Fun in the Sun

January 15 began quite early. We had a 4:15 wakeup call to catch our 4:40 taxi in order to catch a bus at 5:00 in order to catch our 6:30 plane! It was the earliest we had been up in a long time. After a 3 hour flight, we arrived in sunny Portugal! The ‘fun’ had just begun when we arrived. In order to get to our hotel, we had to catch two buses. We just missed a bus when we first arrived, so we waited awhile. Then when we got to the bus terminal (after taking the first bus), we had just missed the second bus. This gave us a chance to get a bite to eat. We found a little cafe on the marina and enjoyed our first moments in the warmth and sunshine. When getting on the second bus, we (mainly Micah) freaked out a bit that we really had no idea where we were suppose to get off. About half way through the bus trip, Micah felt like we should be getting off, but since we didn’t really know where we were or where our hotel was, we decided to stay on till the terminal. (We later found out the point where Micah wanted to get off was about a 3 minute walk from our hotel...we should trust his gut in the future!) Once we arrived at the terminal, the lady behind the ticket counter told us that our hotel was not in Albufeira and didn’t really know how to direct us. So we walked into the city centre and found the information office, where we were again told the hotel was a ways away. Micah wanted to walk there (to save money), but Lucy by this point was tired! Lucy got her way and we took a taxi. It didn’t end up being super far away (and it was in Albufeira), but it was worth the taxi ride (says Lucy). Once we finally arrived at the hotel, we were tired and ready to relax, but the hotel room was a bit below our expectations. There was a bit of mould and no real bed (two sofas that could be pushed together). After the initial disappointment of the room, we realized it was still pretty nice for how much we paid! The late afternoon was spent in the sun by the pool, buying groceries, playing cards and finding a place to eat dinner. Then we crashed early after a long day of travel.

Our room with our little kitchenette.

The pool.

Sunday began in the most perfect way! We went to walk on the beach soon after waking and discovered walking paths along the cliffs on the coast. The views were breathtaking; the sun was warm; the crashing of the waves against the cliffs was so peaceful! Afterwards, we laid out in the sun by the pool, played games and read. We discovered one of our favourite aspects of Portugal: the oranges. With loads of orange groves throughout the area, the oranges were cheap, fresh and amazing!! These quickly became a staple in our diet! After lunch, we continued to enjoy the sun (tough life!) and then went to get groceries for the next day. After grocery shopping we walked on the beach again before heading to a pub to watch the Tottenham game (soccer). Because so many people in Albufeira are British, most pubs show the Premier League. Somewhere close to 50% of houses are being purchased by Brits in Algarve (the county Albufeira resides). There is no shortage of chippies, football and British grocery stores. After the game, we headed out to another delicious dinner!

Along our morning walk.

Monday began in much the same way as Sunday...with a great walk along the cliffs. After the walk on the beach, we headed to explore the town a bit. We discovered ‘the strip’ which has tons of restaurants. We couldn’t understand why the hotel receptionist pointed us in the other direction for restaurants, but we soon discovered almost all the restaurants on the strip were closed for the season. They are only open from mid-February to November. Next was time in the sun (of course), followed by lunch and then more sun and reading. The afternoon was spent on a 4-wheeler tour. We were picked up at our hotel and headed off to a small town outside Albufeira. Once there, we got acquainted with the 4-wheelers and then headed off. We enjoyed traipsing through the orange and lemon groves, seeing almond trees in bloom, going down the steep embankments, and stopping at a country Portuguese cafe before returning to the base. It was a lot of fun to get out of the city and see a bit of the countryside. The owners of the 4-wheeler company, Claire and Rory, (who happened to be British) gave us great suggestions on what to do in the area and places to eat! By the time we got back, it was quite chilly (for Portugal standards), so we enjoyed some tea to warm up, before heading out to dinner. For dinner, we headed out in search of Chicken Piri-Piri (a local dish suggested by Claire and Rory). It was really good and quite spicy!

From our morning walk again.

On our quad.

Looking out over the almond trees into the valley

The pretty almond trees.

Through the lemon grove.

LEMONS!

