tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38572951469368015582024-03-14T02:18:39.441-04:00From Beirut to JupiterLife is wondrous. Quit wasting it in front of your televisions.Cathiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07291479913130967235noreply@blogger.comBlogger1515125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3857295146936801558.post-40884339296200298012023-12-27T14:39:00.001-05:002023-12-27T14:39:34.496-05:00What it was like to go to a baseball game<p><i>Written in May 2021</i><br /></p><p>The radar was green, yellow, and red across the eastern half of the US. I opened the radar app about every half hour throughout the day and watched as those color swirls advanced towards my city, the one with the baseball game scheduled to start at 7pm. I was pre-devastated. What had once been something of a ritual had been stolen from me - stolen from all of us. For the first time since October 2019, I had tickets to the one church that mattered to me, the Church of Baseball. But the rains came, as if the oceans of tears that have been by shed by the globe over the last year had broken a levee and were flooding everything.</p><p>Then, a rainbow. By 6:30, the rain had stopped completely. By 7pm, those two beautiful words "Play Ball!" were shouted to commence the ceremonial rite we know as Baseball.</p><p>I had to ask the bus driver if it were the right bus to the ballpark; what had been routine had become a disestablished novelty. He kind of laughed in recognition of our shared trauma.</p><p>When I was a kid growing up at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati, there were three things I experienced that were akin to Christmas Eve. The first was stepping on the black squishy stuff (that actually was there to help concrete expansion during the blistering summer months.) The second was walking up the concrete ramps to what seemed like Heaven. The third was magic, that moment when you walked from the concourse through a kind of tunnel to get to your seats and you saw the field for the first time that day. The stadium is long gone now, but that green field beneath the ring of rainbow colored seats is embedded on my heart.</p><p>There have been some moments since then when baseball has made me feel that kind of magic. The first time I saw the field at Wrigley and Fenway. The World Series game I saw in San Francisco. Opening Day 2005 when baseball returned to our nation's capital after a three decade absence. Max's 20K game. And May 4, 2021.</p><p>I've probably done it 150 times before, walked through those centerfield gates to the glory of the baseball field at Nats Park. It's may be the best entrance gate in baseball. But the sight had never brought me to tears before Tuesday. And to be honest, if I hadn't needed the restroom immediately, I may have bawled like a newborn. LOL</p><p>It was a rebirth of sorts.</p><p>I sat just of the right of the foul pole in rightfield. I wore my 2019 World Series shirt with the shark holding the trophy. I drank shitty domestic beer and ate the best tasting hotdog I ever had because it tasted like liberation. I looked at every person with unconditional love and at everything in the stadium with a sense of awe. The World Series Champions banner. The four flag poles above the scoreboard that now have four pennants instead of three and an empty. The lightning rods atop the stadium. The yellow mustard colored foul pole. The neon clad vendors selling their intoxication libations. Every thing (except that stupid Natitude! sign - it is still stupid) brought me joy.</p><p>The ballpark was filled to legal capacity with massive spacing between all of us, and masks were enforced. Being DC, where well-educated people respect expertise, no one threw the kind of fit you see in other places when told to put their masks on. I waited until two weeks after my second vaccine to go to a game, which I believe should be a requirement. </p><p>This pandemic has changed me, because it has shown me how selfish and cowardly half of America is, that so many people are unwilling to lift a finger for their country and protect their fellow Americans. And for what? Freedom? You aren't free if you can't walk down the street without a controllable pandemic putting you and your loved ones at risk of death. If you're not willing to protect them, it isn't love. The opposite of love isn't hate; it's indifference.</p><p>I hope the next magical baseball game is not a meaningless game in May played by a bad team, but something truly special for baseball reasons rather than societal ones. I fear we are facing dark times ahead, so I will try to enjoy the time we have while there is still some stability left in the country.<br /></p>Cathiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07291479913130967235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3857295146936801558.post-34708554165126625262023-11-10T16:17:00.001-05:002023-11-10T16:17:24.007-05:00Mafioso<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjXNzrXWK1s8bSYRPYzyhoNwahEE2aLa2c92YQY5Yxgh5O_5nYy2VVsZVSlGIeBjd81BwLSGZ_3lWX4MSR3hq-bJ1uRyNah73yx9cnaPL3E0aFCtky1aikuf2sAGaLbLuXavqwq7pUgS8qNDYXGibJHoPn_XKC9TxmobV9A5McJFhzcOIqVtqLYbPf-jE8W" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;">
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</a>Someone suggested that I visit the "Las Vegas History Museum." They meant the Mob Museum. The two are indistinguishable, for the history of Las Vegas is the mob.</p><p>Yeah, yeah, there are natives tied to the area, but they weren't dumb
enough to settle a desert with few resources to provide for them. A
Spanish patrol scouted the area in the 1820s and named the area "The
Meadows" after the springs there that have long since dried up. Some
Mormons tried to settle the area in 1855, but they were out of there in
two years. It wasn't until 1905 when the railroad came to the place that
people actually settled. The railroad workers brought with them
gambling and prostitution, railroad corporations brought privatization
and development, and vice brought the mafia. The desert settlement was
the perfect place to run booze operations while the rest of the country
was going through the insanity of Prohibition. The Hoover Dam was
constructed in 1931, bringing more workers, more prostitutes, more
gambling, and more booze. That's when Fremont Street opened, full of
casinos and showgirls to keep the workers content. <br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi1ZIr3MHRrbaxxCXXYAgdH6915HwyjeND1sPZs3DbZimFRh0yBCR3LdOh-IPSNEOdZAO2lKV0x-R8AelvbownOchEuJ4evH3--hNM3iZRDs71w5j1jX-Kn0HptjSLKCoD9z3MH9ztpnGl2vTCwukb_KMl50lyjKSJIpdBHntuJxfFJsyZ3cw99OcCM1F8B=w225-h400" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="225" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On sale at the museum gift shop<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p>When people think of "The Mafia," they usually think of Italians, partly because of The Godfather. But there were many ethnicities with their own version of mafia - Irish, Jewish, and Mexican, to name a few. They arose out of discrimination after immigrating to America, or in the Mexican case, the takeover of their land by the United States. They provided services to immigrants that weren't available to them because of prejudice. <p></p><div style="text-align: right;"></div>The Mob Museum does an excellent job tracing the history of Las Vegas, but becomes a bit too much copaganda by the end. The glorification of cops in this country can be traced to the pursuit of the mob when Murder, Inc. was in full operation and the violence got out of hand. Americans rightly wanted those criminals off the streets. Today's cops would pee their pants if they had to confront mobsters like John Dillinger, Pretty Boy Floyd, and Baby Face Nelson. They're too busy shooting unarmed black men, harassing homeless people, beating their wives, and sexually assaulting children to go after real criminals.<p></p><p>Murder Inc was the enforcement arm of the National Crime Syndicate operating during Prohibition until 1941. It was an alliance of the the Jewish and Italian mafias that was responsible for up to 1000 contract killings and claimed many more innocent victims caught in the crossfire. The syndicate dissolved after the 1941 trials that saw many mobsters convicted and executed after members turned against it and informed on them.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><p>The mob began to find more legitimate ways to make money in the form of casinos and divorce. The 1940s saw the rise of a divorce industry in a country where it was difficult to get one. The so-called "dude ranches" you'll find in Nevada were more often than not once divorce ranches. People who wanted divorce would stay on these ranches so they could establish residency in the state of Nevada and get a divorce in only six weeks. The industry thrived. Celebrities were among those who benefited from the set up. Many people had their next partner lined up to marry once the divorce was final, which is how Vegas became the place of quickie weddings.</p><p>Some old slots: <br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><br /><p></p><p>As mobsters transitioned to legit businessmen, one has to wonder - were the mobsters becoming better people or were the businesses becoming worse? As I walked through the final part of the museum, I saw displays of organized crime today, particularly drug trafficking. I ask you why narcotics cartels are any worse than the Sacklers causing an opioid epidemic in America or the founder of the pharmaceutical company Insys bribing doctors and pharmacists to prescribe fentanyl or Martin Shkreli jacking up the prices of multiple pharmaceuticals or Pfizer tripling their price for the life saving drug Paxlovid or the Republican congress fighting to overturn the law capping insulin at $35 for seniors so the companies can go back to charging them $600?</p><p>It isn't worse. It's the same damn thing. At least the Insys guy was charged with racketeering, but he only served two years of a five and a half year sentence because rich guys have a different system of justice. Shkreli is out of prison, too, and still a millionaire. But those in prison for selling illegal drugs can spend decades behind bars.</p><p>I left the museum and headed downstairs to their "speakeasy" bar called The Underground, where I had a drink popular during Prohibition called "the bees knees." There I watched a jazz trio (which became a quartet) perform songs from the era as well as much more modern Halloween-themed songs. The bar's walls were lined with replicas of old political ads and other Prohibition era memorabilia, as well as some factoids about the era. The band was good - I ended up staying for their whole set before heading back, for the next day was Monday and there was work to be done...<br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><br /><p></p>Cathiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07291479913130967235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3857295146936801558.post-14936138443625134492023-11-07T18:12:00.136-05:002023-11-08T14:03:56.784-05:00Atomic City First Impressions<a href="https://youtu.be/e3-5YC_oHjE?si=Jq3zB1UGYiM0gQMj">video</a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div>The plane descended onto an island of light after four and a half hours of traversing sunsets, stars, darkness, and xanax. The orb I had come to visit lit up the skyline as we taxied to a gate that would admit me to Atomic City to start a three week journey through the American desert. The early hours of Late Night had no effect on the city's infamous strip that night or any other, and I took a short stroll among the casinos and circuses with a frozen daiquiri in hand as soon as I was able. <span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">But there was work to be done in the morning, and I headed back for three days of labor, pools, and U2. (</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">I will save my comments about the Sphere and the shows for another post.)</span><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">I wandered a bit each day I was in the city, my flip-flopped feet black with filth from streets unwashed by rain, the least pedestrian-friendly city I have ever walked. I found myself turning down dumpster drenched alleys or darkened parking garages, sometimes coming to dead ends, before I realized you were actually supposed to walk through the casinos to get anywhere. Marketing takes many forms...</span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">The entire economy of Las Vegas is built on idleness, aside from the thousands of hardworking service industry folks that keep it running. (They are about to <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/thousands-las-vegas-strip-hotel-workers-18-casinos-104583432">go on strike</a>. Go labor!) The goal of the casino industry is to redistribute the wealth of the have nots, who gamble in the hopes of getting rich so they don't have to work, to the haves, who don't work and will never be rich enough to satisfy their own greed. I have no interest in that racket, except to watch it all as a curious observer.</span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div>The city is a show itself, with plots and subplots and sub-subplots. Casino owners, mobsters, and politicians are the main characters, many of whom belong to more than one of those groups at a time. Longtime figures, both living and dead (and some who may not quite be either) play prominent roles in the story. A pantheon of deities are still worshiped, with The King of the gods ever present. The shows are sometimes subplots, and sometimes part of the main story, almost religious services, even.</span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><br /></span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">One night I ventured into The Venetian after looking at its fake canals in both disgust and wonder. It has been more than two decades since I've been to the real Venice, but the memory of it has been engraved in my brain. The fake version is terribly accurate. I went inside almost against my will, like something was pulling me in. What I saw was completely unexpected - a full canal running through a shopping mall, gondolas and all, under a fake blue sky dotted with fake fluffy clouds. I still don't understand why it exists, but it is...well, something to see since it's there. After I went home I looked up the cost of flights to the real Venice, Italy. They were cheaper than my flight to Vegas.</span><br /></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div>This being my first trip to a city I had never had a desire to visit (I was there as a small child but have no memories of it), I had not been prepared for the sheer tackiness of it all. I hated it but was fascinated at the same time. Later we had dinner in fake Paris (which was very good, btw), and then I started to appreciate the kitsch. I actually wanted to see fake Egypt and fake New York and fake Caribbean for the spectacle of it all.</span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><br /></span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">But what I wanted to see most was the real Las Vegas, or at least the one that dwells in the nostalgic mind. I wanted to see the historical remnants of a city that shouldn't exist, for human civilizations weren't meant for deserts. A bunch of mobsters needed a base to operate, so what had been a tiny settlement for railworkers, miners, and courtesans became a major American city. I went downtown, first to the neon sign museum, a kind of graveyard for signs of old, many from casinos and motels that no longer exist. That was the first time I felt enthusiasm for what I was seeing, if only because it was from an era that preceded late capitalism's unbridled nihilism, even in a city that existed solely for money.<br /></span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD3zJOSmBRD1p8roP6HRk4YRDX06yMD2SFUBMB0oXsoCJMuppmEzQw9eWLj5Jkjridf8Oo9WM7i8MeVqDwzZAPMhRwpH91IH4O5gZKvkndgHbmD3qZufdyqjGnNzzlIY1mQRcSWcjAWlg-C1ksDT36UoS0P5HWWwuJnnwYiAtsI6najTk5XGglKqXc5h8y/s6000/DSC_0010.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD3zJOSmBRD1p8roP6HRk4YRDX06yMD2SFUBMB0oXsoCJMuppmEzQw9eWLj5Jkjridf8Oo9WM7i8MeVqDwzZAPMhRwpH91IH4O5gZKvkndgHbmD3qZufdyqjGnNzzlIY1mQRcSWcjAWlg-C1ksDT36UoS0P5HWWwuJnnwYiAtsI6najTk5XGglKqXc5h8y/w640-h426/DSC_0010.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /> </span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaz5zgqtuP4INgKj4n1Zw734sUT_GnISfUkRds6EUa9wk9KPYptcshkvkWVkVFLMs83TrrL9BwddIVs7IMHL8y3PpvLlODMxXoLJicgPldoD-OpcPeLscjAMt8MPN5mtlnil3hItU5T7ljk0DbWfIx6QJ4F0EZIrW9ZwiMZ4U4skxP_ehtdrYoCu7Vbmko/s6000/DSC_0019.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaz5zgqtuP4INgKj4n1Zw734sUT_GnISfUkRds6EUa9wk9KPYptcshkvkWVkVFLMs83TrrL9BwddIVs7IMHL8y3PpvLlODMxXoLJicgPldoD-OpcPeLscjAMt8MPN5mtlnil3hItU5T7ljk0DbWfIx6QJ4F0EZIrW9ZwiMZ4U4skxP_ehtdrYoCu7Vbmko/w640-h426/DSC_0019.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJnkffZmNoxE361wSoRh_gEyEUYgc2y_mrX3uIoS7CkUTRzaJDZHk5YBGhVGxHf3gcxJrIw2Y_1kuOKmwp9lyDIBO8tyBCqQTprCRRFCKr3i6a6kRaaL0JqtgehNsOwdqbCBU0XCgnrxLZmFPfYk53ZQ846kY3glP1X6hNTJrppcyPBYVMpRQpvk0OsT0g/s6000/DSC_0045.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJnkffZmNoxE361wSoRh_gEyEUYgc2y_mrX3uIoS7CkUTRzaJDZHk5YBGhVGxHf3gcxJrIw2Y_1kuOKmwp9lyDIBO8tyBCqQTprCRRFCKr3i6a6kRaaL0JqtgehNsOwdqbCBU0XCgnrxLZmFPfYk53ZQ846kY3glP1X6hNTJrppcyPBYVMpRQpvk0OsT0g/s320/DSC_0045.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Then I walked down Fremont Street. Oh, what have they done to history? The famous street is covered with a massive screen flashing images of video games and ads for junk and seizure-inducing swirls of colors. Beneath it sounds a cacophony of idiocy, from the talentless rappers on fuzzy mics to death metal guitarists competing for highest decibel level to soundscan-inspired playlists blasting from every bar and store on the block. National junk food chains inhabit historic buildings alongside neo-drug stores with all manner of modern ways of killing yourself slowly.<br /></span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCNTVRiAZ3u1q0EGhkb87-uYFp5xSN-wXOCrWOF-QCywE1GVZWiRJTsL5tZBtQcLgZDG9mPsN8sCbOaIbkKxTVO2XhslSLQ8tnIE4V_BJoENlL9zfOpqPNCArHX_CWEt1xLpF5wCtzXEHRXgfk54iqUCXHK7LOQXgZQaZmMLzAfdgQNWrbN0TAFyVe4II_/s6000/DSC_0050.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCNTVRiAZ3u1q0EGhkb87-uYFp5xSN-wXOCrWOF-QCywE1GVZWiRJTsL5tZBtQcLgZDG9mPsN8sCbOaIbkKxTVO2XhslSLQ8tnIE4V_BJoENlL9zfOpqPNCArHX_CWEt1xLpF5wCtzXEHRXgfk54iqUCXHK7LOQXgZQaZmMLzAfdgQNWrbN0TAFyVe4II_/w640-h426/DSC_0050.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnkZo-TbE8kxcY-yAb1ueO_JIaAhzpn6wQL4k26wmzw3eccnS2GnCPy-DYIxtQstxmJnsA3I2Vyu0800A7QBdHogR-RZrSD1cmr3_dkicxEZTXUpTOSzCY8Inw4v9NJng7Hi22aVzRdePR-3akTwU1vF0VV3XYU0jBUoKebhuzgO9QW6QFdxg38aGAuFnC/w640-h426/DSC_0160.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">I had to get out. So I wandered east, then I wandered some more, past the chic bars and the hip music venues to sketchy corners where people had lost more than a nickel in a slot machine. Then I found it - a part of old Las Vegas that still stood, a road with old motels who had their original signs and stories of millions of travellers who had passed through this desert town. An odd beauty wrapped itself around these old buildings as the October sun created a golden aura.</span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"> </span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU4IwQ0BxM5g6Rsbb66ndrAC3nkrZc7UhsnMeldZw7FN1Fn80P6HyCbdbCB650wvo_0SD8NVa_UZJHB_lvb23vdJq5_yjBSEjxoY_EYvcNCwiFSsUCCdAJ4e3VbXvvUIo43eaEd1rTk1zBHwNp9h_kOWAV28-Sci9PzGEBMJbNp1W2rrXeL_20H5eJBQw-/s6000/DSC_0069.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU4IwQ0BxM5g6Rsbb66ndrAC3nkrZc7UhsnMeldZw7FN1Fn80P6HyCbdbCB650wvo_0SD8NVa_UZJHB_lvb23vdJq5_yjBSEjxoY_EYvcNCwiFSsUCCdAJ4e3VbXvvUIo43eaEd1rTk1zBHwNp9h_kOWAV28-Sci9PzGEBMJbNp1W2rrXeL_20H5eJBQw-/w266-h400/DSC_0069.JPG" width="266" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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I had to get back before the light faded into the darkness of poverty and the side effects that come to neighborhoods of human suffering.</span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">So I went to the Mob Museum.</span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">(To be continued...) <br /></span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">Here's what Fremont Street looked like in 1987: </span> </div>
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<div> </div><div> </div><div>https://youtu.be/e3-5YC_oHjE?si=Jq3zB1UGYiM0gQMj</div>Cathiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07291479913130967235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3857295146936801558.post-24241612484490236332023-10-13T15:24:00.001-04:002023-10-13T15:24:45.286-04:00The Courage I've Seen<div style="text-align: left;">I may have been to a refugee camp</div><div style="text-align: left;">But I've never been a refugee.</div><div style="text-align: left;">I may have seen a bombed out church</div><div style="text-align: left;">But I've never been bombed.</div><div style="text-align: left;">I may have looked at bullet-riddled buildings</div><div style="text-align: left;">But I've never experienced war.</div><div style="text-align: left;">I have befriended those who have.</div><div style="text-align: left;">I can see their psychological scars</div><div style="text-align: left;">But I do not know that pain.</div><div style="text-align: left;">All I know is listening</div><div style="text-align: left;">And sympathy</div><div style="text-align: left;">And empathy.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I've seen a woman forgive a man</div><div style="text-align: left;">Who had been involved in the bomb plot that killed her son.</div><div style="text-align: left;">They were Irish and British.</div><div style="text-align: left;">I met some journalists reporting on democracy</div><div style="text-align: left;">When they had none in their homeland.</div><div style="text-align: left;">They were Belarussian.</div><div style="text-align: left;">I shook hands with a Nobel Peace Prize winner</div><div style="text-align: left;">Who could not return to her country.</div><div style="text-align: left;">She was Iranian.</div><div style="text-align: left;">I met a man who worked for peace</div><div style="text-align: left;">By reaching out to the side that had tortured him.</div><div style="text-align: left;">He was Palestinian.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">There are others, many others</div><div style="text-align: left;">With whom I've had the good fortune to cross paths.</div><div style="text-align: left;">They share the one human quality above all others:</div><div style="text-align: left;">Courage.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">War is for cowards. <br /></div>Cathiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07291479913130967235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3857295146936801558.post-25142059026135985452023-09-11T19:09:00.003-04:002023-09-23T19:18:53.480-04:00The Record Store Ashes<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div>I went to a record store in Adams Morgan in 2009, a store that like so many others no longer exists. They were playing an album of a band I'd never heard, and I liked it enough to ask the guy at the counter who the band was. <p></p><p>Once upon a time, that's one way you learned about new bands.</p><p>They had a small display of the band at the counter, a CD with a pink cover and the title "Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix." I took a chance on it; it wasn't a difficult choice. The music was catchy pop rock, and if you know me, you know how much I love a good pop rock song, one that isn't manufactured for the sole purpose of selling records. I also like the bands who sing about things that matter. I got hooked.<br /></p><p>As it turned out, this rock band was FRENCH. I mean, who ever heard of FRENCH rock n' roll, amirite? LOL. I love Louise Attaque and Noir Desir and Francis Cabrel, but how dare any French band sing rock music in English? LOL. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div>Phoenix formed in the nineties, and it took them forever to get noticed. I guess being a French band who sung in English was an obstacle of sorts? Perseverance, man. They won a Grammy for Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix in 2009 and performed on SNL, Letterman, Fallon, Kimmel, Ferguson, and Conan. All the nighttime TV things...<p></p><p>For me, 2009 was one of those years where you start a new chapter of your life and everything changes in ways you can't even begin to control. I had just begun a new job at a Lebanese-American civil society organization and did not yet grasp how much Lebanon would be my life. In the next two years, I'd spend half of it in Beirut. That album was part of the soundtrack of 2009 for me, along with U2's No Line on the Horizon, (I mean, come on, Cedars of Lebanon right before I get the Lebanon job? Fate), Green Day's 21st Century Breakdown, Arctic Monkey's Humbug, and Muse's The Resistance. </p><p>Later in 2011, my roommate in Beirut was a French journalist. We didn't speak much because my French is crap and his English was crap, but we did bond over Phoenix. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div>I got to see them for the first time yesterday. If I'm still thinking about the show and watching other people's videos a full day later, it really means something. I didn't realize Thomas Mars was such a showman. The set was great, the sound was great, the setlist was great, and I have already promised myself I will never miss another Phoenix show in the area again.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><p>The song Winter Solstice is really something, real opera stuff. That's a moment in the show where you feel the weight of the universe. A guy comes out in an old Venetian mask from opera, and he pulls out a head near the end that is creepy but very real. It reminds me of Don Giovanni, when il commendatore condemns Don Giovanni with that single devastating bass line that condemns him. <br /></p><div class="ujudUb"><span>"Turn the lights on</span><br aria-hidden="true" /><span>Find me a narrative</span><br aria-hidden="true" /><span>Something positive</span><br aria-hidden="true" /><span>This requiem played a few times before</span><br aria-hidden="true" /><span>I heard it once</span><br aria-hidden="true" /><span>So, I'm not sure</span><br aria-hidden="true" /><span>On the phone "I told you"</span><br aria-hidden="true" /><span>Why open your eyes to go to bed?</span><br aria-hidden="true" /><span>Drive straight to the ocean</span><br aria-hidden="true" /><span>And see what you won't find out</span><br aria-hidden="true" /><span>Even the righteous beheaded their loved ones"</span></div><div class="ujudUb"><span> </span></div><div class="ujudUb"><span>But you all know the bands I love write those kind of lyrics. Because reality is a weight most of us can't bear</span>. </div><div class="ujudUb"> </div><div class="ujudUb">I don't know why sometimes I need to be reminded of how much I love a
band until I go see them, but yes, I am reminded that Phoenix is in my
top 20. After seeing them, maybe closer to the top ten<span>. </span></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Cathiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07291479913130967235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3857295146936801558.post-87709980577923462252023-09-05T12:57:00.061-04:002023-09-05T14:48:39.016-04:00I logged off<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div>I logged off.<p></p><p>Not completely, but enough to listen to the waves and watch the people coming and going. I sent a few texts, then fewer, then none. I posted some pictures and checked the baseball scores. I watched a game once, on the sand, because we carry machines that can do that in our pockets.</p><p>But mostly, I logged off.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><br /><p></p><p>I read a book from cover to cover, then started another. I drank pina coladas and spicy pears. I watched a school of dolphins make their way down the coastline, their rhythm a silent song for the mesmerized among us. I dodged seagulls and looked for pelicans and wondered where they all went at night. I saw children building sand castles and old men fighting rip currents and mothers who seemed to be relaxing for the first time in ages. I talked a little and listened a lot and I made new friends. I walked the boardwalk and ate various versions of seafood and watched some music and listened to more. </p><p>But I felt no need to pick up the phone, because I had nearly logged off.<br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><br /><p></p><p>Oh sure, that online machine was always in my bag or pocket. We've become enslaved to devices, chained and bird brained. Our minds have been rewired to crave the scrolling, even if it makes us angry or sad or frustrated or violent. But that tether was long, oh so long, and the craving was largely gone.</p><p> </p><p>I've left the beach, reality has returned, and I've logged back on,
because that's the modern world. Our lives revolve around our lap devices and our
pocket machines, whether by choice or not. I've seen the news and read the buzz and even managed to do some work.<br /></p>But all I want to do is log off.<p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><br /><p></p><br />Cathiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07291479913130967235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3857295146936801558.post-63838308520703412912023-08-17T19:22:00.003-04:002023-08-17T19:32:57.664-04:00Stranger ThingsGod said,<div>"You shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him, for you were strangers in Egypt,"</div><div>In that famous book</div><div>In the Exodus chapter.</div><div><br></div><div>He also said,</div><div>"Provide the poor wanderer with shelter,"</div><div>In that famous book</div><div>In the Isaiah chapter.</div><div><br></div><div>He reiterated,</div><div>"You shall treat strangers as the natives among you,"</div><div>In that famous book</div><div>In the Leviticus chapter.</div><div><br></div><div>Jesus said,</div><div>"I was a stranger, and you welcomed me,"</div><div>In that famous book</div><div>In the Matthew chapter.</div><div><br></div><div>Emma Lazarus said,</div><div>"Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free."</div><div>It's written on the Statue of Liberty.</div><div><br></div><div>A Texas man</div><div>Who claims to love that famous book,</div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">Unhumbled by his own meeting with Death,</span><br></div><div>Said f<span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">rom his wheelchair,</span></div><div>"Drown, <a href="https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/norlan-bayardo-honduran-drowned-rio-grande-20230817.html">Norlan Bayardo Herrera</a>."</div><div>And he drowned.</div><div>Twenty years old.</div><div><br></div><div>Murdered by Greg Abbott.</div><div><br></div><div>Say his name.</div><div><br></div>Cathiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07291479913130967235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3857295146936801558.post-67296602159887583492023-08-03T16:39:00.005-04:002023-08-03T16:56:20.658-04:00Belief Manifesto <p>I believe that a hotdog is a sandwich.</p><p>I believe that pineapple belongs on pizza, but chicken and arugula do not.</p><p>I believe that yellow mustard is an abomination and that the best mustard in the world comes from Luxembourg.</p><p>I believe that Lebanese food is the best, then Greek, then Italian, then Spanish, then Indian. Sorry, India, the Mediterranean is where it's at. Except you, Morocco. I never want to eat tajine again after three weeks of almost nothing but the stuff. Although the fish in Tangiers was great.<br /></p><p>I believe that rotini is the best pasta and thin spaghetti is second, but there is no bad pasta shape.</p><p>I believe that it doesn't matter who technically invented pasta, because the Italians are the ones who perfected it. <br /></p><p>I believe that we should buy local foods because the planet is on fire, and also because they taste better. </p><p>I
believe that many people think they don't like vegetables because
they've only had the tasteless ones from mega grocery chains or frozen
or canned ones.</p><p>I believe that four corporations shouldn't control
25% of the world's food supply and that food prices shouldn't be
controlled by billionaires.</p><p>I believe that small farmers should
have control over what they want to do with their seeds and how they
want to use their equipment.<br /></p><p>I believe that the future of
agriculture is vertical hydroponic greenhouses because our current
methods are unsustainable. The Dutch only have 0.22% of the world's population
but are the second largest exporter of
food in the world because of their sustainable agriculture practices like hydroponic
greenhouses.<br /></p>I believe that we should eat less meat, but we don't have to do away with it. <p>I believe that Dayton-style pizza is the best pizza and that Marion's trumps Cassano's.</p><p>I believe that "Detroit-style pizza" is whataboutmeism.</p><p>I believe that people can be tonguewashed like they can be brainwashed.</p><p>I believe that people who put ketchup on hotdogs are tonguewashed. <br /></p><p>I believe that mega corporate restaurant chains are tonguewashing people first, then brainwashing them.</p><p>I believe that marketing is brainwashing.</p><p>I believe that marketing is propaganda.</p><p>I believe that marketing should be restricted, and marketing towards children should be banned.</p><p>I believe that religion is marketing, because marketing is propaganda and religion is propaganda.</p><p>I believe that propaganda is worse than a lie.</p><p>I believe that identity politics is propaganda.</p><p>I believe that identity politics is violence.</p><p>I believe that forcing your language preferences on others is also violence. </p><p>I believe that pro-life propaganda wrecked this country, as it created a sizable demographic of single-issue voters who ignored every other problem and voted for the people creating or sustaining those problems.</p><p>I believe that the pro-life movement is immoral.<br /></p><p>I believe that a fetus very well may be a soul, but it is not a life, and unless you're a deity, it's none of your business.</p><p>I believe that human beings have souls, but only as part of a communion.</p><p>I believe that Hell is being left out of that communion.</p><p>I believe people choose Hell by denying that communion, and that the more religious one claims to be, the further away he is from that communion.</p><p>I believe that religious people are hypocrites.</p><p>I believe that the only worse people than hypocrites are cowards.</p><p>I believe that most people are cowards.</p><p>I believe that Pontius Pilate was the worst coward in history, fiction or not.</p><p>I believe that there was a Jesus Christ figure, a round table in England, a gay Sumerian king named Gilgamesh, and an elder council on Olympus as much as I don't believe in them.</p><p>I believe that The Grand Inquisitor chapter of The Brothers Karamazov is the greatest thing ever written about religion. <br /></p><p>I believe in the zeitgeist, as it is part of the communion of souls.<br /></p><p>I believe that sports are a necessary part of the zeitgeist, but that sports obsession is damaging to the world.</p><p>I believe that Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens should be in the Hall of Fame, but that Pete Rose should be in prison for pedophilia.</p><p>I believe that Johnny Bench would have hit 500 homers if it weren't for that lung surgery.</p><p>I believe that Josh Gibson died of a broken heart. <br /></p><p>I believe that all football is good, but the best football is rugby.</p><p>I believe that there are too many golf courses in the world and that golf courses are destructive. I also like the PGA, and Rory and Rickie are my favorite golfers.<br /></p><p>I believe that sports teams are public institutions that belong to the cities they play in. <br /></p><p>I believe that Bob Castellini and John Fisher should #SellTheTeam. <br /></p><p>I believe that billionaire owners are destroying sports. </p><p>I believe that billionaires are destroying the world.</p><p>I believe that fascism is the worst politico-economic system, but after that, the only thing worse than communism is capitalism.</p>I believe that socialism is a natural end goal, not something you force on people.<p>I believe in peace and just war.</p><p>I believe that Ukraine is fighting a just war.</p><p>I believe that World War II was a just war.</p><p>I believe that Americans learned nothing from World War II.</p><p>I believe that military or alternative service should be compulsory (some jobs could fulfill the requirement) so that Americans have skin in the game and stop voting for politicians who fight wars for oil and minerals for the benefit of the wealthy. <br /></p><p>I believe in beating swords into plowshares.<br /></p><p>I believe that plowshares should belong to the people, not corporations.</p><p>I believe that proverbial swords shouldn't belong to anyone and that 2A gunnuts are psychopaths responsible for hundreds of thousands of murders. </p><p>I believe that gun and energy obsessions are the source of nearly all the problems of the world. <br /></p><p>I believe that utilities should be nationalized.</p><p>I believe that internet and mobile service are utilities.</p><p>I believe that public transportation is a human right and that cars and fossil fuels should be phased out because the planet is literally on fire. Electric cars are not the answer.<br /></p><p>I believe that oversized pickup trucks and SUVs should be banned for non-commercial use, but in the absence of that, hitting a pedestrian or cyclist should carry the same penalties as a DUI. Same goes for people who use their phones while driving. I believe that they can be taxed out of existence.</p><p>I believe that a passport should be the primary form of ID, not a driver's license. <br /></p><p>I believe that cars are selfish.</p><p>I believe that our country is experiencing a pandemic of selfishness. <br /></p><p>I believe in politeness. Rudeness is not culture.</p><p>I believe that other cultures should be taught in schools. <br /></p><p>I believe that Republicans don't want other cultures taught in our public schools because they view them as mere labor factories.</p><p>I believe that homeschooling is anti-social and indoctrinating and not the answer.</p><p>I believe that other languages should be taught from kindergarten on, starting with Spanish.<br /></p><p>I believe that study abroad should be a requirement for getting a college degree because the America-centric worldview is why our housing and medical costs are the most expensive in the world and why Americans have to create Go Fund Me pages to get live-saving surgery and medicines.</p><p>I believe that language is the most dangerous weapon on the planet.</p><p>I believe that media literacy should be required in schools because media is used as propaganda. <br /></p><p>I believe that humanities should be emphasized over STEM. We stopped teaching the humanities and Americans lost their humanity.</p><p>I believe that people who have few books in their houses should be seen and not heard.</p><p>I believe that you should read genre fiction if you like, but also read literary works and non-pundit non-fiction.<br /></p><p>I believe there is more truth in fiction than in non-fiction. </p><p>I believe that music and art should be taught as classes equal to math or reading, not elective extras.</p><p>I believe that music is the language of the divine, because music is math and math is the universe.</p><p>I believe that no music belongs to one culture. Once a type of music is deemed off limits to someone, it ceases to be music and it becomes politics. <br /></p><p>I believe that The Beatles are actually underrated and Paul is an underrated bassist.<br /></p><p>I believe that Neil Peart tarnished his legacy by being in a shitty band.</p><p>I believe that Jason Isbell is awesome and Jason Aldean is an asshole. </p><p>I believe that people hate Bono because deep down he reminds them of how much they could be doing for the world but aren't. <br /></p><p>I believe that Robert Pollard deserved to play in stadiums.</p><p>I believe that corporations have ruined pop music.</p><p>I believe that SoundScan did more to divide this country than any politician has, as it told people what music to listen to based on their demographic. If you were white, they sold you country. If you were black, they sold you rap. Before then, you could hear Ray Charles and Willie Nelson on the same radio station.</p><p>I believe that today's popular music is marketing.</p><p>I believe that marketing is a spectacle. <br /></p><p>I believe that spectacle is not art.</p><p>I believe that spectacle is attention-whoring and that attention-whoring is a cry for help.</p><p>I believe that social media influencers are anti-social attention-whores.</p><p>I believe that Americans are the loneliest people in the world.</p><p>I believe that ADHD, anxiety, depression, conspiracy theorism, and similar mental illnesses are symptoms of a diseased society and that taking medications for them are like putting a bandaid on an amputation. </p><p>I believe that the suburbs are the virus that started this disease.</p><p>I believe that the suburbs destroyed the town square, eliminating the "third place" (home, work, and another place to regularly hang out and socialize,) pushing people to distance and solitude.<br /></p><p>I believe that suburban sprawl is immoral. It was founded by racism, after all, and it created the car culture that is destroying the planet.</p><p>I believe that individuals are as responsible for climate change as corporations, because individuals are the ones buying the products from the corporations, keeping them in power.</p><p>I believe that doing nothing about climate change is both murder and suicide.</p><p>I believe that those who commit murder should be locked up forever, and that suicide is deliberately choosing to leave the communion of souls, thus making you non-existent for all of eternity.</p><p>I believe that suicides can be prevented if enough people have the will to prevent them.</p><p>I believe that murder can be prevented by the same condition.<br /></p><p>I believe that the GOP is a fascist party with no desire to prevent murder and suicide.</p><p>I believe that GOP voters are murderers.<br /></p><p>I believe that January 6th should be a national day of mourning. <br /></p><p>I believe that traitors to the United States should rot in Gitmo. <br /></p><p>I believe that the participants in the coup attempt are traitors. If I believed in capital punishment, I'd want them publicly executed. But I don't, so Gitmo it is.</p><p>I believe the MAGA King should spend the final days of his disgusting life in Gitmo.</p><p>I believe in forgiveness and will forgive MAGA voters and even the insurrectionists if they apologize for their gleeful cruelty, their wanton racism, and their moral turpitude.</p><p>I believe that apologies are redemption. <br /></p><p>I believe that forgiveness is true freedom.<br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> <br /></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> <br /></p><p> <br /></p><p> <br /></p><p><br /></p>Cathiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07291479913130967235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3857295146936801558.post-39963806770910844122023-06-14T18:16:00.002-04:002023-06-14T18:26:25.435-04:00What was Stolen from Us<i>Reposted from Church of Baseball</i><div><br></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">One perfect day forty-five years ago - at least I assume it was perfect because it was San Diego - a young mother from Dayton, Ohio took her one year old daughter to a baseball game. She dressed the child in the visiting team's gear, passing on team fandom to a fifth generation.</span><div style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><br></div><div style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">The team was nearing the end of its most successful decade in its long history - indeed, in the history of baseball in its entirety - with one of the greatest lineups ever assembled largely intact. The girl was too young to appreciate them, of course, and she'd be too young to feel the sting when the team was decimated by the institution of free agency a couple of years later. She was even too young to remember the Hall of Fame catcher roaming the outfield on bum knees when she attended her first game in a space age stadium on the banks of a muddy river on the other side of the continent.</div><div style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><br></div><div style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">Over the years, that fandom became part of her identity. Christmases and birthdays saw team gear unwrapped with glee. Attending games was a special treat for the girl, her two sisters, and her single mother trying to make ends meet. The team gave tickets to straight A students in the region, which became an annual tradition. A family friend would occassionally give his coveted blue seats to them. If they were lucky, they'd get to three games in a season. One particularly special year, she managed to go to one game a month.</div><div style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><br></div><div style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">That stadium by the river was a playground. The thrill of seeing it rise from the concrete and asphalt as their car rounded the highway bend remains in memories four decades later. So, too, does the feel of the black squishy stuff one walked on to get to the gates. And that first view of the verdant field as you walked from the concourse to the rainbow colored seats? Was it Heaven? No, it was Ohio. But it damn well could have been the Pearly Gates.</div><div style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><br></div><div style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">Then came the best possible outcome, the wish of every human being who has ever felt a passion for baseball. Her team won the World Series. They had been in first place the entire season, but they hadn't been expected to claim the trophy. She was in 8th grade.</div><div style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><br></div><div style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">Who could have expected that thirty-two years would pass with barely a sniff of a pennant? Who could have expected that baseball would change so much that rich guys who owned teams would lose on purpose, that indeed, it became ingrained in the culture, and that her own beloved team, the oldest in the game, would be one of those losers? Who would have thought that the racist old lady with the Nazi gear would be the last owner who cared to win?</div><div style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><br></div><div style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">Who could have expected that a fruit heir's son, a spoiled rich kid with no concept of what it means to work for a living, would berate the fans on the holiest day of the year - Opening Day in Cincinnati - and do it again in a luncheon for the biggest diehards of all? </div><div style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><br></div><div style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">In the time since their last League Championship Series appearance, fans have been told time and time again to have patience, that rebuilding would finally return a trophy to the Queen City. Only once did they assemble a roster that could have gone somewhere, but the Fruit Heir refused to pay to fill the glaring holes, and that window shut after two failed division series and a wild card loss. A DECADE later, the wealthhoarding owner once again refused to fill the holes on a decent roster with a very good pitching staff, crying poverty and opting for another rebuild.</div><div style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><br></div><div style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">The team is exciting now. Call me skeptical. Maybe they'll contend this year, and they may next, but what always happens is the fruit guy cries poverty when it doesn't work out and it comes time to pay the young guys, so they're traded for prospects and the cycle starts all over again. The talking heads seem to think the Reds are legit contenders this year, because the central divisions of both leagues are full of greedy owners who pretend that because they live in the Midwest, they have a right to claim poverty. Only three teams are over .500 out of ten, and the Reds aren't one of them.</div><div style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><br></div><div style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">None of those owners is worse than the silver spoon born wealthhoarder in Oakland. The youngest son of the founders of GAP, this recluse isn't content with the $2.2 billion he's worth. No, he insists on a massive redistribution of wealth from the common folk to him in the form of a $380 million dollar taxpayer funded stadium. Oakland wouldn't give it to him, so he threw a richy fit and is moving the team to Sin City. That's $380 million that doesn't go to roads, police departments, libraries, social services, or any of the other things that are necessary in a modern society.</div><div style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><br></div><div style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">What Oakland fans did last night was nothing short of astounding, staging a "reverse boycott" and showing up in droves to cheer on their team. They've been blamed for not showing up. But why should they? Trust fund babies who never had to work for their wealth can't grasp that most people have to make choices in what they buy, and anyone with a modecum of sense doesn't waste money on things that make them feel bad. The owners think they are entitled to own a Major League Baseball team because that is what wealthhoarders do - they hoard wealth - and they think those baseball teams are theirs to destroy.</div><div style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><br></div><div style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">But sports teams are public institutions. Baseball is so hallowed in this country that it has a special trust exemption granted by Congress. <u>Was</u> so hallowed. Now that greed has become the way of life in this country, nothing but money seems to be hallowed.</div><div style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><br></div><div style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">I'm excited about the Reds again, but it will never be the same. <span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">Those fruit family assholes have stolen that from me. The wealthhoarders have stolen it from all of us. They are thieves.</span></div><div style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><br></div><div style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">But that is what America (and the world) has become. You see it in the record profits made by food and gas companies as corporate execs took advantage of a pandemic. You see it in the cost of housing which has exploded the homeless population and put another significant percentage of the population on the brink of it. You see it in the go fund me campaigns begging for donations to have life-saving medical procedures. <span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">You see it in the commercial train accidents, trucks blowing up highways, the neo-slavery in our factories. You see it in the wildfires, the devastating storms, and the flooding caused by corporate greed. The economy isn't bad. The wealthhoarders and the politicians who protect them are.</span></div><div style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><br></div><div style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">The top 1% of Americans took $50 TRILLION from the bottom 90% during the pandemic. That is the single greatest redistribution of wealth in history. It is THEFT. So is stealing a public institution from a city.</div><div style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><br></div><div style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">Until Americans stand up against the wealthy and take back what is rightfully ours, they will continue to steal from us. That's gonna take more than showing up to a baseball game in protest. </div><div style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><br></div><div style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">But it was one heckuva start.</div></div>Cathiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07291479913130967235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3857295146936801558.post-76886791482586163952023-02-17T17:22:00.001-05:002023-02-17T17:22:02.558-05:00Tip-toeing through bulletsHome is one's castle, they say<div>But castles are known for their walls</div><div>To keep the invaders out</div><div>American castles - homes they are called</div><div>Keep their occupants in.</div><div>Bullets pass through walls</div><div>And flesh</div><div>And bones</div><div>And hearts and minds.</div><div>They maim</div><div>And murder</div><div>And destroy thoughts and reason and morality and society...</div><div>I heard the shots at the station that day</div><div>While sitting in my castle.</div><div>The killmonger killed</div><div>The politicians politicked</div><div>The cops copped</div><div>And nothing changed, as it never does.</div><div>I left my castle</div><div>And went for a walk.</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div>Cathiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07291479913130967235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3857295146936801558.post-1465328349491943892023-01-26T10:12:00.003-05:002023-01-26T10:12:41.311-05:00Down on the Farm<p>I had made reservations for a cork farm two hour hiking tour the night before, but I got a phone call in the morning saying that it was a mistake, that I shouldn't have been able to reserve the tour because they weren't having one. But they did have a jeep tour available, which turned out to be better for Chris. All the walking we were doing was wearing him out.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3IzkJJ_YckO724oHThiIN6PGVjuAiPOVoz0Izu9r12xN3Vj42bljc7E4UE8IkSAleqj5Yi6sMUZ-SC2e5Uf89L7XN-kcRJSc6tHJbQt2VCQVb0AuB4By_U_oDgMsvY7EOQSNXBksl-DTu_s3294rKTwZABKUkaY5PHa6kDxSKYCrQJm-v_873xZe05A/s6000/DSC_0250.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3IzkJJ_YckO724oHThiIN6PGVjuAiPOVoz0Izu9r12xN3Vj42bljc7E4UE8IkSAleqj5Yi6sMUZ-SC2e5Uf89L7XN-kcRJSc6tHJbQt2VCQVb0AuB4By_U_oDgMsvY7EOQSNXBksl-DTu_s3294rKTwZABKUkaY5PHa6kDxSKYCrQJm-v_873xZe05A/w640-h426/DSC_0250.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"> </span><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">Technology</span></b></h3><p><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">Can I just take a minute to marvel at the fact that we can use our phones normally from nearly anywhere in the world? I know I say this every trip I go on, but it is really incredible. I went from not being able to figure out how to use a payphone in Ireland during my very first trip to Europe and having limited email access in Luxembourg due to the ratio of computers to students to using an entirely different sim card in Lebanon to having very expensive and limited data plans abroad to $10 a day (max $100), ironically on another trip to Ireland 20 years from the first. We live in amazing, amazing times. Appreciate them!</span><br /></p><p>I honestly don't know what I'd do without a phone now. We make our plane, hotel, car, and train reservations on it. We use Google Maps and GPS to get around instead of the old paper maps that you could never again fold quite right. We buy tickets to museums and tourist sites as we stand in front of the museums and tourist sites, avoiding lines. We communicate with others who don't speak our language using Google Translate. We convert currencies, temperatures, and measurements. We even catch a game of our favorite sports teams if we're at a table somewhere or download new music we've learned about while traveling. <span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">And we uber, never again getting stranded for missing the last train because we were just having too much fun.</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"> </span></p><p><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">Of all these changes, one of my favorites is the ability to instantly share our adventures with friends and family on the other side of the ocean, posting photos we took with and edited on our phones. Those of us who love to capture everything remember a time when you had to be discerning in what photos you took, given the limited number of pics you could take with an expensive role of film. 12, 24, or 36. That was it. (I take at least 1000 photos a trip these days, most on my Nikon. But I still took a couple hundred on my phone, too.) You had to get it right in one go, but you didn't know if you got it right until you had them developed, also expensive, and let's be honest, on a role of 24, you probably got ten good ones, and maybe two worth framing. If you were a decent shot.</span><br /></p><p>My god, how many roles of film did I take during that year in Luxembourg or the next year's Transatlantic Seminar in Europe or the following year's internship in Ireland or the two years in California or the six months in Texas or my trips to Egypt and Jordan or all the baseball games or all my time in DC before I got a digital camera? I have volumes of photo albums as part of my personal library and I cherish them all.</p><p>But I never want to go back to that. Sure, it takes me months to make photo albums now, because I have to sort through thousands of photos, edit them, print them, and paste them in cute little scrapbooks, but I enjoy doing it, and it brings me back to the trips themselves.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>The Farm</b></h3><div style="text-align: left;"><p style="text-align: left;">But this post is supposed to be about cork. It was my second favorite thing we did on the trip. <b><br /></b></p></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3e7TOGdaM6URL3x_zYWKvdYBZNl3RKjwmxszSJXM-gaS3e3_xEfLNVsw9MJCKXCcbBR1UctGkP8qRj7MUtHorCToKTL3Dh6c4mLn-56k3K-w79p77RZQ1ywdcv0XwMz9a6SuqtEsDzSoC7FeOiXatvPyxhthXkvfH3DG5II4PTeD476ZllT2u31ahgg/s6000/DSC_0246.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3e7TOGdaM6URL3x_zYWKvdYBZNl3RKjwmxszSJXM-gaS3e3_xEfLNVsw9MJCKXCcbBR1UctGkP8qRj7MUtHorCToKTL3Dh6c4mLn-56k3K-w79p77RZQ1ywdcv0XwMz9a6SuqtEsDzSoC7FeOiXatvPyxhthXkvfH3DG5II4PTeD476ZllT2u31ahgg/w640-h426/DSC_0246.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p>We had to drive about a half hour to the <a href="https://www.corktrekking.com/" target="_blank">Corktrekking</a>
(if you go to Portugal, I highly, HIGHLY recommend them.) The tours are
a small part of the farm's operations, but in my opinion, a pretty
vital part of it, given the existential threat cork trees face. People
NEED to know what is happening to this planet. We can see it with our
own eyes, but if you never leave your house, you're probably missing it!</p><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">A
pair of Dutch brothers own the farm, although technically it's two
farms because of inheritance taxes and blah blah. Smart on their part.
