On our 3rd morning we work up at a normal time, hopped into the car and drove 2 tows over where we bought train tickets to go one more town down the line. We ran into a problem because the ticket machines are only in German. I think we bought tickets for the whole town but we will never know.

At our final stop we got onto the barefoot trail where we walked back to the car barefooted.

We met several farm animals along the way including 5 black kittens who had just opened there eyes. I think the train was 3rd M’s favorite part.

On our second morning in Europe we got up late. And by late I mean 11 AM after 14 hours of sleep. We all needed it and after a day of hiking we need it again.

We started the day by walking across the street to the tram and riding to the top of the mountain. Or should I say to the top of one of the mountains surrounding us. At the top we watched paragliders taking off and listened to the not so distant cow bells. The mountains are all used as pasture lands in the summer so you find cows and sheep everywhere.

The hike back down to the base was spectacular with caves, dropoffs and restaurants hanging on the edge of cliffs. There was also a sign recommending keeping your children roped in at all times. I was expecting the worst but all the trails are well maintained with handrails in the steepest sections. We kept 3rd M close at all times but luckily he is as sure-footed as his dad.

At the bottom of the steepest section of the trail was a high alpine lake with 2 guest houses where we had a late lunch. Then another hike down a steep road back to our hotel where we watched the paragliders land.

For dinner we headed down the road a short distance to Appenzell Town. Our dinner consisted mostly of the local cheese Appenzeller and 1st M sampled the local beer.

So why are the Swiss Alps a mountain junkies delight? Hopefully some of those reasons are apparent above but the access to the peaks is nothing like anywhere I have been before. The mountains are very rugged but the trails are well marked, maintained and used. There seems to be no limit to activities and the people are very friendly. I would love to come back in the winter to ski. We have not met very many people that speak English and I am not sure if that is a positive or negative thing. We have not had too many problems getting around so in my book it is not a bad thing.

2 days and 3 country’s. On Saturday we landed in Frankfurt after the red-eye from Denver. 

Shortly after landing we hopped on the fast train to Basel where we transferred to the slower train to Uberlingen where Uncle G picked is up. 3rd M was over the moon for the train ride but ended up sleeping through a bunch of it. None of us slept that great on the plane so a long train ride put us right to sleep.

We only had a short time to see Uncle G and his place in Uberlingen before going to bed. In the morning we got up early and dropped Uncle G off at the Zurich airport. We spent a few hours in Zurich before it started to rain and we all piled back into the car.

After a short drive we stopped for lunch in Vaduz, Liechtenstein. If you think Switzerland is expensive, Liechtenstein was a shock.

3rd M has also decided he does not want to show his face in pictures any more. There is not much we can do about that.

After the bank busting lunch we drove to our hotel next to the train tracks and the tram in Wasserauen Switzerland. It is GORGEOUS here and a mountain junkies delight but more on that in our next post.

As you can see in the picture below we have come down to the end of the trip and 3rd M is wearing his last set of clean clothes.

We spent the day taking a closer look at Lisbon, basically just taking it all in. We have all enjoyed this trip but we are also ready to get back to our normal routine. And by routine I mean sleep.

It has been nice to spend so much time with 3rd M and to see what he is interested in and to show him what we are interested in. With that interest he has learned a bunch of new words or his own signs for those words. “Horse” is shaking his head and neck up and down like the horse did with the bells on it in Granada. He is now telling people his name and just today he said fish and turtle.

It has also been nice to see how 3rd M brings a smile to strangers faces. It might be with a smile, a wave, or a fist bump, but most of the people that see him have a smile on their face when they look away.

Below are some pictures from around town today.

We have done a lot of walking on this trip, but today was all about the stairs. First thing this morning, we boarded the train for Sintra and decided to walk up to the castle since it was cool. We could see the castle so how hard could it be? I should have known what we were in for from the start. The stairs begin right from the town center through winding alleys up into the forest.

3rd M insisted on walking a bunch of the hill on his own and, since he had the map, he was sure the right way was down. He would only turn around once we showed him he had the map upside down. This of course brought our pace to a slow stroll with all the stops, backpedaling and explaining. 

We were both proud of his effort and the slower pace let us enjoy the view. In the future we will leave the navigation up to the “over 2 year olds”, though.

Once at the castle it was a short walk (up) to the Palace of Pene; one of the most stunning palaces I have seen. The combined beauty of the palace itself, the location overlooking the castle and the gardens that surround the palace are difficult to put into words.

We all thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Plus, we had all those stairs to walk back down. We actually took a different route down, so we did not have as many stairs.

What are you looking at 3rd M?

Oh I see, dad enjoying a drink after all those stairs.

