Visiting Sadie In North Carolina

Salem Lake is a beautiful place to take a walk.


We walked a mile and I got a good workout.

Tom loves to take Sadie on walks. The weather was so beautiful especially when we had a little rain to cool it off.

George Washington Masonic Memorial

This magnificent structure was built by a Masonic Fraternity in honor

of George Washington. Designed in the classical architeture of Greece and Rome, there was a natural connection to the classically inspired architecture of General Washington's day. The design incorporates ancient styles; the Memorial entrance, inspired by the Parthenon of Athens and the lighthouse of Alexandria, Egypt, one of the ancient Seven Wonders of the World. Masonry had been a guiding light to Washington, as he was the guiding light of the Revolution and formation of our country.

This statue of George Washington wearing his Masonic apron was dedicated in 1950.

During the tour of the George Washington Museum
the final stop was the Observation Deck which provides a
panoramic view of Alexandria and Washington, D.C.

This is George Washington's Masonic Apron.We learned so many interesting facts about George Washington and Freemasons on the tour. The Memorial was built to inspire humanity through education to emulate and promote the virtues, character and vision of George Washington, the Man, the Mason and Father of our Country. I would recommend this tour along with Mount Vernon to anyone wanting to learn more about George Washington.

Visiting Mount Vernon and DC

Last time we went by Mount Vernon on a family

vacation it was 5:00 and already closed.

This time we arrived eariler and we went on a tour of the home first.

The grounds are beautiful and as we left Tom took this picture from the boat.

We took a boat to Mount Vernon from Alexandria.

It took a while to get there but it was a nice ride and weather was perfect.

The next day we went to Ford's Theater in DC.

The museum is not open but we had a great tour

and were able to go across the street to where

President Lincoln was taked after he was shot.

Next time I go to DC I would like to take a tour of the capitol.

The white house looked beautiful as usual.

I took this picture inside one of the Smithsonian Museums.

We had a lot of fun because there are so many things to do in DC.

Fourth of July in Washington DC

It was fabulous to be in Washington DC and see the fireworks!

There were tons of events during the day for everyone to enjoy!

It was Tom's great idea to walk all the way to be here.

On the metro ride back to our hotel in Alexandria we were like sardines and laughed all the way!

It was breathtaking to watch the fireworks for the Fourth of July in Washington DC. We took the Metro all the way to Smithsonian and were so excited to see the fireworks so close to Washington Monument among millions of others. The weather was perfect and the fireworks were spectacular. Thanks Tom for encouraging us to walk all the way to Washington's Monument! What an amazing experience and I'm so grateful to live in the United States!

An 8th Century Moorish Castle

Stacey took this picture when we were at the Palace of Pena.

In the background you can see on the left the 8th Century

Moorish Castle standing on top of Sintra's highest hill.

Here we are with the girls after climbing to the top.

Snaking along the mountain ridge, the castle offers breathtaking views of the beautiful area.

This is a view of Sintra from the Moorish Castle.
After walking all the way to the top, Tom carried Carys when she was tired on the way back.

Madison posing by a fountain from the Moorish Empire.

This is the highest point of the Moorish Fortification.

Carys made it to the top!

You can see Tom and Madison walking along the fortress wall.

Resting along the path with Sintra in the background.
Carys sneaking a peak of the beautiful countryside.

Tom made it to the top with Madison on his shoulders.

More Moorish ruins along the trail.

This Moorish Castle is just minutes away from the Sintra train station. We visited both the Moorish Castle and the Palace of Pena on the same day. It was quite an adventure and when we returned to Sintra we were able to take tour of all the historical sites. We rode on a cute little tour train that the kids really liked while eating some delicious pastries. We were told that when the famous British poet and traveler Lord Byron stopped by in the 18th century he wrote that Sintra is "perhaps in every respect the most delightful in Europe," and calling it a "glorious Eden" in one of his poems. He stayed at Lawrence's Hotel which is the oldest hotel in the Iberian Peninsula. I loved this magical town and would love to go back, stay at the Lawrence Hotel (if it's not too expensive) and go on the horse drawn carriage ride through the town at evening time. Doesn't that sound fun. This was definitely one of the most beautiful places in Portugal.

The Palace of Pena on the hills of Sintra

The Palace of Pena in Sintra Hills is a beautiful example of nineteenth century Portuguese Romanticism. Stacey took this picture at the Moorish Castle that was built during the eighth century for fortification. In the Middle Ages a twelfth century chapel was dedicated to Our Lady of Pena. During the fifteenth century it was a Monastery and in the nineteenth century the "New Palace" was constructed by King Fernando II and Dona Maria II.
The pathway up to the castle was beautiful.

The girls were so excited to be at a real castle!
Built in the 1840's, I think it is one of Europe's most fantastic palaces.

We went on a self guided tour all around the palace.
It includes a draw bridge, domes, a Neo-Manueline arch, all washed in an array of pastel shades.

The view of the beautiful city of Sintra is in the background and includes several other palaces.

I was so excited to able to go inside the castle.

It was decorated in late Victorian and Edwardian furnishings, rich ornaments, paintings, and priceless porcelain preserved just as the royal family left them.

The mystical hills are dotted with fairytale palaces and villas. The Romans named it "Cynthia" after the goddess of the moon. Surrounding the palace is Pena Park, filled with a variety of trees and exotic plants from the former colonies of the Portuguese empire.

The romantic gardens were lovely with hydrandges galore.

Stacey loved the gorgeous lush gardens.

Madison loved the beautiful flowers.

Some of the areas were a little scary if you are afraid of heights.

At the top of the castle is where they celebrated the first sight of Vasca da Gama's returning fleet. I love all the historical facts we learned while visiting Sintra.

As you can see we feel in love with this place and took tons of pictures.

I thought it was interesting the way the castle was built right on the rocks.

This little lookout was almost at the top of the palace. This where we took a break and had a little treat. It was so fun visiting this beautiful area. It was one of the favorite places that I visited in Portugal and I would love to go back to this enchanting area again.