Tuesday we walked to the centre of Albufeira along the cliffs and coast. We explored old town, the marina and walked in the water...where we got a little wetter than planned! After walking about, we enjoyed a picnic on the beach before heading to another suggestion from Claire and Rory...a cake shop! We got big, big pieces of cake and yummy coffee before walking back. Then it was time for our daily dose of the sun by the pool before dinner (which was another suggestion from Claire and Rory!). We ate at a fish buffet. It is not a buffet in the sense we would have thought, but rather the waiter brought around different types of fish for us to sample. By sample, we mean half of a grilled fish! The dinner started with bread, potatoes and olives before getting into the fish. The first fish was an amazing salmon steak! It was among the best salmon we have ever had. Next was sea bass. It had amazing flavour, and Lucy’s even had an eye (kind of creepy!). The third piece was pollock. Neither of us liked this one much. It was flavoured with sea weed, which wasn’t our favourite. The forth piece was halibut. It was so meaty; it almost was like eating chicken! The fifth was grilled sardines, which was a lot better than anticipated, but still lacked a little flavour. The sixth and final piece was squid. This was super chewy and an interesting flavour! We really enjoyed getting to taste all the different types of fish and left the restaurant stuffed!

A view of Albufeira.

Wednesday we followed another one of Claire and Rory suggestions and looked into car rental for a day. We found a place that was reasonably priced and let us return it to the airport for free, which avoided the crazy bus route on the way back. Afterwards, we headed to the beach for our daily walk. Then it was time for the sun by the pool, lunch, more sun and sangria at an outdoor cafe. For dinner we headed to find kabobs (another local dish). Micah was not convinced on the place Lucy decided on, but soon came on board. We had delicious kabobs with 4 different meats (steak, chicken, sausage and veal). For dessert we had some almond cake since almond trees are a dime a dozen. The best part of the restaurant was the owner. He had a lot of Portuguese character and had spent some time in the states so his English was amazing!

Our morning walk again...

Thursday we started with our daily walk on the cliffs and reading. Then it was time for some sun, lunch and more sun! In the afternoon we went and got sangria at the cafe again, before heading back to play some games. For dinner we had omelettes, which was another common dish.

Friday began by playing games (no walk...which made us sad!). Then we headed to the car rental place to pick up the car and head west. Our first stop on the journey was Silves to visit the local castle. It was up on the hill, which provided great views and it is always interesting to see buildings from the 12^th century! After Silves we headed onto Monchique. In Monchique we climbed to an old monastery, which looked a lot cooler from the below. It was really run down! Then we walked though the oldest part of the city, before driving to the highest peak in Algarve. The peak is 922 m. It may not seem that high, but since it is the highest point and so close to the coast, the views were breathtaking! Also, there were tons of Eucalyptus trees, which smelled amazing as we drove up to and back from the peak! Then we drove farther west to ‘the end of the world’. Cape St. Vincent was referred to as the end of the world by early explorers as it looks off into the west over the Atlantic Ocean. We saw a few old forts and a light house. Then it was time to drive back to Albufeira. For dinner, we had two delicious dishes, cataplana and paella. Paella is a rice, meat/seafood and seasoning dish that is baked over a fire (traditional in Spain). Cataplana is a traditional Portuguese stew with seafood/meat, tomatoes, peppers and onions served over rice. They were both delicious!

Silves Castle

A beautiful orange tree inside the castle.

The church outside the castle.

Yes, the picture doesn't lie. It is a Hustler Z! Made 5,000 miles away in Hesston, KS!!

The cliffs at Cape St. Vincent

Lighthouse in the distance.

One of the many palm trees Micah loved!

An old fort along the coast.

Beauty!

A HUGE old fort.

Saturday was the cloudy day, but luckily (or unluckily) we were heading back to Belfast. After returning the car, we went through security and found out our flight was delayed by 1.5 hours. So we had bit more time than we desired in the airport, but by 11:45 we were on the plane. Once back in Belfast we got a bus into town and Sharon, Thomas and Larry picked us up to bring us back home. Micah headed to the Ember for dinner and Lucy headed to a women’s cell gathering. There were 22 women, fondue (cheese and chocolate) and lots of goodies to dip in!

Our cute little car.

Today we headed to church, enjoyed a long lunch and are enjoying an afternoon of relaxing. Tonight we are heading to Joy and Bobby’s to catch up with them over a popcorn and cheese dinner!

We are so thankful for the amazing weather and time to relax and reconnect with each other that Portugal provided. God knew just what we needed!

Battling the Bug

Sunday January 2 we headed to church and then took the train to Carrickfergus. We got a deal on a ‘romantic’ night away. We didn’t know what to expect for dinner since it came with the package, but we were pleasantly surprised with the options! We were able to order any main course on the menu!! Since we are Mennonites and want the best value for money, we went with the most expensive items! Micah had a nice steak with potatoes and Lucy had grilled duck. After dinner, Micah decided to pass on his cold to Lucy. So Lucy felt pretty rubbish for the next few days, which wasn’t helped by loud neighbours causing little sleep! So much for the romantic night away!!

