Living The Q Life Travel Adventures

Located about 30 miles outside the town of Alamosa in Colorado, the Great Sand Dunes are a fascinating feature that has been created by nature over thousands of years. The giant sand dunes sitting at the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains highlight the diversity of habitats in southwestern Colorado, which ranges from wetlands, prairies, mountains, and forests. The sand dunes seem oddly out of place, it is almost as if a piece of an African desert was scooped up and dropped in the mountain valley. The reality is that they were created after a large lake dried up thousands of years ago and the wind drove the sand to the base of the mountains.

The People Give Perspective to the Size of the Dunes

Although the year that we visited the mountains did not receive a lot of snow and therefore the runoff was minimal, usually there is a river or stream running at the base of the sand dunes, making the contrast even more interesting. One of the good things about the stream not being there was that we didn’t have to get our feet wet in order to get to the base of the dunes, but the bad part was that it was even more sand to walk through in the heat of the sun. It is not easy walking in the sand and even harder walking up the steep sides of the dunes. They may not seem as large from the distance, but the actual peaks of the dunes can be as high as 750 feet (230 meters).

As more and more people visit the dunes, one of the most popular things to do is to bring a sandboard and go sandboarding. People will spend hours climbing to the top and then boarding their way back down. Just to reach the top is difficult, so to do it over and over again in order to shred the sand is a real achievement. It also means that you will be surrounded by plenty of crowds as people flock to the area. There is camping nearby and you will find and endless array of motorhomes and RV’s. Since it is a national park, you can expect to pay $20 per vehicle to get into the park, which is good for seven days.

It took us about three hours to drive from Colorado Springs to the Great Sand Dunes, but it is well worth the drive. We hadn’t been to the sand dunes for over twenty years, so it was also a little bit nostalgic for us as we remembered bringing our young children there to play in the sand. We only spent a couple of hours at the sand dunes as climbing the hills is very exhausting and hard on the legs. Even though we were walking in the Sahara Desert only a few weeks ago, visiting this unique place in Colorado was really something special.

There is no doubt that Lisbon is one of those magical cities that has so much to offer. Between the history, architecture, and food, it was one of the most enjoyable trips that we have taken recently. We spent a week in Lisbon enjoying as much of what the city and surrounding area have to offer. With so much to see and do, it is hard to pick any particular favorite location or site within the city, but here are some of the things that saw and did during our trip to Portugal.

Castelo de Sao Jorge (Castle of St. George) – The Castelo de Sao Jorge is clearly visible from almost every location in the old town section of Lisbon, which is called Alfama. Visiting the castle is certainly a highlight of any visit to Lisbon, whether to walk along the castle walls or to see the amazing views of the city. There have been different fortresses on the hilltop throughout the centuries, but the current castle is built in the gothic style and is probably over 700 years old. As with all locations in Lisbon, it was damaged in the great earthquake of 1755, but has been completely rebuilt.

The Tower of Belém and the Monument of the Discoveries – There are many neighborhoods in Lisbon that have sites of particular interest and Belém is certainly one of them. Lisbon is a port city and during the height of Portugal’s history when many explorers left Portugal from the ports of Belém to discover routes throughout the world. During that time, often referred to as the Age of Discoveries, ships would depart from the Tagus River and out to the Atlantic Ocean to either go south towards Africa or west to the Americas. Of the many sites to see in Belém, the Tower of Belém and the Monument of the Discoveries on the shore of the Tagus River are certainly among them.

The Romantic Pena Palace in Sintra – We took a single day trip outside of Lisbon during our recent trip that included visiting the UNESCO World Heritage site, Pena Palace. We definitely recommend adding a trip to Sintra on your itinerary when visiting Lisbon as it is well worth the time that it takes. We pre-purchased the tickets, which we would recommend, and visitors are only allowed to enter at the start of the hour that you are assigned for your ticket. Even though the number of visitors per hour are limited, it is extremely busy and you will find yourself in a line as you walk through the palace.

Igreja de São Roque (Church of Saint Roch) – There are several wonderful churches and basilicas in Lisbon, but after seeing some images online, we made going to Igreja de São Roque something that was high on our list. It is without a doubt one of the most beautiful churches in Lisbon and certainly one of the most fascinating churches that we have seen. The details within the church are quite stunning and extremely ornate. During our visit in person, the details were overwhelming, and we’ve absorbed more looking at our photographs after returning home.

Maritime Museum – Museums can be hit or miss for us as some of them are boring and others are quite fascinating. The Maritime Museum in the neighborhood of Belém in Lisbon is different than a lot of museums partially due to having several models of ships from Portugal’s Age of Discovery. The exploits of those explorers who left from the shores of Lisbon to discover various trade routes around the world is an important part of Portugal’s history and the Maritime Museum pays homage to that time. It was also the very first thing that we saw during our time in Lisbon, providing context to many other things that we learned during our visit.

The Praça do Comércio (Commerce Plaza) and Pink Street – Located on one of the busiest streets in Lisbon, The Praça do Comércio or Commerce Plaza is certainly worth strolling around or stopping for a meal in one of the restaurants in the plaza. There are several features within the plaza that can’t be missed including the Rua Augusta Arch and the Statue of King Jose I. Located on the shore of the Tagus River, it was the location of the palace until the great earthquake of 1755 destroyed the palace and the plaza was rebuilt. The actual plaza is 175 meters by 175 meters or 30,600 square meters (574 feet by 574 feet or 329,000 square feet) making it one of the largest plazas in Portugal.

Enjoying the Food of Lisbon – During our week-long trip to Lisbon, we definitely ate quite a lot of wonderful food. Portugal is known for their seafood and especially for sardines and anchovies, but there is certainly much more to the cuisine of the country. One of the famous treats that is a must have in Lisbon is the Pastel de Nata, which is a delicious custard tart. Another well-known dish is Arroz de Pato or Portuguese Duck Rice that we definitely made sure to eat during our trip.

Jerónimos Monastery – The first time that we went to the Jerónimos Monastery in Lisbon, the line to get tickets and enter was so long that we decided to visit on another day. There were several tour buses parked outside of the monastery, so we ended up going to the Maritime Museum, the Tower of Belém, and the Monument of the Discoveries. When we went the second time to visit, we decided to go earlier in the day, and it definitely wasn’t as busy as the first time that we went by the monastery. It is certainly quite impressive and well worth taking the time to see.