-
Continue reading →: Alfama’s Big Party Celebrating its Patron SaintA few years ago, we learned about Dia do Santo António, or Saint Anthony’s Day and had to go check it out. This year we returned, more experienced and ready for the celebrations. Anthony of Padua (Italy) is actually from Lisbon. He is the city’s patron saint as well as…
-
Continue reading →: Small VictoriesLast weekend, we scored a small victory. Life as an expat is full of them. And if you keep reading you’ll think, at the end, “yeah David, this one is really really small”. So, despite the risk of embarrassing ourselves, I will continue onward nonetheless. At the end of April…
-
Continue reading →: The Great Iberian Blackout of 2025Melissa was out walking and I was reading an article on my computer when the lights went out. There’s a lot of construction (always) near our apartment, so losing water or power isn’t super unusual. We aren’t on all of the notification lists (though that has been attempted with only…
-
Continue reading →: Celebrating FrancisIt was unplanned. In several ways. We had no idea it was a jubilee year in Rome when we booked. A Jubilee takes place in Rome every 25 years and is a period when Catholic pilgrims visit for a period of prayer, reflection and penance. But we had no clue.…
-
Continue reading →: Aboard the U.S.S. MidwayOn our recent trip to California, we had the opportunity to board the Midway in San Diego Harbor for a work event. We spent our day immersing in Navy culture with an afternoon on Coronado Island. After lunch, we strolled around the island, along the beach to the naval base…
-
Continue reading →: We Still Stand With UkraineMelissa wrote this post three years ago while we began our first long European road trip. It seems all the more relevant and meaningful today. God bless Ukraine and its people. By Melissa I am not Ukrainian. My mother was 100% Norwegian and my father, we don’t really know, but…
-
Continue reading →: Five Years OnThese past few weeks, Facebook and Photos Apps memories have been popping up with what I was doing five years ago. There was a lot going on. Five years ago, we were settling into our new home in Portugal. We had been incredibly naive. It was way harder than we…
-
Continue reading →: Soaking at Ojo CalienteOur final stop on our two-week four corners Thanksgiving tour was at Ojo Caliente Resort and Spa in Northern New Mexico. About an hour north of Santa Fe and 60 miles south of the Colorado border, Ojo Caliente sits in a small valley on the Rio Ojo Caliente. The prehistoric…
-
Continue reading →: Sometimes, You Just Gotta LaughIn these anxiety-inducing times, sometimes… you just gotta laugh. With wars raging on multiple fronts, natural disasters devastating parts of the country and the world, fear and mis and disinformation feeding anger it is important to take a break from reality and the news cycle and just laugh. Whether it…
-
Continue reading →: Nature: the Great UnifierAs we’ve traveled across the USA and Canada this summer, we’ve found one thing true wherever we’ve gone and whatever we’ve seen. The beauty of nature draws us all in, no matter who we are. Whether we lean red, blue or purple; read the Bible, Koran or Torah; whether we…
The Traveling Ridleys
Welcome to the Sunday Journal, our sister blog about our experiences along the way.
Follow along
Stay updated with our latest Sunday Journal posts by joining our newsletter.
The Traveling Ridleys: Sunday Journal 