Lo 'n Anna - Family Travel Adventures: November 2016

October 2016:

An audit in Portugal... I could think of worse places to have to go for work! The timing also coincided with another two week break at school, so my 3 stooges packed up and came along for the adventure! After a jam-packed day at school, complete with a field trip to Pine Forest Arts Centre at Glencullen in the Dublin Mountains for Annelyse, we picked up the girls and headed to the airport. We got into Lisbon around 9:00 pm and stayed near the airport, because we had planned a mini-excursion to the Portuguese island of Madeira early the next morning.

Me Love Pancakes!!!

The girls were so excited to "stay-up late" and "get-up early"... but when the alarm went off at 5:10 for a 5:20 departure to the airport, needless to say, "being like mom and dad" wasn't so cool! In all honesty, they were total troopers and after some juice and McDonald's pancakes they were back to being our excited, energy-filled little travelers.

A quick 1.5 hour flight landed us in "the Atlantic's twin to Hawaii". Maderia is a Portuguese archipelago situated in the north Atlantic Ocean, southwest of Portugal. We were all giddy when we felt the heat stepping off the plane and wasted no time in setting out for our first activity! Short sleeves and sandals... here we come!

View from our room!

"Let's go color out on the balcony"... art becomes so much more appreciated when you feel the warmth of the warm sun beating down on you while creating your next masterpiece. It cracks me up how they have already begun to appreciate the finer things in life... Lo's crossed legs and all... crack me up!

We set out to find the Monte Cable Cars for a ride up to the top of the island! Along our way, we found some Maderian Wall Lizards sunning themselves on, yes, you guessed it, rock walls.

There were no shortage of walls, rocks and mosaic sidewalks, so these little guys were everywhere.

They change color with their surroundings, similar to chameleons, so they blended in and were hard to spot unless they were moving. And with our little ladies around, they had reason to move! I don't think either of the girls had any intention of trying to capture one, but they also wanted to observe the little guys up close, so we obviously were infringing on their personal space and making them uncomfortable! These little guys were scurrying all over trying to evade the grasp of little, sticky, menacing hands!

Almost our turn... both girls got a kick out of having to board the car while it was still moving.

We had read about the cable car ride up to Monte and couldn't wait to jump in and experience the thrill! The journey took about 15 minutes with a total distance of 12,000 ft. The vertical incline was nearly 2,000 ft, so it was quite an intense experience flying over the village.

Unfortunately, a large portion of the gardens we went over were recently destroyed by fire as a result of arson. The trip up was complete with both girls talking about how we would be "ok" if we dropped because even though we were getting higher in the sky, the ground was staying the same distance away. Finally, I told them to knock it off because they were starting to creep me out. Which of course just fueled their fires!

Stop shaking the cable thing!

"Here, come sit (still) by me and take a picture so you stop shaking the cable car!"

Lo leading the way!

Upon reaching the top (thank you Jesus), we set out for our next adventure... a toboggan ride down the mountain. Originally a fast means of transport down to Funchal for people living in Monte, these toboggan sledges appeared around 1850. Still in use today, we were drawn to this exciting experience of sliding down the mountain at high speed on narrow, winding streets. They even broke out the special 4 seater toboggan so we could all ride together!

Geeked for the ride!

I wish I could have been in front snapping pics on the way down... but this was the best I could do... wind in the hair, smiles on their faces and in their eyes, mission accomplished!

The "pushers" had to be "pullers" at some points where the incline was less drastic.

These wicker sledges glide on wooden runners, pushed and steered by two men traditionally dressed in white cotton clothes and a straw hat, using their rubber-soled boots as brakes. On several occasions we found ourselves sliding sideways, and a little closer to the stone walls then I would have liked to be. At one point, we had to slow down for traffic, which in turn required the "pushers" to pull us for a bit to gain momentum.

At the steepest points, when we really got moving, the girls both were giggling and screaming (a fun, roller-coaster scream) and the poor men, just keep saying "it ok, it ok"... while I was happy for the reassurance that we weren't going to die in an head on collision with a wall, the girls wished the ride was never-ending. After the ride we asked the girls what they thought. Annelyse thought it was great that the guys pulling the toboggans get to work with their best friend. More or less, they were chatting to one another throughout the trip, so I think she assumed they were friends!

