Lagos, Portugal and London, UK

Location and ambiance really affect our enjoyment in a place.  In this case: a beachy relaxed mood, pleasant afternoon breezes, a very comfortable AirBnB (washing machine!), walking distance to restaurants/grocery stores, good prices, drinkable water, a removed distance from the tourist chaos, and a multicultural neighborhood.  This was: Lagos, Portugal.  Sidenote: And Ken would add: they sell oat milk.  And Hillary would add: they sell tampons.  And Everett would add: good WIFI.  So, by all objective measures, Lagos, Portugal is now a top contender on our “Places to Retire List.”

Not much was on the agenda at this stage of the game.  Several beach and cliff walks.  Laundry.  Relaxed mornings drinking coffee on our balcony combined with afternoon sangria at the cafe next door.  Cobblestone walkways and quaint streetside shops.  The only Portuguese we picked up - “Obrigado.”  Ken was not-too-excited to admit the landscape was strikingly similar to his hometown, Palos Verdes (ever heard of Portuguese Bend?).  Around the world visiting 50 countries, only to land where you started?  A full circle moment.

 

We hopped yet another bus to Lisbon and landed at a hostel in a very diverse neighborhood.  On a random chance an old work colleague/friend (Joe Keating) was in Lisbon as well, and Ken was able to meet him for drinks. There is always such a surge of joy for these “random” run-ins!  Everett and I had our own “date night” at a Nepalese-Portuguese restaurant: yes, biryani and paella do mix.

Everett was excited for his favorite activity – plane spotting – this time at the Lisbon Airport.  The lounge was closed for maintenance so we sat at a coffee shop outside our gate.  A sign read: “If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay at home.”  Wow.

After landing at Gatwick, we took the express train into London, where we stayed at our friend Greg’s house.  He was so generous to host us!  (LOL, he didn’t have a choice, I think we just said, “We’re coming.”)  His boys are the same age as Everett, so they had a great time at the park, rough housing, playing games, and chasing each other.  Seeing friends after so long on the road felt really good.  

Hearing English again after all these months made us feel like we were already back home.  We had visited a few years ago, so Greg’s neighborhood felt oddly familiar – Nando’s, Gail’s, Sainsbury’s, and the tube.

An afternoon was spent at Westminster Abbey.  I thought it was “just another church” (every city has their famous church/mosque/synagogue/temple), but it really was spectacular.  We hadn’t read anything prior to visiting, not knowing it was the coronation site for British monarchs and royal weddings.  Every famous UK person seemed to be buried there – monarchs, poets, scientists, politicians.

We also had a chance to meet up at a traditional pub with two of Hillary’s old friends who have lived in London for the past ten years (Busby and Susan).  The place had a warm and welcoming character on a Friday night (Euro 2024 football on the TV’s) and we had a great time catching up.  Old friends are the best friends!

When we were in Vietnam, we met a British family (they were on holiday at the same hotel and the boys hit it off).  They rode the train several hours from their home to visit us in London.  We were all having a wonderful time at The Regents Park, until the boys wandered off for an “adventure” and didn’t tell us.  The parents spent hours searching for them, until… Yes, the police were called.  The boys were eventually found as they had wandered about three miles away.  They were happily enjoying the lake, unaware of their “missing” status.  Luckily, it ended well and it was a big learning lesson for all.  LOL, we have jokingly decided our next meet up will be in Central Park to up the ante.

Finally, we spent an afternoon at the Science Museum and an amazing playground at Holland Park.  We were sad to leave London but it was the perfect location to end our trip.

 

Thank you to our family and friends for following our journey.  And even more thanks to those of you who hosted us along the way, managed our house in Seattle, collected our snail mail, watched our dog, drove our cars so the batteries wouldn’t die, and overall did any favor we asked without question.  

 

After eight months, we are nearing the end of these travels.  It’s time to return to the regularly scheduled program.  Everett is desperate for his friends and our old way of life in Seattle – regular school, Teddy (our dog), and the stability of home.  After 245 days on the road, we stayed at 90 accommodations, moving every 2.7 days.  To everything, turn, turn, turn.  To everything there is a season.  It’s time to go home.  We’ll post one more time, after our return to the States -- in just a few days.