Carrickfergus Castle

Looking back towards Belfast.

Monday began with a huge buffet breakfast. Then we tried to go see Carrickfergus castle, but we were there 1 of the 2 days per year it closes. So we walked along the sea and headed back to Belfast. Once home, Lucy didn’t leave bed for a few days. Micah did a great job taking care of her! Matthew (a long time friend of the community and new core member) moved in!!

Tuesday, Lucy was still in bed all day. Micah went to a team meeting and then worked in the office. Micah headed to the Ember for dinner and was able to meet the new live-in assistant, Susan from Germany.

Wednesday, Lucy was still in bed all day. Micah had a meeting in the morning about Root Soup with Maria and Allison. They came up with a new idea for fundraising and broadening the target area of Root Soup, called ‘A Touch of Nostalgia”. It will be social events, mainly targeting middle to upper aged people, including cinema nights and supper club events. The first event will be ‘A Dinner to Die For’, which will be a murder mystery supper. Root Soup will cater the events with nice food and will hopefully make a good profit! Wednesday night, Micah headed over to Joy and Bobby’s house. A friend that had been staying with Joy and Bobby made a Cajun meal for his farewell party. (He is from Louisiana.) The food was really nice (and Lucy got leftovers!).

Thursday was Lucy’s first day back among the living. It was a rest day, but we spent a lot of the morning cleaning and the afternoon building the chicken coop. Micah, Bobby, and Micah (Bobby’s friend) worked a few hours struggling to get anywhere. THEN, Sam came into the picture. Sam attends City Church and lives just down the road. Sam worked as a builder before his current job and he took over (in a good way) the building of the coop. Soon enough it had 4 walls, a roost and a door for the chickens! All that’s left is to put siding on, add roofing, build the run and build the nesting boxes. We really are almost to the point to buy chickens! Thursday evening, we headed to Peter and Jenna’s house (the MMN volunteers) to play cards.

On Friday, Micah and the clan headed up to the allotment. They got manure, worked in the freezing cold, dug soil from down the hill to transport to the allotment and went shopping for the chicken coop. Lucy worked in the office in the morning and the Ember in the afternoon.

On Saturday, we were in the Ember. Micah and Thomas went to Common Grounds to volunteer. Lucy and Jillian spent the morning browsing charity shops, having coffee, shopping at the green grocer and getting Jillian’s hair done. In the afternoon, Lucy and Jillian cleaned Jillian’s room. Micah helped Thomas with his laundry. In the evening, Thomas and the two of us headed over to Scott’s house to babysit his three kids. After a pizza dinner and a few games, the kids headed off to bed (except the youngest who really wanted to see mama). He eventually fell asleep in Micah’s arms.

On Sunday we went to church in the morning and then hung out at the Ember a bit, because James and Faythe were back for a visit. (James was an assistant when we got here and Faythe was the volunteer coordinator.) We enjoyed a nice dessert and a trip to the pub with the lads. The rest of the day was not too memorable.

Monday began with prayer and a team meeting. Micah had a meeting in the afternoon to further discuss Root Soup with Alison, Valerie and Maria. The big news of the day was the house across the road (which started collapsing on itself) is being torn down. Ever since we arrived, cracks had been growing on the top floor and before the New Year the roof and front of the top floor fell in. Nothing was done for awhile, but now it is being taken down bit by bit. The odd part is they are trying to save the other half of the duplex which is also cracking. The pictures explain it best!

Picture taken after the initial part fell in, before they started taking it down.

Guys from the City Council working on taking it down bit by bit.

Tuesday we worked in the office in the morning and afternoon. In the afternoon, Lucy got a pretty bad migraine, so she headed to rest yet again. Micah went with the rest of the community to the Loom (the prayer space in North Belfast) to pray and then have a welcome party for Matthew at the Ember. Lucy just rested.

Wednesday, Root Soup kitchen training began! The group met in the Ark to make sandwiches and assemble light supper boxes for a L’Arche fundraiser later on in the day. Lucy headed to women’s cell in the morning and then worked in the office in the afternoon. After work, we did some grocery shopping before heading the L’Arche cinema night. There is a theatre in Comber (a nearby village) that is used for charity events or private functions. It was a real success! A lot of people came and the movie was great!

