tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52237999451382092022024-02-19T08:09:25.156-05:00Not By Accident: Live your life with purposeLifestyle Blog - Travel, Crafts, GodUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger296125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5223799945138209202.post-3691771051206389612023-04-27T13:57:00.001-04:002023-06-04T17:01:37.682-04:00Lisbon's Countryside Towns<p> Thursday was a tour of a few of the surrounding towns, with our first stop in the medieval town of Óbidos (pronounced 'o-bee-dosh' by Nélia). They formerly used windmills in this area to grind grain, so they are somewhat a symbol of the region, however, they must not sell well because they weren't to be found, in replica form, in most of the shops I visited. I've been searching, since Porto, for a pair of dangly earrings shaped like tiny azulejos. Unfortunately, it has been in vain thus far; every shop I've perused (in lightning fashion) has only a poor imitation of the tiles: a glazed dome over the tile pattern, partially obscuring the pattern so you'd never imagine it to be a tile from Portugal. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH4NkcBH_tTwjEADonRBIBuhyrHj69GsW0wi_pgS8qMYS7c9wSDxgqRwTKttFLAAEoDjmz6DB9CJNHkIhQNyx6TMNTBprG9ykX1jK0LzrcFA8vRJv7EdxAUvhYWQ9UrJBm4fMLB-B8FlPAGnZ2e_sYHFMjVAJ6AF7kHFWVKBrr77RHxx57Xfz_iWD3AA/s4032/20230603_134452.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH4NkcBH_tTwjEADonRBIBuhyrHj69GsW0wi_pgS8qMYS7c9wSDxgqRwTKttFLAAEoDjmz6DB9CJNHkIhQNyx6TMNTBprG9ykX1jK0LzrcFA8vRJv7EdxAUvhYWQ9UrJBm4fMLB-B8FlPAGnZ2e_sYHFMjVAJ6AF7kHFWVKBrr77RHxx57Xfz_iWD3AA/s320/20230603_134452.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>Anyway, the town has been well restored, so the exterior of the homes there still appear as they may have in the 1500's, and the city wall is still incredibly well intact. It was considered one of the Queen's towns for hundreds of years, so their taxes all went to her, and not to the King. As such, many of the Óbidos festivals reflect that heritage. Understandably, they have a huge Medieval festival each year (even the Portuguese attend), and they have a large chocolate festival. In this area they sell and, I assume, make Ginja, a sour-cherry liquor which they serve in chocolate cups. I popped my head into a few churches, but there was no real "tour" so we were free to wander. I struck out for the walls of the city to catch the views of the surrounding landscape (while quickly checking the numerous shops for the aforementioned earrings).</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5cWvbZ4Jf0oSEy-1wUFL7gdatBoUb8z6nWJ_8z9ueRNHAXKn7jpYwFLEBVVGKObsjSx-dSKiJGppXZ8d7EA_SQHl3Lr-Sh3OgQyD84n8PQuwol8BOIcH81EPE6cWwJUZ0XaV9ipyxBpQpnfHnVs7lOZ0U2cDUEkYxeJNtcx7eTbw7hpoQ7NuIUWxmWw/s4032/20230603_134418.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5cWvbZ4Jf0oSEy-1wUFL7gdatBoUb8z6nWJ_8z9ueRNHAXKn7jpYwFLEBVVGKObsjSx-dSKiJGppXZ8d7EA_SQHl3Lr-Sh3OgQyD84n8PQuwol8BOIcH81EPE6cWwJUZ0XaV9ipyxBpQpnfHnVs7lOZ0U2cDUEkYxeJNtcx7eTbw7hpoQ7NuIUWxmWw/s320/20230603_134418.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Back on the bus we headed north to the city of Alcobaça (pronounced Al-koo-baas-sa) to visit their monestary, also known as Santa Maria de Alcobaça Church. It's the first building in the country to be fully built in the Gothic style. in addition, it's the largest church Portugal, with over 100 meters from the door to the alter. Despite the Gothic inside, the exterior façade is in the Baroque style. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1XSOVPp6otdC9YqnN0WSPKOyAJRyzV8zxmxIeyc7SQvuuNTBKBMl4uIQlHSZOkcnSn0L_kiGsaUhqh9jvoHiwA_FprHCFy7jtDyDFW6Pg1u4Agv49DKMQiibajME6TpZMxYK68yqEzEhnAsHVoRlfEmcyYxquvxoTbEl_Wr4DQJRO_yApO-Pam2nr8g/s4032/20230603_134644.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2795" data-original-width="4032" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1XSOVPp6otdC9YqnN0WSPKOyAJRyzV8zxmxIeyc7SQvuuNTBKBMl4uIQlHSZOkcnSn0L_kiGsaUhqh9jvoHiwA_FprHCFy7jtDyDFW6Pg1u4Agv49DKMQiibajME6TpZMxYK68yqEzEhnAsHVoRlfEmcyYxquvxoTbEl_Wr4DQJRO_yApO-Pam2nr8g/w400-h278/20230603_134644.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>Construction was begun in 1178 by Cistercian monks and the church was consecrated in 1252. The other interesting aspect of the church is who was entombed there: King Pedro I and his lover, Inês de Castro. The story, as told by Nélia and what I've read online have similar narrations, but the exact timeline is still fuzzy for me. Either way, he was madly in love with her, claimed they had been married in secret (all before he was actually king), but his father, King Afonso, had her killed to prevent her family from influencing politics in Portugal and from becoming royalty (by extension) - the usual reasons for that time period, I guess. Their sarcophaguses were incredibly ornate. Sadly, many of the statues carved into them are now headless because of Napoleon's troops. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmHI1z_4q-KZZqebQW2aQ4iYt08_P_6KcyhjOU-kI0_HEgd1sLlL93GZK92odahf9EZRDa51RdfufEOZ3i3s-TUHG4Bgd1fzLFXsySkffaEYBubbcDR-tAxP6pfOMA6M0hczcEVeUFZUldmiNtBeKtW-HrAEBrk-kTIy9EcV2SNVPy8m5P_3LufDH8Cw/s4032/20230603_134620.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmHI1z_4q-KZZqebQW2aQ4iYt08_P_6KcyhjOU-kI0_HEgd1sLlL93GZK92odahf9EZRDa51RdfufEOZ3i3s-TUHG4Bgd1fzLFXsySkffaEYBubbcDR-tAxP6pfOMA6M0hczcEVeUFZUldmiNtBeKtW-HrAEBrk-kTIy9EcV2SNVPy8m5P_3LufDH8Cw/s320/20230603_134620.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>They believed that the Portuguese buried their kings with jewels (they don't, even though they had incredible wealth), so when the troops found none inside the sarcophaguses they thought the monks had been clever and hidden the jewels inside the statues carved into the outside (wrong again). The monastery was extensive and in it's heyday had at least 1,000 monks. Although it was a bit austere, it was a beautiful church, though enjoyed mainly by the monks. Since they didn't allow common-folk inside until the 18th century, that could explain its plain interior.<br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLMIFrfh-CSuMkPY5-N8RK7lgNvklSRidF4EpQVz3hrC1GNoO8dm6MmAewW9Jq1Jnj9uOU34q1AO5J-FN_Z--Tzcp3I4bzT-GacSH6puWoU1H3smMT_F9zuU6pcyXF7b_yD9QesNeG0hG4ews3ux9AVoLohk7H-4U_zkHEDDXH40EiMANrpdP0-_ndkA/s4032/20230603_135351.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLMIFrfh-CSuMkPY5-N8RK7lgNvklSRidF4EpQVz3hrC1GNoO8dm6MmAewW9Jq1Jnj9uOU34q1AO5J-FN_Z--Tzcp3I4bzT-GacSH6puWoU1H3smMT_F9zuU6pcyXF7b_yD9QesNeG0hG4ews3ux9AVoLohk7H-4U_zkHEDDXH40EiMANrpdP0-_ndkA/s320/20230603_135351.