We planned our anniversary celebration trip for over two years. It turned out to be an epic multigenerational adventure. Marlene and I are in our early eighties, Stephen and Lisa their mid-fifties, Petra and Danny are in their mid-twenties, and James is twenty-one. We are a small but mighty family celebrating together. The following summary is divided into two parts: Itinerary and Reflections. The itinerary provides day-by-day information about the trip. The reflections section is a summary of my thoughts about experiences that were especially impactful for me personally.
June 25 – July 10, 2026
Itinerary
Day 1 — Thursday, June 25: Holland to Chicago
-Travel: Depart Holland around 1:00 PM; fly from Chicago O’Hare at 7:45 PM on TAP Air Portugal Flight TP242.
-Arrival: Lisbon at 9:55 AM on Friday, June 26.
-Notes: Parking Airport Economy Lot G.
Day 2 — Friday, June 26: Lisbon
-Travel: Arrive in Lisbon at 9:55 AM; airport pickup by guide Ricardo P. Note: Recardo P. and all additional tour guides were booked through Tours by Locals (toursbylocals.com)
-Lodging: Holiday Inn Lisbon, Av. Antonio Jose De Almeida 28 A; breakfast included.
-Activities: Lisbon half-day highlights tour, including meal at Time Out Market, viewing historic neighborhoods, Belém, and Pastéis de Belém (Famous custard tarts, making 50,000 daily).
Day 3 — Saturday, June 27: Lisbon Area
Travel: Full-day Lisbon area tour.
-Lodging: Holiday Inn Lisbon.
-Meals: Hotel breakfast; lunch at fish restaurant in Nazaré
where Marlene and I shared a “Fish Boat.”
-Activities: Full-day tour of Fátima, Nazaré, and Óbidos.
-Notes: Tour guide Ricardo P.; pickup 8:30 AM..
Days 4–11 — Sunday, June 28 to Sunday, July 5: Norwegian Dawn Cruise
-Travel: Depart Holiday Inn Lisbon at 10:30 AM to board Norwegian Dawn; off-board in Barcelona at 8:30 AM on July 5.
Outside our stateroom
-Meals: Hotel breakfast before boarding; specialty dining on board at Cagney’s (steakhouse), Moderno Churrascaria (Brazilian beef), and La Cucina (Italian).
-Activities: Ports include Portimão, Cádiz/Seville, Motril, Gibraltar (took ship-based shore excursions here), Ibiza, and Palma.
Day 11 — Sunday, July 5: Barcelona
-Travel: Off-board Norwegian Dawn at 8:30 AM for worship at the Reformed Church in Barcelona.
-Lodging: Innside by Melia, July 5–7.
-Activities: Lunch provided by church; hotel arrival around 4:00 PM, Tour de France bikers race past hotel entrance.
Day 12 — Monday, July 6: Barcelona
-Travel: Full day in Barcelona.
-Lodging: Innside by Melia.
-Meals: Hotel breakfast; lunch arranged by guide.
-Activities: Full-day Barcelona tour including Old Town, La Rambla, Gothic Quarter, Cathedral, Passeig de Gràcia, Sagrada Família, Park Güell, and Montjuïc.
-Notes: Tour guide Francesc G.; meet at Sagrada Família at 9:30 AM.
Day 13 — Tuesday, July 7: Barcelona to Paris
-Travel: Depart Barcelona at 1:30 PM on Vueling Flight VY8248; arrive Paris CDG at 3:20 PM.
-Lodging: Airbnb at 10 Rue Julien Masselier, 92230, Gennevilliers, July 7–10; host Fatima.
-Meals: On our own; apartment allows food preparation.
Day 14 — Wednesday, July 8: Paris
-Lodging: Airbnb in Gennevilliers.
-Meals: Responsible for our own meals and snacks.
-Activities: Paris full-day private driving tour with Eiffel Tower, Trocadéro, Champs-Élysées, Arc de Triomphe, Left Bank, Notre Dame, Montmartre, Marais, Vendôme, Opéra Garnier, and the Louvre guided tour.
-Notes: Pickup at Airbnb at 7:45 AM; guide Romain G.
Day 15 — Thursday, July 9: Paris, Giverny, and Versailles
-Lodging: Airbnb in Gennevilliers.