Night at the Flicks.

Today, we had a rest day. Lucy had a meeting in the morning and since then we have packed and done errands for the trip to Portugal! Tonight we are going to babysit for Padraig and Porter (Joy and Bobby’s kids).

Tomorrow is our last day of work before holiday! Micah will be up at the allotment, building new raised beds. Lucy is in the Ember all day with the lads. One last day before a good, long, warm break!

We are really excited about our week in Portugal! It is suppose to be fairly warm and sunny and we should have plenty of time to relax! Pray for our safety in travel and that we take advantage of the opportunity to rest! And start preparing...2 months from Saturday we will be back in the States!!

Welcome 2011

The 20^th of December began with a prayer and team meeting. After the meeting we went shopping for our final KK (Kris Kindle) gifts and food for the Christmas celebrations. We spent the evening in the Ember for dinner and hanging about. Micah joined Bobby, a couple other guys and a visitor of the Orf family (also named Micah) at the pub for a boy’s night out.

Tuesday we were suppose to have training, but Scott decided that it was a beautiful day for a walk by the Lagan. It was FREEZING! Our feet were numb by the time we arrived at Sharon’s house for tea. In the afternoon, Lucy had a meeting with Maria and then Micah had a meeting with Maria, Scott and an interviewer for a training program.

Wednesday began Micah’s fight against sickness. He was suppose to go to the Root Soup kitchen in the morning, but since he was not feeling well, decided against cooking. Probably a good idea!! We relaxed most the day and then headed to Bobby and Joy’s house for a shepherds’ meal. A tradition in Micah’s family is to have a shepherds’ meal close to Christmas time. It consists of a simple meal of bread, cheese, meat, fruit and veg and the reading of the Christmas story, all in candle light. It was a really nice evening with the Orf family and a great way to really get into the Christmas spirit!

Thursday was another day to rest up before the holiday celebrations. In the afternoon we went on a walk. Micah had desired to walk down a street that we pass frequently, so we ventured down and found a beautiful snow-covered field. A development had been started so there was a road and street lamps, but no houses had been built. It was the perfect place for a wee walk! In the evening we ventured out to a Japanese restaurant with the other volunteers to have sushi! It was so good and a really nice evening out.

Everyone getting ready to enjoy some sushi

Friday began with the KK celebration. Throughout the 4 weeks of advent we were giving gifts (in secret) to one person in the community. On Christmas eve we all gathered to guess who our KK was. Micah was way off, but Lucy guessed right. It was a nice way to start Christmas eve. The afternoon was free, and the evening consisted of a party for the family members of the core members and another shepherds’ meal with the people who were going to be around for Christmas day. This is the first year for 2 Thanksgiving dinner and 2 Shepherds’ meals. We are truly blessed here! After the shepherds’ meal we headed to a midnight mass at Maria’s church. It had lovely music and Thomas loved it because we were not back until 12:30! He loves staying up late. Thomas and Makiko slept over in the Ark for the weekend so they wouldn’t be alone in the Ember. It made a full house!

Christmas day began with a big breakfast of baked French toast and egg casserole. Afterwards, the 6 of us (Thomas, Frans, Julia, Makiko and the two of us) opened presents. It was mainly Thomas opening presents because he has a lot more connections in Belfast, but we all received a few. After opening presents, we went on a walk. We headed to the same field that we had been in earlier in the week. It was quite beautiful still and there was enough open space for a snow ball fight and snow angel making! Once we were back in the Ark/Ember, it was time to dress up for dinner. In Maria’s tradition it is important to look nice for Christmas dinner. Scott’s family, Maria, and the Orf family all joined the 6 of us for dinner. It was nice to have the ‘extended family’ over for the meal. We enjoyed a lovely dinner of salmon, potatoes, lots of veg and lots of yummy desserts. After dinner, we headed back to the Ark to talk to our families. It was really nice to be able to chat with them on Christmas day. Once the 6 of us were all gathered in the Ark again, we put together puzzles, did crafts, ate lots of food and hung out! What a lovely and busy Christmas!

Sunday was Boxing Day in the UK. Traditionally the rich would box up leftovers for the poor after the big Christmas meal. Now-a-days it is another excuse to eat lots of yummy food. People who were around the community were invited over to Matthew’s house (a soon to be core member) for a huge smorgasbord prepared by Roberta (Matthew’s mum). We had 5 meat dishes, 2 potato dishes, 1 veg and 7 desserts! SO MUCH YUMMY FOOD all for 11 people! There was just a little bit left over! In the evening, Lucy helped Jillian off to bed and Micah watched the Tottenham game with Neil.