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>From there we headed east to Nazaré which was once known for their small, beautiful fishing boats used in the dangerous waters (there is a bad undertow). <br /> <span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW22IUfDgAK9CAPsJTvqZT8QEOWIYzzMIMSDKyTQmDlSnWHcbSsUCr1oWbZGnhn07H4FGFqom8qJGsckL-ifs1ohg3YkPsN1jbBhYB5OmwZDKMrQlpo9CnuixP6Fbh93rDYJ7qnlP0a4iLIkasSmD5F4dwFo3A-z1AOJisIXKwuRiQxvA7o00Xk-iwqQ/s4032/20230603_134706.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2220" data-original-width="4032" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW22IUfDgAK9CAPsJTvqZT8QEOWIYzzMIMSDKyTQmDlSnWHcbSsUCr1oWbZGnhn07H4FGFqom8qJGsckL-ifs1ohg3YkPsN1jbBhYB5OmwZDKMrQlpo9CnuixP6Fbh93rDYJ7qnlP0a4iLIkasSmD5F4dwFo3A-z1AOJisIXKwuRiQxvA7o00Xk-iwqQ/s320/20230603_134706.jpg" width="320" /></a></p><p>The women dry the catch out in the sun on the beach to preserve it for times when the men can't go out and fish. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg52bQKQtlip0lV1RfpeimTWucwS9xBiiCzI8ayI_aZraFnkYO4WYhWBESNQk2ZclF4p4upAnVhNS-tmKxr2Oe3cTR6RSpubHL5QSbXrUiOHjKu6ZEswsvBxgw3dtSkRfL0fMIZulBuquO6OwHsJAlaWldBn4a5H3-jqB-0bHKdLq0P1-vtzv6cb1e9yA/s4032/20230603_134737.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2063" data-original-width="4032" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg52bQKQtlip0lV1RfpeimTWucwS9xBiiCzI8ayI_aZraFnkYO4WYhWBESNQk2ZclF4p4upAnVhNS-tmKxr2Oe3cTR6RSpubHL5QSbXrUiOHjKu6ZEswsvBxgw3dtSkRfL0fMIZulBuquO6OwHsJAlaWldBn4a5H3-jqB-0bHKdLq0P1-vtzv6cb1e9yA/s320/20230603_134737.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>They still do some fishing today, not now the area is known for surfing -- especially the colossal waves out around the point that are stories-high. The area by the beach is extremely touristy, but one or two streets in it all appeared very residential -- no shops, just laundry drying in the warm spring wind.<br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSz_TBXuTXDLH16AQgoLwvML1dT1Y-tgv8z9-qHEZnbV1PAMRf7-UuafXG9h_KCVX5TzT4gYGeWIsZ-2UPNLqR6-XZo5mW8mgav-K2oF6ppdzfILnDYJgtbzDW3d0MJrk3bsMbZwuZteMaKdyLYfbo_e_S2x-pYVpgf70q8ox50kFTxsCzN49ra1jXyg/s2041/20230603_134840.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2041" data-original-width="1684" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSz_TBXuTXDLH16AQgoLwvML1dT1Y-tgv8z9-qHEZnbV1PAMRf7-UuafXG9h_KCVX5TzT4gYGeWIsZ-2UPNLqR6-XZo5mW8mgav-K2oF6ppdzfILnDYJgtbzDW3d0MJrk3bsMbZwuZteMaKdyLYfbo_e_S2x-pYVpgf70q8ox50kFTxsCzN49ra1jXyg/s320/20230603_134840.jpg" width="264" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM_OYTk9IYJ7TnbSR2-FtInLfoqQFzBZNXKVOJwC_7DgDlm8dOt_dW5348x0kIveVSM3_lMEWt-fptfWiWMVEJhEn0VX9eI-qhNbJUrphtQlN_4xxVI9gBbmSmD7dXyRVZWm7_z4kkDvx6Ve2X_y5zopMaVFnlW6ry8vPLCi69Z_KepEXWrmQBQjsPtA/s4032/20230603_134803.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM_OYTk9IYJ7TnbSR2-FtInLfoqQFzBZNXKVOJwC_7DgDlm8dOt_dW5348x0kIveVSM3_lMEWt-fptfWiWMVEJhEn0VX9eI-qhNbJUrphtQlN_4xxVI9gBbmSmD7dXyRVZWm7_z4kkDvx6Ve2X_y5zopMaVFnlW6ry8vPLCi69Z_KepEXWrmQBQjsPtA/s320/20230603_134803.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>We got back on the bus for the hour-and-a-half ride back to Lisbon and then had about an hour before our farewell drink and dinner. Because of the seat rotations on the bus I didn't get a chance to properly meet everyone on the tour, and within a few days most people stop wearing their name tags, so if you didn't catch a name by day 2 or 3 you'll have to ask. Anyway, I finally met a couple from Ohio that it turns out used to vacation in Australia quite frequently 30 years ago. Port Douglas and Palm Cove...lovely memories of those places, so it was almost as good as meeting someone from Western PA. We did get a group photo before heading to dinner, so that was a really nice memento. Dinner was tasty, but it was stifling hot in the restaurant that night. I bookended my trip with the Boston crew, rounding out their numbers for one final time. Oddly enough, it was the first time I could have sat elsewhere (there weren't exactly 42 seats saved), but my welcome dinner and every group dinner after had been with them, so it was only fitting. Overall, we had such a lovely crew that I can honestly say I could have spent another week with them all. Who knows, maybe we'll bump into each other on another Gate1 tour someday.</p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5223799945138209202.post-16206527893936653832023-04-26T19:05:00.321-04:002023-04-30T17:00:02.878-04:00Lisbon, Cascais, & Sintra<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/AVvXsEg_Jl1IYQJ5G5Ak9RuUaTi5ABztRGT5eyU7Irjg2SG09o5h8uij60FDObYLKTFBgASn0tN03zkB2LVfAbtOnu-1Zusk1JIxJl0YQzq2zuqvVjbQNZs30lTnx259vQvI-UnW-HAcYV_7KERrN5_RJ5QLpli_G1mt9pytcOwMce2Duz8EfGIQz51joTlVGg/s4032/20230430_154045.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Jl1IYQJ5G5Ak9RuUaTi5ABztRGT5eyU7Irjg2SG09o5h8uij60FDObYLKTFBgASn0tN03zkB2LVfAbtOnu-1Zusk1JIxJl0YQzq2zuqvVjbQNZs30lTnx259vQvI-UnW-HAcYV_7KERrN5_RJ5QLpli_G1mt9pytcOwMce2Duz8EfGIQz51joTlVGg/s320/20230430_154045.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Former convent that houses Parliament</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> Our tour began with a drive just up the hill from our hotel to King Edward VII's Park where we enjoyed the view of the hills of Lisbon and out to the Tagus River (Rio Tejo). In 1903, King Edward VII of England came to Portugal to commemorate, and reaffirm, the political alliance between the two countries. Prior to that visit the 64 acre park was called Parque da Liberdade (Liberty Park). The huge statue (it's over 130ft tall) of <span style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> </span>Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, 1st Marquês de Pombal sits in the middle of the roundabout. He was a fascinating character and also the namesake of our hotel.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRyZEoUGkHEgB4s2HPx2zN7mh_zAbwb9YnQLNMvJJtgcpYmExaKxhZh2mDqnkxgTDeG8NkBszUgrtPCtIVl542yifb992ni1PBgTVDgHR6ryxUnEc64L_SywLx0yM_8_UCkBRmdsEzCxgwu2NqKYtntEm7p4zFzNWPgHRkYN-HwEoOxd4rP5MkJa8LMQ/s4032/20230430_154901.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRyZEoUGkHEgB4s2HPx2zN7mh_zAbwb9YnQLNMvJJtgcpYmExaKxhZh2mDqnkxgTDeG8NkBszUgrtPCtIVl542yifb992ni1PBgTVDgHR6ryxUnEc64L_SywLx0yM_8_UCkBRmdsEzCxgwu2NqKYtntEm7p4zFzNWPgHRkYN-HwEoOxd4rP5MkJa8LMQ/s320/20230430_154901.