Safe at the bottom... or half way point anyway. To the left you can see all the sleds piled in a truck to be driven back to the top and the "pullers" in the background also waiting for transportation back up the mountain!

The downhill journey down took about 10 minutes on a total course of 2 km, and they say we reached top speed of 50 km/hour. An adventurous, yet safe, ‘old-fashioned’ toboggan ride was the perfect way down from Monte in contrast to the cable car ride up. Not sure which one we could classify as safer!

A taxi took us the rest of the way down the mountain and we spent a little time meandering around Old Town and the Mercado dos Lavradores; an open air market which reminded us a lot of Las Ramblas in Barcelona. Lo and I thoroughly enjoyed strolling around the fish market, complete with lots of "head chopping"... literally, at one point as we were walking, we came across a large bucket full of fish heads. I could tell she was going to ask me why those were in there, but before she could ask, she answered her own question.... "Oh, I get it... they put all the heads the bucket because we don't eat that part! I can't help but laugh that Lo seems unphased by this kind of stuff... reminds me a lot of myself growing up on the farm and seeing the circle of life at it's finest.

Back at the hotel the girls were itching to get in some swimming of course. While it was warm outside, the outdoor pool was a little on the chilly side... OK... more like freezing. Nonetheless, the girls wanted to experience the infinity pool so they took a little dip before heading into warmer waters inside.

Whew... it was chilly!

One of my favorites... looks like a pic from a 1960's film...

Annelyse was able to get in up to her waist before retreating!

Never to be out-done, Lo submerged herself as well for about .25 seconds. Breakfast each morning was agonizing for the girls, having to stare at that pool and being forced to eat instead of jumping in... you can see all the people enjoying a lovely cup of coffee, watching the sun rise over the sea. Not us... we had to rush to the freezing cold pool... and then watch them not swim because it was too cold.

Much warmer inside and equally as fun!

Chillin' ...

Seeing we went to bed late and got up early, the witching hour was upon us, we headed back to the room for a hamburger. Annelyse could barely keep her eyes open after dinner which was our que to call it a night!

The next day we had planned an adventure at sea, complete with whale/dolphin watching and the hope of potentially swimming with the dolphins. To ensure we were prepared for the trip, I called to make sure we were set with the appropriate gear only to be told they cancelled the trip. But we didn't want to let this little snafu upset our plans for the day, so we found a different company who was offering a similar experience and hopped on the catamaran for our 3 hour tour (I hear the Gilligan's Island theme song playing as I type)...

Lo's expression when I got soaked by a wave!

The girls loved being on the front of the boat, laying in the sun as we anticipated our first dolphin spotting. I was busy trying to take lots of pictures and was taken off guard by a big splash from under the nets. Needless to say, it got a good laugh from my subjects! While we never did see any of the "nature" we planned to see, the boat ride alone gave us lots of good laughs! On the way back, Annelyse feel asleep on the front of the boat, and was abruptly awaken following a u-turn which resulted in a much rougher ride back. As we crashed into the waves, we were sprayed with sea water! After a few good soaks, we headed inside and the bobbing and rocking got the best of us... again...

Relaxing on the boat.

You could tell someone was starting not to feel very well, but she was a trooper... We heard lots of "I'm fine... "

Making me a nervous wreck climbing all over the front of the boat. They thought it was so cool that you could see the water below... of course until it splashed up on them!

Captain Lo

Captain Anna

She loved this beanbag... parked herself there for a while surprisingly!

But of course, it is always much more fun to share... so we relaxed there together for a while taking in the sea air and sunshine!

We were all very happy to be back on dry, stable land and decided that was going to be the last boat trip for a while. A lot of effort, time and sea-sickness to not even see a single fish. While the trip was a bust, we decided it just meant we would have to take another trip to swim with dolphins and spot whales, but likely not anytime soon!

Our last morning on the island we decided to try and see some of the more remote parts of the island. Mr. Daniel was the perfect taxi driver to give us a tour of the place at our speed and with no expectations and a loosely defined agenda.

We started out and headed for Cabo Girão; a lofty sea cliff located along the southern coast of the island. Cabo Girão is a popular lookout point, complete with a glass-floored viewing platform and is the highest sky walk in Europe.

She was a combination of a little bit nervous and a little chilly...

On our way to the next stop, you could see the viewing platform for Cabo Girão... it is WAY up there!

BaNaNas!