From the warehouse meetup point, we hopped into a 4x4 jeep-type vehicle
with another couple, Kate and Kyle (I remember this because I made a
joke about all of our names starting with K sounds, LOL) and went to
Peter's farm, which includes a winery that produces high quality - and
expensive - wines. In a country where wine is oh so cheap, I was
surprised to learn their wines go for $300 a bottle and are served at
the highest end restaurants. Needless to say, we had none.</span><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy-eoRVmf0R9E6sAPk3cS6qxOUboOlQwNwEYDvC99aJk5DVPElbLufKLS9e7r6OLC9CUX-KHKFVc9MZMtc667eWkZnJi-QaxorM5N-3-7CXsfIDkmrojScj6ptJGUtV_l8U7EJCmYbN-URAHt2Dwfks4QuplhY6--VoHXrAfp_VWUStQyM8snDk_QfNw/s6000/DSC_0247.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy-eoRVmf0R9E6sAPk3cS6qxOUboOlQwNwEYDvC99aJk5DVPElbLufKLS9e7r6OLC9CUX-KHKFVc9MZMtc667eWkZnJi-QaxorM5N-3-7CXsfIDkmrojScj6ptJGUtV_l8U7EJCmYbN-URAHt2Dwfks4QuplhY6--VoHXrAfp_VWUStQyM8snDk_QfNw/w640-h426/DSC_0247.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our "trekking" vehicle<br /></td></tr></tbody></table> <p></p><p>To get to the farm, you have to take a dirt road that divides the farms of two other brothers, both terrible people, apparently. They hate each other, and one has cows that he lets eat the grape vines of the other. You could see almost total destruction of his vineyard. I wonder if the cows get drunk. LOL. Our guide, Julia, hinted at some choice words for them, though she refrained from saying them aloud. </p><p>We got through their property and hit the farm, where we found
beautiful wine fields fading into autumn colors. The grapes had been
harvested in August to save them from the drought that saw zero inches
of rain the entire summer. In this region - the hottest part of Portugal
- grapes are usually harvested in September. They would have lost the
entire crop had they waited until then. Julia told us this year's wine
would be "strong" but good. (It's a shame I won't get to try it; I tend
to like that type of wine.)</p><p>She found some grapes on the vine -
syrah - and let the four of us taste them. Tiny but tasty. They grow
four types of grapes, including one of my favorites - tempranillo. <br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggzeAj9yZ4fmFBzzetOCZ8tktUpFJudwIJsQzrArJBcSl7PdEei7xaSLKg-zC_VjddSB6aZKWmdxfTqdWw-zVskmd7ZDjbVERcdCwk5my1Ttjes5wqbTMwz21WZZa_8mwUH-Hy1KeUfCfI2oZIBUMVRHMn530nKRVMYdhAmYmtvLBu2ZxYTIsAeNsOnw/s6000/DSC_0248.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggzeAj9yZ4fmFBzzetOCZ8tktUpFJudwIJsQzrArJBcSl7PdEei7xaSLKg-zC_VjddSB6aZKWmdxfTqdWw-zVskmd7ZDjbVERcdCwk5my1Ttjes5wqbTMwz21WZZa_8mwUH-Hy1KeUfCfI2oZIBUMVRHMn530nKRVMYdhAmYmtvLBu2ZxYTIsAeNsOnw/w640-h426/DSC_0248.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLFhgpvHmyXFcKYTSNV58_jhrHhCmSenk75nJHzV245hPwfYKt7KLXvcVPYLVyKhkR2Q13wqv-PY8_enCinp1312xNWvwfsG7KKQTCg3lV31_y-xV3iICKVy-S_MTaMzPEKHLULjfBvXJc48gfzTzdKIBpMdoQuDE7QxbkbjjFvE8t8oD0wcWO4GdxQw/s6000/DSC_0249.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLFhgpvHmyXFcKYTSNV58_jhrHhCmSenk75nJHzV245hPwfYKt7KLXvcVPYLVyKhkR2Q13wqv-PY8_enCinp1312xNWvwfsG7KKQTCg3lV31_y-xV3iICKVy-S_MTaMzPEKHLULjfBvXJc48gfzTzdKIBpMdoQuDE7QxbkbjjFvE8t8oD0wcWO4GdxQw/w640-h426/DSC_0249.JPG" width="640" /></a></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Holms <br /></h3><p>But...cork!</p><p>Wait, first, holms and pigs! Holms, or live oaks, are cousins to cork trees, which are also oaks. Neither of their leaves look like our trees in America, and they are dwarves compared to our towering and majestic oaks. This is, of course, because they exist in hot environments in Mediterranean and Med-adjacent countries, where all trees are shorter. They are oak trees because they produce acorns.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNB_K-vGVnn2-kqy-H9fnPP6mDkrXjFnDMhumS4ySOKn2H-K39dVL6UZcfLAfC8VkQGIUwCEwAW5AWwCoLOzlGnAzN9r24ZhWJGigIoGH1FI65wljGuixo_0-M6yTWI6B3Sxg1hvjRI7yYTrc-w3kxiP8DAaHSwUHKYUtqvKdQ7KkRJLELIoc_Y6Pm2w/s6000/DSC_0252.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNB_K-vGVnn2-kqy-H9fnPP6mDkrXjFnDMhumS4ySOKn2H-K39dVL6UZcfLAfC8VkQGIUwCEwAW5AWwCoLOzlGnAzN9r24ZhWJGigIoGH1FI65wljGuixo_0-M6yTWI6B3Sxg1hvjRI7yYTrc-w3kxiP8DAaHSwUHKYUtqvKdQ7KkRJLELIoc_Y6Pm2w/w640-h426/DSC_0252.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPhRw-O-bsHVVzvhsgNpZehVJZa7FGXfI_NnP31L8_5x65zXHB6wBXll0ZRtXuiR-lwtL4aljFFuTTqxkdjhTFAccnnf20fHVALFj7OD3hsD_305-Anuc4bi5EiMXJqtkQYdQJW7vhvArwbGES6l3TPzI34HrSd5J10OkN7T4w_qyh2g2lEzzbfFc3iw/s6000/DSC_0253.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPhRw-O-bsHVVzvhsgNpZehVJZa7FGXfI_NnP31L8_5x65zXHB6wBXll0ZRtXuiR-lwtL4aljFFuTTqxkdjhTFAccnnf20fHVALFj7OD3hsD_305-Anuc4bi5EiMXJqtkQYdQJW7vhvArwbGES6l3TPzI34HrSd5J10OkN7T4w_qyh2g2lEzzbfFc3iw/w640-h426/DSC_0253.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1inUyfUFJ9CMlg8iaYG1oXZeS7lvLvN_kimm9YGXpKBnCz-7MYOTLWPoLZtHJTAdkDCoheCBIiErKR4etappyLCTyMdjn6SlbPz9sulvi8PyWaDFVe8OtzUpLmz70J5uFIh_qdz5uIpMPrLYrXS0dkn5YnZsM51-S7fj-O527vBweOhNeqGokv72Mmg/s6000/DSC_0255.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1inUyfUFJ9CMlg8iaYG1oXZeS7lvLvN_kimm9YGXpKBnCz-7MYOTLWPoLZtHJTAdkDCoheCBIiErKR4etappyLCTyMdjn6SlbPz9sulvi8PyWaDFVe8OtzUpLmz70J5uFIh_qdz5uIpMPrLYrXS0dkn5YnZsM51-S7fj-O527vBweOhNeqGokv72Mmg/w640-h426/DSC_0255.JPG" width="640" /></a></div> <p></p><p>The holms produce acorns that pigs LOVE, so in the spring, pigs arrive to roam freely among the holm trees to get fat before they are shipped to Spain and turned into prosciutto (presunto in Portuguese) before getting shipped back. You can't go to the Iberian peninsula without eating tons of prosciutto, and it's damn good. Of course the pigs for this year were already prosciutto by the time we got to the farm. Poor piggies, but so delicious! </p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>Old Rocks</b></h3><p>We returned to the car and drove a bit before stopping at a pile of rocks. Turns out, it was a prehistoric burial site - called a dolmen - that they recently discovered. A team of archaeologists was working to restore the site, but they had to stop their work when covid hit and they are making plans to return again within the next year or so.<br /></p><p>This type of site is all over Portugal and the world. Korea has 40% of the world's known dolmens. They're found all over India, the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe, especially where Celtic peoples roamed, as they did in Portugal. Dolmens are single chamber tombs consisting of two or more upright megaliths (big rocks) supporting another big rock called a "table." The Portuguese ruins are 2000 years older than Stonehenge. (We'd later go to a site they refer to as "Portuguese Stonehenge.) </p><p>Finding historic ruins on a farm is not uncommon. But that's true of Europe, the Middle East, and so many other parts of the world. I once went to a farm in Lebanon that was putting in a solar/wind hybrid system, and they found a Roman winery when trying to install the turbine. Very cool.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcY-9t-xCfzy5ouyImb_llauNFqlhYNL-I7IYfUdWsBSOLrsGOIOh0cVI1oUwZ3P2eFEb-xXURRIENLctu3vE1BY06p4dE4PmpKwUqv-e8WDMS925DTM6Yb7UdfbyjsI3nCpwG8vPuGt4R7T5EDKLAzP0brs0tgk7YxnYA4Dz1AJPT2wHKvSbjAtdvUQ/s6000/DSC_0256.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcY-9t-xCfzy5ouyImb_llauNFqlhYNL-I7IYfUdWsBSOLrsGOIOh0cVI1oUwZ3P2eFEb-xXURRIENLctu3vE1BY06p4dE4PmpKwUqv-e8WDMS925DTM6Yb7UdfbyjsI3nCpwG8vPuGt4R7T5EDKLAzP0brs0tgk7YxnYA4Dz1AJPT2wHKvSbjAtdvUQ/w640-h426/DSC_0256.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVc5IWXyrHLM0tlI_UlrlXII1biwzO5uW1JZZWeWYSBReC95vb2P8ug2NOCqCBUWcDbz9yZn8UDNW6FsBR6pA3WJLEwGzytOWSM_HVRHsQ9DZ6mV-jyUjvoZ-6l9mDvpO8sV5m6OzWDPWGC23F9wbb1CYeUJv3XmTVgibm74YoBjNP62HXYnI9tblWQg/s6000/DSC_0257.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVc5IWXyrHLM0tlI_UlrlXII1biwzO5uW1JZZWeWYSBReC95vb2P8ug2NOCqCBUWcDbz9yZn8UDNW6FsBR6pA3WJLEwGzytOWSM_HVRHsQ9DZ6mV-jyUjvoZ-6l9mDvpO8sV5m6OzWDPWGC23F9wbb1CYeUJv3XmTVgibm74YoBjNP62HXYnI9tblWQg/w640-h426/DSC_0257.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinKiUcJoCYDd-_Mq9KMK8vwvsqhMhgQO9RTb2VmL2Y7zEYhzBRlTsl3cKa6hxn4Pt6ZW1lh-pUpXtL8aF869R_GzQVWAIIUtX2a2fbrLKNhmctrt0N-HuAjf8x4UA02wzZtEaRHypOXjTXmn5f8plJRQs1sJCmpFS0Kk1vEA3aY0NvlB3Teg8R5NL1XQ/s6000/DSC_0258.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinKiUcJoCYDd-_Mq9KMK8vwvsqhMhgQO9RTb2VmL2Y7zEYhzBRlTsl3cKa6hxn4Pt6ZW1lh-pUpXtL8aF869R_GzQVWAIIUtX2a2fbrLKNhmctrt0N-HuAjf8x4UA02wzZtEaRHypOXjTXmn5f8plJRQs1sJCmpFS0Kk1vEA3aY0NvlB3Teg8R5NL1XQ/w640-h426/DSC_0258.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6_OdqsoB1VgoAGETcdD1hANLWk9lNTjvoYzBy8Yew0mLTQZYR-SU6TUHMROjdMXQB2dyoGnFxbnKuD7_onPYV6f9JFTon8u0nKJsY46DiYpKgc7NhoEQzWVeQzrldNEOqq6X7d59vQbK_K_cBwPZzk_Ey1qjQ4AgR0tOi0mq10rS5-KMpVRwK3spOLA/s6000/DSC_0259.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6_OdqsoB1VgoAGETcdD1hANLWk9lNTjvoYzBy8Yew0mLTQZYR-SU6TUHMROjdMXQB2dyoGnFxbnKuD7_onPYV6f9JFTon8u0nKJsY46DiYpKgc7NhoEQzWVeQzrldNEOqq6X7d59vQbK_K_cBwPZzk_Ey1qjQ4AgR0tOi0mq10rS5-KMpVRwK3spOLA/w640-h426/DSC_0259.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg67PQhpsiOgxrj2U7Eh88WvCvtTCgIeZy2egvoHcmyVjB7Atusj6AKuN5kyhDzGIdeovNeUDA-bQoAoHh2jaCqjBNUEbpmjudv9SIu7yP9aC5RI_25eTAzmIQhNfrFar9iCddHA0x_5AXqEj1wxe7CYSZWlvZ0CkTUJ0BWcv8vFJDLSoxVNJkMOwGpug/s6000/DSC_0260.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg67PQhpsiOgxrj2U7Eh88WvCvtTCgIeZy2egvoHcmyVjB7Atusj6AKuN5kyhDzGIdeovNeUDA-bQoAoHh2jaCqjBNUEbpmjudv9SIu7yP9aC5RI_25eTAzmIQhNfrFar9iCddHA0x_5AXqEj1wxe7CYSZWlvZ0CkTUJ0BWcv8vFJDLSoxVNJkMOwGpug/w640-h426/DSC_0260.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Who knows what other ancient human creations lie beneath this land?<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW_EyKGi24W3sBA60mhavHp89b3934J0f9kUXCePv3JbbvYJ8Z_7iBxk0P8jlEHEk03VZihmJJmjDa7oOExGza4Gvd1kzY4PfZtxPcNC36_y6OcTBz5712fBmGDM0U489t4cyszQI28wgevtjm5K7zqRw3ZcbiBOQk0EcO8XimZDHWIUUGsmGCETwcoQ/s6000/DSC_0261.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW_EyKGi24W3sBA60mhavHp89b3934J0f9kUXCePv3JbbvYJ8Z_7iBxk0P8jlEHEk03VZihmJJmjDa7oOExGza4Gvd1kzY4PfZtxPcNC36_y6OcTBz5712fBmGDM0U489t4cyszQI28wgevtjm5K7zqRw3ZcbiBOQk0EcO8XimZDHWIUUGsmGCETwcoQ/w640-h426/DSC_0261.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvMPQVQFRphro1M9ao2WQCgKwAH9BkOwxPqoOJKxQeT164tBO1YoC0B3TA-cZT0DRsClDVghuiMWBIyf_zrFaHG6JQKXOPi1dt7Sd7ynWVSz7-N2MTiqFp84Q1oFzQkFPPwRHOWy4mUwBUVDetSYv1H1dILwNNi09pL6y4fxivygZRSWkYZqzi7x14bA/s6000/DSC_0262.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvMPQVQFRphro1M9ao2WQCgKwAH9BkOwxPqoOJKxQeT164tBO1YoC0B3TA-cZT0DRsClDVghuiMWBIyf_zrFaHG6JQKXOPi1dt7Sd7ynWVSz7-N2MTiqFp84Q1oFzQkFPPwRHOWy4mUwBUVDetSYv1H1dILwNNi09pL6y4fxivygZRSWkYZqzi7x14bA/w640-h426/DSC_0262.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9b0wi9S0cjCuWJnUfjqOjjdAMvOqQm3EQYYLJY998yXbUWKBIULdYYJyL9YZGPLC6y3wRYDz7W9aNbvE82ZsF8MRT7H8j4wdyvn54cddTvsz_iSYokzXUbc5JuKj3iEzy8BWZ3jVWgfrJveYJOnWsrGRGs0kKfCi-w7R04vWDz2zhHlLdf02Ix-JRZw/s6000/DSC_0265.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9b0wi9S0cjCuWJnUfjqOjjdAMvOqQm3EQYYLJY998yXbUWKBIULdYYJyL9YZGPLC6y3wRYDz7W9aNbvE82ZsF8MRT7H8j4wdyvn54cddTvsz_iSYokzXUbc5JuKj3iEzy8BWZ3jVWgfrJveYJOnWsrGRGs0kKfCi-w7R04vWDz2zhHlLdf02Ix-JRZw/w640-h426/DSC_0265.JPG" width="640" /></a></div> <p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Cork!<span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"> </span></h3><p><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">But...CORK!</span><br /></p><p>Then we drove to the cork part of the farm. Unlike many cork farms, this was a natural cork forest that regenerates from wherever the acorns fall. Many cork farms are planted in rows, but this farm is dedicated to sustainable agriculture. Farmers on other farms are exacerbating the effects of climate change with practices that are detrimental to the environment. But many sustainable farms like this exist, and farmers are starting to realize they need to change. The alternative is economic ruin first, then a dystopian nightmare that few people seem to want to prevent. You think the price of eggs is bad now? Wait until there are no eggs. Forget wine - it's already hard enough to grow it now.<br /></p><p><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">Portugal produces 80% of the world's cork and 52% of the world's wine corks, but just a short time ago, they produced 90% of the world's cork and 80% of wine corks. Now, thanks to climate change, the layers of cork bark the trees are producing is often too thin to harvest for wine corks. Not only did they have no rain all summer, but temperatures reached 120° in the region. It was 85° on the day we went. On October 15. NOT NORMAL. </span></p><p><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">I will never look at a wine cork the same way again. It takes FORTY YEARS to make a wine cork. 40. Four-oh. The cork is harvested by hand every 9-12 years, but it can't be harvested until a tree is 25 years old. The first couple of harvests produce inferior bark. This can be turned into all the souvenir crap they sell - cork bags, cork hats, cork postcards, cork wallets, cork bikinis...at least, our guide Julia claims she saw those. LOL</span></p><p><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTFuEVvHi9t1YUeYlnH_dNqSdSvvhvi3ZfQDG_Lc8wgmFemeSmQZnYT_4zzxqRhIwWV2kQeuBnTs-LLYFA1bpjyrm92svvtUCnWYKAq9lP1XDFl3Ot1T4p4AyJmKLIWAUOON3JzvqGK5UMcqyAIc-86uePLcks6BwibgnMzcfQ4EFxe61dJy4r5Vn_Zg/s6000/DSC_0266.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTFuEVvHi9t1YUeYlnH_dNqSdSvvhvi3ZfQDG_Lc8wgmFemeSmQZnYT_4zzxqRhIwWV2kQeuBnTs-LLYFA1bpjyrm92svvtUCnWYKAq9lP1XDFl3Ot1T4p4AyJmKLIWAUOON3JzvqGK5UMcqyAIc-86uePLcks6BwibgnMzcfQ4EFxe61dJy4r5Vn_Zg/w640-h426/DSC_0266.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9c1r0Ex0uJcIWzoTEUrFa7SQTYhGbbqZnSE1JaV4k-sf_qWr9NswaiQFW53KsapJvSUj4ZaRgXiyDOiDhl5Fle9CZ9Efu3ZVwshFimRa8ezErbJRZB2XMZNKt_8PWlUYp2-1KQztUbYwrRSGUQtXQoQ7ODop_-UR1BfkjTf6k-ofh4cNWpDSq_LiKzw/s6000/DSC_0267.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9c1r0Ex0uJcIWzoTEUrFa7SQTYhGbbqZnSE1JaV4k-sf_qWr9NswaiQFW53KsapJvSUj4ZaRgXiyDOiDhl5Fle9CZ9Efu3ZVwshFimRa8ezErbJRZB2XMZNKt_8PWlUYp2-1KQztUbYwrRSGUQtXQoQ7ODop_-UR1BfkjTf6k-ofh4cNWpDSq_LiKzw/w640-h426/DSC_0267.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A cork tree harvested in 2020 (the 0 represents the year of the last harvest)<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9iWNmm1ky5AW7QBhJVQjjXx8mhQSs-fTmzSE8LW9vzikWKAVPW38k2adtPzPNyCc7RKJvp_BijBHPHSZF89LMHUha8ZAVKQufTWWMoEziZtl85FOxNSFAPyudWxNbOhQw0LsOQNh8f-fw/s1600/1674744195492567-1.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9iWNmm1ky5AW7QBhJVQjjXx8mhQSs-fTmzSE8LW9vzikWKAVPW38k2adtPzPNyCc7RKJvp_BijBHPHSZF89LMHUha8ZAVKQufTWWMoEziZtl85FOxNSFAPyudWxNbOhQw0LsOQNh8f-fw/s1600/1674744195492567-1.png" width="400" />
</a>
</div></span><br /><p></p><p><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">It isn't until the third harvest that the bark is supposed to be thick enough to make into wine corks. Now, however, even the third harvest often produces a layer that is too thin. It's supposed to be 9-12 years, but it's pushing 12 now, and she said that soon it might be 14 or 15 years between harvests.</span></p><p>There is another threat facing the cork industry as well, one that is well known to farmers in any industry across the world. Younger generations don't want to work on farms, and it's causing a labor shortage. In Portugal, it used to be that cork harvesters - called "strippers" (yes, jokes were made) - passed on their trade from generation to generation. The children would come to the cork harvests to watch and help do menial tasks and grow up around the art. Yes, it's an art. It's a very delicate job. If you cut too deep, you expose the trees to disease. If you don't cut deep enough, you ruin the whole layer. She showed us a tree that was dying because it had been cut too deep. You could see where the bugs had gotten in. </p><p>Anyway, the kids don't want to be strippers anymore, and even though they have schools to train strippers, they are starting the learning process in their twenties, too late in life to really get it. I suppose it's like learning a language. It's so much harder when you are older. Enroll your kids in a language course while they're young!</p><p>All of this has led to a massive cork shortage. This is why you see screw tops and synthetic stoppers on wine these days. This is fine for grocery store wine. It's not good for better wines. Even though it's "air tight," there is something about it that good wines need, some kind of...breathability? I'm not a scientist or a wine expert, but I trust those who are. The wine cork is an art that has been perfected over millennia.</p><p>A third threat is wild boars, which like to sharpen their tusks against the trees, ruining the layer of cork. Because of this, the farm allows hunters. <br /></p><p>One last thing about corks. One cork costs $4-$5 to produce, so when you're buying a $15 bottle of grocery store wine, one-third of that cost is the cork. Think about that. </p><p>I'm never throwing another cork away again. </p><p>(Full disclosure: I've been saving them for years anyway. LOL)</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc1kkPQ4JsmJE30nkmk3ISZzemGBIQDy4U6f1hkn2UKn5JJ3RYR9h9nEo6n8knXteVwXu05xcv4R1Inid7KRi4ppP37WP5RPC6TSAfNaPREFZCHO57w9wWD-Eq9I0X0ZTt5Eyhfq91LnJABSCv77SEtS-8IShr7Y3YtTMagXrw_gcsbUSkG6kQ9QZZCg/s6000/DSC_0269.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc1kkPQ4JsmJE30nkmk3ISZzemGBIQDy4U6f1hkn2UKn5JJ3RYR9h9nEo6n8knXteVwXu05xcv4R1Inid7KRi4ppP37WP5RPC6TSAfNaPREFZCHO57w9wWD-Eq9I0X0ZTt5Eyhfq91LnJABSCv77SEtS-8IShr7Y3YtTMagXrw_gcsbUSkG6kQ9QZZCg/w640-h426/DSC_0269.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cork acorns<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFL9iFQHUjZopThqJTDeVM-uILQAMhF-BrhBcjIvHnZhdCkKBfpjRgJ4YhOk4vzv7GBUiBozSJBHLh-Hn52_5e0wiTc3BhCzHucCzaAq9Tq4smMOpAqSYjrNBl9agceHakcbxRtGe-87bzAk3YeeAy96aGJtZY_nnhltJh06g492bKnTR3b209vjBFyg/s6000/DSC_0272.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFL9iFQHUjZopThqJTDeVM-uILQAMhF-BrhBcjIvHnZhdCkKBfpjRgJ4YhOk4vzv7GBUiBozSJBHLh-Hn52_5e0wiTc3BhCzHucCzaAq9Tq4smMOpAqSYjrNBl9agceHakcbxRtGe-87bzAk3YeeAy96aGJtZY_nnhltJh06g492bKnTR3b209vjBFyg/w640-h426/DSC_0272.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Because of the scarcity of water, trees grow far apart in a cork forest<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCSmFJtmIWjqXIPpRlWBPI8W5racxo_TXagdflI6LB0XEI2PtcqgtgUHXjGNbZhlumU9V1tYKWmxkeFX7MRb-ihw9yswiQniQLc60RB72Lccj-h8cdIM6rLoXjp7q26ykj4XPIP76uQPm85-di2y_7JSrwIK797suHpD-O_S4t_7R52-p837ZVQ4l2KQ/s6000/DSC_0273.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCSmFJtmIWjqXIPpRlWBPI8W5racxo_TXagdflI6LB0XEI2PtcqgtgUHXjGNbZhlumU9V1tYKWmxkeFX7MRb-ihw9yswiQniQLc60RB72Lccj-h8cdIM6rLoXjp7q26ykj4XPIP76uQPm85-di2y_7JSrwIK797suHpD-O_S4t_7R52-p837ZVQ4l2KQ/w426-h640/DSC_0273.JPG" width="426" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A tree that was cut too shallow one year and they had to wait another year to harvest<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Y_3MLV0E8K-nJIP062hzjC4MgoN1xvXwEwUSk3S_qBIyGqlosWo5y8kfUkRsQsQ2pYD33ywNnB0JpJ3RPpeIOFJm0ReN7yS6uTtaaALbxo-MoWcWKp83V1ulBUKJColxeya9oUeBwlnkgn6VGPFchcNWFXcZ1rXUpwbPfja71xCVgUQXyWNMXTivOg/s6000/DSC_0274.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Y_3MLV0E8K-nJIP062hzjC4MgoN1xvXwEwUSk3S_qBIyGqlosWo5y8kfUkRsQsQ2pYD33ywNnB0JpJ3RPpeIOFJm0ReN7yS6uTtaaALbxo-MoWcWKp83V1ulBUKJColxeya9oUeBwlnkgn6VGPFchcNWFXcZ1rXUpwbPfja71xCVgUQXyWNMXTivOg/w426-h640/DSC_0274.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVpPLEcgp1J8658qf3CWuzR3t7DAqChENG9ZRAa6BGex_92KWT6CwjMlhfid666XRxaJwy7mDTmrGWSAES8vVCg7p1rJeraMKsvYlbnNjD7hkO1HFber7ff8Difi8XPV7ABAFO84cCsgoti2tjXmwFVvEmAuqVS_QtVV67EeJkDR86eUATwhYnZwmR6A/s6000/DSC_0275.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVpPLEcgp1J8658qf3CWuzR3t7DAqChENG9ZRAa6BGex_92KWT6CwjMlhfid666XRxaJwy7mDTmrGWSAES8vVCg7p1rJeraMKsvYlbnNjD7hkO1HFber7ff8Difi8XPV7ABAFO84cCsgoti2tjXmwFVvEmAuqVS_QtVV67EeJkDR86eUATwhYnZwmR6A/w640-h426/DSC_0275.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxiclqPFKzq7n4jSZJPDe0Ra1IQkewsfSliT9wfyvlt_2koFMVOQb4Ag8fvpq1C4MJruPPgEyaa_CcjtOCEBKDJZ4zkaigzcefd8_jCUIJdD9p_7Oi2jK-0FaCfCjcMDFdQeHVR7GG2Su18LGi5Pt8P4oiIJwYEgZLWdj3nDiQQj6xP-PxjnihhhtUvw/s6000/DSC_0276.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxiclqPFKzq7n4jSZJPDe0Ra1IQkewsfSliT9wfyvlt_2koFMVOQb4Ag8fvpq1C4MJruPPgEyaa_CcjtOCEBKDJZ4zkaigzcefd8_jCUIJdD9p_7Oi2jK-0FaCfCjcMDFdQeHVR7GG2Su18LGi5Pt8P4oiIJwYEgZLWdj3nDiQQj6xP-PxjnihhhtUvw/w640-h426/DSC_0276.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYgoZoM4VFycr3xCe-La1Z3zQH_zF0DjNg3TAg7umZbzj_DJ_W2dIVZytfqclkQ9W9kfH6qubs1kf_JTzYY5ck9t_wvzxvH2xq3sYqmkNQuNLGMvBtpH37duP4WwWoRn5yDDdQevBeBN21iY9RmAtvYyCB2CnyvkTTzpSzZJ69pSeciG9tUjOiQotN6w/s6000/DSC_0277.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYgoZoM4VFycr3xCe-La1Z3zQH_zF0DjNg3TAg7umZbzj_DJ_W2dIVZytfqclkQ9W9kfH6qubs1kf_JTzYY5ck9t_wvzxvH2xq3sYqmkNQuNLGMvBtpH37duP4WwWoRn5yDDdQevBeBN21iY9RmAtvYyCB2CnyvkTTzpSzZJ69pSeciG9tUjOiQotN6w/w640-h426/DSC_0277.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3vDES5m6TTRWF6dgzxPnkgs_5KlzkgwsiaHlRhGH56uAAvywHrhnqkypwr8_LEQh28qgCJpnTAwDqTOCjj9TWiHjixQerpwJjYiZCntWI9hOc9y-9-sadY_ZitxwwxrNXfZGQxOGCRelF6mEf0lToRma_NFyd1wB7E8DYVtw6v_cu3Iz62BWlors57Q/s6000/DSC_0278.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3vDES5m6TTRWF6dgzxPnkgs_5KlzkgwsiaHlRhGH56uAAvywHrhnqkypwr8_LEQh28qgCJpnTAwDqTOCjj9TWiHjixQerpwJjYiZCntWI9hOc9y-9-sadY_ZitxwwxrNXfZGQxOGCRelF6mEf0lToRma_NFyd1wB7E8DYVtw6v_cu3Iz62BWlors57Q/w640-h426/DSC_0278.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2SZIwzbie0DMBnj7SkkKQRzYbtTp9mTQTSKVC_6u_ZR09lw1zRmJTbyQB8EI78EBSj8kVsN_28Y-Tdy4NMjAkosVvNXzoBtUKkXJ3SnFJQ0WGX7nFMezXwbJUSyWyF_DCFlg9QPRKmJ05OqIv59xbs4c2mQbCxTm7rEdLx_kt7pNXz4jXVu3ICn9x-Q/s6000/DSC_0279.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2SZIwzbie0DMBnj7SkkKQRzYbtTp9mTQTSKVC_6u_ZR09lw1zRmJTbyQB8EI78EBSj8kVsN_28Y-Tdy4NMjAkosVvNXzoBtUKkXJ3SnFJQ0WGX7nFMezXwbJUSyWyF_DCFlg9QPRKmJ05OqIv59xbs4c2mQbCxTm7rEdLx_kt7pNXz4jXVu3ICn9x-Q/w640-h426/DSC_0279.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb0oGSix6V6gUBoR2vwgAxSVbxvco2wgO_ZPeu8dfLEzD3JN8ZH9VwPjlYNEuXaC-0b3lyb1i-TIQne5dK7K0yfezc3_SWWfB0iuzO2b2prK7EW10cKCdMfAD-TiLUA0XZm6S5Ek9GFIkrhf8gAnXiQVbL6mooA0oRPHuVaGiTSYQxV267IdfEciLNiA/s6000/DSC_0281.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb0oGSix6V6gUBoR2vwgAxSVbxvco2wgO_ZPeu8dfLEzD3JN8ZH9VwPjlYNEuXaC-0b3lyb1i-TIQne5dK7K0yfezc3_SWWfB0iuzO2b2prK7EW10cKCdMfAD-TiLUA0XZm6S5Ek9GFIkrhf8gAnXiQVbL6mooA0oRPHuVaGiTSYQxV267IdfEciLNiA/w640-h426/DSC_0281.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihstHKsoeujAs78eznahewuON8TfAZrPFYvymCh9zg0XRWopi4rLQ8PLVdPz0lc3NAIEAZenPVhyYTiqKke3hveck67P_WL7SFHp2vE2VOKFuqLjfcCh9yN2BbuJZ9TAdAThz6WYC3pGFTxmJh_U4oLaj2BSX3lqMbfVywTrxbdhcPlFJkcbxu_ZyQ0A/s6000/DSC_0282.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihstHKsoeujAs78eznahewuON8TfAZrPFYvymCh9zg0XRWopi4rLQ8PLVdPz0lc3NAIEAZenPVhyYTiqKke3hveck67P_WL7SFHp2vE2VOKFuqLjfcCh9yN2BbuJZ9TAdAThz6WYC3pGFTxmJh_U4oLaj2BSX3lqMbfVywTrxbdhcPlFJkcbxu_ZyQ0A/w640-h426/DSC_0282.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The tree they called Big Mama. It grows near an underground water source. You can see a well to the right.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2GIc_wQpKMorNJCNBy7ERaLn_E1ocMsb8Budp3EQ7MY2eRRZ5rcsU9DGgOxObytrW0G6WUf1vmvvFkqKmyL5HiDIOiTqDxrs2HUIzMyFHEfZKsbeCWJ2iuOj7f_wc8-sdr1pajP3i7DnoTijXfBJqtSaBIMAfZmDxtdjMptATqfWYlCRNSbP3r3nk-w/s6000/DSC_0285.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2GIc_wQpKMorNJCNBy7ERaLn_E1ocMsb8Budp3EQ7MY2eRRZ5rcsU9DGgOxObytrW0G6WUf1vmvvFkqKmyL5HiDIOiTqDxrs2HUIzMyFHEfZKsbeCWJ2iuOj7f_wc8-sdr1pajP3i7DnoTijXfBJqtSaBIMAfZmDxtdjMptATqfWYlCRNSbP3r3nk-w/w640-h426/DSC_0285.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big Mama's branches<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis2IXUwjyO5vkhjt3bThudzsP1qET_1_5f9eolE2bDHie0cBdPW1UmTRJ2mWPC3d8eS5U1B55w-bX0fhHObCOXy5puheE9Dnx9Fa14W9IqYSNJOG4hIMNj077mETLJ-11xWY6qyz8uQlmDBQXev7PQOFQoF3tgPuQk2Hp4WON5eqIjGfRn5LBtraXtsA/s6000/DSC_0286.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis2IXUwjyO5vkhjt3bThudzsP1qET_1_5f9eolE2bDHie0cBdPW1UmTRJ2mWPC3d8eS5U1B55w-bX0fhHObCOXy5puheE9Dnx9Fa14W9IqYSNJOG4hIMNj077mETLJ-11xWY6qyz8uQlmDBQXev7PQOFQoF3tgPuQk2Hp4WON5eqIjGfRn5LBtraXtsA/w640-h426/DSC_0286.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim-wGO3nccWYJBv8j-LL94Kp0z_61y7kHRMmCeN9wzGmivG8FFqcQ-gMSbP4h_Xm1I6stEh22bdllMxAVmcfkLnjh9uuGsb90F5VO4wKKQnf3cGf8ryrz1ODXVfE3pPwMi_nbKmIUfUI_Z/s1600/1674744192924810-2.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">wine corks punched from a layer of cork bark<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim-wGO3nccWYJBv8j-LL94Kp0z_61y7kHRMmCeN9wzGmivG8FFqcQ-gMSbP4h_Xm1I6stEh22bdllMxAVmcfkLnjh9uuGsb90F5VO4wKKQnf3cGf8ryrz1ODXVfE3pPwMi_nbKmIUfUI_Z/s1600/1674744192924810-2.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
</a>
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Disease has set in and it is dying - you can see the empty branches.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI1F58f0BtOlocJUmq6uDAllfR9IPrTGKMQu9CeEQ6fuKqbF8y0bQnNwSrIe9UF4khujP2Du4oR4n_wC2YMTSQ9zwmaeZOVkClzWWhpT6Uj11y8nrdGNfYChKxF2RdzzUOdl9_IoSA9F83nfk9--lFmjEaPYzGAIY9rYu6wA8Gpgh0RwQF1569E9UHNQ/s6000/DSC_0293.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI1F58f0BtOlocJUmq6uDAllfR9IPrTGKMQu9CeEQ6fuKqbF8y0bQnNwSrIe9UF4khujP2Du4oR4n_wC2YMTSQ9zwmaeZOVkClzWWhpT6Uj11y8nrdGNfYChKxF2RdzzUOdl9_IoSA9F83nfk9--lFmjEaPYzGAIY9rYu6wA8Gpgh0RwQF1569E9UHNQ/w640-h426/DSC_0293.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU5Q-ZlbiBBORj52IJtuEN1x92qKgDXrx-9hiuYqSbgfJcfGDCwe_ktw4i9tOU2WdFYDN9BSHqSFBQQ75khQmnYUxcZYDKVXaRiwW7mtqPSoH1j1v6Mmfww3xr66xml0yyvYz__P7JjUFEr_wi_W_Mfo_LJg6U5KxvG-PfxrszqMCoG5FX2-myQpIawg/s6000/DSC_0297.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU5Q-ZlbiBBORj52IJtuEN1x92qKgDXrx-9hiuYqSbgfJcfGDCwe_ktw4i9tOU2WdFYDN9BSHqSFBQQ75khQmnYUxcZYDKVXaRiwW7mtqPSoH1j1v6Mmfww3xr66xml0yyvYz__P7JjUFEr_wi_W_Mfo_LJg6U5KxvG-PfxrszqMCoG5FX2-myQpIawg/w640-h426/DSC_0297.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Growing wine and its cork next to each other<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> <br /><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>Technology Part 2</b></h3><p>Back to technology - Google Maps is essential for driving through a place you've never been, but it is still relatively new, all things considered, and is less accurate in some places. I did everything the gringo lady said and still managed to go in circles before getting back on track to head back to Évora. We did get there, however, and found all the free parking on our last night in the city. </p><p>I let Chris take a nap and wandered around the city for a bit until it was time to go to dinner. Afterwards, we went to watch some live music at our local pub for our last night in the city.<br /></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitq9HDcKXPKUAFyW0tAMAslO0aYlzX4xXkZhmsL5SnqZkszc1F06Zen7SOVyohgqH9ihTIMyaH0p5EjqixyicM6HJr9dx4Fm3PwhvbVvcLT3jjbkhQhPBLoh75CUG_lJLOlRTk4o1MYQgo/s1600/1674744190439195-3.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">San Francisco church<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPG-rl5YlGCIYVN9-R9mRcDyEp98D-qsMcpd0T1UrWWFlfzkN1ljNuCSO5aobuu6-u616wCRcY3aLLqHLY3Mn9s2BqqK-V0MOYbFiZeSp5_eVm47FNeTBenOQaBZwCxMpH09q6hJb7llM_/s1600/1674744188022708-4.png" width="400" />
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</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdFkoR0UzvPtNyghkUAYhNgW_4Ly6nRsgX4LOi9etwACLVVNLg7yLHZapu42AmYr8eNM_cmpU9LdzRfZPaYApOnhxLZArwyamRFbeyk1p79z7weXfBcKg8IJQI0IPJJ-x9vDXtaXCmWKs4/s1600/1674744185421547-5.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Selfie with gourds<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicsjZmFsPUkPdp6pTaAbFk8Oy5S8ohL6UmvZsHwnDGyRDDShrS9DbFeXbhrbRjBaFNIOQVHmsFdSnCy412xWc6SFVfyFqfFN9WIs87RDZezORvPvKcFvsxADwQqk90pO43Ch7apv0uJHSb/s1600/1674744182670077-6.png" width="400" />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT7KmRVZlWlzhNlUiNhWLi571_UBaAypcUadCX6DoGWUf8a2MhaJpTLnrE4veUqeqb5-O6Oho-RSAHTrO4d6gZX99LyUnEz2HhReWejQjXB0o4qEWFQarelV_iT_0YGtlTFajSKEvitDp_/s1600/1674744180055535-7.png" width="400" />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9gcciodnEQCNRd6tJVa1W0XAB2TKOLsAmO8n33Bmqxxn9VTUnQEesXOn_NnfG9eJSKOIjTkDV8sDM-B4OPBmkZ-d1Z6KT52YPt7iV68fziKn0aMPzg4RrTCeHuDbfbY3I9TLkyN83CUa-/s1600/1674744177497809-8.png" width="400" />
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</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkIJzXWJCUtGn7YPvy8SAfTjuMr8pKZaH4uZfO08QP1oSP-Wpr9kG3HD-x5oHIz3u_48uYf2oJomGD9r6M-oWfoog-KRKNJSbquus2XYHiXnHehd2uif6NTNAXHi02zUly2rRNZ-W1Pf5i/w640-h310/1674744174844120-9.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">religious figurines<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9aItdr6qAXtyH_7swjS-8UAzvjjRQmMsA0LIWSDJ0g90NkVsCeEycaeedKsrBlGP79nzIoOdJFhWl-lrQa3s3q4QbgBZTTB_B-fZVWD2gU2Ym1MUWvoDOrybTrS5WmYLV-LU7c9RzaQNp/w640-h310/1674744172098842-10.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Evora aqueduct, built in 1531<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga74aYXKdqnbCRZ3fqMQWvjqOR8l1o0KF3YwlxBGwMroom1KdC6I7gTT_IZd_dfOAR-iCz-3li7RERL8jz_Th30yg1qd0Qug7RHnyiabE5U7sI20udlpWKVjnpk7AdGheA53Em7QTD9GI5/w640-h310/1674744169633442-11.png" width="640" />
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<img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAzr_i595Rgjlf_r_hWXLpbcQXIQnmb7kHXMvWSBUeuRkS0Q5H5l-ObDngPqwfHouLgwPh-PAqkWfDD3A_8GZ1kaTS5HWl1voQ0rd26lNh7cq4bvPnzvJvALsf3TFK5tlQPPHbyNDI2uFK/w640-h310/1674744167338590-12.png" width="640" />
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</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHZoLOMp7f2KXIAdI45LRwpmPd0lcMBs1Fo1t6LgUnyxJ1ahnWYxnZU8DescHyUnD8tJ3zxk6RieVN4G1Sc2KOyWwgxxX7eQMmQfYtxKVvYsbgUlbQDYEgOwtLVK3JSAS1nWHtjP4x8WNd/s1600/1674744163273839-13.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the old city wall<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxjtuHOheHkZY6I0vGm1TZOHMw2nqD7wqPT_EnZxahOdO6s5RHTUk7MFGVDMFZyvU0mXSnPOcJcv1pNsNaGPSo3cT_VGJnadYkuCK0xdf5-VqEiMlZ5zN1T-rPUV3gWBG498N7KSd3Kews/s1600/1674744153547881-15.png" width="400" />
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</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfK4lNQLQxB3wjwpf_VwzWQj7CKCG0FlfYz05JXIb12y_E9lOMCyVBsBgUILvIhWo-65YElqI6GY0L5IAe1tygfcsVrNxD1NrJ9GbS7iuIZliie5v4z_V5AkBeEzynu8WVvVrp5O8vGTXC/s1600/1674744148822104-16.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">this dinner was fantastic<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4gIJh4d4laBOMXWkgNT7rIT78L-6mX1xyI4Dj6r5WsQG17oxLSjrkMNq2JyLBkZcrFeO9jLc_UN_IRbSh1LJPb_bc-CHvcV_HGC3tlBCDl2UnraI-O2m6yEhD6fVq4mgRfq7WyQ1tU3-w/s1600/1674744138283816-18.png" width="400" />