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p>On All Saints Day (November ) in 1755, Lisbon experienced a devastating earthquake (Voltaire even wrote a <a href="https://www.dbu.edu/mitchell/worldview-literature/post-colonialism/theodicy/voltaire.html" target="_blank">poem</a> about it). "The total number of persons killed included those who perished by drowning and in fires that burned throughout Lisbon for about six days following the shock." The Marquês de Pombal was a statesman, diplomat, and prime minister to King Joseph I, and following the disaster he took charge of the reconstruction. Amazingly, in less than a year the city was partially rebuilt and with the world's first earthquake-resistant buildings! He's also credited with creating the demarcated wine regions of Portugal (with the Douro Valley being the first in the world). </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/AVvXsEjTY2oJc8dYcq5Z5AdHVVI_a32l6fWiqWAKMYH0PZ3cNN8GIwXjnh1i2DIIPDWJrKhoNg246XvfP4yCQQTUAXezMmWlQAXQW8rfR-8ZjZgcU6sBdQxeBD1rbZWlyTN5x1gSbn5aFZQQfXSHtlE8ZRN-NSVaVxdRR0w02YC1gHaB90jqfsycfk2F1t4hbQ/s3153/20230430_155007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><i><img border="0" data-original-height="3153" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTY2oJc8dYcq5Z5AdHVVI_a32l6fWiqWAKMYH0PZ3cNN8GIwXjnh1i2DIIPDWJrKhoNg246XvfP4yCQQTUAXezMmWlQAXQW8rfR-8ZjZgcU6sBdQxeBD1rbZWlyTN5x1gSbn5aFZQQfXSHtlE8ZRN-NSVaVxdRR0w02YC1gHaB90jqfsycfk2F1t4hbQ/s320/20230430_155007.jpg" width="307" /></i></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption"><i>Calçada portuguesa pavement on Avenida da Liberdade</i></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Our next stop was the lovely Belém Tower from the 16th century, a fortification that was used as the beginning point and end point of the voyages of the Portuguese explorers. It was also often used as a ceremonial gateway to Lisbon. The Knights Templar were very powerful and wealthy at that time, and they had a hand in the voyages and discoveries made. You can see some of their insignias on the fortress (Templars cross, nautical knot, rope motif, etc.).</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu29VA_QnFffo5W4NDIkyQM4f0WeBawtGJvEMAMBPD36E-GUxIPpZWpYKCyGcoq30JKxWNjnYJAZP7xzud1SKFkBtVDgy18hDpbKPHS3iJFU3kr8woTubC1Oem0U0mHOrQuYHPNYz1rpXUReRYP4ZuZaDAlxqWqhGxoXGj4XxZYvt1l3NDV8mIBY5HCQ/s4032/20230430_154108.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu29VA_QnFffo5W4NDIkyQM4f0WeBawtGJvEMAMBPD36E-GUxIPpZWpYKCyGcoq30JKxWNjnYJAZP7xzud1SKFkBtVDgy18hDpbKPHS3iJFU3kr8woTubC1Oem0U0mHOrQuYHPNYz1rpXUReRYP4ZuZaDAlxqWqhGxoXGj4XxZYvt1l3NDV8mIBY5HCQ/s320/20230430_154108.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>On to the Padrão dos Descobrimentos (Monument to the Discoverers), a stunning work that commemorates the 500th anniversary of the death of Henry the Navigator (discoverer of the Azores, Madeira, and Cape Verde). It stands 170ft tall and "is made up of a group of sculptures that represent the prow of a caravel (a small sailing ship constructed by the Portuguese to explore the Atlantic Ocean). Leading the ship is Prince Henry the Navigator and behind him are many other great Portuguese discoverers", including Vasco de Gama, Magellan, and Henry's mother.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic5tsOSlVqbhKlsiUV_x336DSiPYZOuGubbj-UeuuWk7kPKudNucrpM4tP8TjBn-5u009uae3A5OhytgQWASOtr_5C5WrVf1sQSxRpr4A_YDaECx6taxw-s4zEDFYX-ysIp8fYYsi2rEHr_6XvRDxNODWfQJfq-BxoaHtT7oicU5rOp99AR2tVpe8Amg/s4032/20230430_154142.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic5tsOSlVqbhKlsiUV_x336DSiPYZOuGubbj-UeuuWk7kPKudNucrpM4tP8TjBn-5u009uae3A5OhytgQWASOtr_5C5WrVf1sQSxRpr4A_YDaECx6taxw-s4zEDFYX-ysIp8fYYsi2rEHr_6XvRDxNODWfQJfq-BxoaHtT7oicU5rOp99AR2tVpe8Amg/s320/20230430_154142.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div>A short drive to the Jerónimos Monastery, where we had to wait in a very long queue before granted entry. Blessedly, our dear guide for the day, Maria, had plenty of information to pass along while we waited. Under King Manuel I, the Portuguese explorers discovered the ocean route to India. "The monastery was built on an existing church dedicated to Santa Maria de Belém. Its purpose was to assist seafarers who passed the area and...[T]he church was inaugurated by King Manuel, with plans to expand the grounds into a monastery." The architectural style used became known as Manueline, but, since it took about 100 years to build, you can notice aspects of several styles within the monastery.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm8OFzBo5bunhWpXPetRcJfR8dFz3XLeL-bLZMHKWNLzCqCub8i6yutAg8T3ME6THb-gmj-vGa1TGfj8oPiHKDY9NkfmJSjprvj3QnRvH-tMyVISCbVqVGcmP44g7iEGDZhLjpdyczyTOT0tyP7HG4h3fNuYscoun_Z4J8wX_A88qNf9NrnbaR3nnqHA/s4032/20230430_154330.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2359" data-original-width="4032" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm8OFzBo5bunhWpXPetRcJfR8dFz3XLeL-bLZMHKWNLzCqCub8i6yutAg8T3ME6THb-gmj-vGa1TGfj8oPiHKDY9NkfmJSjprvj3QnRvH-tMyVISCbVqVGcmP44g7iEGDZhLjpdyczyTOT0tyP7HG4h3fNuYscoun_Z4J8wX_A88qNf9NrnbaR3nnqHA/s320/20230430_154330.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGPdjAbZGRVY2ek-H5xHHWhN34gwlAkn62nMsHmd6wW1ri7ikEt8XnLKKvkDvmVCvyQSTTQIei3KGGPJmKS_8dOPuHgh4EcLJQtAItMMGHZActGa8zVAm-4KB_cqdBCa-EUEHbQIj6o33wCplwAPOFkxNqa1U6M_vo7L301RGwml0fmsGoUNsnxDkBcw/s4032/20230430_161314.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGPdjAbZGRVY2ek-H5xHHWhN34gwlAkn62nMsHmd6wW1ri7ikEt8XnLKKvkDvmVCvyQSTTQIei3KGGPJmKS_8dOPuHgh4EcLJQtAItMMGHZActGa8zVAm-4KB_cqdBCa-EUEHbQIj6o33wCplwAPOFkxNqa1U6M_vo7L301RGwml0fmsGoUNsnxDkBcw/s320/20230430_161314.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The beautiful limestone façade includes a statue of Henry the Navigator above the twin front doors. The main chapel has the tombs of King Manuel I, and his wife, Queen Maria, (because of the India trade route the King had elephants brought back to Portugal and their tombs rest on elephant statues); the church also is the final resting place of Vasco de Gama.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEj4e2CFYtHdYvlZv_J7ELPECx360PzhDOjQmyEF2WJRatuGfNFT8Ad68IlftJK4qObQRZ1aP-Fhj74L6Hk83uwIQWwu2D8qZCyDVolUlhmSGtE0II533IecngUEa_TiPfv3d9XlRNBWuLgjPdkRAGH3lxG55NNG6h7m4lwzcpqbj7Zhj8F6OE17mbQw/s2880/20230430_161544.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2880" data-original-width="2880" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEj4e2CFYtHdYvlZv_J7ELPECx360PzhDOjQmyEF2WJRatuGfNFT8Ad68IlftJK4qObQRZ1aP-Fhj74L6Hk83uwIQWwu2D8qZCyDVolUlhmSGtE0II533IecngUEa_TiPfv3d9XlRNBWuLgjPdkRAGH3lxG55NNG6h7m4lwzcpqbj7Zhj8F6OE17mbQw/s320/20230430_161544.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Amazingly, this church survived the 1755 earthquake, even with the large dome having no support columns! The only items damaged were the statues inside the niche's on the wall; they fell out (breaking) and were never replaced.