Monday was a rest day, which was essential since we had been with lots of people for the past few days. After some time just resting, we headed over to Bobby and Joy’s house to discuss the event the next night...the Mexican Extravaganza! One thing we really miss here is Mexican food so we decided to bring Mexican food (or at least our version) to Belfast. We spent the afternoon dreaming about all the delicious things we could make and then making the shopping list for the next day. Then we headed over to the Ember with Bobby and Joy to help them make their weekly meal for the core members. In the evening we got the joy of talking to Lucy’s extended family (on her dad’s side). Afterwards, we headed back over to the Orf’s to babysit for their 2 kids while they ventured out to a birthday party.

Tuesday was Mexican Extravaganza day! It was also the day that our water got turned off kind of. More on that later. Micah, Micah (the Orf’s friend) and Bobby went shopping in the morning (for like 3 hours!!). Then the two of us headed over to help with the preparations. Lucy mainly played with the kids, while Micah did more of the prep. In the middle of prep, we had to leave to go to Emily’s leaving prayer. She had been a volunteer for 4 months, but was heading back to the states for a bit and then hopefully Germany. Then it was back over to finish preparations for the Mexican Extravaganza. For dinner we had 3 homemade salsas ranging in spiciness, enchiladas, Mexican rice, and stuffed chillies. The locals were not big fans of the stuffed chillies; they were a bit too spicy for their flavour. After dinner we played ‘la familia’ and another game that we do not know the name of! It was a really nice evening.

On Wednesday we were back in the Ember. Sickness has been going around the community so it was just the two of us in the Ember with the guys. Jillian was the only one who went to the centre; the other three were on holiday. Larry and Micah went grocery shopping in the morning and then Thomas, Larry, and the two of us headed to IKEA to buy a new wardrobe for Thomas. IKEA was crazy busy, so we were hoping to get in and out, but alas the first wardrobe we purchased was broken and we only saw it after we were on the way to the car. So Lucy headed back into the store to exchange the wardrobe, while Micah and the lads headed to the car. BUT...stupid IKEA doesn’t exchange things, so Lucy had to return the wardrobe and then go purchase another one. BUT...there wasn’t any more to be found. Luckily, a friendly IKEA man found another one for me. When we were back home, we started to put the wardrobe together before Micah and Thomas headed to Common Grounds to volunteer. After Lucy had dinner with Larry and Emily, she went back to finish the wardrobe to discover that the wardrobe was not put together right. The sides were switched, which meant the shelves did not fit! BUMMER! Once Micah was back, we decided that we would try to fix it the next day.

Thursday was another day in the Ember. Again due to sickness, we were the only two on. Thomas and Jillian headed to the centre, but Larry stayed home. We spent the day cleaning, doing laundry and fixing the darn wardrobe. After a few frustrations, the wardrobe is together although a little worse for wear. After dinner, Lucy helped Jillian off to bed and then we watched Mr. Bean with the lads. Larry was ready for bed early, and Makiko offered to help Thomas off to bed because the two of us were exhausted from the 2 long days. Thanks Makiko!

Friday was a great day in Micah’s book. Scott, Micah, Bobby, and Noah started to build the chicken coop. It currently has 3 walls, a roof and a floor, but it is really starting to look like a coop!! After the guys finished for the day, we walked up to Forestside to get some goodies for New Years Eve. We spent the evening at the Orf’s with a few other people.

Padraig is such good help.

Today we are being pretty lazy. Micah is still not feeling great, so we are taking it easy. Tonight we are heading to Peter and Jenna’s (MMN volunteers) to play some games. It should be really nice.

Lately in Belfast, lots of people have been without (or with little) water. There have been problems with leaks in pipes that are leading to low reservoir levels. We have been fortunate to have some water all the time, but we haven’t been able to flush our toilets since Tuesday (we can be thankful for bucket flushing) and there are about 2 showers a day for the 4 of us. Supposedly the leaks will be fixed by next week, but Scott informed us that as they are trying to fix the leaks they are also discovering some pipes are wooden dating back to the early 19^th century. It sounds like a bit of updating is needed on the water system!

We hope you all are healthy and happy at the beginning of 2011. Pray for Micah as he continues to try to get better! Looking forward to seeing many of you in a few months.