CenterParcs Zandvoort Part 1

July 3, 2024July 3, 2024 / bashleyf / Leave a comment

We made it to CenterParcs Zandvoort! When I booked this one I noticed the reviews are quite a bit lower than some of the other CenterParcs Resorts. I see why and I don’t like it as much as the one we went to before, but I chose this one more for its location than the actual resort.

I chose this one because it’s right on the beach and there is a train station that’s about a 10 minute walk from the hotel. The train can take us to some cute nearby towns, and Amsterdam is only about a 30 minute train ride away. Sofia loves site seeing and traveling, but Leo needs more breaks and down time. Sofia is much more independent, but Leo doesn’t like to do things on his own.

I’m like Sofia in my travel style, so I figured this specific Centerparcs would be a good compromise for me and Leo. He gets lots of down time and we can go to Amsterdam for a few hours of site seeing. We can be together 24/7 which Leo loves, but we will also have lots of different things to keep us busy when we want to be.

We haven’t even been here for 24 hours yet so I really can’t give a fair assessment of this place. It’s not as charming as the last one and just has a different vibe. It also doesn’t have quite as many activities on site, but that’s okay because there is so much more nearby. The other resort we couldn’t even really leave because we didn’t have a car. Unfortunately it has been raining all morning, so we haven’t gotten to venture out much. We did check out the indoor playground. It’s not as big as the other one, but it’s still nice and Leo loves it.

This CenterParcs has cottages like they all do, but it also has a hotel. Leo and I chose the hotel for a few reasons. First, it was hundreds cheaper. We’re staying for 7 days and I think the cheapest cottage was €400-€500 more. Plus the breakfast buffet is included with the hotel, so that’s one less meal to pay for. It doesn’t have a kitchen though, so we can’t cook. It has a beach view, which I really love.

Last night we walked to the main dome, which has the pools and the restaurants. We haven’t gone into the pool area yet, so I’m excited to check out the pools later. The rest of the dome was okay, nothing particularly impressive. They also have a farm/petting zoo here somewhere.

The weather makes me realize how lucky I was on my trip with Sofia. If it had rained it would have really sucked because we were outside the whole time. At least here we have inside activities to keep us busy. Even so, I really hope the rain lets up soon so we can go into the nearby town and maybe head to the beach. And go to Amsterdam of course.

I will make a part 2 once I have actually gotten to see the park. Like I said, we really haven’t seen much. I don’t dislike this place at all, but I bet I will end up loving it by the time we leave.

Summer Vacation

June 16, 2024June 16, 2024 / bashleyf / Leave a comment

Right now Kyle and the kids are in Castelo Branco and I finally get a little bit of peace and quiet. I took the kids to Castelo Branco for a day trip a few weeks ago and it’s nice there. I need to go back and see more because we barely got to see it.

Summer vacation has been kind of rough, but we’re making it work. It’s so much easier when the kids are split up, so I’m taking Sofia on one more trip before school starts. Sofia has been wanting to go somewhere where the kids will understand what she is saying. I have been wanting to go to London for a long time, so that’s finally on our agenda for August! Obviously the language will be easy and I think that Sofia and I will like the food. I love palaces and gardens and London seems to have plenty of those. I love natural history museums and really miss them. London has one so we will definitely visit. Even better is that it’s free!

When the kids are in school we won’t be able to keep pulling them, so traveling will drastically slow down (for the kids anyway). Kyle and I agreed that we can each go on a 2-3 day trip by ourselves during the week while the other parent stays home. We will probably each take a trip every few months. In September Kyle will be going to Vienna to visit his sister. I’m excited for him. Vienna is on my list- really everywhere is on my list!

My first solo trip is going to be to Seville, Spain. I have been wanting to go but have heard about how hot it is during the summer, so the timing hasn’t been good. I think October or November will probably be a good time to visit. I’m excited to go but it will also be weird. I traveled before I met Kyle, but we met when we were 26. Then we had Sofia and Leo in our mid thirties. Things have been pretty loud and hectic since Sofia was born 5 years ago. It will be really strange to have so much silence and to not be showing the kids stuff. Whenever I go out without them I notice things that they would like and that I wish I could show them. I haven’t traveled completely solo since my early to mid twenties, which was a few decades ago now! I’m a little nervous about solo travel just because I have really come to appreciate the company of my family even though they drive me crazy sometimes.

