Travelling in Portugal is fun, easy, and cheap (think eastern Europe of the West) The Food is great as long as you like barbecue and the scenery in the countryside is beautiful as long as you like looking at Cork trees or the ocean.
If you only learn one phrase be sure to learn "oun cafe, por favor" The cofee there is so good. It is easy to get addicted. People who know me know my 12:00 rule. I never drink coffee after Noon but while I was in Portugal I was drinking 4 cups a day (at .50 centimos per cup it was a waste not to drink the stuff)
Also Of note was the Bone Cathedral or Cabello dos Ossos in Evora this was a church whose walls were made up completely of bones. I loved this place it was eerily beautiful what you are looking at in this picture are skulls arms and leg bones to give accents to the decore. To the immediate left of the cross is an adult body and on the left of that, at the corner of the window, is a Baby's skeleton. Can you say Austere? Or is the correct word Gorey? Either way, this definitely got my attention.
After leaving the Church I found a park to relax in and found myself fortunate enough to catch a group of kids playing Capoera with their Gym class. They were pretty good at it and the excercise had to be good for them too.Lisboa/Lisbon was the home of the 1998 World Fair EXPO. The legacy that is left is the beautiful
and sureal Oceanario. A Monstrous aquarium, with four oceans represented in seperate tanks with a VERY large central tank that housed sea creatures from the deep sea Sharks, Rays, Sunfish, Dorado, Tuna, Octopus. All shapes and sizes. It was a great escape from the crazy heat of the Portuguese summer.The other notable reminder reminder of Expo's presence is a modern and very clean Metro (Don't get me started on Paris doggy terd dodging). I saw a blind guy walk on and do some portuguese Freestyling Hiphop while tapping his Cane on the ground and hitting a box on his chest in exchange for peoples spare change on the metro. You can cross the whole town for .75 centimos
My Journey wouldn't be complete without a description of the young Fado Musician I saw singing with his dog. The dog was absolutely tiny and he actually sang
along with the boy while he played his accordion. Many people would take pictures with him and never dropped a cent into his or his dogs box/cut off waterbottle. Fado Music reflects the sadness thatcomes through in the eyes and spirit of the people in the countryside. The people are said to be sad because of generations of sailors who were lost at sea. Widows dress forever in Black and are sadder than anything you have ever seen. The Sadness is a Beautiful Sadness and the people's gentle nature and kindness comes through in their eyes as well.
