Feliz Natal: Merry Christmas, 2009

From Obidos we drove on the 40 miles or so to Lisbon, a hilly city of 2-3 million, and found the municipal campground, Camping Lisboa, on the northern side, with relative ease. Electricity, water, warmth, security, a beautiful site in the city park--very much like Paris' Bois de Bulogne, but a much nicer campground--all for $26 a night. We'll take it. About a dozen other RVers were there too.

It was Christmas Eve, and all our thoughts and activities turned to family and friends and to our assorted Christmas rites and rituals...reminiscing about last year at Whakapapa, North Island (on the slopes of Mt. Doom), decorating the Sherouse family Christmas tree, listening to Christmas music, the traditional cheese fondue, Christmas Vacation, exchange of (modest, travel-related) gifts, viewing of Christmas Story, lazing around and enjoying a rainy day-off. And, best of all, phone calls to Rachel and Rebecca, Marie and Carole.

We very much missed family and friends for this second Christmas apart--next year we are definitely coming home--but trust everyone had a wonderful holiday. Ours was, again, most memorable.

For this year's Christmas tree, we went

natural/live; there was little else to choose

from; the lights we saved from New

Zealand last year!

While Vicki fixed the cheese fondue--with real French and

Swiss cheese and German Kirchwasser, etc.--we watched

the fire in the old video-hearth (thanks, Gloria) and sang

along with all the Christmas music

Battery-powered candle-light fondue dinner

Christmas dinner the next day--roast chicken and a Medoc

wine

Dessert...British Christmas pudding with

grand marnier cream sauce; and Ginja

cherry liqueur from Obidos, in chocolate

cups; quite an international feast

We had been looking for lime jello throughout France,

Spain and Portugal, but had to settle for a Tutti-Fruitti-

flavored "green slime," still good