In a few weeks I’m taking Leo to a Centerparcs in the Netherlands. Leo and I haven’t gotten a trip together, so it will be nice to spend a week with him. I loved Efteling, but that trip was hectic and busy so I am happy for a more laid back trip this time. Then I will have another hectic and busy trip when Sofia and I go to London. The Centerparcs Leo and I are staying at will be really close to a train station and only a 30-minute train ride from Amsterdam. I’m planning on going into Amsterdam for at least a few hours and hopefully we will be able to check out a town or two nearby.

This year has been absolutely insane travel wise. Once the kids are back in school I will have to start saving money, but that should be pretty easy. We have been bleeding money this summer. Entertaining kids is expensive! Kyle has been taking them out while I work and we have been paying a babysitter once a week so that Kyle and I can go out for a few hours. I suppose that all of the travel isn’t helping my savings account either, but after paying the bills I will almost always prioritize traveling. We have finally gotten used to living in Portugal, but it does still feel surreal how much we are getting to travel Europe and that we will get to do so for years to come. Especially now with Kyle and I planning on taking trips for 2-3 days at a time. I will get to see a lot of different places next year.

It has been different splitting up to go on these trips. It’s weird making memories with only half of my family, but I also think these trips can help future family trips. Now Sofia and I have a pretty good feel for Efteling, so when we all go as a family we will know what rides we’re excited to take Leo and Kyle on. Sofia and I will get to know London, which will definitely help in future trips because we will know which neighborhoods we do and don’t like. Kyle will know a bit about Vienna so whenever we all go together he can show us around. It has been an adjustment to go with only one kid, but it does make the trips a lot more affordable!

Efteling

June 7, 2024June 22, 2024 / bashleyf / Leave a comment

Today was day 3 at Efteling. Tomorrow will be our fourth and final day. When I booked this trip I knew a lot of people compared Efteling to Disneyland and said that Efteling is better. I definitely on board with that! We go back to Disneyland Paris for Christmas so I will be able to compare again, but I think I Efteling will always be the winner in my book.

Efteling has so much green space and beautiful flowers. They have tons of fountains and ducks. Sofia has developed a sudden interest in ducks because there are so many here. Efteling has an abundance of benches that are in the shade, which I really appreciate since we have been getting 18,000 steps each day! I also appreciate how Efteling uses scents to add to the ambiance.

We meant to spent a day in each area of the park, but on our first day we were so excited that we walked around most of the park. We went on the big rides we wanted to do. The second day we went to a part of the park we hadn’t seen yet. Today we stuck to the fairytales and playgrounds in the park. Tomorrow we will have to revisit our favorite rides.

Sofia’s favorite ride is Max & Moritz, which is the family racing roller coaster. We both like Max best- the blue side. My favorite ride is droomvlucht, which I just call the fairy ride since I have no idea how to say that word. I love the track on the ride (it’s above instead of below). I love the displays you see and at the end you go up a bit and then down semi quickly. It’s cute and it’s fun.

Sofia also loved the Carnaval ride. It’s fine although the music is kind of annoying and gets stuck in my head. I liked the gondola ride. A few people said to skip it but I really enjoyed it. It was a nice way to rest for 20 minutes and to see parts of the park from a different view. There is a train here with two stations, but one of them is closed right now which is why we have been walking so much.

We rode all three tracks of Symbolica. We both really liked the treasures one. Sofia isn’t quite tall enough for most of the roller coasters yet. We did go on the wooden one which I really thought she would like. She ended up hating it because it was too intense.