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</div><br /><p></p><p>It was a very good day.<br /></p><p><br /></p>Cathiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07291479913130967235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3857295146936801558.post-38861631453590147252022-11-09T14:23:00.000-05:002022-11-09T14:23:12.421-05:00Walls and BonesI went to check on the car. Still there, no ticket, no boot. Then I went to see the Roman temple above it.<div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6sUSAjkSzRl5o7JWRYyEdrrFiFMw0hfV24P49WAquNImm-E_rbtTHLKqAPEX1j22L8W6rdV5zGaO95KkH508B-3KCZrMnj1pToCEGjeQvEyZ-qAwwvVoXNOYGNy2TfE41Y47NY11aF2-OHGMNXeypc_CPsAEN5ROIXXGlt-suEG1N3SsiUOQswBtULQ/s6000/DSC_0174.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6sUSAjkSzRl5o7JWRYyEdrrFiFMw0hfV24P49WAquNImm-E_rbtTHLKqAPEX1j22L8W6rdV5zGaO95KkH508B-3KCZrMnj1pToCEGjeQvEyZ-qAwwvVoXNOYGNy2TfE41Y47NY11aF2-OHGMNXeypc_CPsAEN5ROIXXGlt-suEG1N3SsiUOQswBtULQ/w640-h426/DSC_0174.JPG" width="640" /></a></div> </div><div>I guess I've been spoiled by all the Roman ruins I've seen in my life (none as good as Baalbek in Lebanon), because I just felt meh about this temple. The columns were made of limestone, which just looked like concrete.</div><div> </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFyfa_lJjwMKJ6xmbh0XMeBXCfsPsPavjouusTkqH4yo00GtbFrQwTe1h_jwBJTHETwvTRNnfdRT2x1zGU7pzDQ8tWmr9iU5MrP5dhQUtQVZSU_vk2eDhdbPMNoZZ_PEhdjg7KmlkxHSboXl2iQy2L6Pv2VajDcLRPcDE3SHRFmVoWxVe2WDFVwBYuaQ/s6000/DSC_0168.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFyfa_lJjwMKJ6xmbh0XMeBXCfsPsPavjouusTkqH4yo00GtbFrQwTe1h_jwBJTHETwvTRNnfdRT2x1zGU7pzDQ8tWmr9iU5MrP5dhQUtQVZSU_vk2eDhdbPMNoZZ_PEhdjg7KmlkxHSboXl2iQy2L6Pv2VajDcLRPcDE3SHRFmVoWxVe2WDFVwBYuaQ/w640-h426/DSC_0168.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoPe3cBr2Vm312wkP-sDblJ75Tda9r-23bo9iOFxabPuS1q8YyWDl2hIPBnBbCjGcT9xHUXDxxK-V0sXqIgUTQ7AN_Z_g30ZnEgggtlllCv6nM9-dGxO27f0DX08ZlJIiOTqUsHdGcrVUKE49B6tkD4sZ4Hdnt3Hv7fMRqxkuKUjDtiBjw4qtGHXifow/s6000/DSC_0173.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoPe3cBr2Vm312wkP-sDblJ75Tda9r-23bo9iOFxabPuS1q8YyWDl2hIPBnBbCjGcT9xHUXDxxK-V0sXqIgUTQ7AN_Z_g30ZnEgggtlllCv6nM9-dGxO27f0DX08ZlJIiOTqUsHdGcrVUKE49B6tkD4sZ4Hdnt3Hv7fMRqxkuKUjDtiBjw4qtGHXifow/w640-h426/DSC_0173.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaQCfg6fqSWzHIPOt7W45TrCiseedkGP6vzAYXP5nSEHPuIc7TbHx45ZS7wgpxmDE8pn9ZfObPRU4x7HyeT1yyfKvLwrybqNMQIZG85JqfzLlAYj2zwtSD-Egbsx_KlTJ-YNJKa1N-wsXMHZRmK8kuHF4AQ6jFbYK3am167VdcAJ_fVjX6sJP2-VovJw/s6000/DSC_0178.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaQCfg6fqSWzHIPOt7W45TrCiseedkGP6vzAYXP5nSEHPuIc7TbHx45ZS7wgpxmDE8pn9ZfObPRU4x7HyeT1yyfKvLwrybqNMQIZG85JqfzLlAYj2zwtSD-Egbsx_KlTJ-YNJKa1N-wsXMHZRmK8kuHF4AQ6jFbYK3am167VdcAJ_fVjX6sJP2-VovJw/w640-h426/DSC_0178.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">nice park next to the temple<br /></td></tr></tbody></table> </div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIjeOvAAQx7y52bbrGI-HkfVN2j2YvGkBeJowzDj_TB-v59FUSb0lnYGz0V2tAYhjmQmtHCKQMOfHvT4jAqK2UO9yaYAGWTXJ9sl7-QuhCb6kNQJ0PTGudiFAw3vvobM0ELRpERlUkWouuz1u6zDdg6Il2rqq_wNmLhb6RfNW650cxdyL7Tj6-yjNnMw/s6000/DSC_0176.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIjeOvAAQx7y52bbrGI-HkfVN2j2YvGkBeJowzDj_TB-v59FUSb0lnYGz0V2tAYhjmQmtHCKQMOfHvT4jAqK2UO9yaYAGWTXJ9sl7-QuhCb6kNQJ0PTGudiFAw3vvobM0ELRpERlUkWouuz1u6zDdg6Il2rqq_wNmLhb6RfNW650cxdyL7Tj6-yjNnMw/w640-h426/DSC_0176.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">nice views of the city from the park<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </div><div>The story is that the temple was built for the Roman goddess Diana (Artemis in Greek mythology, Neith in Egyptian), the patroness of the countryside and hunting. Makes sense that this town would have worshiped Diana, given that Évora is the center of an agricultural region.</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">Except the temple was never built to worship Diana. It's just something some Portuguese priest made up in the 17th century. From the 14th century to 1836 the temple wasn't even used as a temple - it was used as a butcher shop. It was probably originally built in the first century to honor Caesar Augustus, who was considered a god by the Roman imperial cult that was formed when Rome threw away its democracy and established authoritarian rule. His predecessor, Julius, had been assassinated to save the Republic. Alas, the Republic was doomed anyway. Just like ours is now.</span><br /></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><br /></span></div><div>I like the idea of the temple being built for a woman who would sic her dogs on men if they wronged her better than honoring a guy who destroyed democracy for his own ego.</div><div><br /></div><div>There is an element of trinity to Diana, as she is also associated with the moon/stars (Luna) and the underworld (Hecate), making her part of the recurring theme of trinity across so many of the world's current and historic religions - the moon/stars representing creation (the Father in Christianity, Brahma in Hindu, for example), the Earth representing maintenance (the Son in Christianity, Vishnu in Hindu, etc.), and the underworld being destruction/death (the Holy Spirit in Christianity, Siva in Hindu, etc.) All people fall under one of these categories. Few are creators; most are destroyers.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The temple is located by the Cathedral and the Palace of the Inquisitor, buildings with sinister histories as the Portuguese carried out their own inquisitions that murdered thousands of Jews and Muslims. The Roman imperial cult had transitioned to a Christian cult under Constantine a thousand years before; that cult would go on to murder millions throughout history. Now Jews in America are seeing the same antisemitism from so-called Christians that led to such inquisitions in the past. Ohio just elected an antisemite as a senator.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I'm so damn tired of history repeating.</div><div><br /></div><div>The cathedral was unimpressive. Perhaps I've also seen too many churches in my life to be impressed anymore. Or maybe it's just the hypocrisy of it all. The Catholic Church is the richest corporation in the world, even with all the pedophile priest lawsuits. To see all these riches on full display while people starve and the world burns is not only a tragedy - it's immoral.</div><div> </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTxqZeIrt8pFMt9COZk42twi2eonstobN7BYijMMM2x5V3gZMa1iK2YcxJDWx3_37MEF5P4DFSUht7QPFpQLPTsINqkwxNJXERWIaz_i7U1FJ4HlcbmcLMP2jzi6ulJnEvO3gpnSy7yJ5rwm2dxC7-GvI6cCYfZR6HRFcOGvvR3593HAYtln86O4SBbg/s6000/DSC_0179.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTxqZeIrt8pFMt9COZk42twi2eonstobN7BYijMMM2x5V3gZMa1iK2YcxJDWx3_37MEF5P4DFSUht7QPFpQLPTsINqkwxNJXERWIaz_i7U1FJ4HlcbmcLMP2jzi6ulJnEvO3gpnSy7yJ5rwm2dxC7-GvI6cCYfZR6HRFcOGvvR3593HAYtln86O4SBbg/w640-h426/DSC_0179.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOldtwYGGUP6Rn0Qrt4WwYVHzfkwkniQStPJHctiM-NhfwbszQvGQRzEXu_aaaUKD57CZsaxwD516T2JOs1jcIM-ZxcURvlraXIQm_J-WjcAbgoW2coJaE-ueNtDxzBCpcK3VBs0MDWXp_xGnlu1Dq-w_OW1Tm8C-Rl3qv8aA0lxz-e4iS2B6pb7NEFg/s6000/DSC_0181.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOldtwYGGUP6Rn0Qrt4WwYVHzfkwkniQStPJHctiM-NhfwbszQvGQRzEXu_aaaUKD57CZsaxwD516T2JOs1jcIM-ZxcURvlraXIQm_J-WjcAbgoW2coJaE-ueNtDxzBCpcK3VBs0MDWXp_xGnlu1Dq-w_OW1Tm8C-Rl3qv8aA0lxz-e4iS2B6pb7NEFg/w640-h426/DSC_0181.JPG" width="640" /></a></div> </div><div>I more enjoyed the winding roads around the town.</div><div> </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZZvSMAYGlnM3sZGKDvFw3VDsVLkO9HKfH01DWg_owxlRXtZan8pyIbpIidUQF3RsEUOgJ7PhM3lSp3KwfwzaKU7q_7Z-nnSW8QwLTlEQBcuWPUxYapNYYDi3_AtskwnYYN7hP1I2V_TgFFm1T-G8RaEzhfkTDPlokpv24rE5msLH7L-FdrWHCQxzR-g/s6000/DSC_0183.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZZvSMAYGlnM3sZGKDvFw3VDsVLkO9HKfH01DWg_owxlRXtZan8pyIbpIidUQF3RsEUOgJ7PhM3lSp3KwfwzaKU7q_7Z-nnSW8QwLTlEQBcuWPUxYapNYYDi3_AtskwnYYN7hP1I2V_TgFFm1T-G8RaEzhfkTDPlokpv24rE5msLH7L-FdrWHCQxzR-g/w640-h426/DSC_0183.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5lc-rMvhn6g3pAe9AR-TgDVBAUR64pghZ9y_EtQULTDslZlxeqywx1jDZQH5KiZh6qczIaRFzNlUIeTDxo6G9sNXbqqt53e8aKQ_69PjwQ_DKI4LSl18lk4XGPJK_uOu-xLfSxxymCQW32YZKCGaaK3XtnNWC_y5vaffIuWeU5K3AMNLaXO2_NjKR3A/s6000/DSC_0187.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5lc-rMvhn6g3pAe9AR-TgDVBAUR64pghZ9y_EtQULTDslZlxeqywx1jDZQH5KiZh6qczIaRFzNlUIeTDxo6G9sNXbqqt53e8aKQ_69PjwQ_DKI4LSl18lk4XGPJK_uOu-xLfSxxymCQW32YZKCGaaK3XtnNWC_y5vaffIuWeU5K3AMNLaXO2_NjKR3A/w640-h426/DSC_0187.JPG" width="640" /></a></div> </div><div>We headed to the bone chapel next, which was far more appropriate decor for the Church than a monstrance of pure silver.</div><div><br /></div><div>But first, lunch.</div><div><br /></div><div>I ordered too much, of course. It's easy to do with small plates. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdWCIgE8wfz9G-C8xCt0cQ70x4DmTSv7N2BpjsK0UVEsLWQ6PjAAreyK93kBGp4jA-bxA-Yp7cMXpah6v-MXqYYPKpmct0cisMhu59a80HwW-DYd9upr_uC6yNKFio1R5m8n8nnSyJN9LH/w640-h310/1668020063263956-0.png" width="640" />
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</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDRFN1y8w-iVCaT3Wd_0Nw8lmsr-vzgVI5-5d_SZano-PIBKYTb9YfkTKy1tm-J3Tc6pLOfw-_7dWteFg_uG6pK7Li02YZckbYUzLNN9TOgf-Ujb4zECUwz511Q_kU3zfTvQXY0B1IUdhR/w194-h400/1668020060972803-1.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="194" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">an actual craft beer<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div>Then, bone chapel, constructed of bones dug up from a cemetery to remind people of their end, no matter their lot in life. <i>Remember, o man, that you are dust, and to dust you will return.</i></div><div><br /></div><div>The chapel was started in the late 16th century by three Franciscan monks and was dedicated to the cult of the Souls of Purgatory. Europe, being old and all, has dug up cemeteries throughout history because towns ran out of space and needed the land. The continent has several of these types of chapels spread across it, including the famous catacombs of Rome and Paris. This ossuary is small compared to those.<br /></div><div> </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifXhpVgYA0DfLLIViTiZ03nyVFenFApM8p4kENTmMYOANTmDZdTOfkzgUzKVHHmw6Tw1UUtPqFBzww0A6R08NgKOpwdZ3KYhFHEy1oJsHeajtiVn1V5yJl6lWmwVx3zEPBLr1HKyjqFblB/w640-h310/1668020029451211-13.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">mummy</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><br /></div><div>The chapel was meant as a place for self reflection. In this age of selfies, participation trophies, social media influencers, identity politics, and disrespect for experts, I wonder if people are even capable of self reflection. We live in an age of ego, where everyone thinks they are special. Guess what? No one is special. Everyone ends up like this. Dead. Skinless. So why do you care so much about skin color now? It decomposes and disappears forever. No religious fairy tale or cruel politician is going to save you from this fate.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The price of admission came with entrance to the church's museum as well, which was vaguely interesting, if only to make fun of the art, a favorite pastime of mine. A whole collection of some rich guy's creches from all over the world was on display. Some of them were trippy.<br /></div><div> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguXoBptpUrq8O5Ie7JdoWPhmE8HOuA4RZ7nHqrCmyFdEKKDfRJBB7Rrl5v90wbnT0djbykqyvDbnOmYjSSacVVJbZjQBkh9x5uFQWp8-UMewsKFuP-PGgbS1x6ylPNvbzBxFPFzEeXSd-q/s1600/1668020456122883-3.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St. Francis of ASSissi<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div></div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyCCc7hZ5bomxJ-m-udzjBC9lr9XRv1LlS6HP8VqlYUpMNo_E25gwZV1AHu4CqNmeiK4VjQFPLGG4PGc_k6-FbTPwTYt00ylCAzTOkVkCWR6dM1CPmu4QqmkOVVZJ_5zFH6fPh_25MM5RU/s1600/1668020453936277-4.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">don't use drugs, kids<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF_IAVtfDdTMbT2tRLoH7Btyjs2sQ8q3mgTqbOkBo8bDiV9Ts3BdSAut__0RBFDCkQtPZH2VwSTYtl4L-24d2xBpo3YTj4MjR74fhg6-5KuypJRzfdbYeQJt5_-tT2eEvn8WowPG6y0l4L/s1600/1668020451679177-5.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">they used to dress up these statues<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeFtFewHebOqh8PfMAPMjOhCyC9ta8Uy7TwIusA2oWxI040BaFxxwJhYzmYQO41IIZmxq5r5mtvv9y4hYb7AjkOJh2GOV41uDbHTCWlFOCxZTUU2fEajSQEFvHYE2AnOUjwAkPph35oXzO/s1600/1668020449156655-6.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St. Agatha holding her cut off breast<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Aw9RYHt8y9yBsBnmfZbAvhQgonM37smpfonRtUir2aCKXZJU8aJGXREGpxrqIEEPIb-eQPN9JxapFcAUQ-eJYW9CO5FgLKPSoxzH9nsxt3GtuYUBGWdy8t2_YoCbvYwxwEG-5YNrnne_/s1600/1668020446804866-7.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">what was the artist smoking?<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><br /></div><div>There were some good views of the town from atop the complex.</div><div> </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1-R1m0NqOmRna7MkUOTJw2K3j_gfwOvq7MEXS1aPY7bq79vNMeLOg7O19m3ZnF4XiBN4dtJJD4XkD765cX4gwKEFTEPGR_XSFrPkyGYTBn7MY6BsRxS9oi1EAdWrV4xEMPoCuupkshWIqHL4xlFj9vAmpl5xo3MUv_NOxA7eFd7lEgXUEnZdbnqBsPw/s6000/DSC_0196.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1-R1m0NqOmRna7MkUOTJw2K3j_gfwOvq7MEXS1aPY7bq79vNMeLOg7O19m3ZnF4XiBN4dtJJD4XkD765cX4gwKEFTEPGR_XSFrPkyGYTBn7MY6BsRxS9oi1EAdWrV4xEMPoCuupkshWIqHL4xlFj9vAmpl5xo3MUv_NOxA7eFd7lEgXUEnZdbnqBsPw/w640-h426/DSC_0196.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM5QUlal8tmsNG20bt26KlVXi_E-XMuBqVSheFGVzFoliRyWN0oNHjUU1TIqUtfDe-GVyYACxX3vh2zAfBWcXotjTZ-UUIy48Vg0gHlgKb3CH6-oBoWvcxvJmE3OdeitAZwlnkfq_Od_iGYkXtCVGBxa7EkGtSXRzZ6pRO2lIjyVxXK_CvcMDZ7M7MLg/s6000/DSC_0197.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM5QUlal8tmsNG20bt26KlVXi_E-XMuBqVSheFGVzFoliRyWN0oNHjUU1TIqUtfDe-GVyYACxX3vh2zAfBWcXotjTZ-UUIy48Vg0gHlgKb3CH6-oBoWvcxvJmE3OdeitAZwlnkfq_Od_iGYkXtCVGBxa7EkGtSXRzZ6pRO2lIjyVxXK_CvcMDZ7M7MLg/w640-h426/DSC_0197.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbemyT4DF1LWqqnHAKynWH909VqxX98y21jsqYmqkHKNmFbVufqK9gPUz1-cTkLQKJupsLzT9-9MSmfDkz53Jpsuq5Ev_aTK6eW2VgLap_f3JwpdOA9AQnfwuC8tjuCj2gckyCJqkMgHOZsH0RNeMAOTVJ4opkXljJodgERA5n7sQnceWuRSMKCxxSAg/s6000/DSC_0198.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbemyT4DF1LWqqnHAKynWH909VqxX98y21jsqYmqkHKNmFbVufqK9gPUz1-cTkLQKJupsLzT9-9MSmfDkz53Jpsuq5Ev_aTK6eW2VgLap_f3JwpdOA9AQnfwuC8tjuCj2gckyCJqkMgHOZsH0RNeMAOTVJ4opkXljJodgERA5n7sQnceWuRSMKCxxSAg/w640-h426/DSC_0198.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjewm0CtTo4VfAbjTneS3sdm83Dk7f4LkjrKr-X_RZpAvDQF14Pqo8m0qQhx2V9M1fnxvxvUp8s02KnieotSSAFrsON8U0ROahK_I3mKnaoCeX8WqRYbInRgMiAbpiqxD4dv2MyD6hNDDLsYeCFk7S2Q4SWvmjpQX6WEpUx7o2z_0sD-27HSWJNnUrCAg/s6000/DSC_0199.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjewm0CtTo4VfAbjTneS3sdm83Dk7f4LkjrKr-X_RZpAvDQF14Pqo8m0qQhx2V9M1fnxvxvUp8s02KnieotSSAFrsON8U0ROahK_I3mKnaoCeX8WqRYbInRgMiAbpiqxD4dv2MyD6hNDDLsYeCFk7S2Q4SWvmjpQX6WEpUx7o2z_0sD-27HSWJNnUrCAg/w640-h426/DSC_0199.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuqBPQ_n9M6qpzWP2kIYRsIqAEo5xmEwq5XI_yAJrTfOg09UvwpM2S3jrjSYUL9xXxf2hs1z91KfZ4fYWn3NjCjKed0eSykN1t34Kd3n7j_Zq2K00xcdPrziLXBDI2oaIVNRtP5YUJx_F2Vy7zcmQU69sN-tUa_FF2wxMOArsO9Z2aXqU5qXEKLKqssQ/s6000/DSC_0200.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuqBPQ_n9M6qpzWP2kIYRsIqAEo5xmEwq5XI_yAJrTfOg09UvwpM2S3jrjSYUL9xXxf2hs1z91KfZ4fYWn3NjCjKed0eSykN1t34Kd3n7j_Zq2K00xcdPrziLXBDI2oaIVNRtP5YUJx_F2Vy7zcmQU69sN-tUa_FF2wxMOArsO9Z2aXqU5qXEKLKqssQ/w640-h426/DSC_0200.JPG" width="640" /></a></div> </div><div>We went into the actual church last. A bit ostentatious and s<span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">aid to be unique for its design. The whole thing is a mishmash of styles, but that can happen when you build a church in the 15th century and it stays a church for most of the centuries after that. </span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg79sFN0p46uc8s-Z9nzUuk1QYieA_sIlU2i3rP6cfTVCRNYOYOj4KThumX7QE5yncXSWE4s3kf7spclh6GdGq9Cs7mQfq2en6jDlbDadL3nxnbuBvUzkYtwKjQL03ZZ00EHHZ4_Mh0vJcu/s1600/1668020444247884-8.png" width="400" />
</a>
</div><br /></span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">Next we went into the old palace grounds, which is one large city park on top of the old city walls, a few ruins, and some peacocks.</span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"> </span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSONjE2iFoMpoolhdRCbX4RD0o0M0GJJ1O_RVW3VD2AO70IUzMaY6HzJohZRQjKPy39pHWaTkfOPqybLCn7LTaf0wl0Snwo1h6kuZIxXcthuSuOF8oxnXIKbSTPo7QR2Ul30wIDGtnzv5bkkyaFYEVZI5dn3VDtI6-V_CN0syoBnErThBsgtrCNs_ROw/s6000/DSC_0203.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSONjE2iFoMpoolhdRCbX4RD0o0M0GJJ1O_RVW3VD2AO70IUzMaY6HzJohZRQjKPy39pHWaTkfOPqybLCn7LTaf0wl0Snwo1h6kuZIxXcthuSuOF8oxnXIKbSTPo7QR2Ul30wIDGtnzv5bkkyaFYEVZI5dn3VDtI6-V_CN0syoBnErThBsgtrCNs_ROw/w640-h426/DSC_0203.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0nCylTpwqXaGk9qtsNsmsDt-EUHL30eCGZWNDN8nZQDztp2HvyiPof3X26ooUd-1hoOZWd3mYC4TUOusC2E452K1gfO6gdStSnxJPl9xqOg_UgJie5EeHeCb6m4PYiE3n15IVxg-F9r4CeJb-dAIC6MS7zyXW0rm4gruEQYWIermM2EkSk2--6-M6ZA/s6000/DSC_0221.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0nCylTpwqXaGk9qtsNsmsDt-EUHL30eCGZWNDN8nZQDztp2HvyiPof3X26ooUd-1hoOZWd3mYC4TUOusC2E452K1gfO6gdStSnxJPl9xqOg_UgJie5EeHeCb6m4PYiE3n15IVxg-F9r4CeJb-dAIC6MS7zyXW0rm4gruEQYWIermM2EkSk2--6-M6ZA/w640-h426/DSC_0221.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">baby peacock and mom<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmHqvjcRZrbM13_xSkhrGvuQAnZQeVkCYK5a9tZ4wrkec-t_l-pOBHkPsNgMIuvF_w1CLSEshKPYjQ6qqqNYS6XBg9_zPjx2tiOirOx_D57Q58gJlYvu1eRcdkZvvc8B_hJSRW5PiE-Zq6rXFCfKOMx9WtVRc0nOq9OQaXX7AeIo6o3PL8OWooOAjKqw/s6000/DSC_0218.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; 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margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5wq_5ot92oMycdUYBn1-vIyzmbwy7TG7cLiVeOm8Sx8ovkOW9Opambw95WGzSU5SmXkD7_zQF22KxOedNHVS9XR45oDrBYcgvs2RzoLYAFxUTOwH4mjpw8YjuBYP4LCAA20k_NmDZ2e9cgP2cONdu_FE8HmJ887zXsAgA9iMQoglbkU-DlqJ3G1gNhA/w640-h426/DSC_0228.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">view of a roundabout with a billion streets running into it<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG8hUlM2HV8x0y-oQkeMh6kZ065t_RRHjcRqJEGVnoaJGWFdo3VcDdYj8Q9avriF9c_VBkMJ4-C6qkvDtIXl5ggSaVfIXcsrviQoHm13AZROAESgkY9sJmz_nh2Y9Lntpe7sfWPwV89elZS58vqlVzKQELQ1-gyWN9CiCTnFDvgNw9ibF1M259p5VaHg/s6000/DSC_0225.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG8hUlM2HV8x0y-oQkeMh6kZ065t_RRHjcRqJEGVnoaJGWFdo3VcDdYj8Q9avriF9c_VBkMJ4-C6qkvDtIXl5ggSaVfIXcsrviQoHm13AZROAESgkY9sJmz_nh2Y9Lntpe7sfWPwV89elZS58vqlVzKQELQ1-gyWN9CiCTnFDvgNw9ibF1M259p5VaHg/w426-h640/DSC_0225.JPG" width="426" /></a></div></span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiod5ECAsP7mKWS3a86cZG3UT3HBH5_uIrogoYilTjr34EKKgfN_xQaibhCkrla_EQyGjniuTImzmUP7h7uWvfi6TK2YL7qBZOVC9KVB3-1al5nnoTmnvovHROIYWY2PVrFWpOFp8GA0q1A5V0lRy6rQsS5n90ONSl2TGoktVRQzDKRmlu4edXOFOsoDw/s6000/DSC_0238.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiod5ECAsP7mKWS3a86cZG3UT3HBH5_uIrogoYilTjr34EKKgfN_xQaibhCkrla_EQyGjniuTImzmUP7h7uWvfi6TK2YL7qBZOVC9KVB3-1al5nnoTmnvovHROIYWY2PVrFWpOFp8GA0q1A5V0lRy6rQsS5n90ONSl2TGoktVRQzDKRmlu4edXOFOsoDw/w640-h426/DSC_0238.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"></span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">Then it was back up the hill to the main square for dinner.</span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkLfIMACQHYXp25RKQFRggpdTGOplk21DCFwwkf6wGhbZzEyIuco2oLgM8bA7UZWibO5_ffzdkKR-PAuB07lZxjFkak9kF3m_BB_M_p0L6YhaA8oFuBPec1jmPO7CobUIeiouH6Vu9yRsSyyTEihDyGA3uefQOMFXDj6-aHJAh1XZKLhasUuzIRm0azQ/s6000/DSC_0241.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkLfIMACQHYXp25RKQFRggpdTGOplk21DCFwwkf6wGhbZzEyIuco2oLgM8bA7UZWibO5_ffzdkKR-PAuB07lZxjFkak9kF3m_BB_M_p0L6YhaA8oFuBPec1jmPO7CobUIeiouH6Vu9yRsSyyTEihDyGA3uefQOMFXDj6-aHJAh1XZKLhasUuzIRm0azQ/w640-h426/DSC_0241.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimQC4rEcjBrTfJejiOHhgLzsN1UjoM4O_nitbWhOr4nXEQbXS2_63CsYk3YCZjnntJoxa6Bqwz6xzNKFPfjFARFf_EVGPrjg9F_OVw1f70Mtr_NUpsajDD-7EKVp7xJcUBaAGKhJIMJxXq4Tv0Xhg3braTBWNIezLrN_BrBxJtL5_wGaFiGUsON6ISRg/s6000/DSC_0242.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimQC4rEcjBrTfJejiOHhgLzsN1UjoM4O_nitbWhOr4nXEQbXS2_63CsYk3YCZjnntJoxa6Bqwz6xzNKFPfjFARFf_EVGPrjg9F_OVw1f70Mtr_NUpsajDD-7EKVp7xJcUBaAGKhJIMJxXq4Tv0Xhg3braTBWNIezLrN_BrBxJtL5_wGaFiGUsON6ISRg/w640-h426/DSC_0242.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGzIBW9TY-bEJsWNptU9W1NUOsPPUJ0RTFPhQBIg0uicli3WPhOUoo_PA0YXR9HJMPs1cbgckcKuLdRZFLfD8hxbR1rD2wjHzc6EXskwu3BLpGQCjp3JRlPFK8W4c5yGDDl8n-eTOyx4Uzh01ONAr2Af5l8gi1ctA3xE5mNtWCEq-yFd14DUMtQKfpLw/s6000/DSC_0243.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGzIBW9TY-bEJsWNptU9W1NUOsPPUJ0RTFPhQBIg0uicli3WPhOUoo_PA0YXR9HJMPs1cbgckcKuLdRZFLfD8hxbR1rD2wjHzc6EXskwu3BLpGQCjp3JRlPFK8W4c5yGDDl8n-eTOyx4Uzh01ONAr2Af5l8gi1ctA3xE5mNtWCEq-yFd14DUMtQKfpLw/w640-h426/DSC_0243.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">school theater group on the main square<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"> </span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">I think we intended to take a nap but never got around to it. Instead, we went to see live music, which ended up not happening. We had misunderstood - it was the next night. Another good day in Portugal was concluded with sleep.<br /></span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"> </span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">To be continued... <br /></span></div>Cathiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07291479913130967235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3857295146936801558.post-90065806390680360092022-11-03T14:21:00.000-04:002022-11-03T14:21:01.360-04:00Inland BoundThis day was not so much fun. We had the three hour train ride to pick up the car to head inland to Évora, a place I had chosen to visit for the prehistoric sites and the famous bone chapel at the San Francisco church.<div><br></div><div>We both slept much of the train ride, having spent four days climbing the hills of Porto and having been at open mic night until late. We talked with the musicians there for a time and got an overview of the music scene in Porto. The woman had grown up in Luxembourg and couldn't believe that I had also lived there.</div><div><br></div><div>We picked up the car in Lisbon and headed for Évora over the longest bridge I have ever been on in my life, the Vasco da Gama. We were over water for...well, at least 10 minutes. At 7.67 miles long, it is the second longest bridge in Europe. I was somewhat nervous driving over it, but I only drive a couple of times a year and I was in a rental car - a BMW convertible - and it was basically the first thing I did behind the wheel in over a year<span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">. There were six lanes so I stayed in the middle lane. I still drove 75. LOL</span></div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><br></div><div>After the bridge, the drive was not all that interesting until we got out of the Lisbon metro area. The highways are not like our interstates where there are exits everywhere; they are designed to get to the major cities, so we couldn't really stop in small towns to have a look around. But the trees were enough for me. First, the pine trees with the rounded tops. Then, the cork trees.</div><div><br></div><div>I knew they were cork trees when I saw them. I knew it because they were weird and they looked farmed and this was the cork capital of the world. There were miles of them. Our drive to Évora was only an hour and a half but they were the trees we saw for a quarter of it. They were exotic to me; they told me I was in a different place, another world from the one I had been trapped in for three years while we waited for the germs to leave us alone.</div><div><br></div><div>We arrived to Évora thinking "all right, we are here!" But we soon learned that Google Maps is...not quite accurate, and though I had chosen a hotel in the center of everything, you couldn't actually get there by car. We drove around in circles as the GPS lady with the most gringo pronunciations possible told us to turn onto Jesus 2 street and there WAS no Jesus 2 street. We asked a guy where to go and he told us the yellow and white building. </div><div><br></div><div>All of the buildings in the city are yellow and white.</div><div><br></div><div>I was losing my mind. I was tired, and I realized I actually hate driving. Hate it. They should have a big parking lot for everyone to park at the outskirts of the city.</div><div><br></div><div>Oh wait, they did. But I didn't know that until the last day we were there. In the meantime, I parked in a residential zone, unaware on the first night then fully aware the next day but willing to risk a ticket, because I wasn't touching that car until we went to see things outside the city since there was no parking. LOL</div><div><br></div><div>That's how it should be, though. I had only rented a car because I wanted to see things outside Évora and the southern coast that weren't accessible by public transportion. <span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">Portugal's public transport could use an upgrade, as getting between many cities is slow and inefficient because trains only run through the major cities and the local buses stop everywhere. Like, EVERYWHERE. Even though 16 nights seems like a long vacation, it really isn't, at least not long enough for five hour bus rides.</span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><br></span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">Within cities is different. European cities are old. They are designed practically with pedestrian-only zones and large public squares and community gathering spaces that we in the US have discarded for stripmalls and parking lots. It's one huge reason that so many Americans have no sense of community and no concern for others; American car culture has produced a country of social isolation, which has lead directly to the current mental health crisis and the embrace of cruelty in policymaking. We should be pushing our politicians to end car culture and bring back community spaces, but 70 years of marketing by the auto industry has entirely brainwashed the country. Car culture is creeping into Europe, too, at the very time we desperately need to end car dependence. The planet is literally on fire, in large part due to cars. </span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><br></span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">If I had to do it over again I probably wouldn't rent the car. But then we might have missed the cork farm...</span></div><div><br></div><div>We arrived to Évora in the evening and could not find the hotel after we parked. Not kidding. We wandered. We split up. (Not on purpose.) Google Maps was inaccurate. So were the people we asked. But we finally made it, separately but about the same time.</div><div><br></div><div>We checked in by the big cow then went for dinner. The large public square near the hotel had plenty of outdoor tables, but most of it was small plates and lunch type of things, and we wanted to try something new. I had a beer and we people watched for a bit while the sun sank over this former Roman city.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><br></div><div>I wondered what was in the alley just off the square, so I peeked around the corner. Voila. What they call the "nightlife" street of Évora was lined with restaurants. We stopped at a place called Mr. Pickwick and had a fantastic dinner. I had pork cheeks in a traditional sauce from the area. I think Chris had lamb. We ate too much then ate some more. The restaurant was full of fun stuff on the walls and Mr. Pickwick himself was tending bar. (That wasn't his real name. LOL) I tried a wine of the region - not as good as Douro wines but still good.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><br><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">After dinner, we set out to hear live music, but there was none on a Thursday evening in this small town, so we hung out with some Portuguese and listened to rock music for awhile before heading back and succumbing to sleep.</span><br></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><br></span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">The next day would be a macabre kind of day.</span></div><div><br></div><div><br></div>Cathiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07291479913130967235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3857295146936801558.post-50067780513613161052022-11-01T13:21:00.005-04:002022-11-01T13:21:42.562-04:00Orientated At Last<span style="font-size: large;">I am out of practice.</span><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Three years and a lifetime since my last trip, I felt lost. Not because of the streets, as winding and hilly as they are, but I just didn't know how to be there. I didn't know what to do. I didn't know where to go. I didn't know what to do next.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">I woke up after the the night of the sunset, and suddenly, I felt like I got it. I already knew the streets. I knew how to get to the river and to the main squares of the town. That's never been a problem, even in the age of confusing Google Maps. Once I've been there, I can get there again without a map. But I hadn't known where to get.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4PjyI6gGDXU5oInSlZVtRctXcTUiKbHPytdfZxmsOthGEiLF3MEbFxIM4rbDlky49STaw6cM6GRYepc4CEVE-F9vacoYv-RvsERkAmkUPMNzrbS9uKHZHiXwAn-WwkVSOKX50fd6rsnlid_PdBG20CtR_4HArLsIKnCNuzrb7SPthCIjZQc2VVM6q4A/s6000/DSC_0030.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4PjyI6gGDXU5oInSlZVtRctXcTUiKbHPytdfZxmsOthGEiLF3MEbFxIM4rbDlky49STaw6cM6GRYepc4CEVE-F9vacoYv-RvsERkAmkUPMNzrbS9uKHZHiXwAn-WwkVSOKX50fd6rsnlid_PdBG20CtR_4HArLsIKnCNuzrb7SPthCIjZQc2VVM6q4A/w640-h426/DSC_0030.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /> </div><div><span style="font-size: large;">This might be puzzling to those who need itineraries to travel. I don't like them. You miss so much by having to be somewhere at a certain time, having to pass by something interesting instead of stopping in. For most places, anyway. There are a few places like Alhambra where yo<span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">u absolutely must be there at a time. But to say, ok, we're going to the cathedral, then the castle, then the blah blah blah? No thanks. Still, I do have a general idea of what I'd like to see.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.2px;">But this time I felt like I had zero direction. I haven't felt like I've had any direction for three years, at least any forward direction. Backwards, maybe. Sideways. But forward? After watching American behavior during covid and seeing so many gleefully embracing fascism now, I didn't think forward was a direction anyone could go anymore.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.2px;">Then I watched the sunset over the Atlantic Ocean, and I woke up the next morning feeling like I had taken a step forward. Maybe it was a tiny step, but it was a step. And I said to Chris, get up, we're going to the river. And he got up, and we went to the river. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.2px;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.2px;">But first we stopped for lunch. A bad lunch. Where I ate the grossest sausage of my life that tasted like the bathroom smelled. Pretty sure they forgot to cook it. It came with a fried egg, fries AND plain white rice, and some mushy, once frozen vegetables that even I in my craving for green things did not eat. I ate the egg and the fries and a piece of what once had been broccoli and called it a lunch.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.2px;"> </span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><span style="font-size: large;">We
tried to stop at Europe's oldest bookstore around the corner from the
grossery but the line was ridiculous. In hindsight, that is something I
should have waited for, because I did want to see that bookstore. I will
