Finding a cool place to hike in June can be a tall order in Portugal. Temperatures in most places are quite hot around this time of year. Luckily, while looking for a nice place to go hike this past weekend, we found Buçaco National Forest. Buçaco National Forest is about a 2-hour drive from Lisbon. […]
Places
Visiting Conimbriga Roman Ruins
Portugal is home to some of the most impressive Roman ruins in Western Europe, offering a fascinating glimpse into the country’s amazing past. Among these historic sites, Conimbriga stands out as one of the best-preserved Roman settlements in Portugal. If you enjoy visiting historic sites, and especially Roman ruins, then visiting Conimbriga Roman ruins should […]
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A Weekend in Marrakech
Back in October 2024, our family had the opportunity to travel to Marrakech for a weekend. Despite having spent a month in Marrakech a few years ago, there were still many places we wanted to see. Marrakech is a vibrant city we really enjoyed visiting, so we were all excited to go back to spend […]
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24 hours in Porto
While I would strongly recommend you spent more than just 24-hours in Porto, I realize that not everybody has the time to visit this city as its own separate trip. That being said, it is possible to get a good feel for the city during a quick overnight trip. This is exactly what I did […]
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Near Lisbon: Palácio Nacional de Mafra
If you are looking for a hidden gem near Lisbon, then you should definitely visit the Palácio Nacional de Mafra! A UNESCO World Heritage Site, this palace is one of Europe’s largest palaces, with an area of about 38,000m2. This baroque beauty is just a half hour drive from Lisbon and it’s so worth the […]
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Near Lisbon: Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima
Growing up Catholic I learned about the story of the Virgin of Fatima at an early age. I was always fascinated by the story of the three shepherds who the Virgin appeared to. It is no surprise that, when I first visited Portugal back in 2011, I made a visit to the Sanctuary of Our […]
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Walking the Perimeter Trail in Monsanto Park
Monsanto Forest Park: Lisbon’s Green Escape Monsanto Forest Park (Parque Florestal de Monsanto) is Lisbon’s largest green space, covering approximately 900 hectares. Established in 1934 under the guidance of architect Keil do Amaral, the park transformed the once barren Monsanto Hills into a lush urban forest. This reforestation effort utilized local farmers and prisoners from the nearby […]
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Near Lisbon: Santiago do Cacém – Miróbriga Roman Ruins
Since buying our car in April 2025, we’ve been usingf the weekends to explore more areas near Lisbon. My map is full of pins for places I want to visit, and last weekend we checked out one of them: Santiago de Cacém and the Miróbriga Roman Ruins! Santiago de Cacém and the Miróbriga Roman Ruins […]
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- Africa
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Eastern Cape And The Garden Route
In late 2024, Joe was invited to a company meetup in East London, South Africa. Upon learning about it, we decided to turn that work trip into a family vacation. When we checked dates, we saw that the trip was happening a week before the kids’ Carnival Break, so we decided to turn Joe’s long […]
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- Africa
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48 Hours in Cape Town
At the end of our 2-week trip in South Africa, we spent two nights (48 hours) in Cape Town. We would’ve loved to spend more time in Cape Town, but we figured Cape Town is easy enough to get to, so we could visit it again in the future. After spending the night in Mossel […]
