Well the Sawyer's have been busy preparing for our next assignment with the Coast Guard in Savannah,GA. I cannot tell you how many hours we have spent searching for houses on the internet. I will soon be leaving to go to the US to find us a home...ALONE! AHHHH! Mark & I have decided that its just easier this way. So my first return to the US in two years will be solo. Luckily my mother will be meeting me in Savannah for a few days to help, not to mention SHOP! Oh I cannot wait! You may think I am crazy but a Wal-Mart or Target right now would be a slice of heaven to me. Alison-zip me an email if you're free and want to meet halfway for dinner!!!
So between now and our move back to the US we have a bit of a full schedule! We will be headed to Venice,Italy this Thursday to take our final "Trip". It is such a sad thought but then again we can leave Europe knowing we have seen as much as possible in our 2years here! Our trip to Venice is to catch a cruise to Italy, Croatia, Greece and Turkey! Zach and I have had this as our top trip since we moved here and are beside ourselves with excitement! After our Cruise my hubby heads to Germany for a few days. Upon his return I fly to the US. Shortly after my return my sweet hubby then flies to the US for a couple weeks of training in Virginia. He is going to take our dog back at that time. My in-laws have graciously agreed to keep her for a few weeks. Once Mark returns to Sweden we will move out of the apartment the same week and into a hotel...my least favorite part of moving. We will be there for ...too long. Then our official return to the Good Ol USofA is June 6th!!!!!! YAY!
As per my rule of not taking another trip without blogging about the last...here I am!
On the children's "sport" holiday from school in February we opted for a warmer climate! We went to Portugal and Spain! Now we have been to Spain but not to Seville or Cadiz and we truly wanted to see it. What a fun trip we had! We flew into Lisbon,Portugal and spent a couple days. We then left and drove down to the Algarve Coast of Portugal and made our home base in Albufeira for the week. We had this lovely condo and the kids actually had a yard to play in all week. From there we took a couple day trips and then an overnight trip into Spain.
Let's start with Lisbon...
WE loved Portugal especially the prices! After living in Sweden it seemed dirt cheap. As a matter of fact when we were on the boardwalk in Lisbon Mark went to order two lattes while I watched the kids play. When the lady told him 3euros he said "for both"! Shocker! Here in Sweden you pay about 40sek=roughly 5bucks for 1!! Needless to say it was a nice break. Check out Lisbon from our camera lens...
Zachary taking a much needed break in Lisbon! The kids with King Jose!
Beautiful Commercial Square on the Water 
Lisbon Waterfront
One of our favorite things are the Aquariums. Zach especially loves them. I must say this one was spectacular! They have incorporated the Oceans of the world in one seamless Aquarium!
Our little buddy at the aquarium! One thing we have found in Europe is you're allowed to get right up on the animals in zoos and such. The safety measures here are not as strict. Cool when you get close to these guys...not so much with the Polar Bears in Copenhagen! LOL
Walking the boardwalk in Lisbon! So our kids attend an IB school here in Malmo. There are some things I love about the curriculum others not so much. However, when we go on these trips the kids can typically find something they have studied and researched. Zachary last year was all about the Romans when we were in Rome! This year they had just finished up explorers of the world and Vasco da Gama was Zachary's favorite. So we knew there was a Vasco Da Gama Tower in Lisbon and set out to find it for Zach. After a rather exhausting day we were searching for it and the kids wanted to quit, the following dialogue ensued...
Zach "can we just play for a while mom"
Mom "sure after Daddy finds the Tower"
Zach "how much longer"
Mom "Zachary daddy has been looking for Vasco Da Gama for you, the least you could do is help"
Zach "Why is he looking for Vasco Da Gama Mom...he won't find him because He's been dead a long time! LOL LOL LOL
It truly is moments like that I cherish! Oh BTW we were looking at the Tower the whole time! Turns out its a beautiful modern looking construction and we were looking for more of a statue...live and learn!
Statue of Christ the Redeemer in Lisbon
Belem Tower- erected 1515 as a fortress for the harbor
Padrao dos Descobrimentos-Monument to the Discoveries
Celebrating Portugal and their Explorers
After our time in Lisbon we drove down to the Algarve Coast. The algarve Coast was beautiful. It is a very relaxed atmosphere with lovely little villages. The people of Portugal were so kind and we found ourselves just relaxing in the sun!
Zach and Daddy celebrating the Flip Flop. We haven't been able to wear them in a long time!!
Similar to Canary the cliffs were gorgeous!
Striking a pose in Portugal!All Smiles!
One of our trips from Albufeira was to see Seville and Cadiz! now it goes without saying that Mark & I love Spain! We can somewhat communicate, the people are so kind, and the food is outstanding! Seville did not let us down! It was probably my favorite of the trip! It is so rich in history and culture you find yourself smiling for no reason!
Park in Seville,SpainLovely day for a carriage ride!
Torre del Orro- Gold TowerMilitary Watchtower to control access to Seville via the river.
We could not leave Seville without going to the Bullfighting Arena! Mark has been looking forward to this for a long time. It was not the season for a fight, not that you could get tickets anyway! For that I was glad! I do not believe I would enjoy it but I can respect the Spanish culture and their love for it! So instead we went on a tour of the Plaza De Toros!
This is the oldest bullring in Spain! Construction began in 1749!
Mark inside the Arena
My Matadors
The lady that gave the tour was really great! She has so much pride in her culture and love for the bullfight! I love that the Spanish stick to their guns! They have faced many obstacles to keep this tradition alive and well. One woman on the tour asked "isn't it wrong to fight the bulls"? To which the guide replied "In Spain this is our history you like it...you come. You don't like it...you don't come." And that was that!
More of SevilleI loved these blue and white lamp posts.
Mark enjoying the view!
We left Seville and drove down to the coast of Spain into Cadiz!
Upon our return to our condo in Portugal we would relax and venture out into the villages and coast...
AlbufeiraThe running shot!
Waiting for Ice Cream in Portugal!
Now I must admit I have done a fairly good job of getting us to and from places and organizing the planes,trains,and automobiles on our trips. I did however make a bit of a mistake on this trip! Mark needed to be back in Copenhagen on Saturday to leave for another work trip(to Turkey) on Sunday! Well I kind of forgot that bit of the puzzle. So while Mark flew back to Copenhagen a day early we opted not to change our flights and the children and I stayed an extra day in Lisbon at the end of our trip! So of course we went to the ZOO!
Fun in the Sun at the Lisbon Zoo
Roosters are good luck in Portugal!
We were thinking of Daddy so we took a picture for him!
He loves Pelicans!Fun times were again had by all! I will leave you with a couple action shots of the kids playing basketball this weekend! Love you and miss you all!
Brooklyn waiting for the throw in!Zach getting in the mix of it!
