Oeiros & Lisbon

We enjoyed a couple of days in Oeiros and Lisbon meeting up with friends on Intrepid Bear.

We spent a few days at the open air pool where all the children including the Dads jumped and dived off the high diving boards. Even Harry on his 5th Birthday decided he could jump off the first board and the next day he bravely jumped off the second. Oliver was upstaged by Millie who jumped off the 3rd. Oli was trying when the attendant said the higher boards were closed and he would have to come back down the steps. We had expected to spend a few more days back there after our trip up the river to Lisbon but the weather window saw us leave for Maderia on The Sunday. It now transpires that the pool shut for the season on that Sunday so had we stayed the boys would have lost the main attraction anyway. Oli is still gutted he didn't get to jump.

We enjoyed the hospitality of the bears enjoying cake, champagne and a night out to celebrate Harry's 5th Birthday.

We enjoyed a good beat up to Lisbon which is 15 miles inland. It was scary going under the big bridge. We stayed in the Expo Marina which was ouside the old town but on the site of Expo 98 and housed a vast park land, cable car, restaurants, science museum and aquarium. We visited the museum at night as they had a free event and the boys enjoyed playing with the hands on experiments.

The Continent suparmarket was huge and we were able to stock up and have our groceries delivered to the boat. It took an age though.

The boys and i went on the cable car to the Vasco de Gama Tower which was closed due to them still constructing a hotel, so we could not go up. We played frisbie in the park instead.

We sailed past the Belem Tower but did not get a chance to visit it.

The weather was good to go to Porto Santo ( a mere 475 miles away) , a small island off the main land of Madeira so we decided to take the opportunity even though we would have liked a few more days. We said goodbye to Intrepid Bear who we going to Lanzarote instead and said we would catch up with them in Gran Canaria. The boys were not happy about this as they were leaving children behind and we had a sulky Oli for a few days. Lets hope that this is not a continuing trend as we continue our journey.