Portuguese Republic. In the news this week, Portugal is opening the longest pedestrian bridge, 516 meters long and suspended 175 meters above the River Paiva in Arouca.
It has Portugal on my mind.
- Lisbon is five hours ahead of Boston.
- Temple of Bones at Ingreja San Francisco has bones looking like a chorus line ready to dance. Nos Ossos Que Aqui teimos Pelos Vessor Esperamos. (We Bones here, for yours await).
- Fields of cork trees…You plant vineyards for yourself, olive trees for your children and cork trees for your grandchildren.
- Evora’s Praca de Giraldo – the public burning place for victims of the Inquisition back in the day is mostly peaceful in the early morning.
- Portuguese guitar concerts. Fado in cellar clubs. Guitar fish at the Oceanarium.
- The gelato flavor of Vanilla and Basil was better than expected.
- Green wine on tap and porcadas (Fried pork sandwiches).
- Big sardines on the grill.
- Coimbra’s Museu Nacional Machado de Castro makes the walk uphill worthwhile. And University’s science museum’s frogs in diapers – from a 1775 artificial insemination experiment. In the same town, Francisco Suarez wrote a 1612 anti-slavery treatise.
- Ride on Rio Douro, in a solar-powered river boat, quiet and devoid of fumes.
- It is customary to let people with small children and elderly people cut in lines. Civilized, if you ask me.
- Many steps, many steep inclines. Fresh bread everywhere
Obrigada Portugal.
”In the Middle Ages, Spain and Portugal were so powerful that they signed a set of treaties literally dividing up the globe between them.” —Max Fisher
”The fado is not meant to be sung; it simply happens. You feel it, you don’t understand it and you don’t explain it.” —Amalia Rodrigues
Three more posts on Portugal:
TATTOO—Journeys on My Mind by Tina Marie L. Lamb…Still working to make it available again.
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