piendre or something like that. Wowza. This is in Lagos. The view was incredible. We also hiked this steep mountain for more of a view. 

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Spain 2: Seville

Seville. It was fine. It started out rough because we could not find anywhere to park and our hostel was in the middle of the old city where parking doesn't exist. Google maps doesn't work because it can't register if you are on a street or the sidewalk and half the time we didn't know if we were on the street or the sidewalk. 1.5 hours later we were parked. We saw the center. We say flamenco dancing. 

We went to the Cathedral and paid extra to go to the roof except by roof they meant the view tower and not the actual roof. If you ever go make sure to pay for the private tour of the actual roof with all the spires. But guess what Christopher Columbus' tomb was here. That was pretty... interesting. I will use it next year when I teach explorers to my kids. 

This. This was my favorite part of Seville. TAPAS! oh my oh my they were good. That round thing is a piece of goats cheese crusted and cooked in honey until it caramelizes and then covered in some sort of perfection. Just perfect. 

Also the cuhrros and chocolate sauce. Yes please. 

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Spain: Caminito Hike & Rhonda

Flew into Barcelona. Spent the night. Woke up early. Flew to Malaga. Rented car- took 1.5 hours to get the car. Super small car. Only 2 doors. Drove to Caminito Del Rey Hike. Parked. Walked through tunnel. Walked mile to trail head. Got helmet. Put on helmet. Walk begins. 

This hike was one of the world's deadliest hikes until it was redone a few years ago. They built a boardwalk trail ontop of the old crumbling cement and poles that people used to walk on. 

The walkway was built to provide workers at the hydroelectric power plants at Chorro Falls and Gaitanejo Falls with a means to cross between them, to provide for transport of materials, and to help facilitate inspection and maintenance of the channel. The construction began in 1901 and was finished in 1905. King Alfonso XIII crossed the walkway in 1921 for the inauguration of the dam Conde del Guadalhorce, and it became known by its present name.^[3] The walkway is 1 metre (3 ft) in width and rises over 100 metres (330 ft) above the river below.

It was creepy at times because it is very high up but the views were incredible! 

Now this. This I did not like. This suspension bridge was way too high. The hike was beautiful and definitely worth a trip if you are in the area. 

Plus look at this countryside drive! Incredible. There are also these cities where all the buildings are white. Super pretty. 

Then we drove to Rhona. We is composed of myself, Kari, and her friend Blaire. Blaire is a rockstar for driving a stick the entire week. Dude. Look at this bridge. We had to drive down one old and very steep cobblestone road to get to this view but wowza. 

Nick Grey from NGrey Travels gave us this itinerary so follow him on insta and FB for sure. I mean who knew there was this amazing bridge?!

The construction of the newest bridge (the one that stands today) was started in 1759 and took 34 years to build.^[1] There is a chamber above the central arch that was used for a variety of purposes, including as a prison. During the 1936-1939 civil war both sides allegedly used the prison as a torture chamber for captured opponents, killing some by throwing them from the windows to the rocks at the bottom of the El Tajo gorge. ^[2]The chamber is entered through a square building that was once the guard-house. It now contains an exhibition describing the bridge's history and construction.

We woke the next morning in Ronda and walked out to the bridge look at this view.... stop it. 

Then we headed to some ancient Roman ruins. Acinipo was a city about 20 kilometers from Ronda, near Seville, Southern Spain, believed to have been founded by retired soldiers from the Roman legions more than 2,000 years ago. The remaining ruins include a Roman theater still in use today.

I would say day 1 was pretty legit. 

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Italy 2018

Spending valentine’s day in one of the most romantic countries in the world isn’t the worst idea I’ve ever had. Well, it was Nick’s idea and I jumped on it since I had a long weekend at work.
Vday was spent in Milan with chocolate gelato and the gorgeous cathedral. Then off to bed to try and get rid of the jetlag. We should mention that on the flight here I had an empty middle seat which is such a blessing! When I got to the hostel I had to force myself to stay awake which is why I hopped the subway into Milan. The hostel was awesome because they had a full spread breakfast and dinner. Delicious food too and right across the street from the main station, so easy transport.

The next morning I took a bus to meet up with Nick in Bergamo at the airport and we hopped in the car and began the journey to Lake Garda. A beautiful lake surrounded by little towns cut into the mountain. We explored castles and quaint cities with cobblestone roads and colorful shutters. Pizza was of course consumed, as we are in the land of carbs and cheese. So much has happened, I cannot even remember.
After Garda day one we woke up and went to a waterfall in some amazing slot canyons. The funny thing is on the map it was called the wasserfall say that out loud a few times. So funny! This is the canyon that leads into the wasserfall. I don't like that they added all these cheesy colored lights but it was such a beautiful canyon. While in there there was this old Italian man who was a worker and he tried talking to us but we clearly don't speak Italian. Luckily it is similar enough to Spanish and I discerned that water, 3 minutes. Still wasn't sure what it meant but we waited around and sure enough 3 minutes later a massive amount of water started coming down the falls. Mist galore, but sweet! It Garda we stopped and watched the most beautiful sunset on the lake.