-Meals: Responsible for our own meals and snacks; lunch in Versailles.
-Activities: Private driving tour to Giverny and Versailles, including Monet’s house and gardens, Versailles palace, Hall of Mirrors, and formal gardens.
-Notes: Pickup at Airbnb at 8:00 AM; guide Romain G .
Day 16 — Friday, July 10: Paris to Chicago and Home
-Travel: Transfer from Airbnb to airport, 10:30 AM, depart Paris CDG at 2:40 PM on American Airlines Flight 151; arrive Chicago O’Hare at 4:50 PM; arrive Holland area at 11:00 PM.
Reflections
Here are some of my reflections about our trip. They are grouped around six topical headings and are not arranged in a specific order. A few may overlap.
Churches
Reformed Church in Barcelona: In planning what to do in Barcelona, James took the lead in arranging for our worship with this congregation. He arranged for the pastor, Roberth Granja, and Hugo, member of the church, to pick us up from outside the cruise port and bring us to church in two cars. Connecting with them was a long and complex process because of port restrictions. It resulted in our being half an hour late for church. They delayed the service for us.
The congregation is a group of about 100 worshipers. The service, in Spanish, included an energetic time of praise led by Carolina Granja, enthusiastic preaching, meaningful communion, and a generous meal afterward. At about 3:30 PM, in two cars, Pastor Roberth and another member drove us to our hotel. Looking back, worship with the congregation of this church plant stood in contrast to many of the magnificent, museum-like edifices that we would later visit.
The church was a little over eight miles from our hotel, but it took over an hour to get even close to it. Little did we know that today was the Tour de France. As a result, driving from one side of the city to the other was impossible due to street closures. Finally, we were dropped off on one side of the street barricades so we could trek through an under-the-street tunnel to meet James and Stephen, who, with a wheelchair for Marlene, got us to the Innside Hotel. As we were checking in, the Tour de France bikers raced by. The picture below (under Sports) is from our hotel window.
Tour de France bikers racing past our hotel window
Soccer: Beginning in Lisbon, we were all captivated by soccer, but especially Danny, Petra, and James. It turns out that the FIFA World Cup 2026 was being played throughout our entire trip. On our second night in Lisbon, the three grandkids took mass transit into Lisbon’s Praça do Comércio to see the Portugal vs. Colombia game with locals on a big screen set up in this plaza.
Wheelchairs
Our trip would have been difficult, or maybe even impossible, without the assistance of wheelchairs. Marlene was able to walk on her own, but walking long distances or standing for extended periods is a challenge.
At some point before this trip, friends told us that their airport experience was made much more manageable with wheelchair support, especially when there are long walks to the gates and extended lines for check-in and security. So, for each of our flights (Chicago to Lisbon, Barcelona to Paris, and Paris to Chicago), I requested wheelchair assistance.
At this point, I must note Marlene’s courage, strength, and humility. She was determined, with God’s help, to do whatever it would take for this trip to move forward, holding my arm for support, using a walking stick, hanging on to rails, or being pushed in a wheelchair. Her determination enabled us to share in experiences that would have been unimaginable a few months earlier.
Beginning in Chicago, once you have a wheelchair with the required attendant, things roll along smoothly. But getting the wheelchair after checking in is the challenge. The typical drill is to use the “priority boarding” lane and tell the person at the check-in counter that wheelchair assistance was requested when purchasing the ticket. This is acknowledged, and when check-in is complete, we are asked to go to a nearby bench and wait for an attendant with a chair. This wait is typically about half an hour. The exception for us was in Paris, where things became difficult.
Paris turns out to be wheelchair madness. After getting our boarding passes, we wait. At the 20-, 30-, and 40-minute points, I remind the American Airlines check-in staff that we are still waiting. Finally, a person from the check-in area found a wheelchair and offered to take us to the American Airlines Assistance area. It was just a short walk. Marlene got in the chair. I walked alongside. We entered the area. As the gentleman helping us was about to leave, I looked around. There are about 50 assistance-needy people sitting sadly, waiting for help. I say to myself, “Oh, no. Not on my watch.” As he is about to move on, I look him in the eyes and say, perhaps a bit too strongly, “Oh, no. We’re not waiting here. I’ll take this wheelchair and push us through security and to the gate myself.” (I had been told earlier that only attendants were allowed to push wheelchairs.)