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Bwv3V6mkRRaFldXCnmsat7hOeq2GIAxn76xBlmtYPpmvn3eHFg2NzkBQq346ycGz0AEinrDXhPTkg3s7NXxTCgGVBtACLSCjRe8kmepxzOtAptQbKoMHMkaanB4QQ3lrqu8N7UxcjnJZeI31e9bZSm7Nhbm0UbKlOJvPhIZD9yPq2B6zNG5Yc1kI2Q/s4032/20230430_161407.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Bwv3V6mkRRaFldXCnmsat7hOeq2GIAxn76xBlmtYPpmvn3eHFg2NzkBQq346ycGz0AEinrDXhPTkg3s7NXxTCgGVBtACLSCjRe8kmepxzOtAptQbKoMHMkaanB4QQ3lrqu8N7UxcjnJZeI31e9bZSm7Nhbm0UbKlOJvPhIZD9yPq2B6zNG5Yc1kI2Q/s320/20230430_161407.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div>From Belém we headed to the lovely Portuguese Riviera town of Cascais (pronounced kaash-kai-ss). We stopped for lunch, and I ended up spending most of our free time at "The Palm Tree Beach House" restaurant for lunch, so thankfully the food was good! It used to be a fishing village, and then the noble families started coming on the weekends. Even Salazar had a home here during his reign.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWwyoCvw-Pr1ImyoGeKyblAfVJijhg0w3q2rxRL2PPBX6aecxjt8f5ubp3IluCCce4Ym51f3Bv6gFaiFbhR87yO7Xo7_GEnP4OrYXXrOhHLgvmWiMURcxDCcJ3Bpdk848vDTlTKqjz-kT5Zh4k3GVdKy3UmBJ9BsdFR2S784lc50L7zzE-l7U67xzxMw/s4032/20230430_162048.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWwyoCvw-Pr1ImyoGeKyblAfVJijhg0w3q2rxRL2PPBX6aecxjt8f5ubp3IluCCce4Ym51f3Bv6gFaiFbhR87yO7Xo7_GEnP4OrYXXrOhHLgvmWiMURcxDCcJ3Bpdk848vDTlTKqjz-kT5Zh4k3GVdKy3UmBJ9BsdFR2S784lc50L7zzE-l7U67xzxMw/s320/20230430_162048.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>Our next, and last stop on the tour for today was the mountain town of Sintra. They're famous for their <i>travesseriro </i>and <i>queijada de Sintra</i> pastries. I tried them both and prefer the travesseiro pastry (made of puff pastry and an almond and egg yolk crème-filling), but perhaps that's because I tried it from the bakery (<i>Piriquita</i>) that invented the treat back in the 1940's. <i>Queijada de Sintra</i> have been around for centuries and are "prepared with a combination of queijo (cheese), eggs, milk, flour, and sugar". </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh68Lo7Pu-LIRVAXYGhx8DUu0Bm2krYuymGJ8uy0BrFkjvSNwpCfpg0St6pvJtHNcrilHhSHP8m_t9uoq1yH3GD_7cOmrHoWJX1JZeXSlALpNUP6I15CdL2nGofjbu1W20wnPrqnoF935Yip1k7zVH4c6LRtfgfDXWwOWCkpsi65-iVn3cSbIuuKJxp4w/s4032/20230430_163543.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh68Lo7Pu-LIRVAXYGhx8DUu0Bm2krYuymGJ8uy0BrFkjvSNwpCfpg0St6pvJtHNcrilHhSHP8m_t9uoq1yH3GD_7cOmrHoWJX1JZeXSlALpNUP6I15CdL2nGofjbu1W20wnPrqnoF935Yip1k7zVH4c6LRtfgfDXWwOWCkpsi65-iVn3cSbIuuKJxp4w/s320/20230430_163543.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>Our main reason for visiting was not, despite my introduction, for tasting pastries. We had come to tour the spectacular National Palace of Sintra (technically it is now a series of royal palaces). It was full of azulejos patterns I had never seen before, so that alone made it worth a visit.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9VNcUcVdjZvc5ZAR_W0s9o8kjIyZXA9K5H5wmdPv4U5mBy8crl0_j6kQ2Q4o-1g-hIiqtxi38V0KxSpS1klLdwNL78ToMiPnXwP29mJcVYEres7n458JjLzfpA3TWDfcff8fbhHM7HDQIom52n7lxSzQM75xwbPvIgrYh_XFWVac0GNDzTfO6YECpjQ/s2880/Sintra%20Collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2880" data-original-width="2880" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9VNcUcVdjZvc5ZAR_W0s9o8kjIyZXA9K5H5wmdPv4U5mBy8crl0_j6kQ2Q4o-1g-hIiqtxi38V0KxSpS1klLdwNL78ToMiPnXwP29mJcVYEres7n458JjLzfpA3TWDfcff8fbhHM7HDQIom52n7lxSzQM75xwbPvIgrYh_XFWVac0GNDzTfO6YECpjQ/s320/Sintra%20Collage.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>There were lots of interesting stories and legends about the different rooms in the palace, including the Swan Room, the Magpie room, and the Sala dos Brasões.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5AZUliYpsYcvvc2TJKugTHodGRJrpdm8gVwCMRD1paBXHQzDof3oaHcJpmOEMEPUUI3r1N7xn3tEBXqkhdTUzaPf1EYo4fMIIps830QWXB2uEGLKMkwG4gmo7cUhZtqClhe26Nnr4LrmSlUknj3p3dPu289oUiGR7DI6C1tgZqqu_I7hlyEmnK2GcAg/s4032/20230430_164358.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5AZUliYpsYcvvc2TJKugTHodGRJrpdm8gVwCMRD1paBXHQzDof3oaHcJpmOEMEPUUI3r1N7xn3tEBXqkhdTUzaPf1EYo4fMIIps830QWXB2uEGLKMkwG4gmo7cUhZtqClhe26Nnr4LrmSlUknj3p3dPu289oUiGR7DI6C1tgZqqu_I7hlyEmnK2GcAg/s320/20230430_164358.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEUF7V5r4RQTkRYxume09SaN97jeLSgX-ZYVxGHuSslWbhge4MhlN6-AxjM2UJbGuaWLtwJGB0tIiL2RBGhxFLnno7uEOkbZ1Nl2VaGo5OTOY1l4oB1dRtVU2YVh5R35LaHVHUwbh_O5rkS3AyrsKVZlSC1vwN_9p1Z21H4PTFR2nYwihSzVXSvOluew/s4032/20230430_164516.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEUF7V5r4RQTkRYxume09SaN97jeLSgX-ZYVxGHuSslWbhge4MhlN6-AxjM2UJbGuaWLtwJGB0tIiL2RBGhxFLnno7uEOkbZ1Nl2VaGo5OTOY1l4oB1dRtVU2YVh5R35LaHVHUwbh_O5rkS3AyrsKVZlSC1vwN_9p1Z21H4PTFR2nYwihSzVXSvOluew/s320/20230430_164516.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: center;">We didn't have much time left over for exploring Sintra, but what I saw of the town was lovely.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguhmNR_kgzScCUZaOJVkGXbGRLNyQBQcWrRnSmVej91qJzTW5vLtTxdDsAQt8NNy57Tfna9UZqTlB6YN359kV3tDbudo9XfSbUJOKaWeyeUga6aWTwRyk57zQ42IddK9oo49ApWTDhB3eyOEKAuvSzL4fWaJzwra6hBMov8pabS4XRY99jOnMyoemu8A/s3476/20230430_164539.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3476" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguhmNR_kgzScCUZaOJVkGXbGRLNyQBQcWrRnSmVej91qJzTW5vLtTxdDsAQt8NNy57Tfna9UZqTlB6YN359kV3tDbudo9XfSbUJOKaWeyeUga6aWTwRyk57zQ42IddK9oo49ApWTDhB3eyOEKAuvSzL4fWaJzwra6hBMov8pabS4XRY99jOnMyoemu8A/s320/20230430_164539.jpg" width="278" /></a></p><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJfWvNMhb5SDe-rRZ8-Bkrr51tFVMDH4YsqHW79ilMFcewriVCNBQsv7X1bCRbGYQt7Y5cy3noXTk_os4SFKcv6Mqd-7N25cOXH7G__lAy0hktknfJ2nuda2wjp840UMn2f8xwigRZyrkYBzS3eKISAaIBeCmBpDcyPGa975wdefqlYVkCCmaHVKZjNg/s3367/20230430_164210.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3367" data-original-width="2666" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJfWvNMhb5SDe-rRZ8-Bkrr51tFVMDH4YsqHW79ilMFcewriVCNBQsv7X1bCRbGYQt7Y5cy3noXTk_os4SFKcv6Mqd-7N25cOXH7G__lAy0hktknfJ2nuda2wjp840UMn2f8xwigRZyrkYBzS3eKISAaIBeCmBpDcyPGa975wdefqlYVkCCmaHVKZjNg/s320/20230430_164210.jpg" width="253" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><p>Back in Lisbon, and off on my own, I headed to the oldest bookstore in the world. I'll admit I had high hopes, but was rather disappointed with the Livraria Bertrand. Had I realized it's now a nationwide bookstore chain I might have lowered my expectations a bit. Either way, it was established in 1732 and is recognized with a Guinness World Record.