German Christmas Markets!

Without kids and husbands we went, a group of 18 ladies was our final count!  Something I had wanted to make sure I did while we were in Europe, Brian of course had little interest, so he gave me the go ahead.  I asked a group of about 8 ladies thinking maybe a couple would say yes...and that turned into 18...crazy!  A very fun and laughter filled few days!  We flew into Dusseldorf, and spent the first day there exploring the 6 Christmas markets!  Day two we went to Cologne, to another 6 markets, absolutely beautiful!  And it snowed while we were there!  We shopped, ate, drank and laughed till we cried!  Maybe we can do it again next year and try different cities!



Our first of many Gluwein stops!



Base Christmas Tree Lighting

This does not sound very exciting, I know...however it is!  Santa arrives in Rota, by helicopter and fire truck, how can you beat that!  Second year in a row, and the kids love it!  We have also bought a live Christmas tree for our house this year...we will see how our "Charlie Brown tree" survives the season!

Thanksgiving in Lisbon, Portugal

Thanksgiving is becoming our favorite weekend to travel!  This time we got in the car and headed to Lisbon, Portugal.  It was a really easy drive.  We decided to keep the weekend kid friendly!  So our first stop was the Zoo!  A great zoo, with lots of fun animals.  There was a dolphin show, then we walked around the park.  The kids got up close and personal with a Bengal Tiger, as it looked them in the eye through the glass!  Then we took, the open top cable car ride over the zoo, this was a little scary as you go right over the lions!  The monkeys were entertaining and we saw a gorilla run and pound its chest, just like in the movies!  After the zoo, we headed into the city and explored the castle.  And to continue our Thanksgiving tradition, we had dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe!

Next day onto the Aquarium, and the Bonds joined us there.  And it wouldn't be a vacation without losing a child.  Today we lost Kelsey in the Aquarium, but she was with Elsie, the 6 year old!  It was dark in there, and we were trying to keep track of 7 wondering children!  The otters were the hit at the aquarium, fun little animals!  After lunch with the Bonds, we went to see Belem Tower.  Kelsey fell asleep in Daddy's arms, so I took the big kids into the tower to climb!  We also go to ride the old cable cars back to the city, much like the ones in San Francisco.  We had another fun day! 

The next day was rainy, so we decided to cut our trip a day short and head home!  We are learning to leave wanting more and not pushing the kids too much.  We hope to make it back that way to explore more!  And last but not least, Alyssa lost her first tooth in McDonalds as we were leaving Lisbon!