have to see it next time. There will be a next time.</span><br /></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"> </span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"> </span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFgnwD4jndCxGJubEH0Jgpqv087kT4X_9swawpBs4iG0CtGhhdLxTVsRIy37WOJxZ1asqMGotjCuKVZIH1bGfxlOdwQPmV-Ip4wiL6_OGM3aMs0UKKeDu2ZDKU_ELKCo58-HHwUpwbhyXTYdvsYlhbXrXg0_hfotlz763z4G7S0gfBVmraVC8DwDuzDw/s6000/DSC_0036.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFgnwD4jndCxGJubEH0Jgpqv087kT4X_9swawpBs4iG0CtGhhdLxTVsRIy37WOJxZ1asqMGotjCuKVZIH1bGfxlOdwQPmV-Ip4wiL6_OGM3aMs0UKKeDu2ZDKU_ELKCo58-HHwUpwbhyXTYdvsYlhbXrXg0_hfotlz763z4G7S0gfBVmraVC8DwDuzDw/w640-h426/DSC_0036.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the bookstore<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></span></div><div> </div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifiuDQL8tbn8V-Yzpvdk6B-vW_mQ78GrDWwIdP2WQ6ZBiHolwoUt03aIw1XvQmAxKdnSODQ38Fy_PYaUKEFVrnieFl4koBLl-LB4FYjGQcDofeuV2PiPBt2xS2sMNMi4Ceba46lj3cAWiwlX3RATTUFm83YdeieoI1c1UIemaLq6lo9WIzIiyAJpC7Sg/s6000/DSC_0038.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifiuDQL8tbn8V-Yzpvdk6B-vW_mQ78GrDWwIdP2WQ6ZBiHolwoUt03aIw1XvQmAxKdnSODQ38Fy_PYaUKEFVrnieFl4koBLl-LB4FYjGQcDofeuV2PiPBt2xS2sMNMi4Ceba46lj3cAWiwlX3RATTUFm83YdeieoI1c1UIemaLq6lo9WIzIiyAJpC7Sg/w640-h426/DSC_0038.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the line<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9OtcgDJM8XKqlGyFT2ysOtiKu7dr8rJ2T_m6CXbYzDil9zReib1lLw38eZx8NZB5D9x4rbvqfNLBaoPi8sZd6w7XPWEZQnR5ddT1gxXazb5ubhePl21rLReEgQvdbQUJO0yCU8I3flk6P9uRReczLYIB_eFulfbL2BlfTZHgfgRFXCAe5KUpPCiXJ5w/s6000/DSC_0034.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9OtcgDJM8XKqlGyFT2ysOtiKu7dr8rJ2T_m6CXbYzDil9zReib1lLw38eZx8NZB5D9x4rbvqfNLBaoPi8sZd6w7XPWEZQnR5ddT1gxXazb5ubhePl21rLReEgQvdbQUJO0yCU8I3flk6P9uRReczLYIB_eFulfbL2BlfTZHgfgRFXCAe5KUpPCiXJ5w/w640-h426/DSC_0034.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">I walked up a hill to look at a church. We looked at the São Bento train station. We saw a branch store of the canned fish circus.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK7_jlKrLaB_KD3HmE4Fq9h-MJrQIp7u8WNL6AaqNP7H4tS-f7wPUBCLFQWiwV4INQs9q-pjpLwGtD9Q-gJUdQY9S6T09U8Z0Z56IlTOgtltX-w0zkSy8Mo92zOmQ_qUvhQ0x9rZbzdFuh0GwQBB74ZI17Syk5Gfl-3NX-Sq0DzcD0moED7ziYE5bDNg/s6000/DSC_0042.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK7_jlKrLaB_KD3HmE4Fq9h-MJrQIp7u8WNL6AaqNP7H4tS-f7wPUBCLFQWiwV4INQs9q-pjpLwGtD9Q-gJUdQY9S6T09U8Z0Z56IlTOgtltX-w0zkSy8Mo92zOmQ_qUvhQ0x9rZbzdFuh0GwQBB74ZI17Syk5Gfl-3NX-Sq0DzcD0moED7ziYE5bDNg/w640-h426/DSC_0042.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the hill<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqB0PoqDKnrzpL4i7UwSAMAQ5o_61yS7B1hKiAXjk1wZDAkUqhSNYaPPF4F_YXil8sAWFt85OVXiScGqpWvORmtowzgEvFHLTEnfZmS6mRhG5Cp4pzHvhzFhzo35AdY_CgreCKH9Y_kfwNO45lXtY-IxtZbfhDCOYCLjOgJ4ckVxQRv5NO2IzT8W4gmg/s6000/DSC_0043.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqB0PoqDKnrzpL4i7UwSAMAQ5o_61yS7B1hKiAXjk1wZDAkUqhSNYaPPF4F_YXil8sAWFt85OVXiScGqpWvORmtowzgEvFHLTEnfZmS6mRhG5Cp4pzHvhzFhzo35AdY_CgreCKH9Y_kfwNO45lXtY-IxtZbfhDCOYCLjOgJ4ckVxQRv5NO2IzT8W4gmg/w640-h426/DSC_0043.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a church<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWPEdEnWqcRBJkQHIMePiuz2nBswzNJ_nVhaRoeviRITYhkLcK0MxK4VrmT77tp3GoyfFJOr5WvVXYc6E3tdx_DlNjm1ceyAVFZ2mVt6x-idQoeBPy3pvUClTUMn38iRf2O0Vfk6TRP7qQnMUbANAnItr8rUQn9_MQ7ZqDhLNAEcSxKuDJfzZ8iUjekg/s6000/DSC_0048.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWPEdEnWqcRBJkQHIMePiuz2nBswzNJ_nVhaRoeviRITYhkLcK0MxK4VrmT77tp3GoyfFJOr5WvVXYc6E3tdx_DlNjm1ceyAVFZ2mVt6x-idQoeBPy3pvUClTUMn38iRf2O0Vfk6TRP7qQnMUbANAnItr8rUQn9_MQ7ZqDhLNAEcSxKuDJfzZ8iUjekg/w640-h426/DSC_0048.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">football cow<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE4NsU_zBzpnXhNvZz3Pqb--RceiSBJ7yTxsuiaBVldv8m0BrY4xyCB92Odiu0LaXzLRuqPqpdvfN3sEQIinNpKbz0qU3D2NK1ns5qYBtID_RFvKGr4OW0K-tC3gj0lJTAmRyFi4xCz3VuCiC9z4B0wzz44l5O8n4JdZwfgS0BAW1gL-sLZgJLzESdZQ/s6000/DSC_0049.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE4NsU_zBzpnXhNvZz3Pqb--RceiSBJ7yTxsuiaBVldv8m0BrY4xyCB92Odiu0LaXzLRuqPqpdvfN3sEQIinNpKbz0qU3D2NK1ns5qYBtID_RFvKGr4OW0K-tC3gj0lJTAmRyFi4xCz3VuCiC9z4B0wzz44l5O8n4JdZwfgS0BAW1gL-sLZgJLzESdZQ/w640-h426/DSC_0049.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5uh_kN_J2m6o4pFmoetfXPZALQcgcSaN4ZwHmrweMk_i8qJ_Lb1FkGuWO2tOQ8slSuV4TXG_2sHLBBCcgHQKWQIEFHPW3diM6ypD-QAo1wb-hirbqgPR1trQDQRpRB_iHwPLDad7A6OxB7OGHMerxBKQBxU4DH2vSsAyrHJ8WlgKLiL0MTY02aftBjQ/s6000/DSC_0051.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5uh_kN_J2m6o4pFmoetfXPZALQcgcSaN4ZwHmrweMk_i8qJ_Lb1FkGuWO2tOQ8slSuV4TXG_2sHLBBCcgHQKWQIEFHPW3diM6ypD-QAo1wb-hirbqgPR1trQDQRpRB_iHwPLDad7A6OxB7OGHMerxBKQBxU4DH2vSsAyrHJ8WlgKLiL0MTY02aftBjQ/w640-h426/DSC_0051.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the canned fish circus window<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.2px;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9kdPeb4Achggo862RMgeDGuSa9Vt_K60Dtf4Ol1UdpdQ4pqTEJbuR9bzUL3tlDfgD9Izj_4m58_xbKcoS_UbHVShWQba2k9j9dhZvme4YlGNkgGpuHDL8V8hMWb0EpExQxbgSCNlvWbFRqwJflRMWf8laBtskzSbwYb7-wMv2G9prFx--aOpsl0nPsw/s6000/DSC_0057.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9kdPeb4Achggo862RMgeDGuSa9Vt_K60Dtf4Ol1UdpdQ4pqTEJbuR9bzUL3tlDfgD9Izj_4m58_xbKcoS_UbHVShWQba2k9j9dhZvme4YlGNkgGpuHDL8V8hMWb0EpExQxbgSCNlvWbFRqwJflRMWf8laBtskzSbwYb7-wMv2G9prFx--aOpsl0nPsw/w640-h426/DSC_0057.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2I5T_izvkOZ2FmG6JSjljRmd5OpqHAVB-nO2r3N7S-DZDCmN5zZy6ZnydUbUg7tUcerp2PMBm3oOtysmVDCC0u7aBL2Vn4BPdRnHBC25sx3ikPZMmOZHlT7gw6szUl02YW_hFNAQm2CDU0v8BDn2V8iXxit27S3eU5d32TJMzXQVIoqZ7Pkz2CoNqrQ/s6000/DSC_0054.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2I5T_izvkOZ2FmG6JSjljRmd5OpqHAVB-nO2r3N7S-DZDCmN5zZy6ZnydUbUg7tUcerp2PMBm3oOtysmVDCC0u7aBL2Vn4BPdRnHBC25sx3ikPZMmOZHlT7gw6szUl02YW_hFNAQm2CDU0v8BDn2V8iXxit27S3eU5d32TJMzXQVIoqZ7Pkz2CoNqrQ/w640-h426/DSC_0054.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeRf7-rqjr5kgeOwQEid38bzaxxlNSQamIfb0ek31jWC9c6YxrZLCT3Sd2ccR8Uimmim5t8kaCWkDwOK6NP7H4jDFmXv7PhxFMykkbBqrUlLxjGj3cf6C4Pz_iDQJjbNUhsLoiIJfVXLgfwx-M_yxP2iXfvg46ZWR-f-5bCTB-P9FAO4STSnCzB88Riw/s6000/DSC_0052.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeRf7-rqjr5kgeOwQEid38bzaxxlNSQamIfb0ek31jWC9c6YxrZLCT3Sd2ccR8Uimmim5t8kaCWkDwOK6NP7H4jDFmXv7PhxFMykkbBqrUlLxjGj3cf6C4Pz_iDQJjbNUhsLoiIJfVXLgfwx-M_yxP2iXfvg46ZWR-f-5bCTB-P9FAO4STSnCzB88Riw/w640-h426/DSC_0052.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCgRplIrQJAxmWfASxBP6ql2KdIdhq_pNUDdhy8NE7yqjyAVff6NQMNAenkbpVpl2Bxc8cpGwHw6PWtRvpuZNF2If5XnqVdU9U7Eind3xwolsyTkeqKedooA-gG2b6HOY8B4aJlCAnxtko2F6X0HFrXih1D4oM1ubwTEB5eICxYoc1MY0cugzmBWb86Q/s6000/DSC_0058.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCgRplIrQJAxmWfASxBP6ql2KdIdhq_pNUDdhy8NE7yqjyAVff6NQMNAenkbpVpl2Bxc8cpGwHw6PWtRvpuZNF2If5XnqVdU9U7Eind3xwolsyTkeqKedooA-gG2b6HOY8B4aJlCAnxtko2F6X0HFrXih1D4oM1ubwTEB5eICxYoc1MY0cugzmBWb86Q/w640-h426/DSC_0058.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyrzMHI_WbJk-0p55H9RXzSVDccetzNwLIr5RrLVW_Q12JAAcHYyWr-CYKKJRa4faMNiPzkyoxCXvzEmRBLXg8Fsk7rSOdub8Ge8C1ffZ4nzbDZ-rqtkzzqfSEEQn2ZdnVSjHQwH-YizQdcOcUdMXerLKVbiUGhGmYf3JOfInmBDxikZHFV7tSL41asg/s6000/DSC_0059.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyrzMHI_WbJk-0p55H9RXzSVDccetzNwLIr5RrLVW_Q12JAAcHYyWr-CYKKJRa4faMNiPzkyoxCXvzEmRBLXg8Fsk7rSOdub8Ge8C1ffZ4nzbDZ-rqtkzzqfSEEQn2ZdnVSjHQwH-YizQdcOcUdMXerLKVbiUGhGmYf3JOfInmBDxikZHFV7tSL41asg/w640-h426/DSC_0059.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6_9nyL6k-UwmBZj5CmFSxVOJCVE9fc_t8AOpBLn39SwJ-KVKW6zrhfrT4CRWoTlrrQeLcWRsaJkjIFSL4W9ESwcH5-tj_KGt7WTwPR0Ed-h3On0CnAYRtzL_2avLZF_9CaW3EHEnREXF8zKJh58ee0ZVassuvwLwiYT3IyVUEVQtEvxF2bYlCaXKnUA/s6000/DSC_0061.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6_9nyL6k-UwmBZj5CmFSxVOJCVE9fc_t8AOpBLn39SwJ-KVKW6zrhfrT4CRWoTlrrQeLcWRsaJkjIFSL4W9ESwcH5-tj_KGt7WTwPR0Ed-h3On0CnAYRtzL_2avLZF_9CaW3EHEnREXF8zKJh58ee0ZVassuvwLwiYT3IyVUEVQtEvxF2bYlCaXKnUA/w640-h426/DSC_0061.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the train station<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbbdXxKW7n49lZBsM8luKBfRPImG8yJrZ1CgmiIlBTdq9G80ygMHxWHktlXaV7kT3tF26xU9Vup0H_uu0-ay14Zs52clE-hqGlmXKHLM8h0mZEVICREa6UCNt0mJdQ-oXsGiptndr6oSCqZd3CADe2L5DN33r_AWQGCQsjKT4GybcMgUkjohn4UQrmMA/s6000/DSC_0062.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbbdXxKW7n49lZBsM8luKBfRPImG8yJrZ1CgmiIlBTdq9G80ygMHxWHktlXaV7kT3tF26xU9Vup0H_uu0-ay14Zs52clE-hqGlmXKHLM8h0mZEVICREa6UCNt0mJdQ-oXsGiptndr6oSCqZd3CADe2L5DN33r_AWQGCQsjKT4GybcMgUkjohn4UQrmMA/w640-h426/DSC_0062.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX1Doiy6Ww_Y_gFRrp2TkHiIQWD7E-8jkwvW_e_bZuOVB9tF6hxg-4HqKNM2xyHUxETw8aaa4FIGMF_-LG0moNK3nSRrQAro6mHakOPP1XbIEc25h-FhJljMNwhV2bxmyjwMotXup88lDCiiEah2lkSMSt4g03Nor9UGhIJbWll0HTiXhZGEuAhBBLfQ/s6000/DSC_0063.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX1Doiy6Ww_Y_gFRrp2TkHiIQWD7E-8jkwvW_e_bZuOVB9tF6hxg-4HqKNM2xyHUxETw8aaa4FIGMF_-LG0moNK3nSRrQAro6mHakOPP1XbIEc25h-FhJljMNwhV2bxmyjwMotXup88lDCiiEah2lkSMSt4g03Nor9UGhIJbWll0HTiXhZGEuAhBBLfQ/w640-h426/DSC_0063.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX6KA997XXONj0qotX1X_l1xGBrq0Jbwa2aTvpvMyIesEo47VRHTIWtvw2TiISSZIvCPO2Lcz7-VbDvoHK0crFA7utrMexsLboKKyn30-WtupIhkpofMVXmIVCK2ygnlq2910Rhu0Q7qmcDoXgnFBgDYyfJmXz7q2Ps1m61Az3MKiWL-2btpDUzkVR8g/s6000/DSC_0064.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX6KA997XXONj0qotX1X_l1xGBrq0Jbwa2aTvpvMyIesEo47VRHTIWtvw2TiISSZIvCPO2Lcz7-VbDvoHK0crFA7utrMexsLboKKyn30-WtupIhkpofMVXmIVCK2ygnlq2910Rhu0Q7qmcDoXgnFBgDYyfJmXz7q2Ps1m61Az3MKiWL-2btpDUzkVR8g/w640-h426/DSC_0064.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjleE-RzXrOzJToW8V1-f3vEUGM0vz5DHp1Sr4I81xupreifg5bNF_7MhryHCEXowFfAj0Jq2aqV6SsoJve02zqfLsS-ZBpQbY4kQFqLayoXGkUT8EXYGVq_2nKdbVl4G5zf0t7tKeNVg8y1MAnEFSfW7qbAPZfp0iyBGW004O9grXMdCgkIL5xygvvxg/w640-h426/DSC_0074.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiS4SocavLPuKLNrSFfySA__IIEPm3MYViuGbbAyPALjrG2_yyzUd6iWQVVs-azl8PeNCc_k9AzBZjaq5CISvzl6yFaXpnroNfn4hxaaYxwti7ZHi-_6wKXnaCP7N-N_ISBVGgAAo8lgDFXu5MogpznOhERvqOV2hXkD6QC-fhtgZhD_uOXOtY0s96IA/s6000/DSC_0084.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiS4SocavLPuKLNrSFfySA__IIEPm3MYViuGbbAyPALjrG2_yyzUd6iWQVVs-azl8PeNCc_k9AzBZjaq5CISvzl6yFaXpnroNfn4hxaaYxwti7ZHi-_6wKXnaCP7N-N_ISBVGgAAo8lgDFXu5MogpznOhERvqOV2hXkD6QC-fhtgZhD_uOXOtY0s96IA/w640-h426/DSC_0084.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sao Bento train station<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div><span style="font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.2px;"></span><span style="font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.2px;"> <br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.2px;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-dk0DpHDSxGwNkSKkv9u28mZiybmGLw3uMyFhVUT-sBuRH6WFVFQkm4_aHbjlyMzQ6I9fjSf9WqSsJVe8G0EQYldBawZ76_EBvbuhgWJlMKk1un7sD6adtob5fbh4aamuozZvIIbNCStVWZz3CM14hgUzjI6O4I3NZPi9xY_IVthtvK1sThy5xFGrFQ/s6000/DSC_0096.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-dk0DpHDSxGwNkSKkv9u28mZiybmGLw3uMyFhVUT-sBuRH6WFVFQkm4_aHbjlyMzQ6I9fjSf9WqSsJVe8G0EQYldBawZ76_EBvbuhgWJlMKk1un7sD6adtob5fbh4aamuozZvIIbNCStVWZz3CM14hgUzjI6O4I3NZPi9xY_IVthtvK1sThy5xFGrFQ/w640-h426/DSC_0096.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtDfyZpnqh9QqvQbfpyckBzEEgeGcZnDU3ddDu8a-VFyYVM8uhxe7XxnSxhesNJzNkBY9I_8jZRKCAeKBqUP6kRy9lUqaA6ww-TtbeSEwCeX-AdJipfcURKCyd3bk5am1H615SKG1A5JN6gymF2yRNwN36zNvNQywZdClkKXBuz8Zvuk0A2cM5CzhRZA/s6000/DSC_0094.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; 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margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfDcS3EeTA8ckzDqLNzaFk4YJBoad86gkRGTFe_M9QUh6ep52UW6gxOIj7biMbu4h03rZE39qc5Sn5qG7UDqlTs53dlrnRhcbwnmG8PjQ6-LOFTg-B8g9xSVQTw1mxQjEz1985NGSxzFL8VSltz-5hlyzXiTc8o9T0Qrlu5OIvDqQRvytk_qvgQ14uyw/s6000/DSC_0104.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfDcS3EeTA8ckzDqLNzaFk4YJBoad86gkRGTFe_M9QUh6ep52UW6gxOIj7biMbu4h03rZE39qc5Sn5qG7UDqlTs53dlrnRhcbwnmG8PjQ6-LOFTg-B8g9xSVQTw1mxQjEz1985NGSxzFL8VSltz-5hlyzXiTc8o9T0Qrlu5OIvDqQRvytk_qvgQ14uyw/w640-h426/DSC_0104.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the bridge, now with sunshine!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.2px;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.2px;">We reached the river. We got on a boat. Not the winery tour boat we had planned on, because that turned out to be different than what we had thought. But we did get on a boat that took us under the seven bridges of Porto and to the mouth of the river, where the Douro runs into the sea.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.2px;">We almost made it the whole hour in t-shirts. The sun was warm and comforting but was sinking rapidly behind the hills as it does in October. Our days were a constant race against daylight, but that is the tradeoff when you travel at the end of the tourist season. Better prices and thinner tourist hordes are usually worth it.<br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqvRXwBYi4QCECymyofgIv-Ljf_gnJ9v7uqusrjr4ST0nPuX3K9lBJY7kzi417UBtfIdNOwSWXsc2k30RT8nig1IWQOvRG_yKrJPvsV2wkNYFhGpxXs5I1d1cLc2hWTAca6gs1_raHSMke12Q_AbM28MQD3iJPfm44v39WgeS95ObHllJJPobD4TqgGw/s6000/DSC_0107.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqvRXwBYi4QCECymyofgIv-Ljf_gnJ9v7uqusrjr4ST0nPuX3K9lBJY7kzi417UBtfIdNOwSWXsc2k30RT8nig1IWQOvRG_yKrJPvsV2wkNYFhGpxXs5I1d1cLc2hWTAca6gs1_raHSMke12Q_AbM28MQD3iJPfm44v39WgeS95ObHllJJPobD4TqgGw/w640-h426/DSC_0107.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigh8ado53Jb1pGX20sBSgzl_btA1Laneg3mtxriY83Kac_iMVbz2hbnnv0L8b_kQh3DEOPfyINnp3NKP-XkuLf-UBBWbKbJ_QOtCAUXZKipWtv1dBeE-JovyiFwbG48YnMmne-654YRV_DT5thOtomDzXxC3gCV7MLmypOvJyET42zC_xDw6fnNTsGQQ/s6000/DSC_0109.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip79sBGHxfGZ5_3yQdPgUgCIcB-CM6_aBkhbaJJaKKKY2j6-FeiD39cJkjz-GvP8VJucSZnDTzRpn9SJRRGE8OgRoB-TiLFf2gg6dt8Ch-fAeQZTCU_r8r3hPq1dcKqYm5dnj86OIshhxWwV_lhbcgV7uurBJyDNYHBGX5_qKMLz4dJBKEe_AFHAygwQ/w640-h426/DSC_0155.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgptuAsW-xEj0rzYEJQ-gTxDeuaKAXIapBnEfoATCA28n2q3ZRwfKU2Q1f6PXmP7bFa4DVKvergYdiGnyo-OzlR3eB8mqy5TVklJ9WZU4I10N-H73OXSAtd9logKc6Vh4TowjEmIeWBtzDDEqAo_2gOSjbHfjzTPL2IsHrUa86fCiZ8zqlyXLk8aCP8ZQ/s6000/DSC_0163.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgptuAsW-xEj0rzYEJQ-gTxDeuaKAXIapBnEfoATCA28n2q3ZRwfKU2Q1f6PXmP7bFa4DVKvergYdiGnyo-OzlR3eB8mqy5TVklJ9WZU4I10N-H73OXSAtd9logKc6Vh4TowjEmIeWBtzDDEqAo_2gOSjbHfjzTPL2IsHrUa86fCiZ8zqlyXLk8aCP8ZQ/w640-h426/DSC_0163.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.2px;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.2px;">Having gotten our sealegs, we returned to land to people watch, and having been a nice day, there were a lot of them to watch. We sat down at a café on the quay, where I saw two women sharing a beautiful pitcher of sangria. "I must have that," I said, pointing to their pitcher. So I did.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.2px;">Soon, some musicians set up between us and the river and begin to play rock songs we knew. We had not yet realized there was a certain playlist all over Portugal that we'd come to laugh about throughout the trip. At first, it was a guy singing with a guitar and a drummer. Then a guy with a trombone showed up. Soon, a woman vocalist joined them. Later, the woman did her own set with a few of the same songs, then some of the others came to join her. We enjoyed several hours of entertainment on that quay, and yes, I did drink that whole pitcher. LOL</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><br /></span><span style="font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.2px;">We wanted more. We wanted music; it's what we do at night while on travel. It doesn't matter what kind, as long as someone isn't screaming or yelling at us or degrading a group of people. Some countries are easier to find live music than others. Ireland, for example, will always have a fool on a stool somewhere nearby, and more often than not, good musicians, too. We were able to find live music on most nights in Portugal, but it wasn't always easy, and we had to do a lot of asking around. Chris asked the woman vocalist where we could hear more music (it was only about 8pm at that point) and she suggested a place up the hill where they had an "open mic night." We decided to check it out. But how to get up that hill?</span><span style="font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.2px;">Suddenly, on the road in front of us where cars aren't allowed to drive, a taxi appeared. He stopped right at our table to wait for some pedestrians. Chris asked him if he was free and he said yes. And that's how we got the easiest taxi in the whole history of taxis.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.2px;">The open mic night turned out to be far more than just an open mic night. There were actual instruments to play and people who could actually play them, and play them well. As we walked in, a guy was playing Radiohead's Nice Dream. Then the least talented guy of the whole night got up there and sang a Nirvana song, and even he wasn't that bad. At one point a couple of guys did a great cover of Stevie's Superstitious. We sang along to nearly everything, then Chris got up and sang harmony on a song. When he got up, the regulars looked at this red-bellied stranger with trepidation before they heard that he could sing. Their relaxation was funny to watch.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.2px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.2px;">It was the best day of our trip thus far. We were just getting to know Porto, but the next day, we'd have to leave it.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">Until next time, Porto.</span></div>Cathiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07291479913130967235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3857295146936801558.post-7611997696005617912022-10-29T10:33:00.000-04:002022-10-29T10:42:30.268-04:00Atlantic Sunset<div class="separator"><div class="separator" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM78cKBx3P7swJ44ovHObx4pBCTEv5bV4UZXgDJxSpt8KK7-m9b2oCN04FQlvW7U_ybWdnRGVeFTeDs6EGl1XlNBarJd_o4rwPIVx3_iFy65j5TvtTi6L1XS33VwqisB6WxHrFjAllygDl/w298-h320/1666897090232165-0.png" width="298">
</div></div><p><span style="font-size: large;">We didn't do too much the following day. The first day of climbing hills had wiped us out, and the next day was no day of recovery, either, so we slept late and took it easy. In the past, I would have been running around trying to see everything there is to see, but the older I get, the less I care about seeing everything. I know I can always come back, even if it takes several years - or decades, even. It's a vacation, after all. There must be rest involved. I had to learn that lesson, though. For too many trips I wore myself out trying to do everything. The myth of the once-in-a-lifetime-experience had been ingrained in me, as it is ingrained in all Americans, but no, going to Europe is not a once in a lifetime experience. Studying in Luxembourg was a once-in-a-lifetime-experience, because that could only happen at a specific time in my life. But just going to Europe? If you want to go, just go. It's no different than going to California or Florida except everything there is hundreds or thousands of years older and the people live better lives without throwing it all away for a job. I still can't believe I am in a position where I get to travel every year (at least when covidiots and antivaxholes aren't stealing our lives from us.) Just one of the benefits of not owning a car - I can buy plane tickets while others are making car payments and buying gas and insurance.<br></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.2px;">So we slept late, and I didn't feel like I was missing out. Then a funny thing happened: the sun came out. It had been overcast nearly the entire three days we had been in Porto, but now it was clear. The perfect weather to watch a sunset. </span><span style="font-size: large;"><br></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">We had plenty of time before the sun would set, but we headed over to the Foz district of Porto where we'd sit seaside until there was no more sun to see. Watching the sunset on the Atlantic is something I've done before in Ireland a few times, but it is still funny to think that it isn't something we can do on our own Atlantic beaches.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">It was a sight to behold:</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilyoBkGe1pbE9_7KWA0jZuryzp3wJ0yRR1v3iUGpYn4oBYAvvr7LujDU93QayqZyHL37gU7aQFfJ2WTNM0vP2in8VEDxBejc3Vl8frGBGeVqJwuZCvOONaJrsiAG3YSjp8l6D1HPf1HOtk6B_UibQTgcDo5g7xdMgujUHw-RoGYtGT1ZQBJ5yynJaBQg/s6000/DSC_0952B.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilyoBkGe1pbE9_7KWA0jZuryzp3wJ0yRR1v3iUGpYn4oBYAvvr7LujDU93QayqZyHL37gU7aQFfJ2WTNM0vP2in8VEDxBejc3Vl8frGBGeVqJwuZCvOONaJrsiAG3YSjp8l6D1HPf1HOtk6B_UibQTgcDo5g7xdMgujUHw-RoGYtGT1ZQBJ5yynJaBQg/w640-h426/DSC_0952B.jpg" width="640"></a></div><br><p><span style="font-size: large;">Ha ha, just kidding. I was just messing with the contrast. Here is a real shot:</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcf5G3NVbCnRiTZIgQ4h65RVOkll5PtWa-V7BRbZwQCqNbrlCGtTRzfSY7hfI1r9TNwKY6vMmLiBNhG9KuFgAMXYymgikAcv0Co56CfxDf3-z3_rp0nIQDhrHUBuJDY5Cz8x6IOpbrxjfugT6RKDPtmOuGSlKlh2cISHPYhjfWBW1grFTdWuiSS_VFSA/s6000/DSC_0953.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcf5G3NVbCnRiTZIgQ4h65RVOkll5PtWa-V7BRbZwQCqNbrlCGtTRzfSY7hfI1r9TNwKY6vMmLiBNhG9KuFgAMXYymgikAcv0Co56CfxDf3-z3_rp0nIQDhrHUBuJDY5Cz8x6IOpbrxjfugT6RKDPtmOuGSlKlh2cISHPYhjfWBW1grFTdWuiSS_VFSA/w640-h426/DSC_0953.JPG" width="640"></a></div><p><span style="font-size: large;">Some others:</span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEislpDIM6OaS5JxHKGHQerIbksyQR3gNWB2NQgglUXTF67_C4CwW_oBFdv2U-mDJ3KX5MTMgg1ZYR6QtIhsqFtzbij3pbO5oUTCJn9czwBICUDJGY3EWFqK9hRMLMB5Bdzzn_MudTRWBj6anW938YkPAxaB6RbPbTM4k2lcupe4iI_eqlt8UJOTWfp9Ag/s6000/DSC_0955.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEislpDIM6OaS5JxHKGHQerIbksyQR3gNWB2NQgglUXTF67_C4CwW_oBFdv2U-mDJ3KX5MTMgg1ZYR6QtIhsqFtzbij3pbO5oUTCJn9czwBICUDJGY3EWFqK9hRMLMB5Bdzzn_MudTRWBj6anW938YkPAxaB6RbPbTM4k2lcupe4iI_eqlt8UJOTWfp9Ag/w640-h426/DSC_0955.JPG" width="640"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the tide was so high no one could sit on this part of the deck without getting soaked by the spray<br></td></tr></tbody></table><br><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG64RxahTgMOOoKVMJFZiphpQ0thfNEpfedUHk4kl6XOczvXxHk4cDf9WyWShJEOMTaFsJ92KxOB-sO-33lectkzAWSugIOD_Xo90CL_Xsvx-ARXHget6AapUuHQq_4YBZ9Kr7x0TKB5SJ4Z6vzSzMBEc0ml996Xx---dFHLFSP6paDmwbGpRnt29qgA/s6000/DSC_0957.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG64RxahTgMOOoKVMJFZiphpQ0thfNEpfedUHk4kl6XOczvXxHk4cDf9WyWShJEOMTaFsJ92KxOB-sO-33lectkzAWSugIOD_Xo90CL_Xsvx-ARXHget6AapUuHQq_4YBZ9Kr7x0TKB5SJ4Z6vzSzMBEc0ml996Xx---dFHLFSP6paDmwbGpRnt29qgA/w640-h426/DSC_0957.JPG" width="640"></a></div>(If any pics look blurry, click on them. I don't know how to fix the mobile rendering yet.)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAKxpnaR7HfGVsfqUJ04qz_EB0hUs_FB_wHFrP00UTWzhmiktlEVgx71_TNJut4whhikbHJiLzkCNaKb6-cS93d1cGRMOQW0Q2E814bS_eHmbENL0WKSbdeSh4zQe13DZkALmJTKGiWx2V/s1600/1666973542547245-0.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAKxpnaR7HfGVsfqUJ04qz_EB0hUs_FB_wHFrP00UTWzhmiktlEVgx71_TNJut4whhikbHJiLzkCNaKb6-cS93d1cGRMOQW0Q2E814bS_eHmbENL0WKSbdeSh4zQe13DZkALmJTKGiWx2V/s1600/1666973542547245-0.png" width="400">
</a>
</div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">An assortment of people were there to share the event with us. We've all seen plenty of sunsets in our lives, but each one comes with its own plot. With every passing day our lives have changed. We've aged. We've experienced something that hadn't happened the day before. Some of these experiences are more significant than others, and some aren't significant at all, but they happened, and we are different than we were yesterday. The trick is learning to navigate these changes and channel them into something positive. Too many people simply succumb to their basest instincts. Hate. Intolerance. Selfishness. Greed. Dishonesty. Deception. Lust for power, money, and control over others. Where is your lust for life?</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Go out and watch the sunset, wherever you are in the world. Appreciate that you had the gift of another day. One day, you won't.</span><br></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijzDwn8PZD827q3aeIEban_NEEzN31pHWHt5j9-1qLSx849u8Cg4z8juYMn-T0TbCVOYQCX293CaKAhh3TZRrrk4pHMR3wGskAoMYgMdZUWWCVqGGuZpOR-uAXdijhoDj2Bq2MG5X_MnWaFNtS9W32rQA-QbBIPMyylPnXbA7Wv7WW3gvPwfrXnNP6ug/s6000/DSC_0959.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijzDwn8PZD827q3aeIEban_NEEzN31pHWHt5j9-1qLSx849u8Cg4z8juYMn-T0TbCVOYQCX293CaKAhh3TZRrrk4pHMR3wGskAoMYgMdZUWWCVqGGuZpOR-uAXdijhoDj2Bq2MG5X_MnWaFNtS9W32rQA-QbBIPMyylPnXbA7Wv7WW3gvPwfrXnNP6ug/w640-h426/DSC_0959.JPG" width="640"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDwxtP5JpVTjX2sowSD8v_cDokgY5eFYVWWowGdDrwuDQrtj4DVs3a99SWazCewhgF75NR8m4m2ylQMEU-v48IZKvBMae8Txu8eT94IYqRotkv3uBKqvjLazDTdqqj_rJh8F1RWUCeCLdG_n5_H5GAVj9ipz4Bi-eGFgI2gOKbwL4Wl2GoXd_MZd0oQA/s6000/DSC_0962.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDwxtP5JpVTjX2sowSD8v_cDokgY5eFYVWWowGdDrwuDQrtj4DVs3a99SWazCewhgF75NR8m4m2ylQMEU-v48IZKvBMae8Txu8eT94IYqRotkv3uBKqvjLazDTdqqj_rJh8F1RWUCeCLdG_n5_H5GAVj9ipz4Bi-eGFgI2gOKbwL4Wl2GoXd_MZd0oQA/w640-h426/DSC_0962.JPG" width="640"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw4aOkR60ufZ5Qj_hN-rsaKlBXBu-qlSvqWqa4JdTpHeUAi2oer-HwGdb0popUG61Ngr8JHVPRP5ji4iRii0qoBkhcDdezDom5RKTQCqLPovC_7W-BZ996NXa8m3qnv6e3ZIMZI088yOp65Q5vbYqzD2T9F6oN1Kz08089sUJ685uz-TtAGsmjMov2tw/s6000/DSC_0963.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw4aOkR60ufZ5Qj_hN-rsaKlBXBu-qlSvqWqa4JdTpHeUAi2oer-HwGdb0popUG61Ngr8JHVPRP5ji4iRii0qoBkhcDdezDom5RKTQCqLPovC_7W-BZ996NXa8m3qnv6e3ZIMZI088yOp65Q5vbYqzD2T9F6oN1Kz08089sUJ685uz-TtAGsmjMov2tw/w640-h426/DSC_0963.JPG" width="640"></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The ocean is truly humbling. We are such insignificant beings in the vast expanse of the universe. We invent stupid things like religion and identity politics to deal with our insignificance; we just can't handle the fact that we are not important. One hundred billion people have existed on this rock we call Earth, but our history books only name thousands. The rest of us just disappear into the ether, forgotten by time.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1BZqLxBglld3-A2VBj_bki94iabpWOFGEOPQZQhLkgUSibfbrCWVrHTpl7XJRvhW7aD9_XOPJxyCMgQEBhIf9Vd-KRSzypOOT8mDy4q26xjDdRn24J3U8BLtjAuz4UEXFq_7AwjiMLqiLIGHp-ytFDBMPtOuxJjBXP6E5BFc4_sqc1CtcAIkjrqQIlg/s6000/DSC_0964.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1BZqLxBglld3-A2VBj_bki94iabpWOFGEOPQZQhLkgUSibfbrCWVrHTpl7XJRvhW7aD9_XOPJxyCMgQEBhIf9Vd-KRSzypOOT8mDy4q26xjDdRn24J3U8BLtjAuz4UEXFq_7AwjiMLqiLIGHp-ytFDBMPtOuxJjBXP6E5BFc4_sqc1CtcAIkjrqQIlg/w640-h426/DSC_0964.JPG" width="640"></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br></span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD21lJIpqcHDb5f7ebAIzdqE_NTPK5bIQjVSC49ILH142r8zHSkKxIXBQ4nKe9IKh76sXJJJMprtYQR8ojddnbbBJFCHfGjknJ2mtHzf2sK55zCarIm6W4OqtU9DtFXdZQrbQ5HPBYr3cy-1eKXZreHRqWOFk-UAbR6I30eB434vsFNp4XZIXH-t9toA/s6000/DSC_0966.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD21lJIpqcHDb5f7ebAIzdqE_NTPK5bIQjVSC49ILH142r8zHSkKxIXBQ4nKe9IKh76sXJJJMprtYQR8ojddnbbBJFCHfGjknJ2mtHzf2sK55zCarIm6W4OqtU9DtFXdZQrbQ5HPBYr3cy-1eKXZreHRqWOFk-UAbR6I30eB434vsFNp4XZIXH-t9toA/w640-h426/DSC_0966.JPG" width="640"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvT-5WbSQM4VJQPu8_gmV7FpScM3d61Uyid_3RH-diHwzovDu18LpJ0ZC-j9d8vvSiElH3eckwpMORV_Y-GSxlVa5U_9a22yZ6zNt1mPl-x3xPEAe1N6aGUjpN0eOgGRO_hztW_rnhwRQd5ECIvTH-O2qrOhn-8RG5hcFLErvrhlmsZo7Qbdfx5dQF9Q/s6000/DSC_0969.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvT-5WbSQM4VJQPu8_gmV7FpScM3d61Uyid_3RH-diHwzovDu18LpJ0ZC-j9d8vvSiElH3eckwpMORV_Y-GSxlVa5U_9a22yZ6zNt1mPl-x3xPEAe1N6aGUjpN0eOgGRO_hztW_rnhwRQd5ECIvTH-O2qrOhn-8RG5hcFLErvrhlmsZo7Qbdfx5dQF9Q/w640-h426/DSC_0969.JPG" width="640"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcP29xljv-byyJe6VF1TtBGmFbTt4vuz0H2ROTMH0BUtzoAVwQL0K1k87rB1WxFlHWf7koCamhjBhRhHYGnbIeNaUnaPoAnhqldXn3muXohU5qYzcLinu8E6mLmjlcg1qimCSwXi1rm3hdrPhNXeyFI8dKHVGkgcSGq200dbTUeZY_aGw5jZEBAUmrIg/s6000/DSC_0974.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcP29xljv-byyJe6VF1TtBGmFbTt4vuz0H2ROTMH0BUtzoAVwQL0K1k87rB1WxFlHWf7koCamhjBhRhHYGnbIeNaUnaPoAnhqldXn3muXohU5qYzcLinu8E6mLmjlcg1qimCSwXi1rm3hdrPhNXeyFI8dKHVGkgcSGq200dbTUeZY_aGw5jZEBAUmrIg/w640-h426/DSC_0974.JPG" width="640"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIyB42CwhspyBE4xhJkVMpodKLS27wZkIMjC_bbUcFO1y4zTQLzeofsAR0G5NlG9QXS1HmKDwxmnzcw4luUVgo0sEzw3RaUDjV5m1-ZYVJpgYynCd68SKNDK8ASaAakJNkqSUup3csOfP2xbMmYyzu3EHyTXTF4XxYt1QDsNKoZ45aOyKoNZN_Nitvmw/s6000/DSC_0977.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIyB42CwhspyBE4xhJkVMpodKLS27wZkIMjC_bbUcFO1y4zTQLzeofsAR0G5NlG9QXS1HmKDwxmnzcw4luUVgo0sEzw3RaUDjV5m1-ZYVJpgYynCd68SKNDK8ASaAakJNkqSUup3csOfP2xbMmYyzu3EHyTXTF4XxYt1QDsNKoZ45aOyKoNZN_Nitvmw/w640-h426/DSC_0977.JPG" width="640"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPt-eV19c9EtJdtEiZFlFGOleeOxsCCRuCLBH0OoMKFvCt0vH24ZpFBqqcWJYcWhKV5SK77BssEEWe85Gox4VBtXtemkdhxb0bUhOpOT-F0P6O6OYcCI7jPAriCIGUJW_07nvclRhrhEApzqtp2ekQ-3marr9XxvRhRJBR12A3Cw4-DfRw__l7pg8P3g/s6000/DSC_0982.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPt-eV19c9EtJdtEiZFlFGOleeOxsCCRuCLBH0OoMKFvCt0vH24ZpFBqqcWJYcWhKV5SK77BssEEWe85Gox4VBtXtemkdhxb0bUhOpOT-F0P6O6OYcCI7jPAriCIGUJW_07nvclRhrhEApzqtp2ekQ-3marr9XxvRhRJBR12A3Cw4-DfRw__l7pg8P3g/w640-h426/DSC_0982.JPG" width="640"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvbspBAPK6clFCGjJhSHe1rqsraOt_Kqj4clQ3jTdZaT33tvwroTskab3xUZUHWPIckYPuPcH_-OmD2DMkWIPsAvH0lsRsbvjsLOj6hgMG1UCL8huUOtvkqb1P0AsvqgkgjQNudRAGDmT6sm3sJV9NWVaFAFoGTDFic6cujUy-SG_WPk4dGUSYmqybLg/s6000/DSC_0985.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvbspBAPK6clFCGjJhSHe1rqsraOt_Kqj4clQ3jTdZaT33tvwroTskab3xUZUHWPIckYPuPcH_-OmD2DMkWIPsAvH0lsRsbvjsLOj6hgMG1UCL8huUOtvkqb1P0AsvqgkgjQNudRAGDmT6sm3sJV9NWVaFAFoGTDFic6cujUy-SG_WPk4dGUSYmqybLg/w640-h426/DSC_0985.JPG" width="640"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2bbeVS5rvrKUgqjGb162HeDndiL65iqFd0-9btdFjEXQskFAmTqfS_UY9G8qe_i740c51WedzbxJQwzoiMoEiMGLv3Qeo_EwQHYBPoIHZpFQCN34Z__MSdciV9paAJh8qJxmymqge9otQFbaIZJ7L9Na-TKaGqqcoSdv9pbLR6vylId8yRwRO3hj0QQ/s6000/DSC_0992.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2bbeVS5rvrKUgqjGb162HeDndiL65iqFd0-9btdFjEXQskFAmTqfS_UY9G8qe_i740c51WedzbxJQwzoiMoEiMGLv3Qeo_EwQHYBPoIHZpFQCN34Z__MSdciV9paAJh8qJxmymqge9otQFbaIZJ7L9Na-TKaGqqcoSdv9pbLR6vylId8yRwRO3hj0QQ/w640-h426/DSC_0992.JPG" width="640"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH19GpuF4jvatJKS__aATF4E26v3RZB1FsbCf6vo7YidZqAO21RCLukmHZItXtDHq88rCFAEug9NQoT3ejvaob8qstIQjpMLNdzoLFL1L55f_KHuuObhE9T-tZTcIZ-yP8Dg5X1t-KYO6vbKcSLpEGTAuVfwde5loajCYyaPD3_kNXMXBrVsWW1hYJNg/s6000/DSC_0998.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH19GpuF4jvatJKS__aATF4E26v3RZB1FsbCf6vo7YidZqAO21RCLukmHZItXtDHq88rCFAEug9NQoT3ejvaob8qstIQjpMLNdzoLFL1L55f_KHuuObhE9T-tZTcIZ-yP8Dg5X1t-KYO6vbKcSLpEGTAuVfwde5loajCYyaPD3_kNXMXBrVsWW1hYJNg/w640-h426/DSC_0998.JPG" width="640"></a></div><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQP5lpIlmY9GGux_N8finLaRTnyXCgkD8iiEza2c6c9nOZ042tWVMyZwgqGRQfALDPvh4ok-DnBu3NAxmy63lp9AOY57THipz--2_RD3jQopJARUGQkzBI26p9eapMr0D0eHCB5839-zBzwLYooGojaJh1Hr1lSD7ay93UkbjZeViGB8uKf118lrzTqg/s6000/DSC_1015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQP5lpIlmY9GGux_N8finLaRTnyXCgkD8iiEza2c6c9nOZ042tWVMyZwgqGRQfALDPvh4ok-DnBu3NAxmy63lp9AOY57THipz--2_RD3jQopJARUGQkzBI26p9eapMr0D0eHCB5839-zBzwLYooGojaJh1Hr1lSD7ay93UkbjZeViGB8uKf118lrzTqg/w640-h426/DSC_1015.JPG" width="640"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">surfing in the freezing waters<br></td></tr></tbody></table><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSw_6ZVySBTdg6SlUMtTuiWnann7njFrLwXdagqUE5rrtZriHA674gzZYm0FAqMNcwDbadLJjBPGoefsvrlXDcSTH_3OtIzq3C7pa5VexkUPXx2o4xZqkSsD2Z83CpBJe2_O1gEOM7OAjBKKMEGsrXtFM1XSdXNf5cG45-5ezNLvuKnxrb23etWuHJlg/s6000/DSC_1023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSw_6ZVySBTdg6SlUMtTuiWnann7njFrLwXdagqUE5rrtZriHA674gzZYm0FAqMNcwDbadLJjBPGoefsvrlXDcSTH_3OtIzq3C7pa5VexkUPXx2o4xZqkSsD2Z83CpBJe2_O1gEOM7OAjBKKMEGsrXtFM1XSdXNf5cG45-5ezNLvuKnxrb23etWuHJlg/w640-h426/DSC_1023.JPG" width="640"></a></div><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNjl8u6pjCj9j3jN1TeLW5epdNCHgML86I1JoTinCO9HFTq0fK_hJmEg0IgQwc2g47-HQ6PW2EI78zbGmhjEXNHhfEA3ZveMBJtTEP2o0a79nsL0EicNxdjdy_7KqspTUhuigH_y9zrVdKGWJkeXwoym-5n6efcSusIMppukTgl-kfXP9t3WPaakUfKA/s6000/DSC_1025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNjl8u6pjCj9j3jN1TeLW5epdNCHgML86I1JoTinCO9HFTq0fK_hJmEg0IgQwc2g47-HQ6PW2EI78zbGmhjEXNHhfEA3ZveMBJtTEP2o0a79nsL0EicNxdjdy_7KqspTUhuigH_y9zrVdKGWJkeXwoym-5n6efcSusIMppukTgl-kfXP9t3WPaakUfKA/w640-h426/DSC_1025.JPG" width="640"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">everyone loves a sunset<br></td></tr></tbody></table><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqKNyVPT7qHwFQ6PRC5rmQP83WhFCEG8dZsgIWef9oSzTe96RJqqmanKtlD2uU6rRBwWOnLvcRDtKN1kl9b92F97NE9v7spvpgUDWAAOsXrY8tqPE4-CBy06YGcIar3Qpc0nVG12y-QzeTBzxhNrgGAdZvrCWawlQz6XUSPPHlarP8KzNHI5JKVSx9xQ/s6000/DSC_0006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqKNyVPT7qHwFQ6PRC5rmQP83WhFCEG8dZsgIWef9oSzTe96RJqqmanKtlD2uU6rRBwWOnLvcRDtKN1kl9b92F97NE9v7spvpgUDWAAOsXrY8tqPE4-CBy06YGcIar3Qpc0nVG12y-QzeTBzxhNrgGAdZvrCWawlQz6XUSPPHlarP8KzNHI5JKVSx9xQ/w640-h426/DSC_0006.JPG" width="640"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjeFEOAoKlNw3T7Qa3KUMklTVm2Hw2JARL3_GFCfHXFyxbV8iG4CTLW8yYmZivdAmCVOQLh_IQDFKhdJYRG0H-FBPsBZ7VPTbPG0MDxoRtVm_zFiE3y5yQ5JmtUvV802J3rTVXinBmke-WUaCg-s4O26Y5AADEtDTaesYuVbrbRqJYm6XzK_9pM-Mi0g/s6000/DSC_0017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjeFEOAoKlNw3T7Qa3KUMklTVm2Hw2JARL3_GFCfHXFyxbV8iG4CTLW8yYmZivdAmCVOQLh_IQDFKhdJYRG0H-FBPsBZ7VPTbPG0MDxoRtVm_zFiE3y5yQ5JmtUvV802J3rTVXinBmke-WUaCg-s4O26Y5AADEtDTaesYuVbrbRqJYm6XzK_9pM-Mi0g/w640-h426/DSC_0017.JPG" width="640"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVbrao06AQViIeWGATL9Km-1qUfWahZ_hwHUgSeUYgA6giXRZXZr1gYTLALjCDdkFWSWT3zugcbEq4Q0Ed-zKTMK2wWMSKZ8psd5E_dvw1VX2h0Ek5NtFc2ojH3iqJA4NucP0tjzaVqUIH6b0icFIF2cRq4nfC0UArmD6lY-c6OaTnMwNyEvRfGEProQ/s6000/DSC_0028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVbrao06AQViIeWGATL9Km-1qUfWahZ_hwHUgSeUYgA6giXRZXZr1gYTLALjCDdkFWSWT3zugcbEq4Q0Ed-zKTMK2wWMSKZ8psd5E_dvw1VX2h0Ek5NtFc2ojH3iqJA4NucP0tjzaVqUIH6b0icFIF2cRq4nfC0UArmD6lY-c6OaTnMwNyEvRfGEProQ/w640-h426/DSC_0028.JPG" width="640"></a></div><span style="font-size: large;">Sequence of a sinking sun:</span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl72VFn6V9pAJKGrynzaIJk25l80B2xfj-aywr97Ly7YFkm45DrZoWlc_ieKhhgFwCQ3jaYFaEOiYJ97nnJT4MVlFrwqa4qQs2ZsSNiQvbZc7L8cD0WhjCm8DK693y2TrlJfV-9CIdKwR1/s1600/1666813735780807-0.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl72VFn6V9pAJKGrynzaIJk25l80B2xfj-aywr97Ly7YFkm45DrZoWlc_ieKhhgFwCQ3jaYFaEOiYJ97nnJT4MVlFrwqa4qQs2ZsSNiQvbZc7L8cD0WhjCm8DK693y2TrlJfV-9CIdKwR1/w640-h310/1666813735780807-0.png" width="640">