We want to bring Kyle and Leo here of course. I think next summer we will try to come visit. Efteling seems like a great park for so many ages. Sofia’s age (5) is great but I could see older kids liking it too because of the coasters. The dark rides are nicely done and I think most people would appreciate them. I love Efteling- it is definitely one of my favorite theme parks and I’m excited to come back. Next time we’re going to stay at one of the Efteling hotels. We’re staying off site this time which is fine but next time we want to be in one of the hotels on site. They’re building a brand new one right next to the entrance with a sign saying it opening in 2025!

Center Parcs Erperheide

November 30, 2023May 11, 2024 / bashleyf / Leave a comment

We’re about to leave CenterParcs to head to the airport. It has been so much fun. I was supposed to take Leo on a vacation in two months, but I’m just going to come back here with the whole family. I really want Kyle to see this place and I think Leo will like having Sofia here. Sofia is more independent and social than Leo is and even she has missed having a playmate here. She keeps trying to speak Portuguese and doesn’t understand why no one responds.

We finally got a break in the rain two days ago. We went to see the animals at the petting zoo. There is also the farmer’s house which has bunnies and Guinea pigs. During certain hours you can pet them which Sofia loved. She rode a pony and did the kid’s safari. The safari was tough because she was actually driving the car so I had to help her steer around a bit.

Yesterday she did an activity called “wanna be.” They have a few of them, like wanna be a farmer and wanna be a chef. She did the chef one and it was a special holiday one. They made cookies. For that one I dropped her off at the kid’s club for 1.5 hours. I got to walk around and check things out a bit more. They have lots of fun toys in the kid’s club. I think usually the club is for kids under 4/5 unless there are planned activities but I’m not sure.

We’re sad to leave but super excited to come back in a few months. No travel plans until then but this will be our first Christmas season with a car so I’m hoping to go see some lights. We still haven’t been to Coimbra yet at Christmas time.

Residency Renewal and Center Parcs resort

November 26, 2023May 11, 2024 / bashleyf / Leave a comment

Recently SEF has changed to AIMA. Our residency permits are up for renewal in December and things have been a mess. I have been following posts on Americans & Friends (the Facebook group) and many people making appointments have been getting emails that they’re cancelled and to wait for further details. Some people have had success using the old SEF online renewal portal, so I gave it a try.

It was really easy. I just click renew and then they review it and 48 hours later you pay the fee- €170 as of right now. It says concluded and in theory my residency card should arrive in 5 or so weeks. I just did mine for now to see if it actually works or if I donated €170 to the universe. It says Leo’s is not eligible for online renewal so I will still have to navigate the new AIMA system to renew his. Things are a mess right now and lots of people have expired cards, so I expect the same to happen with Leo but hopefully it gets sorted out soon. It’s almost impossible to get an appointment right now.

Yesterday Sofia and I made it to Center Parcs in Belgium. This place seems amazing for small kids. They have fun stuff like a huge indoor pool, big indoor playground, a farm, and then they have planned activities like pony rides, arts & crafts, and kid’s disco. Some are free and some you have to pay for. They also have some restaurants and a small market on site.

Today we checked out a lot of the indoor stuff. They have an amazing Aqua Zone with a bunch of different pools. My favorite was the lazy river and the indoor/outdoor pool. The outdoor setting is amazing.

There is a huge indoor play area. Our favorite was the foam ball area. You gather all the balls to fill a thing in the top that eventually spills over. There is so much we haven’t even done yet. There is a farm and pony stables that I want to go see. Sofia is scheduled for pony rides on Tuesday. Today she made a stuffed animal which she really enjoyed. This place is amazing and has been a lot of fun. Tomorrow is supposed to rain but hopefully Tuesday and Wednesday will be clear.

Ponte de Lima

September 18, 2023May 11, 2024 / bashleyf / Leave a comment

We are back home in Leiria today. It’s nice being back in our apartment, but I already really miss Northern Portugal and all of the things to do around there. The kids keep asking to go back to our hotel, lol. Sofia went back to school today. She really didn’t want to, but it probably helps that tomorrow is her birthday and they’ll celebrate with a cake at school.

We went to Ponte de Lima again a few days ago. The festival was over but they still had a few carnival rides going, so the kids got to go on a few rides. They were so excited.