You can tell someone wasn't very impressed...

Our next stop was the tiny fishing village - Camara de Lobos. With it being a Sunday morning, the town was relatively quiet, with not much going on... we made a quick pass through and then hoped back in the taxi with Mr. Daniel!

Hanging out up in the clouds!

Always running.... always, always running.

Our next stop was a tiny village called Camacha which is nestled away in the mountains. Camacha, is known world-wide for its wicker basket industry and colorful folklore traditions.

We all enjoyed watching one of the craftsmen whip together a basket out of long willow branches. The girls were very impressed with the speed in which he was able to create these intricate pieces with such ease and accuracy!

There were so many different pieces of furniture, animals and vehicles made from wicker. While they insisted they were very sturdy, we didn't want to be the ones to prove them wrong!

Reliving our memories of the ride down the mountain in one of the wicker sleds!

Our little photographers helping us capture the moment!

One of our last stops was at a local restaurant known for their "meat on a stick"...The espetada is a typical Portuguese dish made usually of large chunks of beef rubbed in garlic and salt, skewered onto a bay leaf stick cooked over hot coals or wood chips. We would have never picked the place and likely drove right past it if we didn't have the help of Mr. Daniel, but it was perfect. It sat up on a cliff with a beautiful view and the food was delicious!

Getting ready to dig in... My favorite was the chicken, while Russ and the girls were fans of "the beef."

Mr. Daniel stopped off for us to take some pictures with the cacti!

After our tour of the island we headed to the airport for our trip back to Lisbon. Monday morning started work for me and some city-exploring for Russ and the girls. I am really so impressed by the way Russ is able to acclimate into a new town in such a short amount of time. Within a day, he figures out public transport, dining options, grocery stores, parks, and all things fun! Leading up to the trip, we had the girls do some of their own research on what were the best things to do for kids. Collectively, they had decided on a few places and mapped their route and planned their days based on their planning!

Sliding...

Here we go, just me and the little ladies while Mom is toiling away... poor Mom. We will be anxious for her to join back up with us since it just isn't the same exploring without her! So here we go, what will the next week bring?

...down...

...a stupid but very smooth concrete wall near some stairs crossing over the train tracks in Belem. As I get a little aggravated about getting held up onto the next destination, I stopped watched them for a minute, took a few breaths and laughed. It's so refreshing to have these little ones with me on the journey. They remind me every day and on every trip that the simplest things in life are the best things and that its not always about getting to the next destination, but rather enjoying the journey along the way. Love them and their free-spirited nature!

Found another Starbucks near Rossio Train Station. We started off here many mornings this week!

Here are my little helpers. They are getting good with the maps and love exploring! Train, tram, subway, by foot, doesn't matter we find our way around no problem and love every minute of exploring together!!!

More hot chocolate (and coffee for Dad)! A good way to start the day!

The girls enjoyed this infrared display at the Electricity Museum. They stood here striking poses for quite awhile.

An old school instrument panel, go figure that they would love this. The boiler behind them would periodically make noises, so I told them they were starting it up. They ate that up and really got into it after that by thinking they were really controlling the equipment. They were discussing their operational strategies and frantically pushing buttons at times... Very entertaining to watch.

Nice view of the city from on top of the building with the ball exhibition.

The ball pit had some cool lighting effects and serene nature sounds playing in the background. Pretty chill and relaxing after we were done throwing, kicking, rolling and bouncing the balls all over the place.

A view of the ball pit from up top. Not sure the point of this place, but it was fun.

Aspiring scientists...

They play with these hands on science exhibits for unbelievably long periods of time. Every trip to a science center with them is time very well spent.

This was an exhibition in a different building near the MAAT and electricity museum. Not sure the inspiration, idea or purpose, but it had a cool vibe. Most people were kinda chilling out yoga style with these balls, but of course we had to start rolling and kicking and throwing them around. After a couple nasty looks we chilled out too and just rolled around on them for awhile before moving along.

Here we are after the MAAT (electricity museum). It started pouring when we left. We were SOAKED by the time we arrived home!

Lots of steps in Lisbon, nicknamed "The City of Seven Hills". Some of these hills were no joke.

Eduardo VII Park north of the Avenida da Liberdade and the Marquess of Pombal Square, in the centre of the city. Wonderful views of the city and the Tagus River.