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-mptebIM3Fh0m-8vG9ymas88P4FWWMJHsAbRMw3pxatPXiWTjFT4pDsiYitelZkYBPnCCVKBhwqabqXA9SWnYGOp_OyE-_BgPzWEjuz1mYugbW0lX84ycdTCKsNKMYUTm4qts108ihYGp/s1600/1666813733414423-1.png" width="400">
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<img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvtJj727Zns072P6ktLgYvoyHu8lKh2vn8CuunjK8htzlKol0R7yrVf97GbKx4kgYbhJ023ufyK7AhBP6a1cr-176yR_5N-Xa5rwWAzNEf2UBbWhaQFn7AOx5cE0MtW3xkl5OroPXcSl4O/w640-h310/1666813728787374-3.png" width="640">
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</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTFdJBOZUVWx8inERLVwa4jA-PzJy5vlauaJg5bPV8ics805KlCc4T6oYqIXlI-oqgn6r3cXRkkmoTMVY-Lm71dLaW-Lta1ILeEi5tKfKK3XOfs4Tdm4TKDldATlHkKFEonjVgc3X6qvpZ/w640-h310/1666813726387112-4.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640"></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a couple watches the sunset<br></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXDOvPzV6UeBa-tzKPznEMnV9G333B3l4ddJielTthoGJvwAoxKOW4wJBvq0CidcpHcmP_g6aVqlc_pxK8vz4YN1G025srJvJGhx3WRx7btsJuBngeIbjx_hJ1rwGuCvb1VKFZwjrCYHHe/w640-h310/1666813723829114-5.png" width="640">
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<img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyG0SjHilAs5mRSQ249FnfmP5V8DCFFxNq9D-x39-nF-gnwPocTCG0orGZCacG_1HDCwOsK9zMyjLiQrA6paPPilLl_jHO1hjOwNeZ5ZREcUKIKioBnSDviT_UZ_7A3XVd8qfP2yM3ADXN/w640-h310/1666813720971474-6.png" width="640">
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</div><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br>We were ready for dinner. We went up a hill to a place that turned out to be closed. We went down another hill. We saw a dark pathway, so we took it.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk2xrWCZ-1Zc5pdVmka7hiy364V3SfGa65KjVNlBNkeEn7ZmCS7DETOJcgsXzCeC2nYHBi7fNDvw9-0CAkDvvpeeYr5iF4wPV9qdmgy7XveizTEPS3S37fUwjMrDQhp36JT2l3cz2IhL85/s1600/1666813709290186-10.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk2xrWCZ-1Zc5pdVmka7hiy364V3SfGa65KjVNlBNkeEn7ZmCS7DETOJcgsXzCeC2nYHBi7fNDvw9-0CAkDvvpeeYr5iF4wPV9qdmgy7XveizTEPS3S37fUwjMrDQhp36JT2l3cz2IhL85/s1600/1666813709290186-10.png" width="400"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><br><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">A restaurant revealed itself on the other side. It was too chilly to sit outside, but we still had a view of the black ocean with its bubbling white waves. I had grilled seabass and the first of several boiled potatoes of the trip. I also had turnip greens for the first time, which tasted like extra chewy spinach. Good, but I will stick with spinach, thanks. But hey, at least it was a green vegetable. I'd come to miss those.</span><br></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLtcuoPtrFwhzFGA3uMYjK63W3NL9qyBcsMntCC5bNIt-AUJs3dsmRvGWxWmGqIpPO9PLJC2Khz4p7DswfCyxPm6CgSPUGHJHywjtbRptAGUOpv2T017J4k4EsSy7TYmZGrbJpO9YXrpMG/s1600/1666813690074456-17.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLtcuoPtrFwhzFGA3uMYjK63W3NL9qyBcsMntCC5bNIt-AUJs3dsmRvGWxWmGqIpPO9PLJC2Khz4p7DswfCyxPm6CgSPUGHJHywjtbRptAGUOpv2T017J4k4EsSy7TYmZGrbJpO9YXrpMG/w194-h400/1666813690074456-17.png" width="194"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">does this restaurant have a name? who knows?<br></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy5qUI1S5Bg-qGW5xad1iT2hDu_WIuHXSNKGWTSTceqkZhXQh6RXszobm3zCpVV7roE9qVpHV1NcplMQbvq9vV82LAEo69mGJ-QJyBXOygIOVtpXGtq_it0tAmTKD8MaUOV3zg5PtEHrXO/w640-h310/1666813692924021-16.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640"></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">trust me, there's a view of the ocean right there...<br></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcdbrMbiq7juCXfOq9xw8Z56g3jPEZPkWv_Ev_kLVqFrGBUyOuPM1fiVZ6O6f5E22JygRiF34HJYpz7ueZtZSw86TeZhcMl-Xy1Wfb_iEaM7QxnsV7TyFot5imNjE6Ahh3bZ0XtNaeQazd/w640-h310/1666813686896536-18.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640"></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">would be a lovely place to dine in warmer weather<br></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><br><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">After dinner we popped into a place looking for live music, but found none. We talked to a seemingly absent-minded American woman who had retired to Porto. At some point my phone started locking me out of every site. I quickly flipped it off. Suddenly the woman pulled out multiple phones and then took off without saying another word. I don't know what was going on but I didn't turn my phone back on until I had to call an uber to go home. (It was fine by then.) I wasn't on wifi (won't ever use an unsecured network) so I don't know what she could have done. It was all rather weird and reminded me that you always have to be careful when it comes to digital matters. But she was probably just an old woman who had had too much wine.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">A nice idea it is - to retire to Portugal, where you can actually afford to live.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br></p>Cathiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07291479913130967235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3857295146936801558.post-42830339635649904142022-10-28T09:33:00.000-04:002022-10-28T09:33:15.868-04:00Porto Day 2: We Are Briefly Transported to the Portuguese Bizarro Version of DC<div class="separator"><div class="separator" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN6_DX-Q8g21e1t1tmCqUojpARqIC9bVti3w7oCKRw7kowjKuTaiafsXFkARNyadgXB0aeTimODCRowoEZ58KcvfarMsIxo4O29KYedDDV3JhFR-yOlRQZkG-2Bh0ubR6t_4JcbLxnQaCsLWEU8lMjJnz2RoQggGnMyZAexSUThlejEcLsJ-sldMl5LA/s320/DSC_0918.JPG" width="320"></div></div><div class="separator"></div><p><span style="font-size: large;">I awoke the next morning and headed to the cafe around the corner for my morning cappuccino and mystery pastry. (I don't know what any of them are, I just pointed to one and ate it.) I wrote a bit in the journal, then went for a slow walk to look at things. I meant to make this my routine while we were in Porto, allowing the old guy time to sleep in and giving me the freedom to just wander around and snap photos of quotidian things that probably don't interest most people. Like these buildings:</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ93qJk4oR4dQRDH131HxRqYRZlIVsrXyQXILH5ejg9RztLD1HssQyfb1Dzqb3qllNjtXuAMtdCRKoi4f3Pn7L5o1cgvW1Muk94gzX_fisKl5XmD1gjBnNOiPwMfGSFhJiwsYYqP8OYWsTYBt7F5AHTmA7W9A8FSiZ4XvzWBKs8t3B6cllGp0RBf1X3A/s6000/DSC_0921.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ93qJk4oR4dQRDH131HxRqYRZlIVsrXyQXILH5ejg9RztLD1HssQyfb1Dzqb3qllNjtXuAMtdCRKoi4f3Pn7L5o1cgvW1Muk94gzX_fisKl5XmD1gjBnNOiPwMfGSFhJiwsYYqP8OYWsTYBt7F5AHTmA7W9A8FSiZ4XvzWBKs8t3B6cllGp0RBf1X3A/s320/DSC_0921.JPG" width="213"></a></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The tiles are called azulejos. It's an Arabic word left over from the Moorish period meaning something like shiny stone. They became popular in Portugal in the 16th and 17th centuries after the Moors were expelled and the Portuguese had their own horrible Inquisition period. Azulejos can be found in every Portuguese city, but they are dominant in Porto. I'm guessing this has something to do with the earthquake that destroyed Lisbon and developing new architectural styles during the rebuild, but what do I know?<br></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">These kinds of tiles are also found in the south of Spain and other areas the Moors controlled, but not quite like this where they cover an entire building.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Some of them are plain, while others are quite intricate. Some form murals. Some houses only have a small surface covered:</span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy6H0G9jDYsHQM46Eil4t0qLELeEUmPU-JbkwNGfPMRrCTsFP1tE7RCRQb7VVVoJisG7CnNEe8rW1Vf0dCkLVQsOJIjwU1vN9PXkB_tPBAvKWqUPEUvBfocG_b0LPUVRf7AsNn1lOq_az4OnLZ0tt8enqmac3zo2Z5Kou36lKAXyhw7NKMmTQawlJPaQ/s6000/DSC_0919.JPG" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy6H0G9jDYsHQM46Eil4t0qLELeEUmPU-JbkwNGfPMRrCTsFP1tE7RCRQb7VVVoJisG7CnNEe8rW1Vf0dCkLVQsOJIjwU1vN9PXkB_tPBAvKWqUPEUvBfocG_b0LPUVRf7AsNn1lOq_az4OnLZ0tt8enqmac3zo2Z5Kou36lKAXyhw7NKMmTQawlJPaQ/s320/DSC_0919.JPG" width="320"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br></td></tr></tbody></table> <p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The time for lunch arrived, so I retrieved the old man and we headed for a market our host had told us about, Bom Successo. It's a lot like DC's Union Market. Once it was a place to buy fresh produce and other foods; now it's a food court.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">First we crossed a large circle that reminded me of Dupont if it had palm trees and a griffin perched atop a tall column, then we stopped by the Casa da Musica, a modernist structure for performing arts. Kind of ugly.<br></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The day was overcast but oddly bright. I was having significant trouble with my camera settings. (I lost the sun shield for the lens years ago and have never replaced it.) It was also one of those days where you were constantly stripping layers off than putting them back on. </span><br></p><p><br></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAAyGD80_u5w85BWG-WgzcHTg1a6YMS_ZGyIyoiocBh26CiTYp92uuvW80ngUQt_fSwOAtysTloa-wY3ibT-1engwsegtZ1erOvBH7L6aoQYtM-Xwjr_0SZaM8c-eOZI33ihvfujrKSJIg-ee7AFjlPZwc0-6pQAIZ3H9t0LJusATxHdyqD4sbIKDCeA/s6000/DSC_0925.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAAyGD80_u5w85BWG-WgzcHTg1a6YMS_ZGyIyoiocBh26CiTYp92uuvW80ngUQt_fSwOAtysTloa-wY3ibT-1engwsegtZ1erOvBH7L6aoQYtM-Xwjr_0SZaM8c-eOZI33ihvfujrKSJIg-ee7AFjlPZwc0-6pQAIZ3H9t0LJusATxHdyqD4sbIKDCeA/w640-h426/DSC_0925.JPG" width="640"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-6bW3rb0JX61S0WeitLfQlt3iyNH0ay6T7nC3RXoBC1kaVwe69IhhMjxxnt-GdSDops8wT2Ithr49aQ5Qyu-1CagyxIycg-yKqnN05oc2xFteJDcwPm2R3Uj4gofgah19aS7700inDMzakcDaame0EtS7dP3Posdhqtsl3GRnbu3jRjigj6A-ioWYTA/s6000/DSC_0926.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-6bW3rb0JX61S0WeitLfQlt3iyNH0ay6T7nC3RXoBC1kaVwe69IhhMjxxnt-GdSDops8wT2Ithr49aQ5Qyu-1CagyxIycg-yKqnN05oc2xFteJDcwPm2R3Uj4gofgah19aS7700inDMzakcDaame0EtS7dP3Posdhqtsl3GRnbu3jRjigj6A-ioWYTA/w640-h426/DSC_0926.JPG" width="640"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJlWpqJCG2UOu4mmIXF8Oxmo8QyBXHAg2kT3KyxBnOHcJJ--wo5tpMQ3IuumAcd4FbMeK01QTg3ar2iapgGz_avozPm5HrL8Qr6EHs8NEySgB8ut7gYzD2NMZFijwWA3vdLXGHGHmUbg6Gsl8_hUa79yCgjckteYEXbKWv5Enb4_M384h5BMxLSAJZsw/s6000/DSC_0928.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJlWpqJCG2UOu4mmIXF8Oxmo8QyBXHAg2kT3KyxBnOHcJJ--wo5tpMQ3IuumAcd4FbMeK01QTg3ar2iapgGz_avozPm5HrL8Qr6EHs8NEySgB8ut7gYzD2NMZFijwWA3vdLXGHGHmUbg6Gsl8_hUa79yCgjckteYEXbKWv5Enb4_M384h5BMxLSAJZsw/w640-h426/DSC_0928.JPG" width="640"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkBbPFdmvHK5rWLpoXcOzMypkrEPiK8OIdxhzgVcK5tisCqEbrPT9xH0eQvjQZ1yp_HXHC0BdPMEyKDd_aHbcg6tSpoyns9GhXsm_w0TXQUseuvoIpXeMpqjQIoeQl_ZuNaf0dY38vJJOZ_RvDsz6cCFqvcXHY8i2h7yVJqH1BX9VHMy7TlA1r6cpabA/s6000/DSC_0929.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkBbPFdmvHK5rWLpoXcOzMypkrEPiK8OIdxhzgVcK5tisCqEbrPT9xH0eQvjQZ1yp_HXHC0BdPMEyKDd_aHbcg6tSpoyns9GhXsm_w0TXQUseuvoIpXeMpqjQIoeQl_ZuNaf0dY38vJJOZ_RvDsz6cCFqvcXHY8i2h7yVJqH1BX9VHMy7TlA1r6cpabA/w640-h426/DSC_0929.JPG" width="640"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeYivMN8TqCwRiukWOI5drvIL53VKmRzxaKweronrkUPXnERfDwjsgaszzB5zDuLyb9B1R11ydb7VyqFtKddtqyJbkxbqTSbrO7-L38QJE2Egj5tD47p0FQPNdPveOWhYhYtHsirzpS3bCA8vBsB9XOyc5cVduX8rv52NYtERy_-UUWv_zGkM_u57ezg/s6000/DSC_0931.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeYivMN8TqCwRiukWOI5drvIL53VKmRzxaKweronrkUPXnERfDwjsgaszzB5zDuLyb9B1R11ydb7VyqFtKddtqyJbkxbqTSbrO7-L38QJE2Egj5tD47p0FQPNdPveOWhYhYtHsirzpS3bCA8vBsB9XOyc5cVduX8rv52NYtERy_-UUWv_zGkM_u57ezg/w640-h426/DSC_0931.JPG" width="640"></a></div><br><p><span style="font-size: large;">At the market, we looked at every booth before deciding on our lunch of piglet and potatoes.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><br><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja2k1AqxVxzLqsQFpr3_7W_Cu3m98LCf_t6lmEXdO3iCDc7SolV-aCaI3QJlUci1NYhWup5j9hoppHE0M55abEUgGz60KvQo-rGKLkMV04gUm1E5fi5zAS-5ZSbFLbYf3V_juSO2Vyfj4rto4fDPVs9OB9fPBKMNPmdYtr9F7GY-szm4p83ZU23fI5PA/s6000/DSC_0932.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja2k1AqxVxzLqsQFpr3_7W_Cu3m98LCf_t6lmEXdO3iCDc7SolV-aCaI3QJlUci1NYhWup5j9hoppHE0M55abEUgGz60KvQo-rGKLkMV04gUm1E5fi5zAS-5ZSbFLbYf3V_juSO2Vyfj4rto4fDPVs9OB9fPBKMNPmdYtr9F7GY-szm4p83ZU23fI5PA/w640-h426/DSC_0932.JPG" width="640"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_VuZl34I5cZY7PVX5Cstpk0use1_zynYzE7xdopAToZr8iUoYL-rTCSMwbOMU68BZwspJtNlf2ceABX6JB6ZVvLinRmfhIiJ1QEIrSGmRutyoqbI1C5KSsb887itaSw72ZPgaVsRwKicLx_XR9qRK2asn-iZLVr__PRuA31VwfmxRY92AZ-EVZNrONA/s6000/DSC_0933.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_VuZl34I5cZY7PVX5Cstpk0use1_zynYzE7xdopAToZr8iUoYL-rTCSMwbOMU68BZwspJtNlf2ceABX6JB6ZVvLinRmfhIiJ1QEIrSGmRutyoqbI1C5KSsb887itaSw72ZPgaVsRwKicLx_XR9qRK2asn-iZLVr__PRuA31VwfmxRY92AZ-EVZNrONA/w640-h426/DSC_0933.JPG" width="640"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhziMl3fwxSbtARZmDp3OcqX7viSKcU3cCjwnGaBc_6UkMpsiFh2ZZAqerRh3jDNvqKtw6kQA18Cs_FOzDrNTRSoZ2uK2wx46KBgsVsG8yUVRN2wuR-8XTp4p_xoZwwKqpCQDx4RwHIul3n/w640-h310/1666802883562811-1.png" width="640">
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</div><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE-eHiV6xc9esMm4xisje_iErTRH7gs-gjEN5Q2lHi8f0DvwK9NRWnbpvGaSIaS_XCSj9IDjs6GvFpO8aqWEUPY3po6Ij66lpsWzQjhyWlk7Gv3lW4enzLumib8rBX0Y2FngSdbLIO8rKO4jL956PxujJg9rb7tAHcA1dG26R31nypP1tJnvwF0I45Bw/s6000/DSC_0934.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE-eHiV6xc9esMm4xisje_iErTRH7gs-gjEN5Q2lHi8f0DvwK9NRWnbpvGaSIaS_XCSj9IDjs6GvFpO8aqWEUPY3po6Ij66lpsWzQjhyWlk7Gv3lW4enzLumib8rBX0Y2FngSdbLIO8rKO4jL956PxujJg9rb7tAHcA1dG26R31nypP1tJnvwF0I45Bw/w640-h426/DSC_0934.JPG" width="640"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">sardines everywhere<br></td></tr></tbody></table><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSG5Km1GVgWh-3mx7lsUwi2T-dSeKOrUeVfBuPKw8AaMXBRLhDjv0Zr_zWmY14jcawh7RWU1zEsf6KqsTHUa4MAa1kSO2_DFMxjbpeeU3oq2Y5lENJxP2dH9tumSDFIpFYhWCj14P4VXsrrSY8iOg3AUYPShWJ-kVe89HEiZHWU6gNc7J_-Bo8TXqEMQ/s6000/DSC_0936.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSG5Km1GVgWh-3mx7lsUwi2T-dSeKOrUeVfBuPKw8AaMXBRLhDjv0Zr_zWmY14jcawh7RWU1zEsf6KqsTHUa4MAa1kSO2_DFMxjbpeeU3oq2Y5lENJxP2dH9tumSDFIpFYhWCj14P4VXsrrSY8iOg3AUYPShWJ-kVe89HEiZHWU6gNc7J_-Bo8TXqEMQ/w640-h426/DSC_0936.JPG" width="640"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPcsvNF-EM2X5ILG9GKh0Djk5ncS-I2Uh1w_FURlC83IZVAQ0Qonf9T9wY1kL3kM2_YYApDHmK4znIRNSTxbxjqdl_xLtp6Pw-fmyfjZTPP6tnBj9ULPTdv2WloxYN02Z8F3VyyqzlpwMS_YR0N-_qR9ez2oHjXZWzdEaL3Y-5r8k7nRiyynfsmzwyGA/s6000/DSC_0938.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPcsvNF-EM2X5ILG9GKh0Djk5ncS-I2Uh1w_FURlC83IZVAQ0Qonf9T9wY1kL3kM2_YYApDHmK4znIRNSTxbxjqdl_xLtp6Pw-fmyfjZTPP6tnBj9ULPTdv2WloxYN02Z8F3VyyqzlpwMS_YR0N-_qR9ez2oHjXZWzdEaL3Y-5r8k7nRiyynfsmzwyGA/w640-h426/DSC_0938.JPG" width="640"></a></div><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6PRIoViEZQW5d_Bq7_tez0hZmSxZ3QZmG-aka6WWSTfYPzces-McS8QpVaMe34AfuoF2auEZFZQJH_QpmWY74c2iuqx5_kxfwKI24KJWpghGV-JV_EjKf6WUalEPhPc3Fuj_RWoAKOjXixFdEQuw_nGZEpZC3j9GCZuo_4fY6feYHopBhkIdxy1UCtQ/s6000/DSC_0942.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6PRIoViEZQW5d_Bq7_tez0hZmSxZ3QZmG-aka6WWSTfYPzces-McS8QpVaMe34AfuoF2auEZFZQJH_QpmWY74c2iuqx5_kxfwKI24KJWpghGV-JV_EjKf6WUalEPhPc3Fuj_RWoAKOjXixFdEQuw_nGZEpZC3j9GCZuo_4fY6feYHopBhkIdxy1UCtQ/w640-h426/DSC_0942.JPG" width="640"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">where we ate<br></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTLfBXqdamlb2f-PylmcEyPEUlm7MNxnAE5tKEIDrw2V9Y78PQSi7hZP6iJch_AT0JJX-pxFP78pHsrXqoovResuXpibCEOF-kQggFGVV6orYKaXkgSjs5cTkWMVfOpB8zXYdutGQieeuD/s1600/1666802881163213-2.png" width="400">
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</a>
</div><br><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The pig was excellent.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">For reference, here is DC's Union Market:</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL5ZrHGJ7FwEOSEZHNO5xd8xLk0eM4oErHPSow_x5ux0BgISLQgltxKK6E6QkRMUyGQ9NVXhoInmfDxDrPVW0P97BOY7MnVjTv4jhF9NNjE26yIVYLQ7rwmIttWZgcnf2uDSP2bsJc3Ov1DEJs3714PkAo808mOinduB70mpTmSMQLaCIaRw_SK-RGBw/s1024/45057284354_de9107a2f3_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL5ZrHGJ7FwEOSEZHNO5xd8xLk0eM4oErHPSow_x5ux0BgISLQgltxKK6E6QkRMUyGQ9NVXhoInmfDxDrPVW0P97BOY7MnVjTv4jhF9NNjE26yIVYLQ7rwmIttWZgcnf2uDSP2bsJc3Ov1DEJs3714PkAo808mOinduB70mpTmSMQLaCIaRw_SK-RGBw/s320/45057284354_de9107a2f3_b.jpg" width="320"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">not my photo<br></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-size: large;">After lunch, we wandered a bit. Here is a giant vat of Super Bock:</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBd0-ekxcJXznMboyi1Nn2sQwjX7B5jzjJHzS_5bfkumP0vcviwwHv_uCFM6sKDKm4tmlsMDzDmsiwRtHgBpn7yyOoitljs87oeBuASd1983lCkaJ3UjrlaMETmvNyDUEhtHNGcMtcuTdd/s1600/1666802873494329-5.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBd0-ekxcJXznMboyi1Nn2sQwjX7B5jzjJHzS_5bfkumP0vcviwwHv_uCFM6sKDKm4tmlsMDzDmsiwRtHgBpn7yyOoitljs87oeBuASd1983lCkaJ3UjrlaMETmvNyDUEhtHNGcMtcuTdd/s1600/1666802873494329-5.png" width="400">
</a>
</div><br><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.2px;">We tried to visit this cemetery, but it was closed. Apparently some famous people are buried here. </span><br></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQk8akpRf55P_kq5pNZak9Pjm92phqnY7vx0flm2bvrYEc6o88HsjEdK5k1uSG0O4JRzHEGhhIpFz4Z97Z-ptqr80iZqVn4Lb4qF4NaNP1fsk2nLxUtrn790chiAn6_sJy6snsfUM4DEsE/s1600/1666802870842091-6.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQk8akpRf55P_kq5pNZak9Pjm92phqnY7vx0flm2bvrYEc6o88HsjEdK5k1uSG0O4JRzHEGhhIpFz4Z97Z-ptqr80iZqVn4Lb4qF4NaNP1fsk2nLxUtrn790chiAn6_sJy6snsfUM4DEsE/w640-h310/1666802870842091-6.png" width="640">
</a>
</div><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbCC3HdMr2SGY40AISCzuPGvHsxv5gRKtMSWsFMkzCWE1pRd9vcK-KqUK_RYQ2EbS4fN5kNuUu9UbuafOGCkKO85KgWDBXiENEmkJAIV7rYyVd9mqdg95tjoGNh-1JEF7RnB8RprS8jegZ/w640-h310/1666802868571159-7.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640"></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a wall of the cemetery<br></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbCC3HdMr2SGY40AISCzuPGvHsxv5gRKtMSWsFMkzCWE1pRd9vcK-KqUK_RYQ2EbS4fN5kNuUu9UbuafOGCkKO85KgWDBXiENEmkJAIV7rYyVd9mqdg95tjoGNh-1JEF7RnB8RprS8jegZ/s1600/1666802868571159-7.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
</a>
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie_2TiSQ3JUR88ffUcKB4ZfW4EeYqs1RUW57mHU-LuzPz-7-W2DpYzbCMZaaZ8P5z8AmlKy1SJAHUV-1cPJ5eu7hRGAIG3odMHAIrDTnGhu5tiLvCU5ZGWPhSpkuqEnjDfT6A8otE9XMAK/s1600/1666802865760105-8.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400"></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Poetry never dies<br></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie_2TiSQ3JUR88ffUcKB4ZfW4EeYqs1RUW57mHU-LuzPz-7-W2DpYzbCMZaaZ8P5z8AmlKy1SJAHUV-1cPJ5eu7hRGAIG3odMHAIrDTnGhu5tiLvCU5ZGWPhSpkuqEnjDfT6A8otE9XMAK/s1600/1666802865760105-8.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
</a>
</div><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Then we found ourselves at a church. Except it was no longer a church. It was a bar.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg151tQQwxQUwapELR7fLM_vUSKJKtQc65DjCInmYRk6Gf7GREYYApN6FipXl1V_J3SGTYGmM1_-Dw3H0BiHrAQ6nji6KouBhH8Cc1vlHLK9xeqk9WSM6jXIOQjL1kidrcC2Pz4H9UiGBo5/s1600/1666802863204349-9.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg151tQQwxQUwapELR7fLM_vUSKJKtQc65DjCInmYRk6Gf7GREYYApN6FipXl1V_J3SGTYGmM1_-Dw3H0BiHrAQ6nji6KouBhH8Cc1vlHLK9xeqk9WSM6jXIOQjL1kidrcC2Pz4H9UiGBo5/w640-h310/1666802863204349-9.png" width="640">
</a>
</div><br><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">I had my first non-Super Bock beer. They only have two main beers in Portugal, although craft beer is making a dent in the market.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOCPvc6TqYm4byZziU5TGas9MLoh7bt20ZKzg-zH9cIV_KBXIz7nNCTkInUkRqiW5DMoCOoA6seO05_iTFMe5tQNYA9gY-6toKkr5w8D4LxsfFwXyunC3fMrtndLGsrwPCyVPtFEXIZZCb/s1600/1666802860561549-10.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOCPvc6TqYm4byZziU5TGas9MLoh7bt20ZKzg-zH9cIV_KBXIz7nNCTkInUkRqiW5DMoCOoA6seO05_iTFMe5tQNYA9gY-6toKkr5w8D4LxsfFwXyunC3fMrtndLGsrwPCyVPtFEXIZZCb/s1600/1666802860561549-10.png" width="400">
</a>
</div><br><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">We left to search for live music. We only found a bar playing American/British rock music, so we stopped in and talked to some Portuguese about Porto and music. The bartender's favorite band is Arctic Monkeys and I texted a friend about tickets to the Arctics show in DC right then. Not many English-speaking bands play in Portugal; she said she has to go to Paris to see her favorite bands. Bands <i>should</i> go to Portugal - rock music is popular there, although the playlist is limited. I don't know how many times we heard Zombie, What's Going On, Mr. Brightside, Have You Ever Seen the Rain, Ain't No Sunshine, 500 Miles, Sultan of Swing, and a whole lot of Queen. We could practically predict what song would be played next by the end of the trip. But they were mostly good songs, and we sung along.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Wearily we retreated to the hotel. The night was over, it was time to sleep.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Here is one last random pic of a store window:</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiArmqIo4Qc97r811VrapHP-tLFOnbl2zmRTiiTMwSPmuikVwz1vptHxJpSdStfiOVehLEclXFF3JuF15l0v3BWkw5zx-RuirFEbDyHIXNsnoQcogovTooNvOIij2OiOoPGfzbyDBELZllY/s1600/1666802856536997-11.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiArmqIo4Qc97r811VrapHP-tLFOnbl2zmRTiiTMwSPmuikVwz1vptHxJpSdStfiOVehLEclXFF3JuF15l0v3BWkw5zx-RuirFEbDyHIXNsnoQcogovTooNvOIij2OiOoPGfzbyDBELZllY/w640-h310/1666802856536997-11.png" width="640">
</a>
</div><br><p></p><p>To be continued...</p>Cathiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07291479913130967235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3857295146936801558.post-88963063233344664502022-10-27T14:02:00.001-04:002022-10-27T15:45:38.564-04:00Across the River and into the Vines<p><span style="font-size: large;">The elevator had unnerved me. It wasn't all that high up, but it was glass, all of it, and it led to nothing but a rickety wooden walkway. When we descended the steps from there, my legs felt weak, so when we decided to cross the bridge, it, too, unnerved me. It was time for some wine and some sitting next to the river. Besides, the sun would be setting soon and sightseeing time was pretty much over.</span><br /></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibk3zZadDP6cVsdt6pEwKjwIwSwXSM6tLIgmRimXq0H6XfkpBbkwrw2SBCszgEcRZqGkb5SRqxfhTFhyj7bnHi7FPabPXdwM5xVDFxOsAU9NUgM6GE3OCLZYxspana9VqdzlWJ1F7KqW9mHWv7JB3-vPVPFnlnDKabUqLnl1Uiyna4RGA2OS7Qpj57DA/s6000/DSC_0890.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibk3zZadDP6cVsdt6pEwKjwIwSwXSM6tLIgmRimXq0H6XfkpBbkwrw2SBCszgEcRZqGkb5SRqxfhTFhyj7bnHi7FPabPXdwM5xVDFxOsAU9NUgM6GE3OCLZYxspana9VqdzlWJ1F7KqW9mHWv7JB3-vPVPFnlnDKabUqLnl1Uiyna4RGA2OS7Qpj57DA/w640-h426/DSC_0890.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">view from the bridge<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0niSq19gnZ5I_wyoWmCAqNBvfYmLhYzBPAm_AtV4HtvUdpu1UYvNG8KtdgeFVBbv-oeYcJSdPh1sMHccBeA7c1c_EOoghCBQzqAEBmTtbivxFcIvNIurhH2L327O-8QFyRWnD9WST9A3fFjqvD0eahuPrPuQnRFfftZBS2oV-xbMQOD_-gZQe1TtyLA/s6000/DSC_0891.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0niSq19gnZ5I_wyoWmCAqNBvfYmLhYzBPAm_AtV4HtvUdpu1UYvNG8KtdgeFVBbv-oeYcJSdPh1sMHccBeA7c1c_EOoghCBQzqAEBmTtbivxFcIvNIurhH2L327O-8QFyRWnD9WST9A3fFjqvD0eahuPrPuQnRFfftZBS2oV-xbMQOD_-gZQe1TtyLA/w640-h426/DSC_0891.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTHgJqfTqFwSVg-FMEYvmJKV6qixZAtnvHForKDrj8trG0Vg1YD7fvNpi9X2UK-OAtA7YOk6n0piJKS4zcME0psvYQykUen0kHIjc3jQjUcozG-zLeZM4P2kwxlsx3WRX92oWZ881NDgKD4qv5JfzyscugwvmOGfJ1bhsjoP-AwE3NpHDmlEfjq1wT_Q/s6000/DSC_0892.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTHgJqfTqFwSVg-FMEYvmJKV6qixZAtnvHForKDrj8trG0Vg1YD7fvNpi9X2UK-OAtA7YOk6n0piJKS4zcME0psvYQykUen0kHIjc3jQjUcozG-zLeZM4P2kwxlsx3WRX92oWZ881NDgKD4qv5JfzyscugwvmOGfJ1bhsjoP-AwE3NpHDmlEfjq1wT_Q/w640-h426/DSC_0892.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ1fn5ShWIr6efFGqg4LeXCVBIV6ZvV1JrbLF4WpifT0z664u_AD7SqDAgT_Qf5lk_TLyb_tWEGBFjQwLqalQpYIL27zgY3mvYQo27ar-_wXXujgDh1kNtKkLqTKQnlphA5syMELffL6x3dLygfcoPdMajnYw_TyzHoyTYI_ddL_kgx3kEzw46rTHqmA/s6000/DSC_0894.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ1fn5ShWIr6efFGqg4LeXCVBIV6ZvV1JrbLF4WpifT0z664u_AD7SqDAgT_Qf5lk_TLyb_tWEGBFjQwLqalQpYIL27zgY3mvYQo27ar-_wXXujgDh1kNtKkLqTKQnlphA5syMELffL6x3dLygfcoPdMajnYw_TyzHoyTYI_ddL_kgx3kEzw46rTHqmA/w640-h426/DSC_0894.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFkLU7p4J48v5HmyVuhguTYu00eHkOFpZG2w5dP7kJZOjujiuxusoRPVUNPuWSM7dBiyll4z5yrGt9nbDK_-n579Ru9ieuebt5nyOsGYDWeSe3nENUfj2mANBQy3fFyy66kMvCq0W2ftS5_cEE-6fe28yEtDVmorv1vz1Yv6ezbLT1N3KvFJl7SM_yAQ/s6000/DSC_0895.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFkLU7p4J48v5HmyVuhguTYu00eHkOFpZG2w5dP7kJZOjujiuxusoRPVUNPuWSM7dBiyll4z5yrGt9nbDK_-n579Ru9ieuebt5nyOsGYDWeSe3nENUfj2mANBQy3fFyy66kMvCq0W2ftS5_cEE-6fe28yEtDVmorv1vz1Yv6ezbLT1N3KvFJl7SM_yAQ/w640-h426/DSC_0895.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the whole world supports Ukraine - except Russia and MAGAts<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV00MM7Mcx_ZL2pUQ-Cww_cGsWXQr0owQTG48b_1H0ub-2VRl71pS6ejdiuuXwa1PZnzSn0CuYqHlyS9qEBnqOP8cXiWwaCwvZ_JeIogsGSXlRi7L8P3wZryF2FqYIiYnnC7QcZ6QxfOCY1W2BSc0XGIiaUFNCpZ5ZlMrYIfgsKYvsh4OQoJRzKntS4w/s6000/DSC_0896.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV00MM7Mcx_ZL2pUQ-Cww_cGsWXQr0owQTG48b_1H0ub-2VRl71pS6ejdiuuXwa1PZnzSn0CuYqHlyS9qEBnqOP8cXiWwaCwvZ_JeIogsGSXlRi7L8P3wZryF2FqYIiYnnC7QcZ6QxfOCY1W2BSc0XGIiaUFNCpZ5ZlMrYIfgsKYvsh4OQoJRzKntS4w/w640-h426/DSC_0896.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQtIBiUkENcu56BsO1sKnTrxyDjsZ06exbO-21j9SRc4zsWQoe7-Hi1S3lVV8M14-uVTi8UHtQmZWo25aOUHyquVCC_pUKhenW_N5dg-IPLqUfyMzrox3cehZS84vyx8oRybdsB-jVVnZVfklDwMd9NrT5UAS9YM52GdW2XYiHJaNQv6YRgFBARxm0KA/s6000/DSC_0898.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQtIBiUkENcu56BsO1sKnTrxyDjsZ06exbO-21j9SRc4zsWQoe7-Hi1S3lVV8M14-uVTi8UHtQmZWo25aOUHyquVCC_pUKhenW_N5dg-IPLqUfyMzrox3cehZS84vyx8oRybdsB-jVVnZVfklDwMd9NrT5UAS9YM52GdW2XYiHJaNQv6YRgFBARxm0KA/w640-h426/DSC_0898.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG5RJt0-7WvF0YFjUREv9OWsAOGahgpy0N_zAMw26Puz-dNo72gw4adJKVnJHcxi3zhJ-DJlQ_Cd3B8_kdIcxmxY1t_vyDTLfVFiQvYIZaXvZPqiThfFsLzTaBM87FR00kDK-VNxAXtyy1/s1600/1666755610018622-0.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG5RJt0-7WvF0YFjUREv9OWsAOGahgpy0N_zAMw26Puz-dNo72gw4adJKVnJHcxi3zhJ-DJlQ_Cd3B8_kdIcxmxY1t_vyDTLfVFiQvYIZaXvZPqiThfFsLzTaBM87FR00kDK-VNxAXtyy1/w640-h310/1666755610018622-0.png" width="640" />
