We had the morning to spend walking around town. We headed in the direction of old town and kept getting to destinations that we did not intend to find.

The kids were particularly irritable, so we needed to take the time to discipline now and again.

I think Bruce took this picture because he liked the 2 green plants. They really stand out when you are surrounded by cobblestone and buildings. We did end up finding the coast line. The views were great, but it was right when it started to rain.

We ended up in this plaza and just let the boys run free. They spent about 30 minutes running around playing tag together. The whole time no one cried, argued, or threw a fit! It was wonderful!

We found this great door on our adventure around town. I think this is Bruce's favorite.

The Santa Justa Elevator, connecting lower town with upper town. It was built not long after the Eiffel Tower.

We caught the airport bus across the street from our hotel and waited for our plane. Our layover was in Majorca, so at least I can say I have been there! We ended up on the same flight as another family from our cruise. They were from Stuttgart and also had 3 kids. The kids really liked that! They ended up entertaining themselves! It was really hard coming home to the cold and the gray after being in the sunshine and blue skies. But it still was so nice sleeping gin our own beds again.

Lisboa: Day 2

We woke up to the cloudy skies threatening rain, so we figured it was a great day to stay indoors! We hopped on the subway and headed to the aquarium for the day.

As we crossed a plaza to head for the aquarium building, my boys found great use in this interesting piece of art. Heeellllllllooooooooo down there!

We couldn't resist doing the touristy thing! Isn't this cool? This dinosaur sea creature is entirely made out of soda pop cans!

The aquarium was divided up into the oceans of the world. The displays were fascinating. You walk in on the main level and there is a gigantic aquarium in the middle that you can observe all the way around as you walk through the different oceans of the world. The boys' favorite exhibit was the otters. They were so playful to watch. Allen was very proud of his ability to tell between the male and female otter. There was also a path in the back part of the exhibit that we walked along and spotted as many birds as we could hiding in the greenery. After walking around on the main floor, we did the basement more quickly. The natives were growing restless and asking for lunch. The favorite thing the kids saw here was the octopus that had suctioned itself to the glass. We were glad that we got to enjoy the aquarium together as a family. It was a great change of pace for the kids. We enjoyed lunch at the mall where everyone got there way. The kids were very excited to see the golden arches. The parents, not so excited. We headed back to the apartment for baths, early bedtime and packing time. Home, here we come!

Lisbon: The end

We got off the ship quite early, but we had to wait for awhile in the taxi line to get a van that could accommodate our family of 5. The roads of Lisboa were either really windy, or our taxi driver took us the scenic route to our hotel. We got to the hotel and got settled for the day, then set out to paint the town.

Bruce loved the cobblestone patterns in Lisbon. We walked across several plazas, found a grocery store, then found a place to eat. We walked up the hill and ended up at St. Jorge's castle.

If you look closely you can see our ship on the river.

The courtyard of the castle was a haven for the boys to run around and play. They enjoyed the canon, the fountain, the rocks, the statue. It was also a great place to trip and fall. Exploring is so adventurous!

We climbed up and down stairs as we walked around the outer castle wall. The boys' imagination ran wild with knights and castles. We even had some mood music provided by a street performer that added to the richness of the experience.

Any nook and cranny Allen, Gideon, or Lincoln could fit into, they stuck themselves in it as best as they could. And anything one brother would do, the others had to follow.

The interior of the castle had a museum full of artifacts found at the excavation site. I thought the neatest things were the colorfully painted tiles as well as the everyday things used in the lives of the people.

Another cool door to add to the collection!

Bruce humored me and we ventured into a souvenir shop to find the boys pins for their collection and to find an ornament for me. I ended up with a rooster. There is a local legend about a man who was wrongfully accused of murder and was sentenced to death. At the last hour, he appealed his sentence. He was brought before a judge while the judge was eating. The judge asked him if he was guilty, and the man replied that if he was innocent, the cock he was eating would get up and crow, and it did. The man was given a pardon.

We headed back to a grocery store to buy food to take back to our apartment. Friday nights are traditionally our family fun movie nights, so we found some pizza and took it home to microwave and watched "Meet the Robinsons."

We all were more than ready to head home.