No series about a major travel adventure would be complete without discussing the food!

This post is the last in a series about the incredible vacation that my family and I took in the Iberian Peninsula over the summer. We explored four of the Azores Islands, wandered around a little bit of Portugal, and made some unforgettable memories in Madrid, Spain. We also got to try a variety of dishes, desserts, and drinks in all of these places. Here are some of the more memorable dishes:

• seafood rice stew –from the village where my mom was born
• lapas (called limpets in English) –also from the same village
• flame broiled sausage
• alcatra: a traditional pot roast from Terceira
• linguiça, blood sausage, and corn bread
• cooking our dinner on a heated lava stone
• a really amazing sandwich called a prego
• Spanish empanadas
• a portion of roast suckling pig and potatoes from the oldest restaurant in the world
• red chimichuri chicken kebabs
• Spanish paella that was worth the wait

^_.

This next set of photos showcase just some of the lovely pastries and amazing desserts I thoroughly enjoyed throughout the vacation. Featured on the top row are: bolo de bolacha (my favorite Portuguese cake), tangerine tarts, churros with thick dipping chocolate as found in Spain, and a dona amélia and some vinegar pudding from the Azores. The bottom row shows a rich (yet fluffy) chocolate mousse from the Azores, and the most delicious pastel de nata I think I have ever had.

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We could not get enough of the ice cream, popsicles, and yummy gelato over there. They were all insanely good!

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Let’s not forget about drinks. Water is always brought to the table in glass bottles and there’s a charge for it. We sipped on some hot tea from the oldest and only tea plantation in all of Europe. The Azores has a soda brand called Kima, which specializes in passion fruit soda. I didn’t care much for it, but my daughter loved it. Wine is plentiful, especially vinho verde and port. Although it’s technically Brazilian in origin, the caipirinha is a cocktail that is popular in Portugal.

Coffees are really strong over there in Europe, so I preferred drinking hot chocolates. The photo on the above left shows the creamy and rich hazelnut hot chocolate I sipped at a café in Sintra, Portugal. On the right is a fruity and refreshing sangria from Madrid that was just perfect.

And with that, our series concludes. I hope you have enjoyed reading about my summer travels! Feel free to leave me a comment and/or hit the Like button, and check back often for other posts by yours truly.

As always, thanks for stopping by. ❤