</p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCXGXg_vWzONxhLAH1oVdefwBFP0DGJ7N_lD_ubJvbjwSIReItQ9UMpeq9p8LEhDY04Wy96jLzCWCskyCL4YWtz2zYtd5Hz3AdVgF1AQRmq28L1Jn70ynDe58s1PxcQwOKzNq_PbIj2LlY7GqTI6BjCUw_UDZbSaCVj2MsiV205GLZgey39TEzkfSXwQ/s4032/20230430_165130.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCXGXg_vWzONxhLAH1oVdefwBFP0DGJ7N_lD_ubJvbjwSIReItQ9UMpeq9p8LEhDY04Wy96jLzCWCskyCL4YWtz2zYtd5Hz3AdVgF1AQRmq28L1Jn70ynDe58s1PxcQwOKzNq_PbIj2LlY7GqTI6BjCUw_UDZbSaCVj2MsiV205GLZgey39TEzkfSXwQ/s320/20230430_165130.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>On my walk back to the hotel (I did detour and go to the bay before heading back towards the hotel) I found even more azulejos patterns (my obsession is full-blown at this point)! I also saw the famous yellow funicular and stumbled upon good lookout point too.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf6cj-j62k7GOEFhJSIB3QR6j1QRRCGkc7ya7o5TP5A5qocozrejuTd6sGHukYPR01yoPKaynZdB6pGGtoCOqQfYc5Wcg-4AvZ6Q_ey3KE_RHah2iyQVM3UXC0uvqxsTmZwv31qNK8zxvOzHHyyFPX0EvDO7sLm1oJnlqZwE73XHJSoOFJIKeas10dLA/s3285/20230430_165446.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3285" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf6cj-j62k7GOEFhJSIB3QR6j1QRRCGkc7ya7o5TP5A5qocozrejuTd6sGHukYPR01yoPKaynZdB6pGGtoCOqQfYc5Wcg-4AvZ6Q_ey3KE_RHah2iyQVM3UXC0uvqxsTmZwv31qNK8zxvOzHHyyFPX0EvDO7sLm1oJnlqZwE73XHJSoOFJIKeas10dLA/s320/20230430_165446.jpg" width="295" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2880" data-original-width="2880" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPHEzf-AvhSoI4hjga5DQprW8zJjw6BwfBzdm8iqKA4qSTGKFpUH_J89pJ-QA-pkdZB-bRQmKwYSEQTw_Xo9y8Jan4du32APtkLSTSO6TvTYWWO4hC4o52rK7HcB5nUU3PaTI6Jj3YJS_wxRhBvT08Ejgg2zOItKGibbqH-9MHVf4rwLa4Y_dA95cB6w/s320/20230430.jpg" width="320" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQQWJfowNStOGyy49dpruV0XnD1-pMWhYo-LsQGXWotekkBF_OJd8OyJYB3r9KReHOf-ULpJd_4NUeq8FAJY38ueejTCsSq1Gym1OIng_FQ_ca3IRdBZg9tyK6C1QL0vPyGCys5cloi-amEWMGV7IncxeHuW62HCxzM2EGr4UDtfO4yEldH7rG4DVQ7Q/s4032/20230430_165520.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQQWJfowNStOGyy49dpruV0XnD1-pMWhYo-LsQGXWotekkBF_OJd8OyJYB3r9KReHOf-ULpJd_4NUeq8FAJY38ueejTCsSq1Gym1OIng_FQ_ca3IRdBZg9tyK6C1QL0vPyGCys5cloi-amEWMGV7IncxeHuW62HCxzM2EGr4UDtfO4yEldH7rG4DVQ7Q/s320/20230430_165520.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p><i>References</i>:<br /><a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Lisbon-earthquake-of-1755">https://www.britannica.com/event/Lisbon-earthquake-of-1755</a></p><p><a href="https://www.lisbon.net/monument-discoveries">https://www.lisbon.net/monument-discoveries</a></p><p><a href="https://www.jeronimosmonasterytickets.com/history/">https://www.jeronimosmonasterytickets.com/history/</a></p><p><a href="https://www.tasteatlas.com/travesseiros">https://www.tasteatlas.com/travesseiros</a> and <a href="https://www.tasteatlas.com/queijada">https://www.tasteatlas.com/queijada</a></p></div><br /><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5223799945138209202.post-7129239217379492352023-04-25T16:57:00.000-04:002023-04-25T16:57:23.448-04:00Dia da Liberdade - April 25th<p> April 25th, Liberty Day (or Freedom Day), is a national holiday here in Portugal (which partially explains the fireworks that woke me up at midnight last night. Perhaps I should have crawled out of bed to see them, my room had a perfect view towards the square, but I was far too tired to manage. Anyway, we spent most of our day touring Évora, known for its ancient Roman temple ruins.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-F2IqP8o5EeQD7di4HRCnBgidN-Id2DXZvLUdLGxEsVPukmy1S-kEbBhS0F5hkMN8J14Sv1OvrSTHuJ3NAk9vo68MD07J_07kKz1g3AcjasmDuBhxiD66VW5fywYnzg8AjA8uo_Tqd8xJ6Xfm3O-15cXRyjNVVB9kxHnQsqf2BhctxGSh1xEYCtofRg/s4032/20230425_212328.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-F2IqP8o5EeQD7di4HRCnBgidN-Id2DXZvLUdLGxEsVPukmy1S-kEbBhS0F5hkMN8J14Sv1OvrSTHuJ3NAk9vo68MD07J_07kKz1g3AcjasmDuBhxiD66VW5fywYnzg8AjA8uo_Tqd8xJ6Xfm3O-15cXRyjNVVB9kxHnQsqf2BhctxGSh1xEYCtofRg/s320/20230425_212328.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p>We could not have asked for better weather - stunning blue skies, all day. Our first stop was the former church and convent of the Franciscan order, Igreja de São Francisco. Loads of marble & granite were used, I believe in part because they were local materials. It is so opulent, in part, because the court of King Afonso V used the convent space when they would visit, so the church has images of Mary wearing a crown. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg95ntckD7ONb_J4EhVhmSZyaVETLPM-9RH1X5hU3tbkG9y71dmlM1RgilzCMaRLx8u2EHRz1iG8DIO1-NJGO0e6Vb8hCfohvgmUWUzZtEuN6XY6TclauoLwGnREGP48dLQYIowUXzm57b4wHy-f0Gf9QR-KP91P2tCoXfQnAlQlYDG2YsFiqIgfc6wDA/s4032/20230425_212611.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg95ntckD7ONb_J4EhVhmSZyaVETLPM-9RH1X5hU3tbkG9y71dmlM1RgilzCMaRLx8u2EHRz1iG8DIO1-NJGO0e6Vb8hCfohvgmUWUzZtEuN6XY6TclauoLwGnREGP48dLQYIowUXzm57b4wHy-f0Gf9QR-KP91P2tCoXfQnAlQlYDG2YsFiqIgfc6wDA/s320/20230425_212611.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>The church is also famous for its Bone Chapel (Capela dos Ossos). The 17th century architecture was meant to encourage reflection on the transitory nature of human life. Indeed, the words over the entrance translate to "We bones that are here, we wait for yours." Just to keep things in perspective. There are about 5,000 bones inside, and they're from the local people, not the Franciscan monks.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPXKeyj9I9RcTWwK8ZqU7IwepSkEufD694WvEhZisgnt9qh31AqWBRPizFo-qryhIHKYm90qZpDKZh-wmQPTr5VgBgbKGCBKGmyF7wJdQcTimpSvLu3KB_Y1--2HvbhEDvg7fXqZAxpHg5mLFMHnX3ax7fFWCCaiV4G1_5Ka79z47V8neYVr8IEWIndQ/s4032/20230425_212852.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPXKeyj9I9RcTWwK8ZqU7IwepSkEufD694WvEhZisgnt9qh31AqWBRPizFo-qryhIHKYm90qZpDKZh-wmQPTr5VgBgbKGCBKGmyF7wJdQcTimpSvLu3KB_Y1--2HvbhEDvg7fXqZAxpHg5mLFMHnX3ax7fFWCCaiV4G1_5Ka79z47V8neYVr8IEWIndQ/s320/20230425_212852.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>We were also able to go up onto the roof of the church and get a nice look at the town. I meant to return later (during our free exploring time) to check out the nativity gallery they have as well, but never did, so I only got a quick peek.</p><p><span> On our way to the Cathedral (Se Catedral de </span>Évora) we were passed by a marching band celebrating the holiday, so that was a fun surprise. The cathedral had tons of wonderful photo opportunities in the cloister - the Gothic structure with Arab influences was quite picturesque. It's the largest medieval cathedral in the entire country as well, which makes sense when you realize the height of the ceiling in the sanctuary - it's several stories high.