I am officially a delinquent blogger as today’s date is October 22nd and I’m only beginning the July blog! But it’s never too late to reflect on the great month that we had in July. And I think it’s a good sign that the months are going by so quickly – this is a great experience, but there’s no place like home and we miss the good ole US of A!

As I’m sure you can guess, there is no 4th of July celebration in Lisbon! And no day off! My teammates (from France and The Netherlands) were in town over the holiday and so I was unable to accompany Jeff and his manager on a trip to the US Embassy for the celebration (the only place in Portugal where there was a celebration). I’ll cross my fingers that we’ll receive an invitation for next year as it sounds like it was quite an exclusive affair, with armed guards and all. Jeff even returned from the party looking very official with a Portuguese/US flag pin on the label of his suit and a conversation with the US ambassador under his belt. Bummer that I don’t have any pics of the affair, but it wasn’t the time and place to be a tourist and bring out the camera! I was in a flurry with work that week and forgot to tell Jeff to make some American friends at the party. I guess I’ll have to take care of this on my own and join the American Club . I perused the pics of the club and I see mostly gray hair. 

The highlight of the month was a visit from my mom! Why I’m not a teacher and taking advantage of an entire summer off, I don’t know. But luckily my mom can take advantage of this and she stayed with us for a full three weeks! It was such a FABULOUS visit and it truly broke my heart to have her leave.

And my FAVORITE, Rosaurs cookies with a bit of 4th of July decoration!

First things first when my mom is in town – shopping. My mom and I headed down the hill to catch the train to Lisbon, but took a little shopping and ice cream detour (love the shot of double fisting cones!). It was ‘Promocao’ season in Lisbon and EVERYTHING is on sale! Good thing my mom brought the extra suitcase! It was full again three weeks later on the return trip home!  Mission accomplished.

One of our favorite games in Lisbon – are there any Portuguese people taller than my mom? As this door suggests – we did not find ANY during her three week stay.

Sangria has become a favorite! This is at one of the little restaurants just down the hill from our condo.

My mom fell in love with Sintra and it’s one of our favorite places too!

Views at Pena Palace

We made our first road trip to Seville, Spain and FELL IN LOVE! It’s only a 4 hour drive from Lisbon (in traffic) and the city is amazing. A must see for all you European travelers.

The streets of Seville were literally a ghost town. It was about 105 degrees and so all the locals were either at the beach or vacationing in cooler parts of the country.  We braved it though, but nearly melted!

The Minaret before....

and after the climb....

There's nothing like a refreshing Starbucks on a hot day.  And it was such a treat for Jeff and me to see a Starbucks - our first sighting in 3 months! 

Jeff was at MGX in Orlando for a week, but luckily my mom was still in town and it was Girl’s Week/Weekend. I define 'girl time' as eating and drinking anything that I want!  My mom was a true partner in crime when I introduced her to the best Sangria and Bola de Bolacha (cake/cream type of desert - I think of it as the Portuguese Tirimisu) in town!

Closely followed by Betty Crocker cupcakes...I've so missed my cupcakes!  We also made fudge (family recipe), but I didn't get a chance to capture the moment!  You may have noticed that there is reocurring mention and pictures of food throughout this blog.  Yes, I am a foodie. 

Since my recipe box is sitting on a dock in Seattle, my mom brought all of her old standby’s. We didn’t do a ton of cooking as Jeff and I get home pretty late from work and tend to eat a lighter dinner or go out. But, my mom made us our first real dinner in Portugal (yes, we have lived here for three months without managing to really cook!). A real dinner is defined by serving multiple dishes, prep work and oven time. Jeff’s favorite is meatloaf, but we realized that although the Portuguese discovered the spice route to India, they don’t have many spices! So, my grandmother sent an emergency shipment of celery salt, spices, spices and more spices and voila! We have a meatloaf dinner. I promise that if you cook dinner for us Jeff will dine topless with you too. A small price to pay for a good meal!

Thank you Mom, for making the trip and it was wonderful to have you in town!  If Ellen Rush can survive 3 weeks in Portugal, so can you!  Come visit!

I rediscovered Magnum Bars in July. During my very first trip to Europe, Magnum Bars became a new food group in my diet. Needless to say I returned home from Europe a bit heavier! My favorite is the Magnum sandwiches, but I’ve learned to enjoy them with a bit more restraint! I’ve even got Jeff hooked – a true accomplishment.

We’ve now made road trips to the south and east. It was time to go north and check out a Portuguese Pousada.  Pousada's are located throughout Portugal and Brazil and are boutique hotels that were once Monasteries, Palaces, etc.  They tend to be in more remote locations and we discovered that Northern Portugal is completely different than Lisbon.  It's very green and mountainous...absolutely gorgeous! 

We traveled passed the town of Braga to Amares, home of the Santa Maria de Bouro Pousada (about 3 hours north of Lisbon).  It was once a Monastery and it was just the rural retreat we were looking for. 

We do quite well at relaxing we've discovered.  Jeff's first stop - the bar.

We got in some pool time (sorry, I only got two pics of the pool.  It was either this one or a picture of me in a bikini.  It was an obvious choice for me!)

Enjoying the scenery...

Pousada - a success.  I can't wait to see more of Lisbon - hopefully via more Pousada's.