To my surprise, he says, “OK, come with me.” Now, I am pushing, and he is walking alongside. We take an elevator down one level to a security checkpoint. He speaks to the security staff, and they take us through a scanner. Then he talks to someone else and comes back to me. He says, “See that person up ahead of us, pushing someone in a chair? She is one of my colleagues. Follow her. She’ll get you through.” I thank him, and continue pushing, trying not to lose sight of the “colleague” who appears to be our only hope for getting through this security maze.
We come to the next security screening checkpoint. I see the “colleague” and say, “I’m following you.” She gives an affirmative nod, and we approach a conveyor belt and a wheelchair-designated scanner. They motion for me to push Marlene through and then proceed to conduct the most thorough hand scan we have ever seen: They have Marlene stand and hand-wand every inch of her body. They have her sit, and they scan the bottoms of her shoes. They have her get out of the wheelchair and they wand all of the chair, including bouncing it a couple of times, I guess, to see if any contraband will fall out. The “colleague” is watching her person but also keeping an eye on us. As I’m repacking and reorganizing, she signals me to follow. The next step is the priority lane of customs, and after that, we head for our gate, breathing a sigh of relief.
There is one more Paris wheelchair story. This is from The Louvre museum. Our guide gets us parked, walks us directly inside (we skip the lines), and checks out a wheelchair for Marlene. He then directs us through a variety of art exhibits, narrating as we go. He tells us that in the two hours we are here, we will see about 1% of the collections. As we are near the end of time, we come to the hall displaying Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. Marlene is especially interested in this one. She loved the book, Mona’s Eyes. Our guide says something like, “You are in luck. This wheelchair gives you priority so that you can be in front of the crowd and up close (literally within a few feet) to the painting.” He waves me into the designated area. I wheel Marlene up to this painting of the woman with the famous smile. I’m thinking that we will spend a few minutes looking at this portrait. The moment we get there, Marlene says, “OK. Let’s go. I’m worried about Lisa (our daughter-in-law). She’s uncomfortable.” I immediately turn the chair, and we leave the area to meet the family. After sixty years of married life, I know that this is typical Marlene behavior. She is always more focused on others than on herself.
I close these wheelchair stories with a few personal reflections, because what first seemed like a practical travel necessity has become, for me, a quiet lesson in grace. Here is what I’ve learned.
-It is a privilege to push someone in a chair. When walking, we usually move side by side; but when offering wheelchair support, the one pushing intentionally takes the place behind, serving the other person and saying, in effect, “You come first.”
-The person in the chair, meanwhile, gives up a measure of control and must depend on, and trust, the one who is pushing. That exchange requires patience, humility, and a willingness to receive help.
-Eye contact between the person in the chair and the person pushing is not possible, listening becomes especially important. The one behind must pay attention not only to directions but also to pace, comfort, fear, fatigue, and trust.
-Wheelchairs also require extra space, making those who use them dependent on the graciousness of others to make room and let them proceed.
In that sense, our wheelchair experiences became a small picture of Christian community: sometimes we serve, sometimes we are served, and always, we depend on the kindness and patience of others along the way.
Food
The food on our trip was amazing! Way too wonderful to describe or even list here. So, the following are a few of my most enjoyable eating encounters.
Norwegian Dawn
No matter how you slice it, my favorite meal on the cruise was at the specialty Brazilian restaurant, Churrascaria. It was on Stephen’s birthday and featured serving after serving of different meats (including 4 kinds of beef, 1 pork, 1 chicken, and grilled pineapple) that were served from a skewer at tableside.
Belém, Lisbon
Nazaré, Lisbon
Taberna do Pouca Roupa was the seafood restaurant in Nazaré where we had
Gennevilliers/Paris area
Crousty Factory was one of my favorites in the Paris area and was located in the Gennevilliers section where we stayed. We loved the loaded rice bowls with crispy chicken. Its fusion concept blends culinary elements, including their Riz Africrousty (which features West African fried plantains alongside a signature house green sauce) and their Riz Crousty Curry, which incorporates prominent South Asian/Indian-inspired curry flavors.
