The Trip  Begins…

Thursday, November 17…

Jose and I arrived several days before our students as we had a quick 36 hour business trip to Germany before beginning our time in Portugal. We returned to Lisbon, and still had 24 hours before the students arrived. Randy took Jose and me to 

a small area called Cascais… along the breathtaking coastline. 

 

It was a lovely day as we  strolled the streets and had lunch  together in a small  restaurant… we ate outside which was a great way to  continue to absorb the culture and people of the country.

  

Friday, November 18... The Arrival....

Off to the airport for the first wave of arrivals... Randy and I, along with his friend Otto, sat enjoying a coffee waiting for the familiar faces as they arrived from across the pond.  

Finally they rounded the corner... one by one, all with the same look of relief that their journey was over and that their friends were waiting to welcome  them... the same feeling I had experienced earlier that week.

We piled in the car with bag and baggage and headed to the Institute that would be "home" for the next week... and held to our promise to keep them awake as long as possible as we waited for the rest of the arrivals to trickle in over the course of the next few   hours... All of their faces and actions clearly said that rest could not come soon enough.

 

After a lunch of homemade chicken soup and a few minutes of shut eye,  we gathered the troops and headed to Sintra for the afternoon and the beginning of our Portugal adventure.  Sintra is a lovely town that has quaint shops, small cafes, and a warm feel… the perfect start to our “field trip”…

 

We walked the streets of Sintra wandering from shop to shop… after about an hour, I looked at the students around me and began to see their eyes glaze over as fatigue began to set in… We stayed for a bit and then headed back to the Institute for a light dinner and to further settle into the rooms and the routine of our trip.

 

By Sunday all of the students had arrived and everyone had settled in nicely... Now that all have had a few good nights of rest, the fun can truly begin…