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</div><p><br /><span style="font-size: large;">We walked down this side of the river to find some dinner. Instead, we found weirdness.<br /></span></p><div dir="auto"><div class="x1iorvi4 x1pi30zi x1l90r2v x1swvt13" data-ad-comet-preview="message" data-ad-preview="message" id="jsc_c_371"><div class="x78zum5 xdt5ytf xz62fqu x16ldp7u"><div class="xu06os2 x1ok221b"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto"><div class="xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: large;">What is "Portuguese Can?" we wondered. What happened next was one of most bizarre experiences of my life. Inside, while circus music played and costumed employees pretended they weren't living in absolute hell, were thousands of well-designed tins of canned fish.</span></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZNcqJ9EeBea30vfr-zZ-vY8l7VZ4LmNb0dfC_yysFUfbM-Tug6e9-aVWyVEh-_Da3kwPtPUrXyCOprJH9ww7I98oJf001sN5JbqndlcZ_Ebu-ggUIeCFPXZfvHAqot0ql4qCBFpqmMGmqK9i-qKznucKHFW4GfZ1nG3D5-LQsQCFf37dQCFmFazu6Ug/s2048/309655513_10160210638277829_295636573077738144_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="996" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZNcqJ9EeBea30vfr-zZ-vY8l7VZ4LmNb0dfC_yysFUfbM-Tug6e9-aVWyVEh-_Da3kwPtPUrXyCOprJH9ww7I98oJf001sN5JbqndlcZ_Ebu-ggUIeCFPXZfvHAqot0ql4qCBFpqmMGmqK9i-qKznucKHFW4GfZ1nG3D5-LQsQCFf37dQCFmFazu6Ug/w312-h640/309655513_10160210638277829_295636573077738144_n.jpg" width="312" /></a></div><br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKPAeR04BCHMNXQWcVvVyb5mkD3yTmx8fgDCsNgHVERof0bXlT7PeNL7gioKj0g6QFGCddmEBQlN9va8tjwCq1GcHR0896_7fJgdFDkj7EhQd5LcSVe1rDeJLL7itmbutCkRHXSnDRSSB0fY2CxPL0F9I1MMPpEWOjjFKbC9kBg5y7EM_ojHXhHQFxVQ/s2048/309067514_10160210638862829_7054714667109559050_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="996" data-original-width="2048" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKPAeR04BCHMNXQWcVvVyb5mkD3yTmx8fgDCsNgHVERof0bXlT7PeNL7gioKj0g6QFGCddmEBQlN9va8tjwCq1GcHR0896_7fJgdFDkj7EhQd5LcSVe1rDeJLL7itmbutCkRHXSnDRSSB0fY2CxPL0F9I1MMPpEWOjjFKbC9kBg5y7EM_ojHXhHQFxVQ/w640-h312/309067514_10160210638862829_7054714667109559050_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0dHmZ6kCn3fG3rGB83pwragpx5Mqk914u2PshF-A9mCIRbQjUp45jrlxASn6vnYGIxzEBvF_Vgx_YA7OMbqQLLb7pMovW9BJHCkDHtR3nwbl6jxHOOxfrdxXn5lLvdMN4YNEv3EQg-9JnbUaDBLgDG8DVtiX2Unwkal5TmNxB2YJ5m9-wfOmaJFFZew/s2048/309981214_10160210639137829_6671031440106814803_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="996" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0dHmZ6kCn3fG3rGB83pwragpx5Mqk914u2PshF-A9mCIRbQjUp45jrlxASn6vnYGIxzEBvF_Vgx_YA7OMbqQLLb7pMovW9BJHCkDHtR3nwbl6jxHOOxfrdxXn5lLvdMN4YNEv3EQg-9JnbUaDBLgDG8DVtiX2Unwkal5TmNxB2YJ5m9-wfOmaJFFZew/w312-h640/309981214_10160210639137829_6671031440106814803_n.jpg" width="312" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">canned fish actually made with gold<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3HCFrpjHjAHVtE_ILqWvH_DUV0P4IWitly5MOZHWM41oiLhMPRfSO7W3V_mcSbm0dHeTaSMInZDtTXrEIV6403iEvYzlKENO1UOe8oatfkSbXoosd83typSwAZpQuGsWGiErBeGHp98nJ0nJLIAeSPnF6kE9sgJ395idAGR54-nUAZHlJOvWwdguJSA/s2048/310429434_10160210639187829_4092329867224897826_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="996" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3HCFrpjHjAHVtE_ILqWvH_DUV0P4IWitly5MOZHWM41oiLhMPRfSO7W3V_mcSbm0dHeTaSMInZDtTXrEIV6403iEvYzlKENO1UOe8oatfkSbXoosd83typSwAZpQuGsWGiErBeGHp98nJ0nJLIAeSPnF6kE9sgJ395idAGR54-nUAZHlJOvWwdguJSA/w312-h640/310429434_10160210639187829_4092329867224897826_n.jpg" width="312" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhImIGU0MshcGUce5wzylG5VYOY-j15FGS0hiVzOqPhrTUhVEsprRCiGDQEXZm6bCQY4jfGjwUvX-_iKpr06ZkOhWpCPbUiIVPm0fZD1dDkhyssQ3i1fXW1Y47D8eQJ_TqK19ul41bERzDIGgYU9xrlMe8m6wR2KLp7C641Y97nTUImHFxzrD8cFPqrTA/s2048/310744251_10160210639122829_2365053263265612556_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="996" data-original-width="2048" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhImIGU0MshcGUce5wzylG5VYOY-j15FGS0hiVzOqPhrTUhVEsprRCiGDQEXZm6bCQY4jfGjwUvX-_iKpr06ZkOhWpCPbUiIVPm0fZD1dDkhyssQ3i1fXW1Y47D8eQJ_TqK19ul41bERzDIGgYU9xrlMe8m6wR2KLp7C641Y97nTUImHFxzrD8cFPqrTA/s320/310744251_10160210639122829_2365053263265612556_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><br /></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: large;">But that was only the beginning of the weirdness. </span></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><div dir="auto"><div class="x1iorvi4 x1pi30zi x1l90r2v x1swvt13" data-ad-comet-preview="message" data-ad-preview="message" id="jsc_c_36h"><div class="x78zum5 xdt5ytf xz62fqu x16ldp7u"><div class="xu06os2 x1ok221b"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" dir="auto"><div class="xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: large;">Immediately after the canned fish circus, we walked into The House of Cod Pastry, where a guy was playing pop songs on an organ, everyone was eating cod pastries and drinking port in a kind of what-on-earth-is-this-daze, and a giant collection of books lined a wall. It all had a Dr. Phibes feel to it. </span></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: large;">After that, we went to dinner, and as we passed these two places on the way back, I expected them to not exist, as if they had been conjured up by black magic to mess with the heads of tourists.</span></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ7SRcB3hi9LGDhktYeNiaJjcTSyzmXy5f5n-enXKFuaFpxPrMg3gz2F1npXp17ISxRNrKbtcx5KUQXPm1c6_CTEN5P4q7YDe7yOYp2h3qWlFa98f6FR8k2l4O9_qbHwJbLEdSUm-aS2MgK-QalE2dUMKtxhcB9eGjfK3oE2u1npMvQqpikHqaahWD_A/s2048/309542372_10160211484137829_4003055730379775081_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="996" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ7SRcB3hi9LGDhktYeNiaJjcTSyzmXy5f5n-enXKFuaFpxPrMg3gz2F1npXp17ISxRNrKbtcx5KUQXPm1c6_CTEN5P4q7YDe7yOYp2h3qWlFa98f6FR8k2l4O9_qbHwJbLEdSUm-aS2MgK-QalE2dUMKtxhcB9eGjfK3oE2u1npMvQqpikHqaahWD_A/w312-h640/309542372_10160211484137829_4003055730379775081_n.jpg" width="312" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5YMKMFn3U_vJC-PVRdp56orfq3S9tQudntzmaFYIXusojhuc6IDLl6zspTa6wroMX1VSfIWPF8mY1EJCLN8CpGsNjeSO6YOc906L4vRfsOGcKn7efQy1Bs1_eHRnbqd0NNU9TbVbXC80WjbKZu7g2R2Ye3bpPMNROiwX9vvf0XEPbU5_t_KICD3K1OA/s2048/307883942_10160211483312829_4968532158148255559_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="996" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5YMKMFn3U_vJC-PVRdp56orfq3S9tQudntzmaFYIXusojhuc6IDLl6zspTa6wroMX1VSfIWPF8mY1EJCLN8CpGsNjeSO6YOc906L4vRfsOGcKn7efQy1Bs1_eHRnbqd0NNU9TbVbXC80WjbKZu7g2R2Ye3bpPMNROiwX9vvf0XEPbU5_t_KICD3K1OA/w312-h640/307883942_10160211483312829_4968532158148255559_n.jpg" width="312" /></a></div><br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUBo9zTr7kXqUEhsdSJzw7K4jhi5KPbU8Tt4SclnbBDDROwLneqg8wL1Z_hI12PN0vOGDXk1kosNyVK-51fs1u5VUPG0LmRr676obQFElUYlbsCTcifGyVkN6WD46XH6GqYeSmm0Fv_g5Wiqa45dGg3DTBa0YGaLRYH6J_xXGh3KJjSzifn0CzR5iNJw/s2048/309427495_10160211483707829_5430000709280364035_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="996" data-original-width="2048" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUBo9zTr7kXqUEhsdSJzw7K4jhi5KPbU8Tt4SclnbBDDROwLneqg8wL1Z_hI12PN0vOGDXk1kosNyVK-51fs1u5VUPG0LmRr676obQFElUYlbsCTcifGyVkN6WD46XH6GqYeSmm0Fv_g5Wiqa45dGg3DTBa0YGaLRYH6J_xXGh3KJjSzifn0CzR5iNJw/w640-h312/309427495_10160211483707829_5430000709280364035_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnj_80xeWImkVVCVeJ_MWnj9veHI08bpkJ10MwIjveqUBCkjznnPG3WIF3teBc55a6Apyn60AnHwWqyW0SfF0WJQuMqwGQgsFsO_EaHrQA2_CtefmPMUMu9qcLnYge0ql_wyIGaDlVHR50vdIR_ihTv925_VERNv4jIXLj8MdPRB-Ru9XOrxUFefXJ6Q/s2048/297490898_10160211483742829_7507947188999390193_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="996" data-original-width="2048" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnj_80xeWImkVVCVeJ_MWnj9veHI08bpkJ10MwIjveqUBCkjznnPG3WIF3teBc55a6Apyn60AnHwWqyW0SfF0WJQuMqwGQgsFsO_EaHrQA2_CtefmPMUMu9qcLnYge0ql_wyIGaDlVHR50vdIR_ihTv925_VERNv4jIXLj8MdPRB-Ru9XOrxUFefXJ6Q/w640-h312/297490898_10160211483742829_7507947188999390193_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhreWCg8vDl3qfdCghkDPNdRSqEgiUyPnRvOXYuyjbD6ecBea3xDwZZWnIc2iZCQ8rBi7iPi2AdeGmE2cpiKXnUErlGyl54Yip6wlzp3fWf3O5B__zJDeVfj2kW_5ZAaGS6sJESzn6z5WnNW0bIa07aIwOnNAwotpnHR4t6QtAVkUyA1Q-2Ue4ahUSVVQ/s2048/307127852_10160211483872829_7237532865163443318_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="996" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhreWCg8vDl3qfdCghkDPNdRSqEgiUyPnRvOXYuyjbD6ecBea3xDwZZWnIc2iZCQ8rBi7iPi2AdeGmE2cpiKXnUErlGyl54Yip6wlzp3fWf3O5B__zJDeVfj2kW_5ZAaGS6sJESzn6z5WnNW0bIa07aIwOnNAwotpnHR4t6QtAVkUyA1Q-2Ue4ahUSVVQ/w312-h640/307127852_10160211483872829_7237532865163443318_n.jpg" width="312" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXjKV6ESo4rO5as08H0qvpEyXlImhk49LQu4cYUbLNuuvRcq4pMkOMmn5aAt61v9MNXiRi5tKdCdv3H8P0F5kUSFvl31iOuuEMbClAVXh9whSbJhYrflfMEecvCiWt0ACII_f6wGB01pBKfhw0IqLwEUztBVXC9QUKPY2RuTQ1O1xZzXHmjmMje6gXGA/s2048/309248107_10160211483832829_1717879020837783755_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="996" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXjKV6ESo4rO5as08H0qvpEyXlImhk49LQu4cYUbLNuuvRcq4pMkOMmn5aAt61v9MNXiRi5tKdCdv3H8P0F5kUSFvl31iOuuEMbClAVXh9whSbJhYrflfMEecvCiWt0ACII_f6wGB01pBKfhw0IqLwEUztBVXC9QUKPY2RuTQ1O1xZzXHmjmMje6gXGA/w312-h640/309248107_10160211483832829_1717879020837783755_n.jpg" width="312" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiJtbkPxTOczkwRxrzkKlyO4YB_PZpDdcpRRwI-jonAM5H_raeL7_3YPKcZV6CxXC6Pyfe3N3Rr99ott5tzDZUZaAcCAdVFFFHTg6eQuiITiJuuv1Jftdil57O0E2qewc5u0cA71hYcnt3YUXEVpl20T3hJCCRnZPEXVQ82Fvf3XsiR-uh9csLjfw9Lw/s2048/309312712_10160211484062829_6845081189629608707_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="996" data-original-width="2048" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiJtbkPxTOczkwRxrzkKlyO4YB_PZpDdcpRRwI-jonAM5H_raeL7_3YPKcZV6CxXC6Pyfe3N3Rr99ott5tzDZUZaAcCAdVFFFHTg6eQuiITiJuuv1Jftdil57O0E2qewc5u0cA71hYcnt3YUXEVpl20T3hJCCRnZPEXVQ82Fvf3XsiR-uh9csLjfw9Lw/w640-h312/309312712_10160211484062829_6845081189629608707_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">these are both now in my house<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdq5kE_DVtaq2EOCgZM10qtEjNXjUTjxAfNPoa3K6RL75JAwDMEuT_jFp2s-c0QP9t2V9i4RnTMfH8a66fmc8uU0Py8BoufTAXwLEpfORcTOnaPe-O3aK-q9dt4zpDw_MYjpY6_XFG7BOxE2L_aWWRNBl4tpiq6O63kKJoc5WUAIK7chrV4GseL1Pm_g/s2048/310285432_10160211484012829_6731297889703508575_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="996" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdq5kE_DVtaq2EOCgZM10qtEjNXjUTjxAfNPoa3K6RL75JAwDMEuT_jFp2s-c0QP9t2V9i4RnTMfH8a66fmc8uU0Py8BoufTAXwLEpfORcTOnaPe-O3aK-q9dt4zpDw_MYjpY6_XFG7BOxE2L_aWWRNBl4tpiq6O63kKJoc5WUAIK7chrV4GseL1Pm_g/w312-h640/310285432_10160211484012829_6731297889703508575_n.jpg" width="312" /></a></div><br /><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: large;">Finally, we sat down to dinner, where I had a cod dish that tasted like would it be like if clam chowder was solid. Quite good.</span></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: large;">We tried to call an uber back, but because there are only two car bridges, none seemed to be available to take us to the other side. We walked back over the bridge, then I got the dumb idea to walk up the steps to get to the top to call the car. </span></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh50CxKm9twvLewxI3OruwRyiUtBWVamCjzNMkNhHSDlIvZIMwN9GD_XLFJYn8Hpz4LQnn2gIItxb04SHLLumiOpg1tzLkjFm0321loHWLVBzEKju1ipulVDjOkwuGU1G-vO4hZkZW4aNcMmdskdkYOrM-UvTJz9zkZKrWzj3-h4E9yvs3WjECr7PYswQ/s1733/309927000_10160211502417829_8423346804475348427_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1733" data-original-width="843" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh50CxKm9twvLewxI3OruwRyiUtBWVamCjzNMkNhHSDlIvZIMwN9GD_XLFJYn8Hpz4LQnn2gIItxb04SHLLumiOpg1tzLkjFm0321loHWLVBzEKju1ipulVDjOkwuGU1G-vO4hZkZW4aNcMmdskdkYOrM-UvTJz9zkZKrWzj3-h4E9yvs3WjECr7PYswQ/w312-h640/309927000_10160211502417829_8423346804475348427_n.jpg" width="312" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk7Fcg1PBGkimDx8RhvfYiozarDqpie-Eq9muvXGk2mW6uwziPqfYBsYFmg6YTdSfU1sWjvZFlyR6nqXsP98zqdwD6jjQiEu_itnch77eEHvxm0Jv-yjTkcV3LdTwSugw2Mepopi2WHs_mwnNf4I8JTowLyYWfWy2tfyZR5vUpzVLEKCRUNKa6oZHG5Q/s2048/300414265_10160213548172829_4639810623215600939_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="996" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk7Fcg1PBGkimDx8RhvfYiozarDqpie-Eq9muvXGk2mW6uwziPqfYBsYFmg6YTdSfU1sWjvZFlyR6nqXsP98zqdwD6jjQiEu_itnch77eEHvxm0Jv-yjTkcV3LdTwSugw2Mepopi2WHs_mwnNf4I8JTowLyYWfWy2tfyZR5vUpzVLEKCRUNKa6oZHG5Q/w312-h640/300414265_10160213548172829_4639810623215600939_n.jpg" width="312" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1F8AmAsE4k5DHd2-qLjAPcr6mIk9ecAtlk4jC2dmOWci1eNaSbpQ5O9rlgxcV35AobHtFjxIDY_fDwGR3qwDMd6z8AlRmxTQdCdSm5JhGbCRXAOU9fxu5FwLviJOUhu_HmQ-9fc_go94SxfB0YCuWjYtQdVQ2m2UxNpC0FZuRTwsRS26AHO-snofF9A/s2048/309192635_10160213548492829_5037380249682093147_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="996" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1F8AmAsE4k5DHd2-qLjAPcr6mIk9ecAtlk4jC2dmOWci1eNaSbpQ5O9rlgxcV35AobHtFjxIDY_fDwGR3qwDMd6z8AlRmxTQdCdSm5JhGbCRXAOU9fxu5FwLviJOUhu_HmQ-9fc_go94SxfB0YCuWjYtQdVQ2m2UxNpC0FZuRTwsRS26AHO-snofF9A/w312-h640/309192635_10160213548492829_5037380249682093147_n.jpg" width="312" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMU3RpMlI776YMaN7j2VEnpDFTc7mwd7vkHjkXWoxLrLK4N9_6wdllwVrUYvMsxn9RH2g5R8f0uQtuNva92mDz5t1hysu5gAI9uMh1Zrqxfjse3OyEn7mcSutBMFnowCdywGqiuV7HGJouTkU6RonUqqIGQoAXCb-fzvCd_qvngael8csdlvkpEdb6nA/s2048/309547916_10160213548507829_2950543307410879720_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="996" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMU3RpMlI776YMaN7j2VEnpDFTc7mwd7vkHjkXWoxLrLK4N9_6wdllwVrUYvMsxn9RH2g5R8f0uQtuNva92mDz5t1hysu5gAI9uMh1Zrqxfjse3OyEn7mcSutBMFnowCdywGqiuV7HGJouTkU6RonUqqIGQoAXCb-fzvCd_qvngael8csdlvkpEdb6nA/w312-h640/309547916_10160213548507829_2950543307410879720_n.jpg" width="312" /></a></div> </div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a"><span style="font-size: large;">We found ourselves at the cathedral overlooking the city at night. It would be Monday soon for most of the 250,000 people of this city. For us, it was simply Day 2 of our Portuguese adventure.</span><br /><br /><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: large;">We found an uber and returned to our temporary home.</span></div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;"> </div><div dir="auto" style="text-align: start;">To be continued...</div></div></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></span></div></div></div></div><p></p>Cathiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07291479913130967235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3857295146936801558.post-29077420175242932632022-10-26T13:37:00.000-04:002022-10-26T13:37:00.853-04:00A Walk by the River Douro<p><span style="font-size: large;">We did look around. The temperature was that kind of 70 that is sometimes pleasant and sometimes one step before chilly. We listened to a girl's school group sing a few songs. We watched the tour boats on the water. We counted the number of port wineries on the other side of the river. Porto, the only place in the world you can call fortified wine "port," like champagne comes from Champagne. Porto, from whence the name Portugal originates. Porto, where the wine cork was invented and probably wine, too.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">We stopped for a bit of a rest. I had another Super Bock. People went by, then more, then more after that, people from all over the world visiting this trendy travel destination where wine flows as freely as the Douro.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large; letter-spacing: 0.2px;">Then we walked. When we reached the Luis I bridge, we thought we'd go back up the hill, but the funicular line was ridiculously long, so we looked for the entrance to the elevator we saw earlier. But when we took it up, it led to nowhere, and we ended up taking steps down right to where we started.</span><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXti-FkJeFko7zuaN44r8Ymfs9fdmdXcqscm29VDPKoUN2nG_4P6qmchdRnh-PQ-0qAqyKNtAGVyqRAUDcQQ9JXY6_3vYsn9xx9sFQCdZYVkmzunqtP-sxmqMLrbDlraVAaIjQ7MJ_vvc3Ca8LxZSXYvRQQu9Y-WRjUlj_SGaVx0mSTOcakQV2rjmDqw/s6000/DSC_0832.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXti-FkJeFko7zuaN44r8Ymfs9fdmdXcqscm29VDPKoUN2nG_4P6qmchdRnh-PQ-0qAqyKNtAGVyqRAUDcQQ9JXY6_3vYsn9xx9sFQCdZYVkmzunqtP-sxmqMLrbDlraVAaIjQ7MJ_vvc3Ca8LxZSXYvRQQu9Y-WRjUlj_SGaVx0mSTOcakQV2rjmDqw/w640-h426/DSC_0832.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitQ6fNTs_OGxVNcM6JkP8_NcSUfRtypZRO7o-IkhnPFN6-GwzY7cGRzhxUx-yxc-4cO5JOtkCMtFl0dIKcjn50nsKPM7XK5xnAeb-fEoGADojinPLdoRfEQGqqzbsDcJibfSc6qHECPnsLsxKamaohnoNPypqqzKjsnLNBGz8SzU1GfDWIXBOC9TrlKw/s6000/DSC_0839.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglgH9vNcxZ0E3kTxd8zTJ0_gcRlfhXwlAf8cR5WPhD2DqdZ5vnKrjU1Rh4XKIYKKPvRtGAMWlQ8kGTcgSo3UaWzKkJ31_P79Vp0_NHzXlc2ybYJLI4CsICtqCRNeIo1lOHLb9iOgft__mh0FIltkLXQVGRCqeIx417sSsc3JlpjpZdNbSYT8esmXAwEQ/s6000/DSC_0874.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglgH9vNcxZ0E3kTxd8zTJ0_gcRlfhXwlAf8cR5WPhD2DqdZ5vnKrjU1Rh4XKIYKKPvRtGAMWlQ8kGTcgSo3UaWzKkJ31_P79Vp0_NHzXlc2ybYJLI4CsICtqCRNeIo1lOHLb9iOgft__mh0FIltkLXQVGRCqeIx417sSsc3JlpjpZdNbSYT8esmXAwEQ/w640-h426/DSC_0874.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_XOPWpG16IwSVpFY63iGzPgb4BxxvqQqqbbLn7ZKyhoi7aVya3oFRQUdH0iW-SOamdTCnQQWlFDfBLAoc27ncjNzlfXd0jUjkAD3SGB4cu_eyEy13EihcXNCWA16GnWkN7OIK_E8UAMq_lM3fo2u6EgYnFbPM3ZrjCz1nujUbrMXePz3sOxQbol_3Tg/s6000/DSC_0875.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_XOPWpG16IwSVpFY63iGzPgb4BxxvqQqqbbLn7ZKyhoi7aVya3oFRQUdH0iW-SOamdTCnQQWlFDfBLAoc27ncjNzlfXd0jUjkAD3SGB4cu_eyEy13EihcXNCWA16GnWkN7OIK_E8UAMq_lM3fo2u6EgYnFbPM3ZrjCz1nujUbrMXePz3sOxQbol_3Tg/w640-h426/DSC_0875.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz9iWsDqTTpk3AUX1Ivmuxil_MqWZdXLeSK7XupBsJvVxKmtXSpBbKBcD--T2J0c3m__68N77QKbm9yK33W17lramoghuDV61qV9p1XNBpyFLqbryvLQCd-8Uojr63dGcfz4pA6qt_JBcjpQmPmUEkihLVKawzditfVBB8ir34Dhw8GKHiaWfI3AadjQ/s6000/DSC_0876.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz9iWsDqTTpk3AUX1Ivmuxil_MqWZdXLeSK7XupBsJvVxKmtXSpBbKBcD--T2J0c3m__68N77QKbm9yK33W17lramoghuDV61qV9p1XNBpyFLqbryvLQCd-8Uojr63dGcfz4pA6qt_JBcjpQmPmUEkihLVKawzditfVBB8ir34Dhw8GKHiaWfI3AadjQ/w640-h426/DSC_0876.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">funiculi funicula funiculi funculaaaaaaa<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb1kTUdzi_IGNtH3gUXdYGCmoWvDzP7E71rIgLOdLBffA7i6V9giQ00bY-qv05AerrEXz-OH8lfnmL8dVWt5iwBcxu8zvgQU1wq9Hr8HDL_x9Rt-o5jUQY3YEZbDG4rsxV2BYB-J7aM9fNK84OfB3Uer_vcjWcQiAZ-A3h4eJ3oZbiAVQ-1FSZe8PUPg/s6000/DSC_0877.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb1kTUdzi_IGNtH3gUXdYGCmoWvDzP7E71rIgLOdLBffA7i6V9giQ00bY-qv05AerrEXz-OH8lfnmL8dVWt5iwBcxu8zvgQU1wq9Hr8HDL_x9Rt-o5jUQY3YEZbDG4rsxV2BYB-J7aM9fNK84OfB3Uer_vcjWcQiAZ-A3h4eJ3oZbiAVQ-1FSZe8PUPg/w640-h426/DSC_0877.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga6jj9l3OBw6Fsiy6y9LaCDoo4zGKhIfkUxScg3YevD8eDxt23YaqAJdOnU2pmFvVqKAoPwJtQ1a9LCZ5eHjc4JOG6EA_9ga2xa9IbZBdv5p_nGwm1K5l6ZPbz77NpQjZJ5b04bvDpX7SBer9Bg7v6n6xS0se17JFmAzFHnvQXPk4V3zqy697uX7zGZg/s6000/DSC_0878.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga6jj9l3OBw6Fsiy6y9LaCDoo4zGKhIfkUxScg3YevD8eDxt23YaqAJdOnU2pmFvVqKAoPwJtQ1a9LCZ5eHjc4JOG6EA_9ga2xa9IbZBdv5p_nGwm1K5l6ZPbz77NpQjZJ5b04bvDpX7SBer9Bg7v6n6xS0se17JFmAzFHnvQXPk4V3zqy697uX7zGZg/w640-h426/DSC_0878.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the elevator to nowhere<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEl9YVAy-Ta_xoPCDDqvZB28MYYvfcc29WG-i3VBGFNUfTOeDK1LC_vhJXZVQ-17k6DmQpw1WXyhkXMKXNWzEZaND1SvOWZrsgMOkA0OJhy_n8eSL1z1vtBqRvx3cQw-q6nxz9NNb9Ucdd12d5_StF8Z3FGxfPslSPZiyUZClrRl6GS0V1Hirs1Gq-Wg/s6000/DSC_0879.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEl9YVAy-Ta_xoPCDDqvZB28MYYvfcc29WG-i3VBGFNUfTOeDK1LC_vhJXZVQ-17k6DmQpw1WXyhkXMKXNWzEZaND1SvOWZrsgMOkA0OJhy_n8eSL1z1vtBqRvx3cQw-q6nxz9NNb9Ucdd12d5_StF8Z3FGxfPslSPZiyUZClrRl6GS0V1Hirs1Gq-Wg/w640-h426/DSC_0879.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the elevator to nowhere provided this view<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif4HeU0zpoyL-sELJhvnl1Tz4cjoeN0YN0d6kcXNp2Q7PZLGOd9v8COedRwyvpUzRmyPcEOMsRg66Dj9TNBRt09uiizMeetD5kHOU2zq5wHGl3EnwuSdi9_uLPEXofSSQZolcuKTR3aZYBSPQ-8zZo0lMXoe3_bxls7VUYMdN1ktV2GNf8cR5Ro-6uRg/s6000/DSC_0881.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif4HeU0zpoyL-sELJhvnl1Tz4cjoeN0YN0d6kcXNp2Q7PZLGOd9v8COedRwyvpUzRmyPcEOMsRg66Dj9TNBRt09uiizMeetD5kHOU2zq5wHGl3EnwuSdi9_uLPEXofSSQZolcuKTR3aZYBSPQ-8zZo0lMXoe3_bxls7VUYMdN1ktV2GNf8cR5Ro-6uRg/w640-h426/DSC_0881.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">and this view<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuwqE4m3O32afMFParCbzZADvqqMCHp5vYtJoU7zQGRCeMEAaoN_jjKhbnxTz1lMkif262BFUobboksVSinVb2GK3rCIm2X71J5R-9XULbDuMQVG09rxNE3dDpzFeG13b5XTx7kAKYnniVl9Zo7B-LasD5kUeRqgszODB58Mk4ZCu1BY3AaqTaNwYpbg/s6000/DSC_0882.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuwqE4m3O32afMFParCbzZADvqqMCHp5vYtJoU7zQGRCeMEAaoN_jjKhbnxTz1lMkif262BFUobboksVSinVb2GK3rCIm2X71J5R-9XULbDuMQVG09rxNE3dDpzFeG13b5XTx7kAKYnniVl9Zo7B-LasD5kUeRqgszODB58Mk4ZCu1BY3AaqTaNwYpbg/w640-h426/DSC_0882.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">and overlooked someone's private garden<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqWN5QyGvQzzF3yLKF9E3OGL-fnDcFvnKvifunsEfDlu6g8TKd2MS0m_YBUfTl6JouCSRSTocgDiXAqowMTKy1tnyoooKMh-gGQXtdNKjIVmu1bH4lsCZW0t5I0-hgt61GqhzZ8Hoa2o5VHHJoBxlbxL10k1-bpkGUsA2yYgKx44sMLV9CeOI8-TeeVw/s6000/DSC_0883.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqWN5QyGvQzzF3yLKF9E3OGL-fnDcFvnKvifunsEfDlu6g8TKd2MS0m_YBUfTl6JouCSRSTocgDiXAqowMTKy1tnyoooKMh-gGQXtdNKjIVmu1bH4lsCZW0t5I0-hgt61GqhzZ8Hoa2o5VHHJoBxlbxL10k1-bpkGUsA2yYgKx44sMLV9CeOI8-TeeVw/w640-h426/DSC_0883.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the stairs we ended up going down because there was nowhere else to go<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWzcpXPrFLKWvCJ9d7SqbDkw-eYq6va_xfLPtC6u7FTbbbOHQkTOMAYqOraCCGv8CwwyBSkPiXhQRtY6hsySRNIQCXSvUPy5KJA1FlPX4HJ_vOPjyIpA8x_2Mq1jMbCq2cHzH0VNnNX_HBuaU0v0tmD0Y-58aIPEtem-GT88V3RSc-t6KgOaJdWRe7Rg/s6000/DSC_0884.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWzcpXPrFLKWvCJ9d7SqbDkw-eYq6va_xfLPtC6u7FTbbbOHQkTOMAYqOraCCGv8CwwyBSkPiXhQRtY6hsySRNIQCXSvUPy5KJA1FlPX4HJ_vOPjyIpA8x_2Mq1jMbCq2cHzH0VNnNX_HBuaU0v0tmD0Y-58aIPEtem-GT88V3RSc-t6KgOaJdWRe7Rg/w640-h426/DSC_0884.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">petunia-like flowers except they grow on a vine<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqAck3PoGssQORX8otz1Q3yuzqmHr8gCyOG02SiDO0oRXYgSWeECbQ6fmPMmjBqI580dwQTYlx_FYOaXGIOBiqiSsrsrZlcrvwLa3YsmCH-y20_WzOkxvLp5z2a0026wJpJeIZwor4_OxBi5y23gapE6YAnApH-5D74jEoZD_nd-PyJGvIGbOzIPFJ0A/s6000/DSC_0885.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqAck3PoGssQORX8otz1Q3yuzqmHr8gCyOG02SiDO0oRXYgSWeECbQ6fmPMmjBqI580dwQTYlx_FYOaXGIOBiqiSsrsrZlcrvwLa3YsmCH-y20_WzOkxvLp5z2a0026wJpJeIZwor4_OxBi5y23gapE6YAnApH-5D74jEoZD_nd-PyJGvIGbOzIPFJ0A/w640-h426/DSC_0885.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">could they be purple nasturtiums? do those exist?<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirvvuWQnUE2bFSvUhOzFQ7K4K_MC69gY2LhKxFIj4jss1lvrKcOasF8YtrsRImm0n9z1KrOUI30J9fpEZ31m7Bc-lx7rOXXvbQsWUtrLjfHCRnzNd3X1yj8F79WVpWD27HJXam0rjB_DnMf25gMA2MJg6b-C3IRY5iineG_bG_4f09e4cXr-n_UB-TeA/s6000/DSC_0886.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirvvuWQnUE2bFSvUhOzFQ7K4K_MC69gY2LhKxFIj4jss1lvrKcOasF8YtrsRImm0n9z1KrOUI30J9fpEZ31m7Bc-lx7rOXXvbQsWUtrLjfHCRnzNd3X1yj8F79WVpWD27HJXam0rjB_DnMf25gMA2MJg6b-C3IRY5iineG_bG_4f09e4cXr-n_UB-TeA/w640-h426/DSC_0886.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHMZd_mZpcItuSh-v9n7z_q_yXxnXYL6Z7ZnZqLr-CgwEIxDShUwGRct8coppJla02hMnLgabPUg52rax46pPMxoXqEYS36_0rAxYyxDTPUN2UxfDTe9aheybBlutNSrDMLzrXUr-6B_BlZ8NQFvloMDIoFp_v3JpgQVI5vzejrqVz05BoqbJV5_TLFQ/s6000/DSC_0887.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHMZd_mZpcItuSh-v9n7z_q_yXxnXYL6Z7ZnZqLr-CgwEIxDShUwGRct8coppJla02hMnLgabPUg52rax46pPMxoXqEYS36_0rAxYyxDTPUN2UxfDTe9aheybBlutNSrDMLzrXUr-6B_BlZ8NQFvloMDIoFp_v3JpgQVI5vzejrqVz05BoqbJV5_TLFQ/w640-h426/DSC_0887.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">second place I saw this graffiti<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY3oU-4xZTvcccUUoeVDfQioRI4ImcqpZn2wQ39kpoVheJ1DAm5jilTR054Rp7ssf9-zMDWwke45SW7DvT3lATIsFfGWfPOXUp7tIpNRk0RipdJA--vTq0HzRDGA3NUsSpUDwNv4sMl53r__fz6SDayWFEdrPP-3AW0HgE8-P33dmZg4G6LslcZ-0HJg/s6000/DSC_0888.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY3oU-4xZTvcccUUoeVDfQioRI4ImcqpZn2wQ39kpoVheJ1DAm5jilTR054Rp7ssf9-zMDWwke45SW7DvT3lATIsFfGWfPOXUp7tIpNRk0RipdJA--vTq0HzRDGA3NUsSpUDwNv4sMl53r__fz6SDayWFEdrPP-3AW0HgE8-P33dmZg4G6LslcZ-0HJg/w640-h426/DSC_0888.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpZO33eOsTbStv05pQjHNNZSizLR1Nvv0c0eqK0Dn_seWsJ2IOF8SrxbRA-PhXJMera5ImmoSlu8IpWH4TyouwmdVBF7OUhgTG1AUPxwKVDSeW4Wiwb3kgqRBMTi_Czg-0j8YsccSdoJZ2Qhisye1jnzrrBm5grloywSp_UvhenJUi5GdTtZos__CgVw/s6000/DSC_0889.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpZO33eOsTbStv05pQjHNNZSizLR1Nvv0c0eqK0Dn_seWsJ2IOF8SrxbRA-PhXJMera5ImmoSlu8IpWH4TyouwmdVBF7OUhgTG1AUPxwKVDSeW4Wiwb3kgqRBMTi_Czg-0j8YsccSdoJZ2Qhisye1jnzrrBm5grloywSp_UvhenJUi5GdTtZos__CgVw/w640-h426/DSC_0889.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">mural going into a tunnel<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><span style="font-size: large;">We decided to cross the bridge.</span></p><p>To be continued...<br /></p><p><br /></p>Cathiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07291479913130967235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3857295146936801558.post-32661955765520770662022-10-25T20:30:00.000-04:002022-10-26T07:31:43.268-04:00Find the River<p><span style="font-size: large;">After admiring the view from above, we continued our journey to the river, down winding, narrow streets where cars have no business but drive anyway. The descent was steep; the traffic...stupid. But the sights became more interesting the closer to sea, er, river level we got. Porto was largely spared from the 1755 earthquake that destroyed 85% of Lisbon, so many medieval buildings remain, defiant against time and tourism. Much of the Ribeira is hundreds of years old, although many of the houses are badly in need of repair and risk collapse. Perhaps a good time to buy a fixer-upper?<br></span></p><p><br></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKLQyiABAeCiv028YO0451gH5rxaBbb4FZeahilaaFDUeOM7X5GHNfwJfbfU8sIeic1Ltpd80K-NbhLRXiMZRHt4I6E91AeLjNSQR2m5hgmu6wB599_IjiwYfkQf7G0tX4E6hLter6sSUEfB0yxx6hcZg8hfVVi6PIvNsxQ6vyReaUCjx5nT0oqDLJ5Q/s6000/DSC_0800.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKLQyiABAeCiv028YO0451gH5rxaBbb4FZeahilaaFDUeOM7X5GHNfwJfbfU8sIeic1Ltpd80K-NbhLRXiMZRHt4I6E91AeLjNSQR2m5hgmu6wB599_IjiwYfkQf7G0tX4E6hLter6sSUEfB0yxx6hcZg8hfVVi6PIvNsxQ6vyReaUCjx5nT0oqDLJ5Q/w640-h426/DSC_0800.JPG" width="640"></a></div><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMVAbTF-D28SeDFyfPty5w2U7e1U7DCc9TKljtkEQst2ru1UXXO3LSqOwNOn0qKW3Vzm6GNzst1KecpV2sKoRm00A4eMLxPF1tsC5lbFThoBSS9rAH3xRjjD4IlMzoyhR87abU488BQ7wxwf6I5LQAUgqmMQPiTnKfX0unAcQaohb5mLk_0rgRVafCrw/s6000/DSC_0799.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="4000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMVAbTF-D28SeDFyfPty5w2U7e1U7DCc9TKljtkEQst2ru1UXXO3LSqOwNOn0qKW3Vzm6GNzst1KecpV2sKoRm00A4eMLxPF1tsC5lbFThoBSS9rAH3xRjjD4IlMzoyhR87abU488BQ7wxwf6I5LQAUgqmMQPiTnKfX0unAcQaohb5mLk_0rgRVafCrw/w426-h640/DSC_0799.JPG" width="426"></a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixbHtL5pRBiTjWVZBAg7TQPmSYjC9VhB4kCUbknf65UyttGqx0n7Obocx469eJau4ZnNsotR6Y9K4mIWsbvPzEoHwSbNJuYLEGVc6wjVJrsdUOTkqAKo9ZYrSaEE-9__769Lmyoy1zkTELtzwKHbhQ69kn1L2EFe4ov5qTEyY-NzdWLkymMQV0abau5Q/s6000/DSC_0802.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixbHtL5pRBiTjWVZBAg7TQPmSYjC9VhB4kCUbknf65UyttGqx0n7Obocx469eJau4ZnNsotR6Y9K4mIWsbvPzEoHwSbNJuYLEGVc6wjVJrsdUOTkqAKo9ZYrSaEE-9__769Lmyoy1zkTELtzwKHbhQ69kn1L2EFe4ov5qTEyY-NzdWLkymMQV0abau5Q/w640-h426/DSC_0802.JPG" width="640"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6rv8YdrqEL28lDSgQn547i04Y3TKaS16pwCOMp5arcLbRhBqMtpPwQu7QEg5Br-UNZNje3h4qUVcMw20M0uOLGpzBlAbw7IcsIG9SkC2UyQYB8l_gE7CMX0m5Rc3PSc7mMp6soK3LXTVvZq3mh4KPEAefZlbdx03Fx4DBHWllWp1rnjW25uqGcNuWYg/s6000/DSC_0816.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6rv8YdrqEL28lDSgQn547i04Y3TKaS16pwCOMp5arcLbRhBqMtpPwQu7QEg5Br-UNZNje3h4qUVcMw20M0uOLGpzBlAbw7IcsIG9SkC2UyQYB8l_gE7CMX0m5Rc3PSc7mMp6soK3LXTVvZq3mh4KPEAefZlbdx03Fx4DBHWllWp1rnjW25uqGcNuWYg/w640-h426/DSC_0816.JPG" width="640"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4oY0MmdkvDzp_kCHNdvBnhjELxn4siQrdoATupMMtBUX1aHLjJUrSY1kgXQIc3njFzpSzbtIafTzdJ_F-frneda3A-SgibD4B0P9StfwAglp9D9gMGD6y-jXbv0275FPgCJIejPDAwJzXYiNjoJP0MJQoYqUNVEumEIO_3885MnzufQehrcFrAcfaEw/s6000/DSC_0817.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4oY0MmdkvDzp_kCHNdvBnhjELxn4siQrdoATupMMtBUX1aHLjJUrSY1kgXQIc3njFzpSzbtIafTzdJ_F-frneda3A-SgibD4B0P9StfwAglp9D9gMGD6y-jXbv0275FPgCJIejPDAwJzXYiNjoJP0MJQoYqUNVEumEIO_3885MnzufQehrcFrAcfaEw/w640-h426/DSC_0817.JPG" width="640"></a></div><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4v9MxG0JrAQq14qgllr0v0NBaIn-FJm9GFNAxFhsGSbjNvTOb37UO63azp8HRnSI5H26FS9n8MYuzmcMiCvW-MFREQUMbvzOf1MKLopAn6CHKTBJBJ9g_TB9US4Im9oMfRzamY_rY-aHiE_To00sswgg2A6xGeG-GwCfCK-jMxfpSeQ4g9CdAcFisKA/s6000/DSC_0819.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4v9MxG0JrAQq14qgllr0v0NBaIn-FJm9GFNAxFhsGSbjNvTOb37UO63azp8HRnSI5H26FS9n8MYuzmcMiCvW-MFREQUMbvzOf1MKLopAn6CHKTBJBJ9g_TB9US4Im9oMfRzamY_rY-aHiE_To00sswgg2A6xGeG-GwCfCK-jMxfpSeQ4g9CdAcFisKA/w640-h426/DSC_0819.JPG" width="640"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our first sighting of port - Taylor's<br></td></tr></tbody></table><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibIRavGUV6eDbKpEsHTjRQFvTVLe4piotjovpeOSYTxNtLmWOv4YSbY2Ee-mI1gFycG5K-kbjxpo3_5-1z5DS9GI6G_O-hNLnUJ_eqAOi77xCxQavxR9r3eMB9_MINYEZCOMSDSE2SKnJJis6NGv27Bn1IM_WM0Zc6ERsQ9juagrzcfzLy_zrEjMKDyA/s6000/DSC_0820.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibIRavGUV6eDbKpEsHTjRQFvTVLe4piotjovpeOSYTxNtLmWOv4YSbY2Ee-mI1gFycG5K-kbjxpo3_5-1z5DS9GI6G_O-hNLnUJ_eqAOi77xCxQavxR9r3eMB9_MINYEZCOMSDSE2SKnJJis6NGv27Bn1IM_WM0Zc6ERsQ9juagrzcfzLy_zrEjMKDyA/w640-h426/DSC_0820.JPG" width="640"></a></div><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIKAgQmrI5ZNKE-Mgp0XZIr_oMNbiZ2DLESUskLUmL3ipUrPBZZYscUqXYDtNhiz-1gKnEzeByMqw2E6Vvmd7BXDqt1Hi_tUJTApEwxIfkT9Ml9MVsdi01YL1A2pmXHBV_3kBqK0RqiXcEEKyAQZdO0Jmv85EM43zfXYpqk05zUgEcKqtb2TCEFQTvsg/s6000/DSC_0822.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIKAgQmrI5ZNKE-Mgp0XZIr_oMNbiZ2DLESUskLUmL3ipUrPBZZYscUqXYDtNhiz-1gKnEzeByMqw2E6Vvmd7BXDqt1Hi_tUJTApEwxIfkT9Ml9MVsdi01YL1A2pmXHBV_3kBqK0RqiXcEEKyAQZdO0Jmv85EM43zfXYpqk05zUgEcKqtb2TCEFQTvsg/w640-h426/DSC_0822.JPG" width="640"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Who is he? I don't know.<br></td></tr></tbody></table><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigBXNME4V23fVVVvDd21dOdKrNXJRTJccRPG8-6HQl0xlzV66lmHUttSeuneUjfkA5nkEqYqlCQd1Qx6ex9RzkonvZ164ckfx80JVi4bk_tkf_4hHcj2J_zfk_ed-oYMMRzhUIkCMVYqUo4t_Un3aswN7CJSBuWnYn1pBMmxWChV2uXOezfiE0Rgb_1Q/s6000/DSC_0825.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigBXNME4V23fVVVvDd21dOdKrNXJRTJccRPG8-6HQl0xlzV66lmHUttSeuneUjfkA5nkEqYqlCQd1Qx6ex9RzkonvZ164ckfx80JVi4bk_tkf_4hHcj2J_zfk_ed-oYMMRzhUIkCMVYqUo4t_Un3aswN7CJSBuWnYn1pBMmxWChV2uXOezfiE0Rgb_1Q/w640-h426/DSC_0825.JPG" width="640"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Found the river<br></td></tr></tbody></table> <p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">So this was the riveria of the Douro. It was, as it should be, lined with cafes and restaurants down the entire strip, even as the hills stood in the way. We looked around... </span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA7EmHgb998zUEC5IqcpEEemuYEGGX88HXIN3Vbqj4MF6GWHnvSQGJjjGPWkJ3u1PnrTRwULpg4AwGY_7xQo7Ra_hAw66C6gZ69RW9zdB57JoOV5TiHvjpTx6o0GJzC9tLkxRW6VWOIzzs3lLEXVr3QoKm4_NbbFIfeosZ1zQoeCUowbvpStwQP4mwKw/s6000/DSC_0827.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA7EmHgb998zUEC5IqcpEEemuYEGGX88HXIN3Vbqj4MF6GWHnvSQGJjjGPWkJ3u1PnrTRwULpg4AwGY_7xQo7Ra_hAw66C6gZ69RW9zdB57JoOV5TiHvjpTx6o0GJzC9tLkxRW6VWOIzzs3lLEXVr3QoKm4_NbbFIfeosZ1zQoeCUowbvpStwQP4mwKw/w640-h426/DSC_0827.JPG" width="640"></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinSqegCOkcUGGVtOVPcVAEU5N6TjFWJMRi9wEGZCdCSVQS9hVBHP0wswFV9QYP8OJvN_tXSuH1QQ-3ECC_B-AFbbbxHZzHpnQqy_lHu6NPHe90Tlxi7Mk2-x2rf7mX1XXvaUydW_mb4DVLB_UMLmGD3GpJojHZ4zPAokqI9LyDVqaBlsHKM4oa-NCmGw/s6000/DSC_0829.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinSqegCOkcUGGVtOVPcVAEU5N6TjFWJMRi9wEGZCdCSVQS9hVBHP0wswFV9QYP8OJvN_tXSuH1QQ-3ECC_B-AFbbbxHZzHpnQqy_lHu6NPHe90Tlxi7Mk2-x2rf7mX1XXvaUydW_mb4DVLB_UMLmGD3GpJojHZ4zPAokqI9LyDVqaBlsHKM4oa-NCmGw/w640-h426/DSC_0829.JPG" width="640"></a></div></span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1hjIIhPQ8KqTlK1EXrNeN99mtm3MUHHWHwQfipMexgF696_l-r3wc54s46_uGf3t3-Z8fwNwxknnJ5zYNIldmlUNcgIPkzvMoyFdkXTArUUALpNWkz0o9hM9u45qik6Q9UghRJH_-9f9IMSZo33WLpITUxGBH4WhLdarqoABDV9pME4HsgnpeJaSnkQ/s6000/DSC_0830.