Not sure what the significance of this statue was, but we all got a kick out of it. Especially for the girls when they walked to the back side of the statue. "Look buttcheeks!" Wild giggling followed.

Loved this picture. Beautiful.

A very rainy day, here we are going out for some groceries in the pouring rain. We were hungry after all that exploring. We were thrilled to find the cuisine in Portugal was similar to the cuisine we enjoyed so much in Italy. Pastas, thin pizzas, paninis, good stuff!

Don't recall the reason for the silly faces, but here we are at yet another metro stop. We enjoy getting outside the touristy city centers to get a better feel for the culture!

Exploring on the Lisbon metro.

Had to try the popcorn from the street vendors for a snack.

Sampling the frozen yogurt at a cafe near the apartment.

Found the famous tram cars. These were not very busy at the top of the hills, but it's a different story at the bottom where everyone lines up to get hauled back up the hill!

Some airplane in Belem near the Belem Tower.

Girls, what are we doing? Oh yeah, enjoying the journey to our destination! Just please don't break any bones or lose any appendages in Lisbon please (little did we know what the trip to Cascais would have in store for us, nothing but a little scare). ;-)

Whew, our destination! Belem Tower... check! Belém Tower (Torre de Belém in Portuguese) or the Tower of St Vincent is a fortified tower in Lisbon. It and the nearby Jerónimos Monastery are UNESCO world heritage sites because of the significant roles played in the Portuguese maritime discoveries during the Age of Discoveries.

Deciding if they should jump off the ledge at some steps near Jerónimos Monastery.

Destination: Jerónimos Monastery, check! The monastery is pictured in the background. My travel buddies were not very impressed, but I was. Maybe one day they will be too!

The park near our apartment was a really good time. In addition to the standard kids play equipment there was as really neat old tree with a frame supporting the tree branches to form an expansive canopy of shade with benches underneath. We stopped and enjoyed the shade here for a little while before moving on!

Enjoying the sunny day on top of the hop on hop off bus.

Had to get some Ben and Jerry on the way to the train to Sintra.

Train to Sintra from Rossio

Enjoying some snacks in Belem at the Starbucks. Not sure why this place is right next to the authentic Pastéis de Belém, but I made the best of it and grabbed a coffee to wash down my authentic Portuguese pastry while the girls had a junky donut.

Here we are at the place for the best pastel de nata in Portugal!!! In 1837 they began making the original Pastéis de Belém, following an ancient recipe from the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos. That secret recipe is recreated every day in their bakery, by hand. The treat is a Portuguese egg tart pastry, very common in Portugal. Yum.

Not a great picture, but I had to include it. I spent more time untangling those stupid headphones every time we hopped back on the hop on / hop off bus, which was about 15 times each day.

Our favorite place in Lisbon. The Science Center. I love how much these girls are into STEM (science, technology, engineering and math).

Here we are just having arrived at the science center.

This was awesome. It simulated space walking on the moon. After putting the harness suit on, the kids would get lifted up on a hook and could bounce there were down and back on a track. Funny to watch.

Riding a bike over the exhibits. Not sure the lesson here, but it was fun... for Annelyse and I anyway. Lo wasn't tall enough to ride. She was not happy and likely it's times like this that fuel her age inferiority complex and burning desire to stake her claim and be first at anything and everything she can.

This was funny. The glasses were essentially high powered beer goggles to simulate a drunk stumble through the home "obstacle course". Again, quite entertaining to watch. The lesson here again related to risk, just make sure you stay seated when you are drinking! Ha ha.

With Lyndsey and I both having extensive experience in risk assessment and mitigation throughout our careers, this was a fun exhibit at the science center. The kids really seemed to enjoy it too, which seemed a little weird to me given their ages. Perhaps it is something genetic.

Loved the climbing wall at the Science Center. This section related physical fitness and science.

On our way back from Belem and after a longer day of exploring, I wasn't quite as interested in giving shoulder rides to the girls. I had to find some sort of distraction and quickly... How about helping me navigate girls!!! They stepped up to the plate and did a fantastic job using google maps to help us find the way home in the maze of streets which is the old neighborhood of Bairro Alto! Great job ladies! (They look so mature, don't they?)

Here the girls are in front of Rossio Train Station before leaving for Sintra to meet Mom and her work colleagues.