Another favorite was a bakery that Petra found in response to my request to find some great French pastry. We sampled and shared a Napoleon, a chocolate eclair, and a rich, multilayered chocolate cake… yum!
Guides
Our three guides were booked through “Tours by Locals” and they were excellent. The following are recommendations we wrote for each of them as a result of their guided tours.
Lisbon: Ricardo P.
Our visit to Lisbon and the surrounding area was greatly enriched by our guide, Ricardo P. He led us through both a half-day introduction to the city and a full-day tour beyond Lisbon. He helped us appreciate the character of the historic neighborhoods, the beauty of the coastline, and the remarkable ocean views that make this part of Portugal so memorable. As people of faith, we also appreciated his respectful and thoughtful approach as we visited Fátima and other Christian sites, along with his openness in sharing about his own faith.
Ricardo also included excellent local food experiences along the way. From the memorable seafood at Taberna do Pouca Roupa to our stop in Belém for the famous Pastéis de Belém custard tarts, he introduced us to places that added flavor and delight to the day. Ricardo was professional, personable, attentive to our interests, and easy to travel with. We are pleased to highly recommend him as a guide who combines local knowledge, thoughtful service, genuine hospitality, and sensitivity to the interests and values of his travelers.
Barcelona: Francesc G.
Our visit to Barcelona, although brief, was greatly enhanced by the very knowledgeable, personable, and insightful Francesc. We had specifically planned our family vacation around a visit to the Sagrada Família. Francesc was able to help us not only view the beautiful architecture and historical journey of the basilica, but he was also able to share deep spiritual insights into its rich symbolism.
We also appreciated his flexibility in helping us navigate the extreme heat of the day. He was sensitive to the health and mobility concerns of our group, adjusting the schedule to meet our requests. We are able to highly recommend him, not only as an exceptional professional guide, but also as one who seeks to understand his travelers and be supportive of their interests and needs.
Paris: Romain G.
Our two full-day tours of Paris and the surrounding area were well-led by Romain, who guided our multi-generational group of seven adults with professionalism, patience, and thoughtful attention to our needs. He helped us experience many of the highlights of Paris, including the Eiffel Tower, Norte Dame, and the Louvre, while also making the longer day trips to Versailles and Monet’s house and gardens both enjoyable and manageable. His knowledge of the sites, clear explanations, and calm organization allowed us to appreciate the history, art, architecture, and beauty of each place without feeling rushed.
We especially appreciated Romain’s sensitivity to the mobility concerns within our group. At every location, he found wheelchairs and adjusted the pacing and scope of our activities so that everyone could participate as fully and comfortably as possible. This attentiveness made a significant difference for our family and helped turn potentially difficult logistics into smooth and memorable days. We are pleased to highly recommend Romain as a guide who combines strong local knowledge, careful planning, gracious hospitality, and genuine care for the people he serves.
Lodging
In Paris we stayed at an Airbnb for three nights. It had four bedrooms. This gave James his own room for the first time on the trip. While the Airbnb was not air conditioned, each room had a fan and we all seemed to tolerate the heat well. The Airbnb was in the Gennevilliers area outside of Paris. Staying in this non-touristy location for three nights gave us a feel for a Parisian community. We enjoyed shopping with the locals and trying out the restaurants and bakeries. Thanks to Petra for finding this Airbnb. My thought on our lodgings is that the variety of places added a wonderful diversity to our shared living experiences. Ending our trip at an Airbnb provided an amazing family group experience as we interacted together around a counter and in a living room, all in one apartment.
In closing, this has been an epic multigenerational adventure shaped not only by travel, sightseeing, food, guides, lodging, and unexpected events, but also by deeper lessons in faith, family, service, and gratitude. From worshiping with a church plant in Barcelona to visiting magnificent sacred spaces such as Sagrada Família and Notre Dame, the journey invited reflection on living faith across generations. Unexpected sports moments, memorable meals, thoughtful guides, varied lodging, and navigating airports and places of interest with wheelchairs all became part of the story, revealing the joy and complexity of traveling together as a “small but mighty” family. The trip was more than a family travel experience and more than an anniversary celebration; it was a family lesson in God’s guiding grace.