This morning we left Spain for Portugal and the end to our one night hotel stands. Hopefully this will help 3rd M sleep through the night since he has been getting up at least once each night for the past few days. Our ride to Portugal was in a comfortable aircraft where every seat was either a window or an aisle seat. Once again I had to search under most of the seats near us to make sure I collected all the things 3rd M distributed around the cabin.

Below is the view from our hotel room. Below that is the same view a few hours later. When we arrived there was a nice breeze. Later on it is no longer a breeze. If you windsurf or kite surf, this seems to be your destination.

We have definitely left the calm warmth of the Alboran Sea and have the much cooler Atlantic to swim in. This also means the offshore breeze is refreshingly cool. Finding a sheltered spot on the beach was a challenge but once again 3rd M’s charm got us a spot with a wonderful set of German twins and their mother in a sheltered spot right next to the snack shack. It is amazing what you can do with a smile.

We are in Granada close to the center of where the flamenco originated. We were worried that we would not get a chance to enjoy the dance since 3rd M would not be up late enough. Luckily for us there are spontaneous gatherings where a guitar appears and the music starts to flow. I am sure a professional show is a more spectacular but dancing with the locals would most likely not be possible.

3rd M got a chance to work on his dance steps with 3 young ladies. I am not sure what step includes showing off your belly but he makes it work.

The added bonus is the view. That is Alhambra in the background

It is hot and dry and we all agree that is a much better combination than the hot and humid we had on the coast. At least this way you get wet playing in the fountain. Today was actually quite cool with rain but yesterday and tomorrow will be in the 100’s.

The best part of the long drive to Cordoba yesterday was at the end. Our hotel is in the city center and sine the city center was built before cars, cars only kind of work. Getting lost did not help. At least the streets are all one way and there is usually no choice on where to turn. Expecting people to stand with their back to the building so the car can squeeze by was a little embarrassing.

“Excuse me, coming through. Yes we are lost. Yes I know we just came through a minute ago, is it OK if you do that maneuver again? Thank you!”

At least we had a nice tour of the city in air conditioned comfort and I am very happy we have a small car with a tight turning radius. Go VW Polo, go. I am not sure the picture below does the size of the streets justice. We tried to get a picture of the car but we had technical problems.

Can anyone identify the object below?

I am sure most of you said a bidet. As a parent with a curious and active one and a half year old, I like to call it a bathroom fountain. These things, when placed in the right hands, like 3rd M’s, can flood an entire bathroom in less than 10 seconds or about the time it takes a grownup to get from the bed to the bathroom of a standard hotel room.

In the photo above you can see 2nd M’s clever mechanism for disabling the fountain portion of this device. So far in this hotel we have a dry bathroom floor.

We had fish and chips for dinner with a pint to wash it down.

Maybe this next picture will help.

Yep that is the rock of Gibraltar. Down here at the southern end of Spain is a little slice of the British Empire. At only 2.5 square miles there is not much of it but it sure is an abrupt culture change. The Royal Post, red double decker busses, phone booths and the British accent.

On the way here we detoured through Ronda. A white painted town in the rugged hills. It is very picturesque and on the edge of a cliff with a very old bridge called the New Bridge spanning the gap between the old town and the newer commercial portion.

One noticeable difference as we have headed south is the heat. We left the mid 80’s and are now in the high 90’s. It has hit all 3 of us.

We find relief where we can.

Some of the best playgrounds are right next to some of the best sights in Barcelona. Take this playground right next to La Sagrada Família. Why bother standing in line for tickets and shuffling through the place with all those people when you get such a great view from the playground right across the street? No lines, 3rd M had a blast, and we even got a bench in the shade.

Just kidding, we did go inside but the park was a relaxing way to study the exterior without all the crowds. That place was packed and not just inside, the sidewalks near it were swarming with people most with selfie sticks so not paying attention to anyone but themselves. I also think the exterior was more interesting than the interior so sitting in the park while 3rd M played was great.

On another note, 3rd M is doing a great job of charming his way into free stuff. So far he has gotten a cookie at the ice cream shop, a memory card game from the pharmacist, and the best one today was an apple slice. The apple was not a big score but it took some chutzpah to get it. A mother was sitting on the ground with her kids cutting up an apple and 3rd M sauntered on up with a big smile and waited until he got his slice. On one hand it is so cute to watch him do it since he is just charming. On the other had as a parent the thought goes through your head like wait, what does that mother think… “that poor kid does not get fed by those bad parents” or maybe “how can they let their child beg like that” but all we can do is laugh. It is so funny to watch and it is not like he scores all the time. He does it to all kinds of people who do not give him anything other than a big smile. He just likes to interact with everyone.