And we were all very happy to have Mom rejoin us to explore the city more after her long week of work!!! You can tell she is very happy to be exploring too! Here we are on one of the famous Lisbon trams.

On Wednesday, since the week was going well, my co-workers and I met Russ and the girls in Sintra. Sintra is known for its many 19th-century Romantic architectural monuments, which has resulted in its classification as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You could easily spend days wandering around this place, but seeing we had a couple hours, we opted for the quickest way to the top... a TukTuk ride. The vehicle (I use that term loosely) appeared to be a moped or lawnmower with an exterior and bench seat attached. We laughed all the way to the top, with the wind in our hair and the bouncy ride up the mountain to Pena's Palace.

These two were having a blast in the bouncy ride up the mountain!

Annelyse, David and Yvonne behind us in their little Tuk Tuk.

Very picturesque in Sintra. This walk kind of remind us of Dublin with the stone walls. Nice place to stroll.

Beautiful Sintra!

On the look out for Mom to meet up with us after work. Can't wait to make our way up the hill in Sintra and see the palace and castle!

Looking up at Pena Palace!

The girls and the TukTuk driver... they were a big fan of these little vehicles... who am I kidding... we all loved them!.

Talking Ms. Yvonne's ear off... I am sure her head was spinning by the end of the evening!

The castle's history started in the Middle Ages when a chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Pena was built on the top of the hill above Sintra. According to tradition, construction occurred after an apparition of the Virgin Mary.

While we never have enough time in most of these places, we needed to head home and get some of us to bed and the rest of us ready for work.

Plotting how they were going to invade the castle from one of the look-out towers.

The depiction of a mythological triton, symbolizing the allegory of creation of the world.

It's hard to tell, but Annelyse was trying to emulate the pose of the soldier which were repeated many times over on the tiles in this section of castle.

Hanging out in Arches Yard.

The views were incredible... we were really, really, really high up!

Walking along the wall... this made me a nervous wreck the entire time we were up here. I had a death grip on Loralye and she was none to pleased by it!

She escaped... "I will stay close Mom"... yeah, right.

Castle of the Moors was built in the 8th and 9th centuries. It was taken by Christian forces after the fall of Lisbon in 1147. This is all we saw of it...

It looked like a fairy tale... Lo definitely thought she was a princes in this castle!

Lo's photography skills in action... "David, Yvonne... you go stand by my mom so we can take a picture for the office"

Sleepy lady...

We took a VW bug back down and 'raced' David and Yvonne in a Tuk Tuk

Friday, after a successful week, David and Yvonne joined us for a rooftop dinner in Lisbon before flying home. Neither of them are married or have kids, so of course, we were great birth control. Lorlaye could not seem to remember David's name... I swear she asked the poor guy 88 times during dinner "what was your name again?" However, despite the fact that she couldn't remember his name, she insisted on holding his hand.

They also have become infatuated with jokes... likely because when I travel I leave them notes and include a joke in the letter. Lo likes to make up jokes..."knock knock, who's there, why did the chicken cross the road, why, because he was hungry!!!"

Finally the weekend was upon us. So much to do... so little time. The girls had such a great time at the Science Center earlier in the week, they insisted on bringing me back to experience it first hand.

Coincidentally, it was right next door to the Lisbon Oceanario...This place was on everyone's list of must do's so we headed over to that side of town and started the day with the fishies!

Colorful tiles and mosaics were a theme throughout Lisbon. This huge mural was incredibly beautiful and full of detail. The best part was the girls didn't even notice the fish until after I showed them this picture. I think the scale and potentially their shortened perspective distorted their view!

These penguins came right up on the rocks and were nearly close enough to touch! While we were all hoping for a penguin snuggle, he kept a safe distance while he primped and preened his feathers.

This tank was 11,000 sq feet with more than 500 different species of things to look at... needless to say, we stood here for a while!

This guy was huge and kept swimming circles past the girls... they loved how he looked like he was smiling underneath. I never was able to get a picture of his sweet smile.

It's a shark... like a real shark!!! Not sure why he wasn't eating his peers... my best explanation was that the Oceanarium keeps him well feed, so he isn't tempted to eat friends.

My favorite little guys.. they were so cute to watch float around! Every once in a while you would see them use one of their back feet to paddle about or keep themselves from bumping into a wall.