The pictures we got are pretty incredible. These are Nick's- it's so awesome traveling with someone who also likes to take pictures and brings a nice camera. I have decided to sell all my gear and buy a light weight version that I can travel with.

The thing about Italy is we would get to these amazing towns and beautiful views but there were no pull off points. No place to stop and look or take photos. One time we pulled over on this tiny tiny out crop and found a set of stairs that went down the cliff. We raced down the cliff and took pictures of the town across the lake. The next day he was able to get drone footage... can't wait for him to finish those videos!

From there we headed to Verona. Verona had me doing a little dance because it is exactly what an Italian city looks like in my mind. Narrow alleys with colorful building, lights strung, planters with colorful flowers, lampposts, cafes with striped awnings- I have no idea how to spell that word and I don’t currently have google.

Oh! Before this we went to this Madonna church- literally built into the side of a mountain!




Amazing right? It was a long walk down and a steep climb up but dang! Look at this thing! Incredible!
Ok back to Verona. In the middle of the plaza was a freaking arena! It was built in the first century. Can you just imagine that thing full of 10,000 people all watching men fight beasts or each other. I walked that. It was so trippy to think about!



We then climbed to a look out point to see the sunset over Verona. Can I tell you how amazing it is to not have to be the planner on a trip, it’s the first time I’ve ever just tagged along and I love it. Nick has everything planned and it’s wonderful, or as he would say: glorious.



This was the bridge we went across to get into the city. Talk about a grand entrance.





Sorry, all of this is going to be out of order and a mess bc I forgot to write about it the first three days. This is a city on lake Garda, it’s also Nick’s photo- he brought some awesome equipment so all these photos that are nice are his.


He also took this one of me watching the sunset, I love this photo!


Here is his drone footage from above the castle.






Then we headed to the cinque terre National park. It was cold and rainy. The fog was insane but luckily for us the fog went away so we could see a few of these absolutely amazing towns. The water was teal and clear, sheer rock face cliffs, and colorful homes covering the cliff side. These places were a dream!




They took forever to g
et to and the mountain roads were insane but nick handled the stick like a pro. Also his iPhone X took this photo below- love that it does awesome portraits!



I found my caprese... on a friggen pizza... stop it. Also in my belly: gnocchi, lasagna, more pizza, gelato and so much bread and balsamic: I’m going to turn Italian from the inside out... wait, I already am!

Now, we need to talk about Como. Lake Como was in my opinion not as great as Lake Garda. Garda had these cute towns with castles and cobblestone streets, alleyways, and was just charming. Como was beautiful don't get me wrong but I liked Garda better.

Ok so at one point we went to another waterfall that was so pretty! The water was a beautiful shade of blue.

So then we drive to this town, maybe called Lecco? I don't know it was on the east side of Lake Como. We walk about the cute place and then want to go to this castle for the view and to see the castle... but the castle... is at the top of this mountain you  see below. And... there is no road. 

Ok... so, I didn't know I would be hiking, but that is ok. We start walking up... up... up... there is the beautiful view you can see above and then we keep going, going, going. We get all the way to the top of that mountain and ... it is closed! Off season! Well, I won't tell you whether or not we hopped the fence and broke the Italian law together. 

Then maybe the next day, not sure anymore, the whole trip blurred and since I didn't plan it I have no idea a sense of order lol. We headed to the bottom of Como and then the West side. There was this beautiful cathedral with teal domes- this is in actual Como. You can take a funicular up the mountain for a sweet view- the view is in the going up though, at the top it is not so great. 

 The whole trip I just wanted gelato but the joke was on me because all the places were closed. It was so frustrating.. I mean come on it is Italy! Also, no canolis. :( Anyway it became the running joke tht every town I went into shut down their gelato shops... well after many days... I found one! I was so excited. That stuff is dang good! The only other sad thing is I just wanted fresh homemade pasta and surprisingly that is very hard to find. I finally found a shop and we scheduled it into our plans... we get there and it is the cutest building but guess what.. closed early on Monday! hahahahaaha

Oh! We forgot to say we went to Switzerland on one morning... it wasn't so great. Also, Switzerland is EXPENSIVE!