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1hjIIhPQ8KqTlK1EXrNeN99mtm3MUHHWHwQfipMexgF696_l-r3wc54s46_uGf3t3-Z8fwNwxknnJ5zYNIldmlUNcgIPkzvMoyFdkXTArUUALpNWkz0o9hM9u45qik6Q9UghRJH_-9f9IMSZo33WLpITUxGBH4WhLdarqoABDV9pME4HsgnpeJaSnkQ/w640-h426/DSC_0830.JPG" width="640"></a></div><br><span style="font-size: large;"><br>We had a loooong look around. To be continued...</span><br><p></p>Cathiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07291479913130967235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3857295146936801558.post-41304358902605663522022-10-25T18:44:00.002-04:002022-10-26T07:28:46.633-04:00Porto, Real Day 1, A Walk to a River<p><span style="font-size: large;">...I walked until I reached a pedestrian zone. Voila! Restaurants. And everything else. I went back to fetch Chris and we walked back the 15 minutes to a square in the city to have lunch.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">I love small plate meals, whether you call them tapas, mezze, or whatever else people of the world - especially Mediterranean and Mediterranean-adjacent types - choose to call them. This was the first of many tapas meals we ate, and the first of several charcuterie boards, too, because the cheeses and salted meats are too good, even if they contain the sodium content of an ocean. (We both felt the effects of too much sodium at certain points.) Portuguese have a chorizo sausage that is 10x better than Mexican chorizo (which I like), and prosciutto that is every bit as good as the Italian variety. The cheeses are fairly unique - a lot of creamier cheeses, some reminiscent of brie, others distinctively Portuguese. We tried a couple of hard cheeses, too, which tasted like what a cheese would be if you crossed a hard Italian cheese with cheddar. Tasty.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSZ3mD4ynjXy5biTFva38kTd9qBiR9BzDxG8G-AqwCh_VYfEVefOL5G_no82LPrne6FVQu9KV-okyH29u2a3j6r60Fb5OOoNvH2q5vsNlNLL_uVGjuQbmBgrIPB95N_OR7n5URbgJs3K0UXpy1UlO3IHQQezOF70fPpEstS4oa08vTmqjunZ9r93nj6w/s6000/DSC_0742.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSZ3mD4ynjXy5biTFva38kTd9qBiR9BzDxG8G-AqwCh_VYfEVefOL5G_no82LPrne6FVQu9KV-okyH29u2a3j6r60Fb5OOoNvH2q5vsNlNLL_uVGjuQbmBgrIPB95N_OR7n5URbgJs3K0UXpy1UlO3IHQQezOF70fPpEstS4oa08vTmqjunZ9r93nj6w/w640-h426/DSC_0742.JPG" width="640"></a></div><br> <p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBKURjLAvYqi31Py4F3LCSvN--5QM3n3N8kCLHjMd74WHnWE5Jn8aOPdXd4JTq3ILcc5v3Q0S_UmdAJ6dpaa4PZkbHX9Ex2oVmlYabeqDZuj_LUuW9GcqtfXGIwSzFkjpkx-BJELZzMwUQmyHOWucmQ-PrOqUmpYp_psb5VoJvPjSeA7RdtogbRyAUAg/s6000/DSC_0734.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBKURjLAvYqi31Py4F3LCSvN--5QM3n3N8kCLHjMd74WHnWE5Jn8aOPdXd4JTq3ILcc5v3Q0S_UmdAJ6dpaa4PZkbHX9Ex2oVmlYabeqDZuj_LUuW9GcqtfXGIwSzFkjpkx-BJELZzMwUQmyHOWucmQ-PrOqUmpYp_psb5VoJvPjSeA7RdtogbRyAUAg/w640-h426/DSC_0734.JPG" width="640"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">view from our table with vespa and flea market<br></td></tr></tbody></table><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6fplMBgYgpCTo8j9m8A2q8IGEJqt9Gm6Fe4iSfueh74eIEkDu67yFl5cSgxg-la-yajAVsA4DstpX9em5NVS45B3TgqgLZfcU92DPM6BfjHAYRlWAz7-9JVo-58vr8X_sw9I47FdcNsU6sMcDdD9TtcjfMAQA54V8othWD_doLCnDLl45ZeyUm69sXg/s6000/DSC_0737.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6fplMBgYgpCTo8j9m8A2q8IGEJqt9Gm6Fe4iSfueh74eIEkDu67yFl5cSgxg-la-yajAVsA4DstpX9em5NVS45B3TgqgLZfcU92DPM6BfjHAYRlWAz7-9JVo-58vr8X_sw9I47FdcNsU6sMcDdD9TtcjfMAQA54V8othWD_doLCnDLl45ZeyUm69sXg/w640-h426/DSC_0737.JPG" width="640"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">graffiti above us<br></td></tr></tbody></table><br><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOMubkR3CM_IwmbKFlNYslC7CINQ3tf2WFNLcwZvLSB25jWUPLQ5Q58cSTkhzExwfgKqRbL7_8a9ACR6wXLcvqj3kPuLcqLDz7TvXZERGtDjS8sRp1STQngttaGK7JWQwfLrd-isdIH9KStx9_X_W5fZ5rLHpLU2SjoXAvKNISyPI0uGLSM-wVTpP7NQ/w640-h426/DSC_0740.JPG" width="640"></div><br><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyakSrlj0mtNogde5WwYXxL2CeZUMGk0ZSs59ewirQRpDvFonGsSXh_DXXWOTvW7zj5R04KCaguQHEynITD5kA-tPpWiInM4LG9r6kAGH8S3VwOrwLY_VViVysEcUceSrI_igPHeDwPhQ7lVqvruVg7FC_bv7t50kqP5g0dEyr4eUffPjgvPtHBIk7-g/s6000/DSC_0744.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyakSrlj0mtNogde5WwYXxL2CeZUMGk0ZSs59ewirQRpDvFonGsSXh_DXXWOTvW7zj5R04KCaguQHEynITD5kA-tPpWiInM4LG9r6kAGH8S3VwOrwLY_VViVysEcUceSrI_igPHeDwPhQ7lVqvruVg7FC_bv7t50kqP5g0dEyr4eUffPjgvPtHBIk7-g/w640-h426/DSC_0744.JPG" width="640"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Birds enjoying some Super Bock<br></td></tr></tbody></table><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhHnoz-04gyiIDqqnCPLzR3LN_KFqX0rm4-A34sYCUxsCzupVoIGI3g380bNLBmLvu42fYHQSvztsIdKmvYSBgtTX_BvYxSlkCnFAbIx5JE2BRTIxrBS9CI-0G9pVRT9sg_heyVU2x2NezbAohuZm4yeLpsG2rlfW4uC2cQ6ipW1GOHYlVMseYFHTZQw/s6000/DSC_0747.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhHnoz-04gyiIDqqnCPLzR3LN_KFqX0rm4-A34sYCUxsCzupVoIGI3g380bNLBmLvu42fYHQSvztsIdKmvYSBgtTX_BvYxSlkCnFAbIx5JE2BRTIxrBS9CI-0G9pVRT9sg_heyVU2x2NezbAohuZm4yeLpsG2rlfW4uC2cQ6ipW1GOHYlVMseYFHTZQw/w640-h426/DSC_0747.JPG" width="640"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">view from our table<br></td></tr></tbody></table><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn_nB9zYB68UGAsMb5F-Oh8Z4eBA2Fh3kie32wTW-wWWKa7n7GNn9pHhTxYdlo76P_dWC-kwRta8mRoK1m9dyjcDVrqaMHjBkRyS3KIyfMPWzKbbWSg_YXTOL0QIiunmemEIYBR02hVT9Kgmjr52SWqmk9_skLjK-4H_I6EJbvFgjRqbsKndEL_fdmEg/s6000/DSC_0748.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn_nB9zYB68UGAsMb5F-Oh8Z4eBA2Fh3kie32wTW-wWWKa7n7GNn9pHhTxYdlo76P_dWC-kwRta8mRoK1m9dyjcDVrqaMHjBkRyS3KIyfMPWzKbbWSg_YXTOL0QIiunmemEIYBR02hVT9Kgmjr52SWqmk9_skLjK-4H_I6EJbvFgjRqbsKndEL_fdmEg/w640-h426/DSC_0748.JPG" width="640"> </a></td><td style="text-align: center;"> </td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Where we ate</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYLgGKu2UzkI1lhQPdW8EjoadOMAaV2jEx7qQiEXmpVlkcQ6-KCIZtZMjVVqFwDAluDTxd4pSTYd8Hb_mGjJ985sgDXJUnzpqgA96x_lfl635o2OcUhysKU8wRJQf4oTPONZX8ZFCD2gL3ai_y-67CCZb4F6cG4CYQTHnTQai4vjQK1tZiENph3LEUCw/s6000/DSC_0750.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYLgGKu2UzkI1lhQPdW8EjoadOMAaV2jEx7qQiEXmpVlkcQ6-KCIZtZMjVVqFwDAluDTxd4pSTYd8Hb_mGjJ985sgDXJUnzpqgA96x_lfl635o2OcUhysKU8wRJQf4oTPONZX8ZFCD2gL3ai_y-67CCZb4F6cG4CYQTHnTQai4vjQK1tZiENph3LEUCw/w640-h426/DSC_0750.JPG" width="640"></a></div><p> </p><p><span style="font-size: large;">After lunch we walked down to the Carmelite church with its famously tiled walls, like everything else in Porto.<br></span></p><p><br></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiUDqy25QKn8hmQ_HyaJHeinaxuw3lLoAuLQE4xVghrmflwhek3TXjSxF8x6n1qmzDJwbL4EAfz41TfwHvPGxX6dp4X_xDT3Y4IHo6RhzvNDwejy5cjKwf8bl3HrDunjsjbeVNkt4_M1_6lvk4R62W1H5MlqPYzfjY-aZXPrJMBzAnh0W_kNnsVUIDfg/s6000/DSC_0751.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiUDqy25QKn8hmQ_HyaJHeinaxuw3lLoAuLQE4xVghrmflwhek3TXjSxF8x6n1qmzDJwbL4EAfz41TfwHvPGxX6dp4X_xDT3Y4IHo6RhzvNDwejy5cjKwf8bl3HrDunjsjbeVNkt4_M1_6lvk4R62W1H5MlqPYzfjY-aZXPrJMBzAnh0W_kNnsVUIDfg/w640-h426/DSC_0751.JPG" width="640"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNXk3GVpIBMXuqMawGBikEKjYjYD8btXdiJF7mwgHpVN6wz-kel5xj4FSh2IMFWg2TYt-w8uM27X8upabgPMBn7i3cAP70BhvOyvseVaGonSjEnDbR6SQ8ojvSiVhCGVsQ2edYkjzLAk5K58fnpW34CJ0VBve894vDLQMU5aT5uqu7YIEdThnpG28dwA/s6000/DSC_0752.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNXk3GVpIBMXuqMawGBikEKjYjYD8btXdiJF7mwgHpVN6wz-kel5xj4FSh2IMFWg2TYt-w8uM27X8upabgPMBn7i3cAP70BhvOyvseVaGonSjEnDbR6SQ8ojvSiVhCGVsQ2edYkjzLAk5K58fnpW34CJ0VBve894vDLQMU5aT5uqu7YIEdThnpG28dwA/w640-h426/DSC_0752.JPG" width="640"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUpFZvdci6dmm3cHwme27TFpD3r9UkK98NW3y7732k4pZpCPoYTyzQA812DVxYcI5Ah1lW3mFHvWtFXXvonwa9ujZvwL1Sgs59mG2Z_bWHHICufnJvyvZ6gMGsMiM43nJKvtz_0AcKTJSvo6GDJg97Ceg5np5n9rt7T3ve8dqWa7vnreUo_YwWL8iEfA/s6000/DSC_0753.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUpFZvdci6dmm3cHwme27TFpD3r9UkK98NW3y7732k4pZpCPoYTyzQA812DVxYcI5Ah1lW3mFHvWtFXXvonwa9ujZvwL1Sgs59mG2Z_bWHHICufnJvyvZ6gMGsMiM43nJKvtz_0AcKTJSvo6GDJg97Ceg5np5n9rt7T3ve8dqWa7vnreUo_YwWL8iEfA/w640-h426/DSC_0753.JPG" width="640"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj694dIcG-QmEeP2EM_2Pf-cqrLYLbQd27V2rTVX7XQID_36vVa-5tRCCXQ2VOa6rcOPMjVm241eF6ZeZ88RN9X4kHJni-O9CvDB3_NePiHms3MBXjUhm6K1o7yWhyV7FkhJsFQf7FrQ-ByZntqejVRAlQwmz6xvyth8Vp6nTVHCGb8DnxIwPJJsHDiMQ/s6000/DSC_0755.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj694dIcG-QmEeP2EM_2Pf-cqrLYLbQd27V2rTVX7XQID_36vVa-5tRCCXQ2VOa6rcOPMjVm241eF6ZeZ88RN9X4kHJni-O9CvDB3_NePiHms3MBXjUhm6K1o7yWhyV7FkhJsFQf7FrQ-ByZntqejVRAlQwmz6xvyth8Vp6nTVHCGb8DnxIwPJJsHDiMQ/w640-h426/DSC_0755.JPG" width="640"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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</div><br><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">We were going to the river, eventually. It would take some time to get there, but we had all the time and most of the energy we would need. Whatever I was feeling was probably something like jet lag, although with only a five hour time difference, and having left at the hour we did, it didn't seem like jet lag was all that much of a problem. We didn't really have an agenda; the only thing I had really wanted to do in Porto was eat the food and drink the wine and have a look around and do a boat and winery tour. (We did three of those four things. The boat and winery tours turned out to be spending most of the day in a car, seeing two wineries, and getting to spend an hour on a boat for a hundred bucks each. We later did an hour on a boat anyway right in Porto without the car rides for thirty bucks total.) <br></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">I went into Portugal knowing nothing about the country. Lisbon and Porto were the only two cities I could even name, and Porto only because I get Bon Appetit magazine. Of course, I knew about Vasca da Gama, as every American should, given that we learn about explorers in elementary school (glorifying them while ignoring their atrocities.) I knew peri-peri hot sauce came from Portugal (but I didn't know they hardly even use it) and that the hottest dish in Indian restaurants - vindaloo - comes from the Portuguese (but none of their food is remotely hot so this is confusing.) I was exposed to Portuguese people in Luxembourg - they were the immigrant laborers in the 90s, and our favorite bartender, Maria at Pub 13, was Portuguese. I knew that Portugal was the world's largest producer of wine corks. That was pretty much it. Everything we walked by was something new. Who is that statue? What is that mural? How old is this building and what does it stand for?</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">And so we walked, and looked, and wondered. <br></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlcR33ipFsYG2GInILg5iM5RpcXpX4Q9bfwHAlzUaLv7X5UAjqWB1A0iyDLo3Z0gHQ02q0LinjIJog1JpEhDld1G8O9gEBdo7fKNN6CEb2ZRn_UZfs0ii02RQ_Ug9ZBWfVDRO14lMWQvh4Fa5ur5q6-LbV0l1yjmxQ788NrIYNbnVEg5UqUdWu65W62g/s6000/DSC_0766.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlcR33ipFsYG2GInILg5iM5RpcXpX4Q9bfwHAlzUaLv7X5UAjqWB1A0iyDLo3Z0gHQ02q0LinjIJog1JpEhDld1G8O9gEBdo7fKNN6CEb2ZRn_UZfs0ii02RQ_Ug9ZBWfVDRO14lMWQvh4Fa5ur5q6-LbV0l1yjmxQ788NrIYNbnVEg5UqUdWu65W62g/w640-h426/DSC_0766.JPG" width="640"></a></div><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj63aLzsDd-LxdhDIYkd2hZwW4qzaFu_2kCFgxe73JDPtCuZcp-6sAdOxmbkYzsjOjUE4K7tWCYdK18cTIvL-1FmnIcVWLHr3U9X7yN7qpS465N1KP6kOr38GupNrESOMUZdVGVoaz05teiiomsdXLsZeUsK7pWrk57A6yX917W2VnAp4ZQiZLWwtb4Gg/s6000/DSC_0773.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj63aLzsDd-LxdhDIYkd2hZwW4qzaFu_2kCFgxe73JDPtCuZcp-6sAdOxmbkYzsjOjUE4K7tWCYdK18cTIvL-1FmnIcVWLHr3U9X7yN7qpS465N1KP6kOr38GupNrESOMUZdVGVoaz05teiiomsdXLsZeUsK7pWrk57A6yX917W2VnAp4ZQiZLWwtb4Gg/w640-h426/DSC_0773.JPG" width="640"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tower of Clerics<br></td></tr></tbody></table><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv_BDuigO0uLkGFPiKPqssY26iSmp3KnOww23MGNOoA0aRfpqyzu-AxPfSitohBHHHZqrs3DD582BZEcHR06p_dMuSLwNd1qAZjBT8lMw2SULOwkGBsuttDK1B9vGWUUe2PBf6UwOJEvGR9eyUQMWUYzmAtU3Lw3nSkwG_afsg1TsflxnM_oB7zPRVWQ/s6000/DSC_0777.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv_BDuigO0uLkGFPiKPqssY26iSmp3KnOww23MGNOoA0aRfpqyzu-AxPfSitohBHHHZqrs3DD582BZEcHR06p_dMuSLwNd1qAZjBT8lMw2SULOwkGBsuttDK1B9vGWUUe2PBf6UwOJEvGR9eyUQMWUYzmAtU3Lw3nSkwG_afsg1TsflxnM_oB7zPRVWQ/w640-h426/DSC_0777.JPG" width="640"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tower of Clerics from the only kind of olive garden I will enter<br></td></tr></tbody></table><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBE2t6H2fgnP0HEARDhmRffj9i-IwkFcGE6xMAPNbDu4eOHlUqwzJs-DFyhY6MkriXUORD6NtzMUp2uJw1PaIwFyj95vHPTAp6qonZFBTIiCCSVUr8-uDu-Gf9SLlmWR-G-51f9nR_SW6ueY8rdw6J6C1N0XVJ0-jcPaRGCoKxemSXun0k54TNYqiZqg/s6000/DSC_0779.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBE2t6H2fgnP0HEARDhmRffj9i-IwkFcGE6xMAPNbDu4eOHlUqwzJs-DFyhY6MkriXUORD6NtzMUp2uJw1PaIwFyj95vHPTAp6qonZFBTIiCCSVUr8-uDu-Gf9SLlmWR-G-51f9nR_SW6ueY8rdw6J6C1N0XVJ0-jcPaRGCoKxemSXun0k54TNYqiZqg/w640-h426/DSC_0779.JPG" width="640"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a shopping center hidden under the park<br></td></tr></tbody></table><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZuC8NJZY1dALCwE1WdyvD5qEBrpy1TeR2AwBdBtkhMbZXrIP3mwHuSaocGXPtZMulRbtXtGGNrwSDgbmLaarK01YqUV1rjLzdLdt6ipaGJUftpG33ohZl95Ug6QJwdvuPIxsOBHINHr23QdEvS5iXIImN66k-a3wpGLT3nTw7Jb-uk6B0UDXrqlhWqg/s6000/DSC_0781.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZuC8NJZY1dALCwE1WdyvD5qEBrpy1TeR2AwBdBtkhMbZXrIP3mwHuSaocGXPtZMulRbtXtGGNrwSDgbmLaarK01YqUV1rjLzdLdt6ipaGJUftpG33ohZl95Ug6QJwdvuPIxsOBHINHr23QdEvS5iXIImN66k-a3wpGLT3nTw7Jb-uk6B0UDXrqlhWqg/w640-h426/DSC_0781.JPG" width="640"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Church of the Tower of Clerics<br></td></tr></tbody></table><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuUKGxBeWbNYjEcPuUaJCXvRQY9x8UE5O8sLk25ZQYYaddvY66lkI1ck4y-a3J7sU8RPhaPQoJ8hKrrHUBGTSsJeTYnTBMfjoLAfoqT_5U88jKOhKU8k4DzB1dmqGoTkgYVL-5_nzPq1Zb8UIsqXged8bODk5Jw2ZGsyhb6qiNtFLvpxOZgwsztnyt4Q/s6000/DSC_0784.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuUKGxBeWbNYjEcPuUaJCXvRQY9x8UE5O8sLk25ZQYYaddvY66lkI1ck4y-a3J7sU8RPhaPQoJ8hKrrHUBGTSsJeTYnTBMfjoLAfoqT_5U88jKOhKU8k4DzB1dmqGoTkgYVL-5_nzPq1Zb8UIsqXged8bODk5Jw2ZGsyhb6qiNtFLvpxOZgwsztnyt4Q/w640-h426/DSC_0784.JPG" width="640"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No, I don't know who the clerics are<br></td></tr></tbody></table><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXr1Sdjsfv_S3hQJzSky8Sk9jpj6YqTh4mpjM9gi_YhYD_n02RaFYXre_JJ8eE2ega79V0pahwZfsiwQxK8AyzWvkRkUlzk1iViQArxfC3AJJAov6BDrI9Ovtpt8JpdMYyOeRpNnQ3qNNryCAqA0Z054JlslCmQxw7Jl2g3cGTNe2bg0wiODBlNxMI0Q/s6000/DSC_0785.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXr1Sdjsfv_S3hQJzSky8Sk9jpj6YqTh4mpjM9gi_YhYD_n02RaFYXre_JJ8eE2ega79V0pahwZfsiwQxK8AyzWvkRkUlzk1iViQArxfC3AJJAov6BDrI9Ovtpt8JpdMYyOeRpNnQ3qNNryCAqA0Z054JlslCmQxw7Jl2g3cGTNe2bg0wiODBlNxMI0Q/w640-h426/DSC_0785.JPG" width="640"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">view of Porto from the olive garden<br></td></tr></tbody></table><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzmGjRd6ZdDH8n_SrxTgFrBoLL9CFUoEEod66uuJwoLGSox-8_8VVJ4QbJfrICbBxYIDD_yh8kyX5RGPcGeCLblolh0yKgSr4aSLojsIr7flMFkiINZe6vCTnR22rVRf3JAptrbvrKSlhqJLMXQ5sktGMwuNu7Hh70BOG1ETD3N58ef6VDRvgYoV9hqg/s6000/DSC_0787.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzmGjRd6ZdDH8n_SrxTgFrBoLL9CFUoEEod66uuJwoLGSox-8_8VVJ4QbJfrICbBxYIDD_yh8kyX5RGPcGeCLblolh0yKgSr4aSLojsIr7flMFkiINZe6vCTnR22rVRf3JAptrbvrKSlhqJLMXQ5sktGMwuNu7Hh70BOG1ETD3N58ef6VDRvgYoV9hqg/w640-h426/DSC_0787.JPG" width="640"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjqIXyJ1LsZ_jZX9JllLajc18ZMbK_-5H05hUlfbivlDJnmXssSi0Ug8AUTLIFUZDo3QhDZY7uLJRTplEeUqjhXEb4xMyqES0L4GI8lJDJmBMIRejFAV3ahu8r_3s5ZbtzZ0slW3Is-HM4lKGl35DcqUN_uUiuwIiXbTHLliffioLGb9iP68TPerPGhA/s6000/DSC_0789.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjqIXyJ1LsZ_jZX9JllLajc18ZMbK_-5H05hUlfbivlDJnmXssSi0Ug8AUTLIFUZDo3QhDZY7uLJRTplEeUqjhXEb4xMyqES0L4GI8lJDJmBMIRejFAV3ahu8r_3s5ZbtzZ0slW3Is-HM4lKGl35DcqUN_uUiuwIiXbTHLliffioLGb9iP68TPerPGhA/w640-h426/DSC_0789.JPG" width="640"></a></div><p><br><span style="font-size: large;">We moved on from the garden of olives and soon found ourselves looking at the river.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdSM6iiACBnjt4rf1eyQ7tfG1n7A16JBtKlgvdGgJF4vTh8iC4Y4E5m6rvgdw2YwphIhtbmHJAB5tomW-yzc9Qy5TGl0OHk3VlUkY26rXeYXzcmz5yzF5QDdySMyunCBv11ssUPCCYV3STNN_XmN-RUwVkKwj1-M_p9HYtEpMXxkhSvPZ8raR6boS7mg/s6000/DSC_0791.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdSM6iiACBnjt4rf1eyQ7tfG1n7A16JBtKlgvdGgJF4vTh8iC4Y4E5m6rvgdw2YwphIhtbmHJAB5tomW-yzc9Qy5TGl0OHk3VlUkY26rXeYXzcmz5yzF5QDdySMyunCBv11ssUPCCYV3STNN_XmN-RUwVkKwj1-M_p9HYtEpMXxkhSvPZ8raR6boS7mg/w640-h426/DSC_0791.JPG" width="640"></a></div><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPeZDuNVAi6pJECHQjQ-tuaTcuLnX2Qmejp-DetfVk6aBHRIaSqsBA_nCA7rYmsmRAMQbmaNn8u7-mDXQBCJjcBYIkzQ7bepAnOloVdnae1cCAh1pcHBQWzBJyK8frXrIVO5dcTu8ezHCLum_OATfnLfdo6yf_YWQh-RreBETmR5Ic2r4OFTj74JTJVw/s6000/DSC_0792.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPeZDuNVAi6pJECHQjQ-tuaTcuLnX2Qmejp-DetfVk6aBHRIaSqsBA_nCA7rYmsmRAMQbmaNn8u7-mDXQBCJjcBYIkzQ7bepAnOloVdnae1cCAh1pcHBQWzBJyK8frXrIVO5dcTu8ezHCLum_OATfnLfdo6yf_YWQh-RreBETmR5Ic2r4OFTj74JTJVw/w640-h426/DSC_0792.JPG" width="640"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love the tiles on the bell tower<br></td></tr></tbody></table><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxezDuYFshH4fBG4KKz-K-O8k1J2aObQBN0Bod7Z4pVyBAllRDzqUAyvYuBOW8aJP8opUYrT7dHwq1TAbflsFHHW69kEGGXYWClUQV9IRRgpzKACEue_MGfAdKQau5K84QiPfz-UW8SP82t6ulHtwKKpWA9p5UliAkAYjFDKjgkVK98bBBRVWAx-wevw/s6000/DSC_0793.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxezDuYFshH4fBG4KKz-K-O8k1J2aObQBN0Bod7Z4pVyBAllRDzqUAyvYuBOW8aJP8opUYrT7dHwq1TAbflsFHHW69kEGGXYWClUQV9IRRgpzKACEue_MGfAdKQau5K84QiPfz-UW8SP82t6ulHtwKKpWA9p5UliAkAYjFDKjgkVK98bBBRVWAx-wevw/w640-h426/DSC_0793.JPG" width="640"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4qUEPhctpvbjmel1v2CoYwtHZn6as1HB-ClbXP3rH8t5o12PWfau0mVESFhn4xXwIhFD_9XKDQpnQnY44Q7--jq0fTFcOJAYUkEk0wqb7rAFqggJBbglgA1liP2xTaGTQ5rS0wcGhQYo-15mYVCdy3PGo1aZmJ8GERW9Mfs3Li35lYWX78n-4rHLkmA/s6000/DSC_0796.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4qUEPhctpvbjmel1v2CoYwtHZn6as1HB-ClbXP3rH8t5o12PWfau0mVESFhn4xXwIhFD_9XKDQpnQnY44Q7--jq0fTFcOJAYUkEk0wqb7rAFqggJBbglgA1liP2xTaGTQ5rS0wcGhQYo-15mYVCdy3PGo1aZmJ8GERW9Mfs3Li35lYWX78n-4rHLkmA/w640-h426/DSC_0796.JPG" width="640"></a></div><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj32gTU-loXY98vOR9ca0ahlvURHMxwI4SSWCBJF31445WpDqlT8baLGifbJxXP39DfN78KXjY1XahA6_hGd5y8XaXu3kGQBOtKAb19GSucXeUmJR4ICCGS6FzTMf8ogESlyo88J0qYnhObyQXBHnUnyeDF8USd9uNPQG3lscf41Xmme4YQ3Ly4_boVgg/s6000/DSC_0797.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj32gTU-loXY98vOR9ca0ahlvURHMxwI4SSWCBJF31445WpDqlT8baLGifbJxXP39DfN78KXjY1XahA6_hGd5y8XaXu3kGQBOtKAb19GSucXeUmJR4ICCGS6FzTMf8ogESlyo88J0qYnhObyQXBHnUnyeDF8USd9uNPQG3lscf41Xmme4YQ3Ly4_boVgg/w640-h426/DSC_0797.JPG" width="640"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The River Douro, as seen from still pretty far above<br></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>To be continued...<br></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br></p>Cathiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07291479913130967235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3857295146936801558.post-91473887425797119832022-10-25T15:30:00.001-04:002022-10-26T08:45:16.949-04:00A short walk through Porto, Portugal<p>I've returned from a 16 night trip to Portugal, the first trip abroad I have taken since covid and my first visit to that country. Our flight from Washington to Lisbon was only 6 hours and 20 minutes, the fastest time I have ever reached Europe. We left at 10pm from IAD, which is a pretty good time to leave, because 1. IAD is not busy and you can breeze through security, and 2. you arrive in the morning when things are actually open rather than desperately and wearily searching for a place to have a coffee before you can check into your hotel, or in our case, catch a train. I had made it a plan to immediately get on a train to Porto, as we'd be jet lagged so we might as well get some travel over with. The Lisbon Metro was simple to use, and we got to the train station easily. Three hours later, we were in a taxi to the hotel, and then it was a groggy walk to find some dinner in a city we knew nothing about. </p><p>But we couldn't find a restaurant. </p><p>Oh sure, there were plenty of places with outside tables full of lively conversationalists sipping beers and wine and evening coffee. They were all pastry shops or what could pass as bars. No food. We kept walking along one of the busier streets in the neighborhood, each curve revealing an empty promise once we got around it. There wasn't all that much to see, either. Just this next curve, I said, and then said it again and again until we reached a park that reminded me of the area around the canal of Paris with a church that sparked some momentary interest, and then we noticed a Metro station. My idea was to take it a few stops where some points of interest were located. We hopped the train and headed south.<br></p><p>When we arrived to the area one could see that this was the theater district. There would be restaurants around here, right? LOL. More pastry shops. Every twist and turn of the streets brought pastry after pastry after pastry. We were grumpy at that point and wondered if people in Portugal really ate or if that was a myth concocted by Bon Appetit magazine and the New York Times food section.<br></p><p>Eventually we found a table at a restaurant called Vaccarum where I had a fish called scabbard. It looks like this:</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijVC4A6t8pkEkPuMZIxqDzKUFx0BtSzqOi_Y8ft5C6jgGeiBbrMfbrZDOL1A396T5HYr0Tr_ZR2yV6eYImoJE3Uso1CIU-CPcBw-aMGE_frzoqx4rXUUBLA82viprgQDH0dG1VhgWTSw8N2jBREtIiArYt6fkNk5Mcww4u38o0DlrswI2Ew7taSu9Q5Q/s612/scabbard.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="612" data-original-width="612" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijVC4A6t8pkEkPuMZIxqDzKUFx0BtSzqOi_Y8ft5C6jgGeiBbrMfbrZDOL1A396T5HYr0Tr_ZR2yV6eYImoJE3Uso1CIU-CPcBw-aMGE_frzoqx4rXUUBLA82viprgQDH0dG1VhgWTSw8N2jBREtIiArYt6fkNk5Mcww4u38o0DlrswI2Ew7taSu9Q5Q/s320/scabbard.jpg" width="320"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Not my photo)<br></td></tr></tbody></table><br><p>Not to worry, it looks like this on your plate and tastes delicious:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixV-6RgVsoBoNMGgt9frD7cN2sezeoJcDUV8jJ7I51PnzbMhdSdISFaxlyBHvuK9l8tXolcTT9uFit2C2t9mhqWqs1VW23ES931jnGfIj-KSexQNNFo7BZYUr3P7KLd-nX69eJA5UVLgJ3rhGAQxHlpQ88Zsy6BX_x9CU_AT6DoTeC8OYiEJm9FF0r4g/s2048/scabbardfood.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="996" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixV-6RgVsoBoNMGgt9frD7cN2sezeoJcDUV8jJ7I51PnzbMhdSdISFaxlyBHvuK9l8tXolcTT9uFit2C2t9mhqWqs1VW23ES931jnGfIj-KSexQNNFo7BZYUr3P7KLd-nX69eJA5UVLgJ3rhGAQxHlpQ88Zsy6BX_x9CU_AT6DoTeC8OYiEJm9FF0r4g/s320/scabbardfood.jpg" width="156"></a></div><br><p>The dinner was fantastic.</p><p>After we finished, we wandered around a bit and stumbled upon a religious procession of some sort whose purpose no one could seem to explain. Someone said "scooters." (I think it was for boy scouts.) We took an uber around the worshippers to the hotel and slept that first night after a transatlantic flight kind of sleep.</p><p>In the morning, I went for a coffee and a gander alone. Having a cappuccino outside at a European cafe is among my favorite things in life. We have far too few of those places here. I do miss American style drip coffee when in Europe, but I would gladly give it up if it meant cappuccinos in Europe every morning. I had something resembling a croissant before heading out to orientate myself to this new city. I fell in love with the tiled houses. </p><p>I had to get reacquainted with my Nikon, as I hadn't touched it in three years, so my first shots seem out of practice. Here are some photos of my first morning in Portugal.<br></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgonuTGym-rEmE5WGE1L9rMX0M4sZDj9NVL4FS_QLPZ7fD7vTE-zy4JVd7QYRz-XSB-NIjDAOqWJgvrez0bdNGpWN8Mz5jcN2ytS2-jTLh-_E5WBg8e8Q2GgMFoNHQBLe_YNaA1gTpqBvJYOJdQcyJGsESyc531l9-pZuQfeEPIL6fudh4qp5V7FsbmMw/s6000/DSC_0681.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgonuTGym-rEmE5WGE1L9rMX0M4sZDj9NVL4FS_QLPZ7fD7vTE-zy4JVd7QYRz-XSB-NIjDAOqWJgvrez0bdNGpWN8Mz5jcN2ytS2-jTLh-_E5WBg8e8Q2GgMFoNHQBLe_YNaA1gTpqBvJYOJdQcyJGsESyc531l9-pZuQfeEPIL6fudh4qp5V7FsbmMw/w640-h426/DSC_0681.JPG" width="640"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9zQj6R-A3ZLCOtm5IjufEIOVBB_n21HccMRicMqizK6sVvOWl-3Os-hydu3l3KbMgk1flI-wNZY1DaAQG3lcuc3gGMgICn-1pG9TYzqki-67FHX5wZXPbcPtSG6jakInIibVOMEOoIAUpHlpLdfTDaMN1R0zHWKE7p1dNEnT4G8mGxQUPl7djB17LPA/s6000/DSC_0684.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9zQj6R-A3ZLCOtm5IjufEIOVBB_n21HccMRicMqizK6sVvOWl-3Os-hydu3l3KbMgk1flI-wNZY1DaAQG3lcuc3gGMgICn-1pG9TYzqki-67FHX5wZXPbcPtSG6jakInIibVOMEOoIAUpHlpLdfTDaMN1R0zHWKE7p1dNEnT4G8mGxQUPl7djB17LPA/w640-h426/DSC_0684.JPG" width="640"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibCzSj58mJs-rB0DTgGIm6RVEHpehVSn3sf9aNzukutGthPs8Msu-uC7EW_j0VB7Wr5BmqJKs8av4L6YSElQZLGQq8r3Xn8xwUTl6OwIM79Rd-8dqEsAz1-tHDOgLhJi9uDB_91ggAVUkCTgTO1goDq9v1BCGTWeKSywVhfDthVkqCzvwOf5JZ78nBuQ/s6000/DSC_0685.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibCzSj58mJs-rB0DTgGIm6RVEHpehVSn3sf9aNzukutGthPs8Msu-uC7EW_j0VB7Wr5BmqJKs8av4L6YSElQZLGQq8r3Xn8xwUTl6OwIM79Rd-8dqEsAz1-tHDOgLhJi9uDB_91ggAVUkCTgTO1goDq9v1BCGTWeKSywVhfDthVkqCzvwOf5JZ78nBuQ/w640-h426/DSC_0685.JPG" width="640"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_gfDmTeIkaR6ZpgkxYIOiGWnPPYLzoHogZiE_szjDyb2GhKgK81rPN_AdnIYIYWj2DoJA29oXbjUvMXnTjNbkz1ArVVQkqCNqI6JC5G0w-1sz0DCNEL7YC5B22sQ6qgNqYkmTFbqjZDI2Gfjvwe1TvZTySJvzuYUy7y3-UgGyjhMOO0i14kzvEfYN9g/s6000/DSC_0689.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_gfDmTeIkaR6ZpgkxYIOiGWnPPYLzoHogZiE_szjDyb2GhKgK81rPN_AdnIYIYWj2DoJA29oXbjUvMXnTjNbkz1ArVVQkqCNqI6JC5G0w-1sz0DCNEL7YC5B22sQ6qgNqYkmTFbqjZDI2Gfjvwe1TvZTySJvzuYUy7y3-UgGyjhMOO0i14kzvEfYN9g/w640-h426/DSC_0689.JPG" width="640"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir1hY_K5Az2Shw6yRWajZA6RbvH22ZqoiuySJAQCMrHVnpbUEn4nUPq283onpnAjPDhAFin_-RoF41242HzlVIdJFgbSUMbcknsJJLkn1TasVQi-A-LvM5dfQ9rfPXgZ1Iwj5N8zKbn2YeTp8-VG-cUWn8F2IIPJlrSCUralLcl_QNs6uHD_VmyGVEdg/s6000/DSC_0691.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir1hY_K5Az2Shw6yRWajZA6RbvH22ZqoiuySJAQCMrHVnpbUEn4nUPq283onpnAjPDhAFin_-RoF41242HzlVIdJFgbSUMbcknsJJLkn1TasVQi-A-LvM5dfQ9rfPXgZ1Iwj5N8zKbn2YeTp8-VG-cUWn8F2IIPJlrSCUralLcl_QNs6uHD_VmyGVEdg/w640-h426/DSC_0691.JPG" width="640"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ4-L1CvtvY_ip4J5OeTguz6UqNxrOqJ1CDVGOi8CjG658f6zIWYkxy8FpgE_zdHUOZL5Vabza2T5Nub8f_nL0shUJblDbWN5y1sOR8fo1XGiXf2_jBub0N4-ziin-f9QNSqzrHZfG-qx66MdtURwU5SX7mtdNQDuoEupZOaW_Nw-xSo2g8OBDd5k1bw/s6000/DSC_0694.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ4-L1CvtvY_ip4J5OeTguz6UqNxrOqJ1CDVGOi8CjG658f6zIWYkxy8FpgE_zdHUOZL5Vabza2T5Nub8f_nL0shUJblDbWN5y1sOR8fo1XGiXf2_jBub0N4-ziin-f9QNSqzrHZfG-qx66MdtURwU5SX7mtdNQDuoEupZOaW_Nw-xSo2g8OBDd5k1bw/w640-h426/DSC_0694.JPG" width="640"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR9fJ89qPIZyK6sdgZcrm0m_OPHUhXh5z8YMKVLRpJvohob5IS5VsByBkOFLQF7pU0JRRppna59Vcz_hFwFh0kelPLbaevqijO2QqjiucapD1MGkFRnwgNoUJbgezN9jsPGsJMxEBHQN8hd72V6h_P3WRB6d68INZwPcsR26Basy4f6dGmFgiCyhvQ1Q/s6000/DSC_0709.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR9fJ89qPIZyK6sdgZcrm0m_OPHUhXh5z8YMKVLRpJvohob5IS5VsByBkOFLQF7pU0JRRppna59Vcz_hFwFh0kelPLbaevqijO2QqjiucapD1MGkFRnwgNoUJbgezN9jsPGsJMxEBHQN8hd72V6h_P3WRB6d68INZwPcsR26Basy4f6dGmFgiCyhvQ1Q/w640-h426/DSC_0709.JPG" width="640"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge2GAn3wcHCpy8dVlHWwnfGybETF56VfjB7-nRGPv7Z4mUju6-cIFK5U3SE7W9u7CLA8s0KHFXsDKDZs3_CDQ5y252eEDm-pABIMTU_c2aSAOtZV-xBy6a5F_w_ijYYZtQ_MirktmYFhio4RGc1W5A7EFQYG9Nq8cGsN-9h4di7Vbsj2EG-kSu3SVPOQ/s6000/DSC_0710.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge2GAn3wcHCpy8dVlHWwnfGybETF56VfjB7-nRGPv7Z4mUju6-cIFK5U3SE7W9u7CLA8s0KHFXsDKDZs3_CDQ5y252eEDm-pABIMTU_c2aSAOtZV-xBy6a5F_w_ijYYZtQ_MirktmYFhio4RGc1W5A7EFQYG9Nq8cGsN-9h4di7Vbsj2EG-kSu3SVPOQ/w640-h426/DSC_0710.JPG" width="640"></a></div><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilpJUB06A2HIqHm1UVqUNci6JMoCk8K9Y7kqcVr8AW_1yxfbsO7Kil5xEvlKT4xfFeIW8suvWacQ6BD8yd0714PWKrM630OsNuJ3l1epdbxAi4_AstI_XmWSX4LJNrEcGBgRoe5EE0RmeZEu_lAcOBqWGI8YO9ReylWBDd7FZmI08aSqt155Fw_UHL2A/s6000/DSC_0711.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilpJUB06A2HIqHm1UVqUNci6JMoCk8K9Y7kqcVr8AW_1yxfbsO7Kil5xEvlKT4xfFeIW8suvWacQ6BD8yd0714PWKrM630OsNuJ3l1epdbxAi4_AstI_XmWSX4LJNrEcGBgRoe5EE0RmeZEu_lAcOBqWGI8YO9ReylWBDd7FZmI08aSqt155Fw_UHL2A/w640-h426/DSC_0711.JPG" width="640"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How's it going, Francis?<br></td></tr></tbody></table><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjE8azJlrwdltbRQlDvckBGTSYd7RGops45I25i7nfVH_5FIA1Jyirrn_SDdEco4vaFkBDGYxLVc_mVfK5WyC0dHRnSIm8omJJVUfxG8fSYvi_vck-ZTrXtjgvLAluva3bap9aCXsv0PU7RZyc5sesdgCRQPnmkO9NHjYDNN4FDNs97CCG7Xcwah6nug/s6000/DSC_0715.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjE8azJlrwdltbRQlDvckBGTSYd7RGops45I25i7nfVH_5FIA1Jyirrn_SDdEco4vaFkBDGYxLVc_mVfK5WyC0dHRnSIm8omJJVUfxG8fSYvi_vck-ZTrXtjgvLAluva3bap9aCXsv0PU7RZyc5sesdgCRQPnmkO9NHjYDNN4FDNs97CCG7Xcwah6nug/w640-h426/DSC_0715.JPG" width="640"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCcbLbjDSb2qjlZ2BYkpvLdTAJWSULI7qY98X4IoSVeLTguUa4nA2VrQzzZGhBbK_2dkkVimjcm0WT94zs9iGtvJnemqL7eHRvRxCpwSb-hdgiSl2mJmzgnUK4_9TWWizUN9GqLRhZQHNMNpBHcox7UiNxdcQ4DJ6N3HQcDqWVwia0fhYkgnVs19PGOg/s6000/DSC_0718.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCcbLbjDSb2qjlZ2BYkpvLdTAJWSULI7qY98X4IoSVeLTguUa4nA2VrQzzZGhBbK_2dkkVimjcm0WT94zs9iGtvJnemqL7eHRvRxCpwSb-hdgiSl2mJmzgnUK4_9TWWizUN9GqLRhZQHNMNpBHcox7UiNxdcQ4DJ6N3HQcDqWVwia0fhYkgnVs19PGOg/w640-h426/DSC_0718.JPG" width="640"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRD7G0Kf4Ci0Xk6uSXcqFdbV5EcfgyaOwpWC6E4ORzsIUuwOrVl_yX_l_M_UaRQ7c-5xNmdrJjLpR2-XKeKADzp0tiQLF_u6QR5t3yBwaP3Z0IFdNBvSjoAHbWCwSa107Rl9fytAW4CBk4uPME8MdFOc1eU18Q5FX3w1X9tNXWBKIzxPqasbrW2jJg6w/s6000/DSC_0719.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRD7G0Kf4Ci0Xk6uSXcqFdbV5EcfgyaOwpWC6E4ORzsIUuwOrVl_yX_l_M_UaRQ7c-5xNmdrJjLpR2-XKeKADzp0tiQLF_u6QR5t3yBwaP3Z0IFdNBvSjoAHbWCwSa107Rl9fytAW4CBk4uPME8MdFOc1eU18Q5FX3w1X9tNXWBKIzxPqasbrW2jJg6w/w640-h426/DSC_0719.JPG" width="640"></a></div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-gOuR06GUpr_ta6KBj9nqYeWkjtS_mOlfG0cVyKrzqwZRb0sNE6wwikQe6Y5BVsVocwh1Jky8p0_Ujdbg-tDr-z2nvzH1GRI5pL0arj9aDzGJHD-T4Rs8mxA33fblq6jg-gS7sgjDXZn8-1nl6KtXg2I3aCxchS3nfirqqI0_vtUNcTRhfmoU1YXKBA/s6000/DSC_0729.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-gOuR06GUpr_ta6KBj9nqYeWkjtS_mOlfG0cVyKrzqwZRb0sNE6wwikQe6Y5BVsVocwh1Jky8p0_Ujdbg-tDr-z2nvzH1GRI5pL0arj9aDzGJHD-T4Rs8mxA33fblq6jg-gS7sgjDXZn8-1nl6KtXg2I3aCxchS3nfirqqI0_vtUNcTRhfmoU1YXKBA/w640-h426/DSC_0729.JPG" width="640"></a></div><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxYaifr3KFgE4vHLLpXL11OGiagMH8sqrkYumCcnRQKNE_1Hyw9RxoFzMqnMbhj6H5Q_VYgXXIA2jOYiWA7lTnQR24-rTEGFSUwkJ0Ryl0oYGdbT34mjaV0rflsogOXzlAtsMaOT4ymjjK_ZLHHIIZON6JhJMJav6QlnCT7eEzevO9C0LOv7zQvXzOcQ/s6000/DSC_0730.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxYaifr3KFgE4vHLLpXL11OGiagMH8sqrkYumCcnRQKNE_1Hyw9RxoFzMqnMbhj6H5Q_VYgXXIA2jOYiWA7lTnQR24-rTEGFSUwkJ0Ryl0oYGdbT34mjaV0rflsogOXzlAtsMaOT4ymjjK_ZLHHIIZON6JhJMJav6QlnCT7eEzevO9C0LOv7zQvXzOcQ/w640-h426/DSC_0730.JPG" width="640"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An anti-bullfighting organization<br></td></tr></tbody></table><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm8RH5S1O0PKyX3794gxYOc_ekpYF5WdXnqLL08XU9N2cZssSZPjrlm4RfUmSnh9bT91ODwUU07t_ywmkB0RjspM66akpNVIUKwFcUM1Ndn6iVmoCSx4LSElf8W2APuJyfubkVOluHiKdCeeV3IcFmg2PvSu4v8eRmYgOg2f3DOI2EU-hUbn_XQUsSWA/s6000/DSC_0731.