Causing trouble in the rain forest

These guys were funny... Benthic fish, sometimes called ground fish are denser than water, so they can rest on the sea floor. They lie-and-wait to ambush predators by camouflaging themselves with sand. We noticed the fish have both eyes on one side of their head, however we learned when the fish hatch, one eye is located on each side of its head. As the fish grows, one eye migrates to the other side of the body as a process of metamorphosis. After this change, the fish needs to changes its habits, and camouflages itself by lying on the bottom of the ocean floor with both eyes facing upwards. We didn't observe any ambushes, however did have great fun playing trying to spot these guys in the sand.

Holding hands with Mr. Starfish.

Mr. Starfish patting Annelyse on the head.

My three fishies! You can see the stingray's smile that eluded my camera above Annelyse's head!

After the Oceanarium we headed over to the Lisbon Science Center and Knowledge Pavilion, locally know as 'Pavilhao do Conhecimento Ciencia Viva', was an absolute hit with the girls. They visited this one day while I was at work, but they loved it so much, we HAD to go back for a visit so I could see it!

This table was supposed to give adults the feeling of what a 3 year old experiences when sitting at a regular size table.

Girls got a big kick out of shocking me repeatedly on the plasma ball.
Me: "Ouch, that hurts!"
Them: ~Laughs~... "Put your hand on there!"
Me: "Ouch, that still hurts!"
Them: ~More sinister laughter~ "Put your hand on there and keep it there!"
Me: "But it hurts... "
Them: "I know, just do it!"

Chasing the robot greeter.

They loved this little lady... followed her around attempting to speak to her on Portuguese...

Building a marble run.

And she is back on the moon...

Racing across the wall... she must have went across this thing, 1,543 times. She would slap the timer and then race across. In true Annelyse form, always wearing shoes unfit for purpose...

Annelyse and I racing... when I caught up to the little boy ahead of me, she shouted, "Go around him... hurry"... yeah, like I am going to climb on top of a little kid so we beat our time.

Pedaling a bike while sitting in a lazy boy... each chair was linked to a TV channel...if you were pedaling the fastest the TV would switch to your channel. Needless to say I was happy looking since my chair was hooked to cartoon network and Annelyse's was to BBC news... She was so excited to be winning, until she realized she was pedaling like a mad woman to watch the news!

Riding the bike on the tight-rope.

Trying to blend our faces :)

Started out the day with some fake smiles...

The next day we opted to head out a bit further from city center to a town called Cascais which is about 20 miles west of Lisbon. Before hopping on the train we made sure to try one of the most touristy things you can do in Lisbon... the cable cars!! But of course, had to take some silly pictures on the way to the train...

It goes from zero to 60 so fast with these three...

We loved these cars... so giddy for our ride down!

Pretending to be the conductor!

Lots of beautiful, tasty treats to sample!

Another option to get up and down the 7 hills was this massive elevator. The line was really long, so we never did give it a go, but sure was neat to watch!

Gateway to the city

After putzing around the city, we arrived at the train station and hoped on for the journey to Cascai. On the way there, we had quite a scare when Loralye's arm was pulled into the train door. A passenger was exiting the train and she some how managed to get her arm sucked into the door. Several people helped us pry her out and she walked away with what appeared to be the equivalent of an Indian burn when we thought it may be a mangled mess. Truly, it scared all of us more than anything and until now, we aren't allowed to talk about it. Needless to say, we were all spent mentally and emotionally, so the day was pretty low-key with lots of thoughts of how grateful we were that it wasn't worse.

More 'pretty' graffiti in Cascai

Can you tell by her face that anything went wrong moments before??

Loved being able to play in the sand!

Sand Angels

They got a kick out of watching some people build intricate sand sculptures... true to our luck, we managed to stumble across this one, which appeared to be an ogre/giant who was drinking beer, passed out and peeing into a small pool. Why would the girls want to look at the ones with mountains and a train running through it, or the mermaids and sea scenes when you can look at the guy "weeing" into the pool where you are supposed to toss coins to show appreciation for their artistic abilities!

Obrigado = thank you... yes, thank you for a good laugh and lots more questions from the children!

We truly loved Lisbon and all the little villages and communities in the surrounding area. Literally, you could spend weeks exploring all the streets, alleys, shops and cafes. Definitely one of the places we hope to come back to in the future! All of our wandering provided many laughs and good pictures of this cute, quirky city!