Taste of Portugal

Well, the cycling tour is over and after breakfast it was first goodbye to the early group who were heading out to catch a flight back to Canada and then the 'later' group made the 1.5 hour trip back to Lisbon through intermittent rain.  But once dropped off in the old center by my hotel, the rain stopped and though I had my umbrella with me the rest of the day, it was not needed.

I secured a ticket to "A night with Amalia", a musical play featuring many of the songs of Fado singer Amalia Rodriguez.  The play is set in the mid 1960s and is an evening at Amalia's house with poets and other musicians.  There are political discussions which were only hinted at in the English subtitles.  The play was a very interesting look into Portuguese culture, not only from the actions and music from the stage, but the behaviour of the audience -- from the pushing to get into the theatre, the people who sat in seats other than their own and gave the ushers a very hard time when they needed to move, the talking throughout the performance, the cheering of some audience member who also signed autographs during intermission, etc.  Quite strange for a Canadian to see.

And, of course, the theatric taste of the culture was not the only one.  Today's picture is of me enjoying a shot of a type of cherry brandy that is sold in tiny little holes for 1.25 euro.

And the other foods that have been tasty experiences this last week:
-the custard tarts (national dessert I think)
-different cookies, many of them made with almonds and almond paste
-spaghetti squash -- candied and in tarts (strange)
-chocolate salami
-almond tarts
-sweets made with almonds and eggs
-roca pears -- fantastic
-portuguese buns and chewy bread
-cod with spinach
-cod with carrots
- migas --side dish of bread and asparagus
-quail eggs
-black eyed peas salad with tuna
-sheep cheeses
-black pork fed on acorns
-cured ham
-olives and olive oil
-vintage port
-roasted chestnuts with wild deer
-muscatel wine
-different olive oils

I'm sure that I have forgotten some, but they will come back to me sometime. And certainly some of them I will try and duplicate and put into my cooking repertoire.

My taste of Portuguese culture, countryside, foods, drink, hospitality, history, plants, etc, etc,  certainly has me hoping for more.

High Fives!

Yes, there were congratulations and high fives all around as we pulled into the Timeless Charm Hotel in Evora.  Aside from the driveway at the convent (I walked up the same part that I had not dared to ride down yesterday afternoon), it was quite an easy ride today and short -- only 24 km.  The countryside is predominantly in farms, the most unusual feature being the huge rock piles around the base of the olive trees.  I guess centuries of clearing the fields have resulted in these unique farms.  The serious ploughing was being done with a tracked bulldozer!

Evora has been declared a Unesco World Heritage centre.  There are many churches, a serious aqueduct, a medieval wall all around, narrow cobble streets, and lots of little souvenir shops focused on cork products.  The main design motif for Portugal is the rooster.  There is a legend about a pilgrim wrongly accused of a crime and about to be killed.  He declares that if he is innocent, then the chicken dinner of the judge should stand up and crow and of course, it does.

We had one local activity before our final dinner together -- it was a wine tour and tasting at a local vineyard owned and run by a foundation whose mission is to promote sustainability and interest in Evora.  May of the things I have seen before -- French Oak barrels, videos of production etc., but never before have I done aroma analysis.  There were liquids to simulate five different grapes, you stuck a little strip of paper in each and then smelled it.  Quite remarkable differences and preferences.  Afterwards, we tried some of their wines and olive oils --also a unique experience.  And by the time we had finished there, it started to rain.

It rained all evening and is scheduled to rain all day tomorrow.  We have been incredibly lucky with the weather and I am very glad that I will not be trying to navigate a narrow road tire on wet cobbles tomorrow morning. Some of our group fly out tomorrow and have an early date for the airport.  I have one more evening in Lisbon and so do not need to be in the first transport.

Art asked me what I found most surprising and I had to admit that it was my ability to climb.  I don't like it any more than before this trip, but I can do it and it doesn't ruin my enjoyment of the ride!

For all the Saints

There is a song for every situation, and, today being All Saint's Day, the song of the above title has come to mind several times.  That could also be that my mind needed something to concentrate on other than the climbing.  There was 'only' 900 m today, but I guess the cumulative effect is having its toll on my legs.  However, the only point where I have walked, was last thing this afternoon on the way DOWN into the converted convent where we are staying this evening.  The steepest hill and cobbles were too much for me and I did walk about half way down that driveway.

And today is the birthday for my sister Elisabeth, my son-in-law Sham and for Roseanne, one of the ladies here on our cycling tour.!!  Happy Birthday all and I wish you "good luck and blessings on the next year of your life", (my Mom's wish to the birthday people, translated from the German).  And so, of course, the passage of time and friends and family has been on my mind from that point of view also.  I sat in the chapel of the convent here, still a 'working' church, and thought of the nuns who inhabited this place -- their joy and work in the gardens, walking the cloisters, and working on the tapestries.  This particular area is renowned for its handmade tapestries and there are old and new examples of the work around the hotel.  The one thing about a convent like this is that all sounds echo, so maybe that's why the vow of silence.  Just had to think of that as the waiter dropped a glass and it resounded everywhere.  Today's photo is the chapel of our convent hotel.  (the chapel is the old wonder, but my bathroom done in black and white marble is the modern wonder).

The Portuguese have much more of a sense of history than Canada -- comes with a much older country.  I don't know if looking up at medieval walls helps them put things in perspective, but it sure makes me think in a longer time frame.