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQQenhU1rplx3psj4Nsq2GrPq1o83-lWw6u_qDF32Op4j8rdJVZrOA-hreipImEtsO6sZcS2FE5Q37DW2IaQZ0rKwbeEvhR7KZSdHOa_fkI2Pzood4Ufhhy-ZwNofMP8Bi-TK3L19QyC9XvA1SO1QfpDWY8uCA08i-Vg87f_2nQjfDHNP68k0m071m1g/s4032/20230425_212942.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQQenhU1rplx3psj4Nsq2GrPq1o83-lWw6u_qDF32Op4j8rdJVZrOA-hreipImEtsO6sZcS2FE5Q37DW2IaQZ0rKwbeEvhR7KZSdHOa_fkI2Pzood4Ufhhy-ZwNofMP8Bi-TK3L19QyC9XvA1SO1QfpDWY8uCA08i-Vg87f_2nQjfDHNP68k0m071m1g/s320/20230425_212942.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3HuTX8E2PHOLjgc4xC0KtAtDNc63_7WNBh_WAcfK4OOtF5enSEH0JoPv9AlVzrsIl1O7itzCn8Z6Cc52QYq7qHl9MZR3e8cIzfL_mJTEplyhZ74UbLoYh8I-obbAd1BkclfNOYRhqjZ92A1lm8C3Rb28CgyNfCXBt3gc872YRmA0UBD9-QBBn-2L8Pg/s4032/20230425_213236.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3HuTX8E2PHOLjgc4xC0KtAtDNc63_7WNBh_WAcfK4OOtF5enSEH0JoPv9AlVzrsIl1O7itzCn8Z6Cc52QYq7qHl9MZR3e8cIzfL_mJTEplyhZ74UbLoYh8I-obbAd1BkclfNOYRhqjZ92A1lm8C3Rb28CgyNfCXBt3gc872YRmA0UBD9-QBBn-2L8Pg/s320/20230425_213236.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRFb3-DMC1hz8GSVW1TECI31EdGiFIjDFabIRfA3mmHwbFH1OJJBeihH7q-MZWwC1U_y-Fp-wbXshi94UhInbVbXEfS3nxABJ79FMFvivHP7m7U0aJJusgfJwxgAYGJV4L2Idnb4a-N5oh2Mp5jm6hG68HT29U90CgeTLJRaHWMVNfBdY6jicCh7a7lA/s4032/20230425_213412.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRFb3-DMC1hz8GSVW1TECI31EdGiFIjDFabIRfA3mmHwbFH1OJJBeihH7q-MZWwC1U_y-Fp-wbXshi94UhInbVbXEfS3nxABJ79FMFvivHP7m7U0aJJusgfJwxgAYGJV4L2Idnb4a-N5oh2Mp5jm6hG68HT29U90CgeTLJRaHWMVNfBdY6jicCh7a7lA/s320/20230425_213412.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p>Our tour with Nélia ended and we were free until 2:30pm, so I decided to visit nearby Igreja dos Lóios (also known as St. John the Evangelist church). It is covered inside with floor-to-ceiling azulejos!! I gladly paid the 5 euros to get inside. It was restored in 1957-58 by the 10th Duke of Cadaval, so it was in wonderful condition. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9HvtZGgtnCGVVhs4y5ud4dZ29t0jOpSUxhfg0ptg24w1r0P5ayhrLOIO6YZmnhR5mYYCsXzLMsiQocBTEjp9PSkKkoNcYUMwZ1CzoX2uCvihej7uyyphOn4nKxabZRMEI4FkpZ9FMrEO-wnX9pKE2f25emI91kvByKgMZJaJIl670JtCYs4B9GLVtZA/s3627/20230425_213858.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3627" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9HvtZGgtnCGVVhs4y5ud4dZ29t0jOpSUxhfg0ptg24w1r0P5ayhrLOIO6YZmnhR5mYYCsXzLMsiQocBTEjp9PSkKkoNcYUMwZ1CzoX2uCvihej7uyyphOn4nKxabZRMEI4FkpZ9FMrEO-wnX9pKE2f25emI91kvByKgMZJaJIl670JtCYs4B9GLVtZA/s320/20230425_213858.jpg" width="267" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtJmlGSeIVBR4fGWA14t24WUhfTmn72CT0YaFIAjhHzVOTG9zcxRYs3-nR2hheJQH4HsFwDVX305ZqZsDnRpZNt6RJE0ZTSLFN9G1PXgZfvkYYnIikqEE0ELi1teuC3NjioL30dgjWODd-h__GG8Nl-jaAkki93Zajr9HXE4y_kjCUxAERwXBfAtnW6w/s4032/20230425_213931.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtJmlGSeIVBR4fGWA14t24WUhfTmn72CT0YaFIAjhHzVOTG9zcxRYs3-nR2hheJQH4HsFwDVX305ZqZsDnRpZNt6RJE0ZTSLFN9G1PXgZfvkYYnIikqEE0ELi1teuC3NjioL30dgjWODd-h__GG8Nl-jaAkki93Zajr9HXE4y_kjCUxAERwXBfAtnW6w/s320/20230425_213931.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p>After that I just did some more wandering, had lunch (including french fries with oregano flakes, surprisingly tasty), and then met back up with the group to head to our bus. Here are my favorite photos from that wandering period (right place, right time):</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKA-WDhyu7Bo3Hu09zHNDRj6S0tLQrXNbzthajLYopw1qYUJWeHO4eBI0CQPXfJxPhVVSLFqKFbSND9dLCzBPoebpUGxEB52ArAjhSyfopdEinVfIaUZZ9o_EMUNABMzrJ3iPPE5wDqDJT4mKZbnkiRCuNGadZynFdcIb0rvlnzD4XwyDNK_9UO2lhJA/s3024/20230425_214010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2828" data-original-width="3024" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKA-WDhyu7Bo3Hu09zHNDRj6S0tLQrXNbzthajLYopw1qYUJWeHO4eBI0CQPXfJxPhVVSLFqKFbSND9dLCzBPoebpUGxEB52ArAjhSyfopdEinVfIaUZZ9o_EMUNABMzrJ3iPPE5wDqDJT4mKZbnkiRCuNGadZynFdcIb0rvlnzD4XwyDNK_9UO2lhJA/s320/20230425_214010.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfsJBeZPfiGLJdlFMECv-wpxC6aoQg-mCfK5FosRD0-9HaD44I3DXZftV74faB078km2E2vSOvujO9F5vzZaZxXv6yT3kuzKXtsZT_p_eZv_2Gv7Qu2GTbNDayTI8f496hTK0hgAvquym6yud0pZEhXjfn-2D4NuehpDs0Ropg1D28GTwpGJHCRSuy_Q/s3596/20230425_214046.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2491" data-original-width="3596" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfsJBeZPfiGLJdlFMECv-wpxC6aoQg-mCfK5FosRD0-9HaD44I3DXZftV74faB078km2E2vSOvujO9F5vzZaZxXv6yT3kuzKXtsZT_p_eZv_2Gv7Qu2GTbNDayTI8f496hTK0hgAvquym6yud0pZEhXjfn-2D4NuehpDs0Ropg1D28GTwpGJHCRSuy_Q/s320/20230425_214046.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>We managed to make it to our hotel in Lisbon. Nélia kept trying to prepare us by explaining that the holiday parade/protests happen on the main street (Avenida da Liberdade), which is the same street on which our hotel is located, so the road closures could interfere. Not a worry, the timing worked out perfectly. We exited the bus, took videos of the parade and walked into our hotel.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5223799945138209202.post-47243584200553803222023-04-24T21:35:00.202-04:002023-04-29T19:11:43.786-04:00Tomar and Castelo de Vide<p> Our tour this morning started with a visit to the hilltop Convent of Christ (the Convent is surrounded by the walls of the Castle of Tomar). The "Military Order of Christ" was established in 1318 (but the Knights Templar existed outside of Portugal prior), and those in the order were known as the "Knights Templar". This UNESCO <a href="https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/265" target="_blank">site</a> has some fascinating information on the convent, and as we all know, the Knights Templar have a very interesting (and I would also argue confusing as well) history. We were told that King John III changed the order to be a more traditional religious order (in the 1500s). The order was secularized in 1789, all religious orders were forced out of Portugal in 1834, and dissolved in 1910, when the monarchy ended. It was revived in 1917, as an Order of Merit, headed by the President of Portugal, as a decoration in recognition of outstanding services to the state.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQi97EBa4MwiEII38wfmvxmrC7DZ_bPSUEJsp-iiTFWs3fXgyyIEvLgaGc2NWBSRqblrqRyx_XIGqbT7mKCpVMz34Tv3NlHBzcBhrz036u52UmS_B7wY52-zQ009KsDIY7H_TtIkSjssgelNbxwPGMW6HOhQoqWh_5xAiwWm7Q6SdB4KBMQDs3DA7sLw/s4032/20230429_181509.