We walked around a bit on both sides of the bridge. On the side away from the city center is a park with a garden and playground. I love walking over the bridge- it’s so beautiful and peaceful.

We didn’t really venture much from the river. I can’t wait to visit again to walk around some more and see more of the city. We heard quite a bit of English there, which surprised me given how small the city is. I didn’t think it would be on most people’s radar.

Sometime in between our two Ponte de Lima visits I took the kids to the Porto zoo. I can’t see going often, but it’s definitely worth a visit or two. The kids loved it and had a lot of fun. Next month we’re taking them to the Lisbon zoo and I’m really excited about that. We went once when we first moved to Portugal, but the kids were so young then. They’re old enough now to get more excited about seeing the animals.

Now that we’re home it’s time to really start looking for an apartment. We’re both nervous about moving- it will be another big first. I have no idea where to buy boxes, how to hire movers, or any of that. But we will figure it out. We both agree after this trip that it will be worth it. We love Amarante, Viana do Castelo, Ponte de Lima, Braga, Porto, and Guimaraes and we can’t wait to be closer to all of those places.

Amarante

September 12, 2023September 12, 2023 / bashleyf / Leave a comment

Kyle read about underrated places in Portugal a while ago and Amarante was on the list. He has been wanting to go for a long time, but it’s easier to get to from the north so we weren’t able to go until today.

Kyle definitely undersold it 😂 He said that he was hoping to go get a few pretty pictures. It turned out to be even more beautiful than either of us expected. It’s also a little bigger than we expected- not big by any means, but more than just a few pictures.

I’m excited to move north, but I will really miss some places, like Obidos. Amarante is charming and unique, so I will be happy to add that to my list of amazing nearby places.

We walked around Amarante for an hour or so and then we went to Guimaraes. We have only been to Guimaraes once and I remember that I loved it. I might have even liked it more than Braga, I’m not really sure. They’re both great places.

I loved Guimaraes even more when we drove around today. It’s a great combination of new and old. The driving isn’t bad or too stressful. Yesterday I drove around Braga during rush hour and it was a lot busier than I’m used to. Guimaraes was busy in the city center, but not too bad. We went to the city park. It had a great playground and lots of green space.

Kyle really liked Guimaraes today too, so I’m happy about that. Viana do Castelo and Guimaraes are the top contenders to live. Guimaraes is definitely bigger and the location is great. Really easy and quick access to Braga and Porto. And Amarante. We are already looking forward to a day trip there one day when the kids are in school. If you have the chance to go to Amarante I highly recommend it!

Viana do Castelo

September 11, 2023September 11, 2023 / bashleyf / Leave a comment

We had a change of plans today, so Kyle and Leo decided to stay in Barcelos and Sofia and I headed to Viana do Castelo to check out the city center.

We all went together last week and saw one of the best playgrounds we have seen in a long time. It’s huge and right by the water. The kids had a blast and each kept running off to try something new. We could take them to that playground for years and it would never get old.

I love that there are walking and biking trails around the city, especially next to the water. The city is pretty flat and easy to walk around.

We also checked out the mall, which is attached to the train station. The mall is fine- it’s nothing special but has all of the stores we need. It also has a cute little train playground for the kids.

We also went to Santiario do Sagrado Caracao de Jesus Monte de Santa Luzia and took the elevator up there. The views were amazing and worth the trip.

Today Sofia and I wanted to see the city square and Praca do Republica. It’s really pretty and the pedestrian only area is a good size.

I loved Ponte de Lima and I’m excited to see it again, but I think Viana do Castelo makes more sense for us and will be more likely. It’s bigger and has more housing. When I looked in Ponte de Lima there was literally 1 apartment listed in our budget. Viana do Castelo doesn’t have a huge inventory, but it does have more than Ponte de Lima. It will be tough to find a place but I really hope we can.

Viana do Castelo has lots of water views, great waterfront paths, an amazing playground (and probably many more playgrounds), a mall, a train station, and a super charming downtown. We noticed how warm it was yesterday in Ponte de Lima, but in Viana do Castelo there is a nice breeze. I also love the proximity to Braga and Porto.