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Cause Based Christmas

       Every time I come back from a trip, humanitarian or not, I am racked with feelings of guilt, sadness, thankfulness, and confusion. How can I live in such an amazing place where I am so blessed yet others live lives where they just wish they had access to clean water? I have seen some very deep and heavy things on my trips and many times I return home just in time for the holidays which is an overwhelming contrast.
      Holidays where we shower each other with gifts upon gifts upon gifts. I've had to find the balance of living my life with my holiday traditions and presents but also feeling good about where my money is going and how I am serving and helping those in need.
      I've been asked many times about the places I visit or the organizations I come in contact with. I've also been asked, "What can I do?" I think one thing we can all do this Christmas is find balance in our gift giving and have a cause based Christmas.
      1. Scale back on the amount of gifts. America is a consumer based society but we consume SO much and we throw away so much that is still of use or value to others. Instead of showering children with gifts why not pick a few more meaningful gifts and then give the gift of time together.
      2. Serve. The holidays are a great time to serve. Pick something to do as a family or a group of friends. Food banks, homeless shelters, and drives galore. It is an easy time to find service be it through your local community, school, library, etc. My go to websites are:
              https://www.justserve.org/
             https://www.laworks.com/calendar
             https://www.volunteermatch.org/
        3. Upcycle. I have many crafty friends who take items from garage sales, the side of the road, or things they may have thrown away and turn them into beautiful gifts. Old plates and broken lamps turned into stacked jewelry holders. Pringles cans turned into cute containers to hold homemade cookies. Broken glass frames lined with chicken wire and turned into earring holders. The possibilities are endless.
         4. Buy with a cause. Not all gifts can be centered around giving back but what about those that can? I believe strongly in shopping local, supporting small business, and finding companies that give back to the community be it in your own backyard or global. Here are some of the people, organizations, and non profits I support full heatedly. I have focused this year on giving the gift of sponsorship or at least giving actual gifts that in some way support others.

California Wildlife Center

IG: @cawildlife
https://www.facebook.com/californiawildlifecenter/

Each week I volunteer at the CWC, an incredible organization that rehabilitates injured wildlife and then releases them back into their native habitat. They have sponsorships that make great gifts. I use these to sponsor for the little ones since you can add a plushie to your gift. Does a 6 month old really need extra gifts? With the little plushie and a sponsor they are saving the lives of animals.
Cheapest sponsor: $50 Hummingbird
Most expensive: $1500 Sea Lionv

Raksha Nepal

@raksha.nepal

Raksha Nepal  Is the shelter I volunteered at in Nepal. They house 60 girls who are all victims of sexual abuse, assault, trafficking, etc. The leader there, Menuka, is one of the most inspiring and powerful women I have ever met. She runs this organization so well and has thought of everything these girls need. You can read more about my experience here.   Donations of any amount can be made through Help International. ( @helpintl) 

https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/1441387?code=Website .  Make sure you check you want your donation to be used for a special purpose and on the drop down menu click Raksha Nepal. 

The Gem Studio

@the.gemstudio

I met Matt while serving in Uganda. In fact, we had Thanksgiving at his orphanage in Africa. You can read about it and see photos here.  Since then Matt has started a studio where you can go and make your own rings and all proceeds go to the orphanage. The only downside is that this is in Utah but let me tell you this orphanage as well as these rings are incredible and totally worth a trip. How fun to give the gift of a silversmithing. Check out his instagram to see the beautiful rings you can create. They now offer rings for purchase! They have trained the girls from Raksha in silversmithing and rings can now be purchased and all proceeds go back to them! 

Child Of Hope

@childofhopeuganda

https://www.facebook.com/childofhopeuganda/

Also while in Uganda I was able to tour the slums. It was a heartbreaking situation but an organization has stepped in and is giving kids a fighting chance through education. You can read about my time with Child of Hope here.  You can sponsor a child for 20E, you will have to do the exchange into USD. I sponsor a child each month and I can tell you the money is going to a great cause with inspiring people who are leading the way. You can sponsor a child here.

OSSO

@ossovolunteer

http://www.orphanagesupport.org/

My very first service trip was with OSSO. They work with orphanages in Ecuador and now have their own orphanage. This is another organization I use to sponsor a child.  The sponsorship is $30 up to $500 a month.  If you don't have enough to sponsor or are looking for another way to donate they sell incredible cards that the kids make and other items. These make great gifts and support the orphanages. 

Causebox
@causebox
https://www.facebook.com/causebox/

This is more for those of you who still want to give actual gifts, things. This company finds other companies or locals who are making products that are socially conscious and often support others in struggling areas. It is a subscription service where you can get boxes 4x a year filled with items that have a good cause. $49 a box. You can also order the box just once. My last box I ordered because there was a necklace that was made from recycled animal bone by local women in Africa. This year I ordered two boxes and am taking it apart to give pieces to those friends and family in my life. 

Little Princes

http://conorgrennan.com/little-princes/

https://www.facebook.com/nextgenerationnepal/

@nextgenerationnepal

Know of anyone who likes to read? Buy them this book. It will inspire them as well as help to support a children's home in Nepal. It is honestly one of my favorite books of all time. It would also be great for book club. Many people are getting this book from me this year. :)

Consider Christmas with a cause this year. If you have any questions please ask!

Krochet Kids

https://www.krochetkids.org/

This beanie was in my Causebox and was incredible quality. So soft, so cute. So, I ordered another one and LOVE it. Fast shipping, great quality, comes in a cute bag and makes an excellent gift. The best part? You can virtually meet the person who made your beanie. They are providing jobs for women in other countries.

Pinch Me Therapy Dough
https://pinchmedough.com/
Kids love slime and putty these days but this dough has a cause. Each purchase helps pay for a soldier's stress management training with bootstrapusa. My friend Sarah and I saw this in a cute boutique in Morris, IL and she sent me some for Christmas. It smells so good and feels incredible!

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