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQi97EBa4MwiEII38wfmvxmrC7DZ_bPSUEJsp-iiTFWs3fXgyyIEvLgaGc2NWBSRqblrqRyx_XIGqbT7mKCpVMz34Tv3NlHBzcBhrz036u52UmS_B7wY52-zQ009KsDIY7H_TtIkSjssgelNbxwPGMW6HOhQoqWh_5xAiwWm7Q6SdB4KBMQDs3DA7sLw/s320/20230429_181509.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Henriquinos (Prince Henry the Navigator), was part of the order (before he had to ascend the throne, and thereby marry to have legitimate heirs) and settled in Tomar. In the first half of the 15th century he ordered a Gothic nave added to the church, and with it came the frescoes.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLoV58QOvKzuYMoKkKTZmpC4cExT6UonzNftI76cR8rVjfekLOtDMyhryyhPbP8BLRyRAXv77cENVuCHEe9uAANI1EgDRPyPoI90zT8pcAtE_VpJWhXI4VHrySgZqxCUQmhRGfoCdm-GRWaVB2t_AT1MkGDNX7szxupt9pDCPOaji4m7AC3dzqSOL0_A/s3372/20230429_181706.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3372" data-original-width="1816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLoV58QOvKzuYMoKkKTZmpC4cExT6UonzNftI76cR8rVjfekLOtDMyhryyhPbP8BLRyRAXv77cENVuCHEe9uAANI1EgDRPyPoI90zT8pcAtE_VpJWhXI4VHrySgZqxCUQmhRGfoCdm-GRWaVB2t_AT1MkGDNX7szxupt9pDCPOaji4m7AC3dzqSOL0_A/s320/20230429_181706.jpg" width="172" /></a></div><br /><div>The main cloister (they had 8 over their history) was constructed by order of King John III in 1557, and is one of the best examples of Renaissance architecture in Portugal.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbTWoF3dTlCmptvQz4oo3mN4oQWmzqqJYIk2V31KnRRIA0r5jmStbbS7NIc2zClckFO_yFZUpxIuJxKJC__5YKxc0ZR4IYbmqcw_1kIXstyhwgGmcDkxb3CAxqpDOX7BzKL9z1_W8GjZ681W9wq79LU85IRX7SpV5j3KMV_8bBiZGi1uK82E4HoTzM5Q/s4032/20230429_181802.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbTWoF3dTlCmptvQz4oo3mN4oQWmzqqJYIk2V31KnRRIA0r5jmStbbS7NIc2zClckFO_yFZUpxIuJxKJC__5YKxc0ZR4IYbmqcw_1kIXstyhwgGmcDkxb3CAxqpDOX7BzKL9z1_W8GjZ681W9wq79LU85IRX7SpV5j3KMV_8bBiZGi1uK82E4HoTzM5Q/s320/20230429_181802.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>From Tomar we headed south, across the Tagus river, for a stop in the town of Castelo de Vide. It is located in the Alentejo (pronounced All-N-tay-jo) region, which is known for its unique cultural traditions. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCkFdde8QWmY3OvmzcGf-wdyP-pq_aeefsG7f3OPzhIGiarIH496Q6TYFBt6_ew0izYOz_N1CnAV2JRaQbks7i0ToX4n1dS1O6tjqsOR2bJC-TVJKj1WpIZzY0oEBZ67klEs0zPYkv3yEYf6NwqxQ3YXUwWZT5iv0UBuRTcwY7lgmX1a15L5yxohpYEA/s1432/Screenshot_20230424_111649_Gallery.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1432" data-original-width="901" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCkFdde8QWmY3OvmzcGf-wdyP-pq_aeefsG7f3OPzhIGiarIH496Q6TYFBt6_ew0izYOz_N1CnAV2JRaQbks7i0ToX4n1dS1O6tjqsOR2bJC-TVJKj1WpIZzY0oEBZ67klEs0zPYkv3yEYf6NwqxQ3YXUwWZT5iv0UBuRTcwY7lgmX1a15L5yxohpYEA/w126-h200/Screenshot_20230424_111649_Gallery.jpg" width="126" /></a></div><div>The Jewish quarters there is one of the best preserved in Portugal and is an example of the Jews' presence in Portugal dating back to the 13th century. The synagogue from that time is now a museum, and if Nélia hadn't pointed it out we would have missed it. I believe she told us that King Manuel was the only one who persecuted the Jews (but they simply hid in plain sight and took in refugees from other areas). Overall it was a lovely town with lots of steep cobblestone alleys.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoINzIxmG_NUw54WneFKPmtP96_-UY7smQmMMohPfntNVUzQl-WtlpNPt9j4sDyOC18t2Yq1X3zmlQtzYQmO1UBF3b2ShE0qNcvb3gy8daj2VgdLSOEaufrGR-PdfCkHsz1q7MSETAREwLTibsl4QARLj9CFzO5A3gJsMajWlUYUtaV5LSJ3xOhQR9DA/s4032/20230429_185224.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoINzIxmG_NUw54WneFKPmtP96_-UY7smQmMMohPfntNVUzQl-WtlpNPt9j4sDyOC18t2Yq1X3zmlQtzYQmO1UBF3b2ShE0qNcvb3gy8daj2VgdLSOEaufrGR-PdfCkHsz1q7MSETAREwLTibsl4QARLj9CFzO5A3gJsMajWlUYUtaV5LSJ3xOhQR9DA/s320/20230429_185224.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiwv9fCLzcBXoYiMjZ3RhdxTNyxqZnOlwl6u-TI0m3wJaLYmY3RSkO19UZW-3_UEwgvsRbZJ2Z7COvv7iqrhyOGS0iD5f6p0EehrPxaKue42h1BTX2uUTXWPR2i64lwypsixU8rHWYDeR0YNPMYN5JLfEfSrYSZCIS9s0MKRebXBo0thbV88UJu75tNg/s4032/20230429_185159.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiwv9fCLzcBXoYiMjZ3RhdxTNyxqZnOlwl6u-TI0m3wJaLYmY3RSkO19UZW-3_UEwgvsRbZJ2Z7COvv7iqrhyOGS0iD5f6p0EehrPxaKue42h1BTX2uUTXWPR2i64lwypsixU8rHWYDeR0YNPMYN5JLfEfSrYSZCIS9s0MKRebXBo0thbV88UJu75tNg/s320/20230429_185159.jpg" width="240" /></a></div> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlJZMm0bNXmdO6OUdia3-9-8G11y4Drst6o5gXqqS-39VRS_AeoW4rEHRdv5spEvzEEx0hjzFXZuXHGbBgEH6HquKE396TlWPqkLUun-DZKSl17AsEa-joEH_hlt-LISPhhS-LqyhAHQu6Pso0KXEogw5BPvuzCsdGQgQ5GntjWdVYB_f0RAvwYKebcA/s4032/20230429_185309.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlJZMm0bNXmdO6OUdia3-9-8G11y4Drst6o5gXqqS-39VRS_AeoW4rEHRdv5spEvzEEx0hjzFXZuXHGbBgEH6HquKE396TlWPqkLUun-DZKSl17AsEa-joEH_hlt-LISPhhS-LqyhAHQu6Pso0KXEogw5BPvuzCsdGQgQ5GntjWdVYB_f0RAvwYKebcA/s320/20230429_185309.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /><div><br /></div><div>We had a few hours there to grab some lunch, but I mostly wandered around before settling on a shaded bench in the town square to eat my pear. One of my tour-mates works for the Australian government in the U.S. so I enjoyed talking to her about our shared interest in that country.</div><div><br /></div><div>Our next drive took us through beautiful fields with old cork trees and wild lavender - I wish we would have been able to stop so I could get a picture. Anyway, our drive ended at a cork processing warehouse in Azaruja (at a company called <a href="http://corticarte.pt/produtos/" target="_blank">Cortiçarte</a>). I found this stop to be incredibly fascinating, who knew cork was so interesting? Our tour guide was excellent and had us all laughing with his deadpan humor. Did you know that if you plant a cork tree it will take 40 years before you'll get any cork? And did you know you can only harvest cork every 9 years after that or you'll kill the tree? They can only remove the cork bark from May to July, so they have to obtain enough cork to last the rest of the year without closing their factory (they only have 7 employees and they need cork from 10,000 trees to have a year's worth of work). Oh, and to complicate things even more, they can only extract bark from the bottom of the tree. If they extract the bark too high the next batch of cork will becomes too thin and requires extra time for the tree to heal and regrow the next batch.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwjFUiSYZzEK3pgzjX3P8L0NUYJkL8k31_kVCIIVLwI6tLHKxHU-BFL2NxGEcxxfu8FunPF7Xqe9MpqIKQ-Fv2_-XBLRc9oVF5r15KpSQaqVHNYQy_qsfpf414ipm5vmwkqGP3WchbPHlK5bEOWjyAZpu615ZkJvHoS1T0HmNakKvrzcu8EGWlCKcpQA/s4032/20230429_185745.