I have been on two day trips to Viana do Castelo now and I feel like I have seen the major sites but still don’t have a great feel for the city. I know there was more to downtown than what we saw. I really like the city and I’m excited to get to explore more of it.

Barcelos

September 10, 2023 / bashleyf / Leave a comment

We’re on our Northern Portugal road trip. It’s a working trip for me and I worked the past two days. I had today off and we may have gone a little overboard, lol. We are staying in Barcelos, about 10-15 minutes outside of the city center. The house we’re staying in is nice and the property is beautiful, but we don’t really like the area. It’s good to know because Barcelos is in a great location and we were wondering if we would like it. Today we ventured into the city center, which is pretty, but I think the city has been ruined for us (at least for now) due to our first impressions.

The roads in the area we’re in are pretty bad. A lot of them are cobblestone and there are so many blind turns. It feels like every time we turn there is a mirror to help us see if cars are coming. There are some really awkward angles and turns to make. We have driven quite a bit around the Silver Coast and Lisbon area and I haven’t really seen roads like this anywhere else yet.

Before we moved to Portugal I read posts from expats complaining about the driving here. It has never bothered us. We lived in Florida for 7 years and the driving there is some of the worst I have seen. Portugal is much better than Florida driving. Well, in Barcelos we finally are experiencing some of other people’s complaints. In Barcelos we get tailgated no matter how fast we are driving. The speed limit, 10+ over really doesn’t matter. Someone will come along and tailgate you. And they get pretty close. It’s really frustrating and annoying.

Anyway, it has been a few days of that. Also the area we’re staying in is more run down than we have really seen. So we had been having a bad impression of Barcelos for a few days before we got to see the center. Like I said, the center is pretty nice, but Barcelos is not for us. And that’s okay.

After visitng the city center, we decided to head to Ponte de Lima because I have been excited to see it. I love it. It has moved to number one on my places I want to live list. Unfortunately I don’t think it’s going to work out because it seems really hard to find an apartment there, but we can try. We stumbled upon a huge festival there by accident. We’re going to return later this week, after the festival to get a better feel for the city. I’ll do a seperate blog post on Ponte de Lima after our second visit.

We went to Viana do Castelo last week, but we just saw an awesome playground and the mall, so we plan on returning there this week too. I’ll write a blog post about Viana after our second visit too. Tomorrow I think we are heading to Amarante. Kyle has been wanting to visit for a long time because it looks like a beautiful town.

Pombal

August 3, 2023May 11, 2024 / bashleyf / Leave a comment

The pope is visiting Portugal this week. He’s in Lisbon right now, but things have been pretty busy throughout the country. Two days ago we went to Batalha and the Leiria mall and both were significantly more crowded than normal. On Saturday the pope goes to Fatima, which is only about 15 minutes from us. We plan on staying home because I think there will be way too many people out in the area.

We wanted to go out today, but not have to deal with the crowds. We went to Pombal a month or two ago but we were too tired to really walk around and we knew we wanted to go back again. Since it’s not a touristy city and there aren’t any major religious monuments (that we know of) we figured it was a safe day to go.

It turns out that we had gone the wrong way last time because the city was a lot bigger than we expected. That’s not to say that it’s big, but big enough to kill a few hours. They have a market, lots of cafes, and green space scattered around. They also have a castle at the top of a hill. We weren’t up for walking up the hill, so we’ll have to drive there one of these days.

Before waking around downtown we had lunch just outside the city at a fondue restaurant. The food was pretty good. We haven’t had fondue since we were in the US so it was a fun experience. It got us thinking about fondue and Kyle tried to find some more places. Looks like there are a few in Porto. One of these days we’ll go try one.

We head up north for our trip in just over a month and we’re excited. I can’t wait to see Viana do Castelo and Ponte de Lima. They both look great. And I can’t wait to go back to Braga and Guimaraes. Until then we’re going to do a bunch of day trips around here. We have been meaning to check out Torres Vedras and Peniche, so maybe one of those will be next.