Our second-straight European adventure is officially in the books following our final travel day back to the midwest. From the northern coast of Ireland to the southern coast of Spain, we visited four countries, stayed in hotels, homes, and a hostel in nine different cities, and leveraged nearly every form of transportation imaginable from planes to buses to subways to ferries.
We’ve written a ton of content and compiled even more photos from our three-plus week adventure. They’re outlined below.
Boston
We had only a half-day in Boston, which included takeaway bagels and multiple museum visits.
Belfast and Northern Ireland
Our journey continued in Northern Ireland where we learned about the Titanic, the city’s troubled history, and visited an impressive set of attractions along the island’s northern coast.
- Day 2 – Belfast
- Day 3 – Titanic
- Day 4, Part 1 – Rope Bridge and Beach Picnic
- Day 4, Part 2 – Giants, Castles, and More
- Day 5 – Belfast Taxi Tour, Arrival in Spain
Spain
While Amanda and I visited Northern Ireland in 2009, it was everyone’s first trip to Spain. We focused our time around the southern coast and Spanish hill towns, plus managed a day-trip ferry and tour to Morocco.
- Day 6 – Gibraltar
- Day 7 – Morocco
- Day 8 – Tarifa to Ronda
- Day 9 – Spanish Hill Towns
- Day 10 – Ronda
- Day 11 – Alhambra
Porto Santo
The small Portuguese island of Porto Santo was a favorite spot from last year’s trip, so we returned in 2018. Everyone loved our home, the beach, and pretty much everything on the island.
Lisbon, Portugal
Lisbon also stood out as a favorite from our 2017 vacation, so we included four days here in this year’s itinerary. These days were jam-packed including a train trip to Sintra, food tour, and photo shoot.
- Day 18 – Arrival in Lisbon
- Day 19, Part 1 – Trolley, Castle, and Lunch
- Day 19, Part 2 – Belém and More
- Day 20, Part 1 – Pena Park and Palace
- Day 20, Part 2 – Moorish Castle and Quinta da Regaleira
- Day 21, Part 1 – Lisbon Cooking School
- Day 21, Part 2 – Money Museum, Hamburgers, and a Mall
- Day 21, Part 3 – Lisbon Photo Shoot
- Day 22, Part 1 – Last Day in Lisbon
New York
Our final stop was New York City, where we spent two short nights and one full day. Amanda and her mom focused on Ellis Island, the kids had fun playing with friends, and Amanda and I enjoyed a double date night at the Hal Ketchum concert.