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm8RH5S1O0PKyX3794gxYOc_ekpYF5WdXnqLL08XU9N2cZssSZPjrlm4RfUmSnh9bT91ODwUU07t_ywmkB0RjspM66akpNVIUKwFcUM1Ndn6iVmoCSx4LSElf8W2APuJyfubkVOluHiKdCeeV3IcFmg2PvSu4v8eRmYgOg2f3DOI2EU-hUbn_XQUsSWA/w640-h426/DSC_0731.JPG" width="640"></a></div><br><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHfwp53jVsgdhJ8WSMDoez8h93zTlofhqwNdpjewKMiJugsZc51wO-YpIQZoE9sHpecdDdk3RoHfjCevVQqszTyagaROl5kReYCtGc-TtQQeKVdt0VK6-BF5wbdZKhSz9qSigiC1gdDlox41Satpq87j8DbOOcGk1g9HLfHevdDL_Anmq_qbdog9UXsg/s6000/DSC_0733.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHfwp53jVsgdhJ8WSMDoez8h93zTlofhqwNdpjewKMiJugsZc51wO-YpIQZoE9sHpecdDdk3RoHfjCevVQqszTyagaROl5kReYCtGc-TtQQeKVdt0VK6-BF5wbdZKhSz9qSigiC1gdDlox41Satpq87j8DbOOcGk1g9HLfHevdDL_Anmq_qbdog9UXsg/w640-h426/DSC_0733.JPG" width="640"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The store is called Pepper and Chocolate and the door looks like a chocolate bar. LOL<br></td></tr></tbody></table><br><p>To be continued...</p>Cathiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07291479913130967235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3857295146936801558.post-48953156401772880352021-02-22T18:17:00.005-05:002021-02-22T18:33:26.678-05:00500,000<p>Last spring, at the start of the covid lockdowns, I ordered some books from Capitol Hill Books, a used bookstore that was offering mystery boxes where you give them a topic or some authors you like along with a budget and they put together a stack of books for you. I asked them to send me books on pandemics throughout history, because I believe that's what an educated person does when she wants to understand the world around her rather than flipping on cable news or reading garbage on the internet. They sent me books about the Spanish Flu pandemic, smallpox, a history of plagues and people, and two works of fiction that are based on real events. </p><p>I started right in on <u>The Great Influenza</u> by John M. Barry and <u>Year of Wonders</u> by Geraldine Brooks. <u>The Great Influenza</u>, about the 1917-1918 Spanish Flu pandemic, was a real eye opener. Fights over masks, conservatives crying about the economy, and conspiracy theories abounded. Same bullshit we're dealing with now. We may top the 600,000 Spanish Flu death total if we don't get enough people vaccinated and these more contagious strains take over.<br /></p><p><u>Year of Wonders</u> was a fictional account about the real plague in England in 1666. A small town becomes infected with plague and the town's preacher convinced the town to quarantine itself so other towns wouldn't contract the plague. The quarantine worked, but people fought it all the way, just as they fight covid lockdown measures now. One woman was even murdered by a mob for being a "witch" who caused the plague.</p><p>I started Alexandro Manzoni's <u>The Betrothed</u> next. This story has it all - police brutality, corrupt and inept politicians, misogyny and piggish men, the rich oppressing the poor, mob riots, religious nonsense, and of course, plague. The year is 1629, but nothing, it seems, has changed today. The setting is Milan and the surrounding areas of what would become Italy, the country in Europe where covid hit the hardest, partly because people wouldn't follow lockdown measures.<br /></p><p>The main characters of <u>The Betrothed</u> are a poor couple who just want to get married, but a rich feudal lord sees the wannabe bride one day and decides he will take her for himself. He threatens the priest who is supposed to marry the couple the next day, so they are unable to get married. Then they have to flee their town because his private police force is after them. They split up for safety - he is supposed to hide out in a monastery and she in an abbey. She does get to the abbey, where a nun murders a guy for sexually harassing her. The rich guy convinces another rich guy to help him kidnap her from the abbey and he agrees, but when his own private police force brings her to his castle, he has a spiritual crisis, goes to the archbishop who happens to be visiting the town, and has a religious conversion that turns him from one of the most evil and feared men in the land to one of the most beloved. He releases the girl and arranges for her protection.<br /></p><p>The would be groom gets caught up in the mob riots in Milan before he gets to the monastery and makes a series of mostly drunken speeches that suggest the poor should rise up against their oppressors. He is arrested for incitement but manages to escape before being executed, and is on the run.</p><p>Then comes the plague. I have 120 pages left of the book, but I've slowed way down because the parallels to covid in America are so striking that I keep stopping to reread passages and think about how so little has changed in four hundred years despite the discovery of germs, DNA and RNA, vaccines, evolution, air currents, and so many other things we take for granted about knowing now.</p><p>In <u>The Betrothed</u>, the commission of public health of Milan can be compared to the CDC today. Its members consisted of three administrators and two doctors. Alessandro Tadino was one of these doctors. Tadino, whose full report of the plague still exists, repeatedly pointed out the pressing need to adopt public health measures to prevent plague from spreading, but Governor Don Gonzalo and his successor Ambrogio Spinola ignored him.</p><p>Tadino is Fauci. Gonzalo and Spinola are every Republican governor in the US except Hogan and a handful of others.</p>Chapters 31 and 32 are largely historical descriptions of what actually happened and the characters don't appear at all.<p>An excerpt:</p><p style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;">"...reports came in from Lecco itself and from Bellano; and then the commissioners did take a decision, though only to send off a representative, who was to pick up a doctor at Como and go on with him to visit the places indicated. But both of them, to quote Tadino, either through Ignorance of some other Cause, did let an ignorant Barber of Bellano to persuade them that such maladies were not the Plague, but rather in some places the normal result of autumnal vapours from the marshes..."</p><p>"Autumnal vapors!" </p><p>"It's just the flu!" </p><p>As the news of more and more deaths came in, Tadino himself went out to investigate and saw that proofs that it was plague were everywhere. Tadino wanted </p><p style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;">"to draw up the Orders to exclude from the City all those who came from Places where the Contagion had manifested itself..."</p><p>He wanted to close the borders. He told the governor as much, the second time he had tried to persuade the governor to do something to prevent the plague from spreading. But the governor was preoccupied with other things. Then, a couple of days later, he issued a proclamation, but not to close the borders or order a quarantine. No, instead, he held a superspreader event, a birthday party for Prince Carlos, the heir to the throne of King Philip IV, and the whole city gathered to celebrate.</p><p>Until that gathering, plague was mostly affecting the outside villages and Milan itself had relatively few cases. So the Milanese mocked the idea that plague was there.</p><p style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;">"Anyone who even mentioned the word 'plague' was greeted with incredulous mockery or angry contempt. The same disbelief, or rather blind obstinacy, prevailed among the senators, the decurions, and all the magistrates."</p><p>"It's a hoax!" <br /></p><p>Have you seen the videos of people having absolute meltdowns in grocery stores because they have to wear masks? Have you heard people calling others sheep for wearing masks? Have you seen the governor of South Dakota whining about not getting more covid funds because they don't have high unemployment because she refused to implement lockdowns? (One in 500 South Dakotans are dead because of it, by the way.) Have you heard senators Cruz, Rubio, Hawley, and company mocking lockdowns and demanding businesses remain open?</p><p>It's the exact same thing.</p><p style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;">"The commission of health begged and pleaded for cooperation, but with little or no result. And in the commission itself far too little sense of urgency was shown. As Tadino several times remarks, and as appears still more clearly from the whole context of his story, it was the two doctors who realized the seriousness and the imminence of the danger, and proceed to stir up their fellow-members, who then had to stir up the other authorities."</p><p>It's Fauci! And the non-doctors were political appointees! The political appointees and the politicians wouldn't listen, just like in the damn Trump regime that failed to respond to the pandemic with any sense of urgency or concern and that killed half a million Americans.</p><p style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;">"The proclamation restricting entry to the city, which was the subject of a resolution by the commission on 30 October, was not finally drafted until the twenty-third of he following month, and not published until the twenty-ninth. By then the plague had entered Milan."</p><p>Jesus. The same thing happened here. The borders weren't closed until it was too late despite months of warning. Months. And then, when the borders were closed, they were done in such a way that it actually spread covid. Remember when they flew that plane from China into San Francisco knowing there were covid passengers on board, and they lost track of them when they got here? And how everyone in Europe was allowed a window of time to get into the US before the flights stopped, so everyone rushed to go at once? </p><p style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;">"The infection that had already been distributed...was reinforced by the fresh infections that kept on coming into Milan because of defects in the regulations, of the slackness with which they were administered, or of the skill with which they were evaded. It wound its way slowly and secretly through the city...now in this quarter and that, the contagion would choose its victim, and someone would die. The rarity of the cases itself diverted most minds from the truth, and progressively strengthened the public's stupid, fatal belief that there was no plague in Milan..."<br /></p><p>Then there's this bit:</p><p style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;">"The main odium fell on the two doctors - Tadino and Senator Settala, the son of the Chief Physician - and it reached the point where they could not cross the squares of the city without being assailed with curses, or even stones. The situation of those two men during the next few months was certainly strange, and worthy of record, as they saw a terrible catastrophe coming nearer and nearer and did everything they could to avert it; and at the same time encountered obstacles where they looked for help, became the butt of popular indignation and were regarded as enemies of their country..." </p><p>Fauci has been called a traitor by Trump supporters and has received numerous death threats. Fauci is Tadino. Tadino is Fauci. Tadino and Fauci are the doctors of every historical pandemic where the idiot masses refused to accept the reality of disease.</p><p>When the deaths became too numerous to pretend the plague didn't exist anymore, these people turned to conspiracy theories. They said foreigners were spreading a poisonous ointment on things to kill people. They called them "anointers." Compare that to people shouting "China virus!" and even believing that the coronvirus was engineered as a bioweapon.</p><p>When another gathering spread the disease enough that the poisoned ointment idea was no longer plausible, people changed their conspiracy nonsense to it was a poisonous powder blown into the air by foreigners and evildoers. Even on their deathbeds, people denied they had plague. We've heard countless stories of Americans with covid doing the exact same thing.<br /></p><p>In the end, a quarter of the population of Milan died. One in four people. There wasn't a family untouched by death.<br /></p><p>They didn't have vaccines back then so we can only imagine what the conspiracy nonsense would have been. We see misinformation about vaccines every damn day. It's the same mentality. Conspiracies, egotism, thinking that you know more than the experts, even despising experts. Half of Americans polled say they won't get the vaccine. The vaccines are working, but people just don't care enough to save lives. It's a dereliction of civic duty as Americans, and it's a moral travesty.<br /></p><p>We've lost 500,000 Americans to covid. Half a million human beings, dead because we made the choice to let them die. We have countless historical examples from which we refuse to learn. We have science we choose to ignore. And we have a hell of a lot of sociopaths who just don't give a damn.<br /></p>Cathiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07291479913130967235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3857295146936801558.post-90319366225854452482021-01-17T19:04:00.021-05:002021-01-18T03:53:44.921-05:00On Occupied Capitol Hill<p>I took the trash bins to the curb and stared at the buzzing sky. The winter clouds are hiding the fact that the days are noticeably lighter now, but they aren't hiding the helicopters. The last time this happened I was in shorts and flip flops, but that time, the threat was the helicopters and the police and petty criminal opportunists. This time, six and a half months later, the threat is from homegrown terrorists, and we have to rely on those choppers and coppers to protect us.</p><p></p><p>I love living on Capitol Hill. I love telling people I live on Capitol Hill. I hate when "Capitol Hill" is used by the national media and Americans from other parts of the country as a substitute for talking about Congress and the politicians they send here. Now, I have only lived on the Hill for six of my eighteen years in DC, but I don't think I will ever live in another part of DC again. I like going to restaurants and spotting congressional representatives. I love walking past senators on the street and giving dirty looks to the ones I don't like. I live for chatting with journos in bars and staffers in cafes and DNC folks in hardware stores. I even loved the one time I got schooled in a bar by a Republican congressman who actually voted FOR the Affordable Care Act, whom I mistakenly criticized for voting against it.</p><p>But those are not common occurrences in quotidian life. What's normal is taking the trash bins to the curb on Sunday nights, going grocery shopping at the Harris Teeter, and saying hello to the neighbors walking their dogs while doing yard work. I love living on Capitol Hill because it is a neighborhood filled with good people, a sense of community, and worldly experience. You wouldn't know normal people live on the Hill by reading national media, however, as they generally ignore the people who live here for the fake glamour of politics. The reality is that Capitol Hill is like a small town, where you run into people you know at Frager's Hardware or Tunnicliff's Tavern or Mangialardo's or the post office, dry cleaners, or city park. <br></p><p>Now our lives are in an upheaval, with a cacophony of surveillance and patrol helicopters roaring overhead, the streets to get most anywhere off the Hill closed, and armed troops filling the pizza joints and burrito shops.</p><p>The weak-minded lowlifes of this country mired in the pit of their own mediocrity have turned our nation's capital into a conflict zone.</p><p>Anyone who knows me at all knows I have spent much of my adult life obsessed with conflict. From the moment in Luxembourg when the school took us to both the <a href="https://frombeiruttojupiter.blogspot.com/2019/03/no-need-for-enemies.html" target="_blank">American and German WWII cemeteries</a> to Dr. Haag's classes on the Third Reich and Cold War to the trips to Auschwitz, Dachau, and Theresienstadt <span style="letter-spacing: 0.2px;">to working at the peace and reconciliation center in Ireland and working in human rights and democratic governance in the Middle East to living and working in Beirut, I've been on the periphery of it all. Yet I've never been in it. The first time I went to Belfast was the day the Easter peace treaty was signed, and fortunately, nothing happened. I saw Egyptian soldiers patrolling the streets of Cairo the first time I went to the Middle East, but nothing happened there, either.</span></p><p>In Beirut, there is always the threat of conflict, but while I was there, nothing really happened. There were times of increased tension when the threat of conflict was real, but people went about their daily lives because they had to. I wrote <a href="https://frombeiruttojupiter.blogspot.com/2011/01/you-know-what-they-say-about-men-who.html" target="_blank">this bit</a> about the threat of renewed conflict nearly ten years ago from today:<br></p><p></p><blockquote>A taxi sat parked on the side of a normally busy street in Beirut, one
of the common beaten up old Mercedes that have somehow survived as
everything in Lebanon has somehow survived. The driver, whose face was
as worn out as his car, slumped behind the wheel as he filled the
vehicle with cigarette smoke. In the backseat were two women passengers
whose worried expressions told more tales than an entire library could
ever teach you. The three of them were listening to the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/21/world/middleeast/21lebanon.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&ref=middleeast&adxnnlx=1295607748-SNTWpJRU%2FrgILETxRPCqwA" target="blank">Prime Minister's speech</a>
on the radio. Further down in desolation, another driver sat with his
car door open on a darkened corner, listening intently with a hardened face,
a facade, for you could sense the truth of what he felt emanating from
deep within him. Shopkeepers had televisions or radios tuned in, and
you knew the blue lights glowing from the windows of houses had Hariri's
oddly bearded face on TV screens.<br>
<br>
The tone of the speech was uncharacteristically defiant as the normally
weak leader challenged the militia that now threatens the (relative)
stability his country. The pulse of the city itself was
uncharacteristically slow. This was not the Beirut that has been
featured in the travel sections of Western newspapers so many times over
the last two years. No, this was the Beirut of history books.<br>
<br>
You really have to be here to understand how it feels - the air, the
atmosphere, I don't know how to describe it - but it is like there are
supernatural forces at work. The feeling is something deep, like the
whole universe, all of existence, all of time and space and history is
inside you, and you can look inside the souls of people and see their
fear in all its nakedness.<br>
<br>
During daylight hours, one doesn't notice there is something dangerously
wrong here, for the fruit vendors push their carts and the taxi drivers
stand on the corners and the shawarma cooks sell their mouthwatering meat. The coffee shops are filled with studying students and elderly
elders and housewives both covered and not, and people buy shoes and
clothes and belts and other things they don't really need just as they
always would. Incessant car horns, diesel-spewing generators, and construction
workers shouting from great heights to the ground below still perform the dissonant symphony known as Beirut.<br>
<br>
But with dusk come the demons and the ghouls who have haunted this land
for many millennia. The streets have been emptier, never more noticeably
than last night as Hariri spoke to put Hezbollah in a position where
they'd have to take responsibility for any violence that may occur. And
they are responsible. No one else is threatening violence. Everyone
else is sick of it, sick, sick, sick. Everyone else wants to live
normal lives. Everyone else wants a job, electricity, decent internet,
and good schools for their kids. It isn't fair. It isn't fair to the
innocent Lebanese who have suffered time and time again for the
stupidity of a few.</blockquote><p></p><p> </p><p>And that's kind of what it feels like to live on Capitol Hill at this moment in time, except we don't have the wisdom of experience or the weathered fear; we have a worry cloaked in naivety and a little of that American arrogance that tells us it can't happen here, really, that last week was just an abberation. We try to reason with ourselves that the threat is exaggerated, but with every bit of news that drips out about what happened last week, our brains tell us that the threat is more serious than we know. We remember all the other times, the bombing in Nashville, Charlottesville, the Rittenhouse murders, cops killing Black Americans, the Pittsburgh synagogue, kids in cages, family separations, Muslim bans, the journalist killings, the explosion of hate crimes, and we know this is already a war they are waging. <br></p><p>I used to describe to people that living in Beirut was like "living IN the news" because of everything that happened in and around it. Well, I am definitely living IN the news again. I see their Jesus signs at their hate rallies and think of Hezbollah,
the "party of God." I see their Trump flags and think of Hezbollah's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, whose fat face plasters walls across Lebanon. I see their guns and think of the green rifle on Hezbollah's yellow flag, appropriately colored for their cowardice. I see their homogeneity and I think of the tribalism
that defines much of the world in conflict.<br></p><p>So we go about our daily lives on Capitol Hill and the rest of DC hoping that the minor security inconvenience is not for naught, hoping that we can nip this Trump-inspired nazi movement in the bud before it flourishes into a permanent part of the American cultural landscape. We're all losing sleep, though some won't admit it. We tell each other to be safe this week when we're purchasing wares in the local shops or passing by on the sidewalk. We've hung lights and signs in our yards professing our joy that the end of a nightmare could be coming to a close. </p><p>But there is a darkness we just can't shake.<br></p>Cathiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07291479913130967235noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3857295146936801558.post-50631839879307543582021-01-15T12:58:00.000-05:002021-01-15T18:46:01.891-05:00Food 101<p> I'll never forget the first time I saw a raw egg on a pizza. </p><p>That wasn't even the most horrifying thing on it. No, my seafood pizza, "fruits de mer," had tentacles and prawns with eyes. I am not sure why I even ordered a seafood pizza, as we had nothing like that back in Ohio, USA, and Ohio does have good pizza. But I was in a small town in Luxembourg, which to a twenty year old Ohioan was exotic, and I wanted to try new things.</p><p>The pizza place was called San Marino. My housemates and I went there with our host family in the beginning of our junior year in Luxembourg, the first of many times we would eat a San Marino pizza. Us Miami students must have quadrupled their business that year, the first year the school was located in the town of Differdange. We ate so much pizza from there they created a carryout service just for us. </p><p>Pizza was a good starting point for food exploration. In the Midwest, food was, er, rather unadventurous. An average Midwestern cupboard contained salt, black pepper, cinnamon, something generic called "Italian seasoning," maybe a lemon pepper mix, and a handful of stale spices used once in a new recipe that had most likely not been cooked again. Midwesterners put crumbled potato chips on top of casseroles made with cheese, sour cream, cream cheese, and cheese again, often with canned cream of mushroom soup, and called it cooking. The internet has improved Midwestern fare a great deal, but do a Pinterest search for "casserole" and you will see that they are still massacring tastebuds in droves. My mother did better than most. We always had vegetables and I am grateful for that. She also had spices.</p><p>Europe was my first exposure to a different kind of food, however. Suburban southwest Ohio in the eighties had Chinese, Mexican, and Italian, but these were blanded up for the American palate. I was exposed to real Italian food early on in that year in Europe - in actual Italy - and a particular meal in Cinque Terre where I tasted pesto for the first time (in September during real pesto season in the area where pesto was invented) showed me all that food could be. To this day it is still one of the best meals I have ever eaten.</p><p>I learned that fresh food is the way food is meant to be eaten. I learned that produce shouldn't be as expensive as it is in the US. I learned that frozen meat is a crime against nature. And I learned to respect cheese as a divine gift and not something to smother casseroles with. </p><p>It would be some years before I would cook on my own. I learned about Arab food while studying Arabic in Monterey, CA, but I only ate it, never cooked it. A friend of mine I met there and with whom I lived when I moved to DC taught me about Indian spices. I had never heard of such wonders as cardamom, turmeric, garam masala, corriander, and fenugreek. Still I did not cook.</p><p>Then I moved to a house with him and started a garden. It was a small Italian herb garden with a couple of tomato plants, though I struggle to remember exactly what I grew. I know basil and oregano were involved. That's when I started to cook. I had to learn the basics. I had never cooked fresh broccoli. I didn't know how long chicken should cook. I didn't know what a dry rub was. I couldn't identify ginger in a grocery store. Stir fries and soups were easy enough. I made my first Thanksgiving dinner there, and the turkey turned out perfectly. I made my first homemade tomato sauce, too. I had no idea what I was doing, but it seemed to be working. I discovered I had a knack for flavors.</p><p>Then came a series of life upheavals - a mouse problem in the house after the pipes froze and exploded, depression, being passed over for a promotion, going to Eastern Europe for three months, unemployment, the Obama campaign, more unemployment. Then I got a job with a Lebanese organization, which changed everything. Living in Beirut exposed me to the best food on the planet and a people who appreciate it. Here is where I would learn that food is a lifestyle, an art, a spiritual conquest.</p><p>I grew tomatoes, peppers, and herbs at my next place. I began to collect spices. My life was still in upheaval, as in only three years I went through three jobs, a lot of it due to the Bush recession and budget cuts. The house became a nightmare of pestilence of all kinds, including bedbugs, mice, and a slumlord who stole my tomatoes and peppers. But after all that, a miracle. A recruiter called me out of the blue, and six years later, I am still with the company and am living in a place with enough space for a decent sized garden, where I grow a dozen herbs, tomatoes, peppers, all kinds of greens, potatoes, strawberries, carrots, melons, cucumbers, and whatever else I can fit into the plot. Gardening is the bulk of my free time. I am motivated to provide something nice for my neighbors to look at while also cooking food that I grow myself. The fulfillment you get when eating something you have grown is fantastic.</p><p>I have a whole kitchen wall of spices these days and create my own recipes, but I am still learning to cook. Once you stop learning, you probably start making casseroles filled with dairy fats and cans of creamed salt. I'm still trying to get timing down. I still can't poach an egg. My obsession is flavors and the weirder it sounds, the more it is a challenge I want to tackle. I make excellent chili but recently I thought, what if chili, except with shrimp, and what if you cook the chili with the juice of a whole lime, and it was delicious. I put cayenne in fruity drinks and sauces because the universe made them go together. I grind my own spice mixtures in my "kitchen lab" and name them political things like "Rosemary's Babygate" and "Ruth Bader Ginger" because I live and grow things on Capitol Hill. I buy most produce from the local farmers market and use the local butcher and fishmonger when I can. I never follow the recipe if I am using one and I try new and weird things as a rule. </p><p>Still, I would never put a raw egg on pizza.<br></p><p><br></p><p><br></p>Cathiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07291479913130967235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3857295146936801558.post-3876759418900575242021-01-13T19:29:00.003-05:002021-01-13T19:34:13.678-05:00Goals<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div>I made a list.<p></p><p>Usually I think lists at the new year are pointless. We all say this is the year I will do this or that and none of us ever really does it. We lose steam around the end of January and by spring we have forgotten what we were committed to do.</p><p>This year is truly different, though, because of the nature of our 2020. We've had ten months to reflect upon our lives without the usual distractions, and we're going to have another four or five months to continue that reflection under the same circumstances, and that is best case scenario. Many Americans have realized that the things they thought were so important - like sports - really aren't, that maybe civic engagement matters. I want to believe they've realized that, anyway. I'll refrain from haranguing the MAGA crowd right now; it seems they have not only learned nothing, but they've actively fought against learning anything at all.</p><p>This year, having nowhere to go forced me to confront my neglect of the many interests I have. Until countries closed their borders to Americans, my life revolved around the one or two trips abroad I got to take each of the last six or seven years. When I wasn't planning the trips or experiencing the trips or looking at my photographs from the trips, I was dreaming of the trips. Perhaps the most productive thing I have done in my personal time is my garden, which is a kind of tiny park my neighbors love. I am motivated by them as much as I am by the plants themselves. The rest of my time I spent watching baseball or hockey and drinking beer in bars and wasting time on social media.</p><p>One day you wake up and you realize that half your life is over and you wonder what have you actually done with it because it feels like you have all of these snapshots tucked away in a photo album collecting dust on a shelf. I have always loved living in Washington, DC and I love living on Capitol Hill and I make a good salary at a good company, but I feel unfulfilled. I think of all the pursuits I've had that I have failed to follow through on and wonder why I never let them get anywhere. The books I've wanted to write, the businesses I've wanted to start, the post-graduate degrees I've wanted to pursue...they never get done. Part of the reason is that I get distracted too easily and I jump from one thing to another without ever finishing anything. I don't know if I've always been like that or if this is an age of mobile phone development. I have the attention span of a gnat these days. Even the 500 words of this blog post at this point have taken me an hour to write, because I stare out the window, my thoughts drifting from work to the stack of unfinished books on the table to thinking about my cookbook to worrying about my plants. </p><p>So I made a list. </p><p>Will I stick to it?<br /></p><p> <br /></p>Cathiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07291479913130967235noreply@blogger.com0