Portugal rocks!
It's not what you know, but who you know...and it's great to know people. Paul and I spent the last week in Portugal and boy did we have a good time! Pedro and his family proved to be excellent hosts and tour guides. We enjoyed seeing Lisbon and some of the surrounding countryside, especially from the eyes of natives instead of walking around with our nose in a guidebook and being completely lost--especially since we didn't speak the language! (Pedro's family put us to shame--they spoke English very well. I'm determined I'm going to learn at least some Portuguese.)
We visited several neat places (at least I thought so...I don't think Paul was quite as impressed with old churches as I am). We visited three monasteries while we were there. The first one, in Lisbon, is Mosteiro dos Jerónimos. Pedro's youngest brother, Francisco, took us there. He's studying architecture, so gave us a full report on the different styles and such in the church and the monastery. Soon after, Francisco also took us to the Torre de Belém which is a tower built in the height of Portuguese wealth as a defensive post to protect Lisbon. According to Francisco, it was a medeival version of a publicity stunt. The tower never exchanged fire with anyone and was basically built because they had the money to do so. It later became a prison, complete with 'underwater cells.'
Pedro also took us to Sintra, a small mountain/large hill northwest of Lisbon. While there, we visted Castelo dos Mouros, a fauxMoorish Castle (maybe two stones left from the original castle. The rest was rebuilt in the 18th century. We climbed to the top. I'll need a few more months at the gym before I can try that again. Even Paul was sore the next day. It was quite the climb! In Sintra, we also saw Pedro's parents' weekend home (super nice!) and the church where he got married. After lunch (more about food later), we went to Cabo da Roca, the western-most point in continental Europe. It seemed odd to be staring across the Atlantic in the opposite direction, but the ocean was still absolutely beautiful. We enjoyed the drive back to Lisbon, as Pedro took the coastal road. I love the ocean!
Our last day, we got to see two more monasteries--Mosteiro da Batalha and Mosteiro de Alcobaça and another great drive through the Portuguese countryside.
We were told on the first day of our visit, that Portugal is a very 'gastronomic' culture--they eat a lot they eat well. I can tell you for sure, we experienced Portuguese culture at its finest! Remember the gym I mentioned earlier? I'll be visiting multiple times this week to work off all the food we consumed during our stay. Our first meal in the country started us off right--at the rodízio--by far Paul's favorite place. It's a Brazilian concept where different kinds of meat are roasted on a rotisserie and then brought around and carved for you at your table. It's all you can eat meat! After not having eaten for about 24 hours (travel really messes you up!), we were hungry going in and we rolled out when we were done. While we were there, we also had a variety of pastries--pastéis de Belém, travesseiros (little pillows), and queijadas (not really a pastry, but really good!). We also ate at a McDonalds, Hard Rock Cafe, an Italian restaurant, and another Brazilian restaurant with Pedro's parents. We had dessert after every meal (my lips say yes, but my hips say no!) including three different kinds of mousse--white chocolate, mango, and passion fruit.
All told we had a fantastic time and never wanted for anything while we were there. It was good to finally get to see where Pedro lives and to meet the rest of his family. I'm already looking forward to my next visit! A very big obrigada to Pedro for all your kindness, generosity, and hospitality! I can't wait to meet Carolina!
Happy New Year everybody!
We visited several neat places (at least I thought so...I don't think Paul was quite as impressed with old churches as I am). We visited three monasteries while we were there. The first one, in Lisbon, is Mosteiro dos Jerónimos. Pedro's youngest brother, Francisco, took us there. He's studying architecture, so gave us a full report on the different styles and such in the church and the monastery. Soon after, Francisco also took us to the Torre de Belém which is a tower built in the height of Portuguese wealth as a defensive post to protect Lisbon. According to Francisco, it was a medeival version of a publicity stunt. The tower never exchanged fire with anyone and was basically built because they had the money to do so. It later became a prison, complete with 'underwater cells.'
Pedro also took us to Sintra, a small mountain/large hill northwest of Lisbon. While there, we visted Castelo dos Mouros, a fauxMoorish Castle (maybe two stones left from the original castle. The rest was rebuilt in the 18th century. We climbed to the top. I'll need a few more months at the gym before I can try that again. Even Paul was sore the next day. It was quite the climb! In Sintra, we also saw Pedro's parents' weekend home (super nice!) and the church where he got married. After lunch (more about food later), we went to Cabo da Roca, the western-most point in continental Europe. It seemed odd to be staring across the Atlantic in the opposite direction, but the ocean was still absolutely beautiful. We enjoyed the drive back to Lisbon, as Pedro took the coastal road. I love the ocean!
Our last day, we got to see two more monasteries--Mosteiro da Batalha and Mosteiro de Alcobaça and another great drive through the Portuguese countryside.
We were told on the first day of our visit, that Portugal is a very 'gastronomic' culture--they eat a lot they eat well. I can tell you for sure, we experienced Portuguese culture at its finest! Remember the gym I mentioned earlier? I'll be visiting multiple times this week to work off all the food we consumed during our stay. Our first meal in the country started us off right--at the rodízio--by far Paul's favorite place. It's a Brazilian concept where different kinds of meat are roasted on a rotisserie and then brought around and carved for you at your table. It's all you can eat meat! After not having eaten for about 24 hours (travel really messes you up!), we were hungry going in and we rolled out when we were done. While we were there, we also had a variety of pastries--pastéis de Belém, travesseiros (little pillows), and queijadas (not really a pastry, but really good!). We also ate at a McDonalds, Hard Rock Cafe, an Italian restaurant, and another Brazilian restaurant with Pedro's parents. We had dessert after every meal (my lips say yes, but my hips say no!) including three different kinds of mousse--white chocolate, mango, and passion fruit.
All told we had a fantastic time and never wanted for anything while we were there. It was good to finally get to see where Pedro lives and to meet the rest of his family. I'm already looking forward to my next visit! A very big obrigada to Pedro for all your kindness, generosity, and hospitality! I can't wait to meet Carolina!
Happy New Year everybody!
posted by RevSarah at 2:05 PM
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