We had to say "goodbye" to our JMU apartment, but we had 4 days before the one we are currently renting was available. (Yes, Sam made a rubber band bracelet with a fork all by himself.)
So, we rented a car and drove 1.5 hours west, to Los Arribes del Duero. This was the view from our room, in Spain, but what you see is Portugal across the river.
Can you spot Anthony?
Our rhythm of vacation was: big breakfast, big hike, drive through little towns to find lunch, play tennis, swim, then have a picnic.
Morning Hikes
3 boys are looking for rocks to sharpen into arrowheads until I say, "Look up! There is another eagle!"
We saw too many of these round houses to count.
Micah is looking over Pozo de los Humos.
We all had our eyes open to see more of God's character expressed in His creation.
We enjoyed overlooking the waterfalls,
testing the Duero River temperature,
and exploring.
You can't see the eagles, but we got to see numerous amazing birds soaring over the canyon.
fascination
Poppies!
Our historical engineering experts tell us that this bridge was built by the Romans.
These experts seem to know what they are talking about.
Typical sight. I think I should use it for a spiritual metaphor.
How is it that I can't keep my foxglove plants alive if they can grow here?
The trees over Anthony's shoulder are endangered.
"When I grow up, I won't give my kids toys. I will give them rocks to play with." - Sam.
Instead of climbing the endangered trees, they spent hours climbing rocks.
This building might be Paul's future home.
No, they didn't climb these rocks. Yet.
Scenic Drives
The left is Spain and the right is Portugal. The stripes are vineyards and the spots are olive trees. Apparently, I am highly allergic to the aggressive pollination of olive trees.
The Aldeadávila Dam
Sometimes, when you are driving along, you come to a castle,
but more often you find yourself driving on roads like this one.
Afternoon Tennis and Swimming
The paddle tennis court suited us just fine.
Documenting the first game Micah won against Anthony.
Evening Picnics
This Portuguese picnic spot became part of our evening routine.
looking into Spain
Dining with a view
Dining with a view, Samuel style
Family-style dining with a view
3 best friends for life
My macho men
Can you guess who?
waving goodbye to the sun over Portugal
If only the olive trees surrounding it didn't cause my eyes to swell shut,
we would have never wanted to leave this Quinta and return to the (beautiful) stone city of Salamanca.
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