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwjFUiSYZzEK3pgzjX3P8L0NUYJkL8k31_kVCIIVLwI6tLHKxHU-BFL2NxGEcxxfu8FunPF7Xqe9MpqIKQ-Fv2_-XBLRc9oVF5r15KpSQaqVHNYQy_qsfpf414ipm5vmwkqGP3WchbPHlK5bEOWjyAZpu615ZkJvHoS1T0HmNakKvrzcu8EGWlCKcpQA/s320/20230429_185745.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>They dry the cork bark for two months, then they have to boil the cork (for 1 hour) before they can start to work with it. You may be wondering why they would boil the cork, cork is waterproof after all. The reason is that the temperature of the water changes the molecular structure of the cork so that it becomes flexible (and stays that way for about 2 weeks before it hardens again). Side-effects of the boiling process is that the dirt sinks to the bottom and the bugs and bacteria that may have been in the bark die, and this flattens the cork (they they stack it on pallets to keep it that way).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_OItpfv_O3Pt6MNAfarvJGfv0q_VzokUgepHGN5FpiOijFHdLrhJehNrzyhPrE2VAW7ObVpTmAbgqpJvvPCuPn28u4DtkacroXdv229dqADQ4CLyXuuHK2O3EUijBTJhltnEaHF8NPfgFCRNbOe8RtJCKnNjiz5R7H-nuArnW0k6hf6MUQhuH7KaE4Q/s4032/20230429_185808.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_OItpfv_O3Pt6MNAfarvJGfv0q_VzokUgepHGN5FpiOijFHdLrhJehNrzyhPrE2VAW7ObVpTmAbgqpJvvPCuPn28u4DtkacroXdv229dqADQ4CLyXuuHK2O3EUijBTJhltnEaHF8NPfgFCRNbOe8RtJCKnNjiz5R7H-nuArnW0k6hf6MUQhuH7KaE4Q/s320/20230429_185808.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>They pull the cork bark off by hand/axe to this day, no machine is able to tell how deep to go yet without killing the tree. The number one use for cork is for stoppers (wine, champagne, etc.), mostly because that's where the cork producers can make the most money. The cork is all graded manually by the employees (they're taught to visually distinguish the grades of cork) and the poor quality, or leftover, cork is shredded for insulation or sound absorption. They use cork to make furniture, fishing pole handles, shoes, clothes, purses, and more - it is incredibly versatile!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrreW6S3x24LFmVxf4CCflO1shHNWpK257dzC28vWU_8OcpeKYRwcUYuTQ9kvGqLFlQNEwIZIxFEo1u3_lJUz9NRO9x7n_ZorU81vFSynykLwfjwabxY3trgElVV0tnr6aeM7juTIScKZUxkyh58uYvNs4IJzVRhGz7vlr9bJq2EaXhiXq0B2LgpeyxA/s4032/20230429_185831.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrreW6S3x24LFmVxf4CCflO1shHNWpK257dzC28vWU_8OcpeKYRwcUYuTQ9kvGqLFlQNEwIZIxFEo1u3_lJUz9NRO9x7n_ZorU81vFSynykLwfjwabxY3trgElVV0tnr6aeM7juTIScKZUxkyh58uYvNs4IJzVRhGz7vlr9bJq2EaXhiXq0B2LgpeyxA/s320/20230429_185831.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5223799945138209202.post-62735182267005896762023-04-23T16:59:00.137-04:002023-04-29T17:35:14.223-04:00Buçaco - Coimbra - Fatima - Tomar<p> We headed south through Buçaco National Forest (pronounced boo-sack-oh) to visit the stunning <a href="https://palacehoteldobussaco.com-hotel.com/en/" target="_blank">Buçaco Palace Hotel</a> (located inside the forest). The former convent was destroyed and then used to build a 19th Century Manueline-Gothic style hunting palace for Portuguese royalty. It was breathtaking and looked like something from a Disney movie! Interestingly, at one time no women were allowed in the park, with the Queen being the only exception. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwSg78zDi1Dpw_hng7E2s-fSawLCZNXZApo9EtD5vIjJWYCbW7eeVd5ebpiO7wzg9b3yfb6nC9AJUnjqoswRiqtUKFOFgbVNK7rJeIN3xXR2ULnF-dR6sGvchd2GDomwgxz5OZ9-TJ-0ppFPHtzN-vypM6Yxe0Pu4entiNnTY9HBbfZgmoU5otQqe0Hg/s4032/20230429_172407.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwSg78zDi1Dpw_hng7E2s-fSawLCZNXZApo9EtD5vIjJWYCbW7eeVd5ebpiO7wzg9b3yfb6nC9AJUnjqoswRiqtUKFOFgbVNK7rJeIN3xXR2ULnF-dR6sGvchd2GDomwgxz5OZ9-TJ-0ppFPHtzN-vypM6Yxe0Pu4entiNnTY9HBbfZgmoU5otQqe0Hg/s320/20230429_172407.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn2OGJ6BxFtumO10zz9zX2qCUlZwkjPDzpMNklgJ9Yyd_qOS4LDdGAEe8Rm8R8yXuFBC8Br7SsUHv7gLkswR-uHONTZkNcL42lzFQCnR8dYvcZCFJrdGUvP6DeGihF_ucfxZM752nk82FqIcQc8Zo0YTk1pHxubVTLk1q3Y2ghtQRku0mQsCn_FvwPcA/s9248/20230429_172520.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6936" data-original-width="9248" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn2OGJ6BxFtumO10zz9zX2qCUlZwkjPDzpMNklgJ9Yyd_qOS4LDdGAEe8Rm8R8yXuFBC8Br7SsUHv7gLkswR-uHONTZkNcL42lzFQCnR8dYvcZCFJrdGUvP6DeGihF_ucfxZM752nk82FqIcQc8Zo0YTk1pHxubVTLk1q3Y2ghtQRku0mQsCn_FvwPcA/s320/20230429_172520.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Our next stop was Coimbra (pronounced queem-burr-ahh) for a visit to their university. The city used to be the capital of Portugal until 1241 when they moved the capital to Lisbon to help maintain their control of the south of the country. Coimbra University is one of the oldest universities in all of Europe. It is a public research university and was actually established in Lisbon first, back in in 1290. It relocated a few times until moving permanently to Coimbra in 1537 (by order of King John III, or João III). Not only does Universidade de Coimbra have a long history, it was the only university in the country until 1559.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVMNI1MTFXGf7_WO_vbf_Y4ag5fVdJwz3WIaryfwhIv1qh1U7-Kp83alecBJ_2mvRKZknzshmkZ9ntHApySen3paYipkKSz9OS9iozA0Jrvf7n-YpAJsvKp2ivqf3cl7mK8JztU-5YRnn7GOOt46l3tc3jM1Ks95QJenvzIFn0hPEj_zT4sp5W5PmQ1g/s9248/20230429_172557.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6936" data-original-width="9248" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVMNI1MTFXGf7_WO_vbf_Y4ag5fVdJwz3WIaryfwhIv1qh1U7-Kp83alecBJ_2mvRKZknzshmkZ9ntHApySen3paYipkKSz9OS9iozA0Jrvf7n-YpAJsvKp2ivqf3cl7mK8JztU-5YRnn7GOOt46l3tc3jM1Ks95QJenvzIFn0hPEj_zT4sp5W5PmQ1g/s320/20230429_172557.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>The Portuguese language was formalized (from the Porto accent) in the 1200's by King Dionisio I (known in English as King Denis I), and he helped to establish the university. The students are known for their outfits (Nelia kept calling them costumes, and they're not quite uniforms, so I'm calling them outfits) which include a long black cape, still worn to this day (picture from 2019 <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Coimbra_University_robes_burian_5588.jpg" target="_blank">here</a>). São Miguel Chapel<span face="sans-serif" style="color: #202122;"><span style="background-color: #f8f9fa; font-size: 12.3704px;"> </span></span>was part of the original royal palace from the 16th century, and when they moved to that location the university decided to keep the chapel, thinking the students might attend (it seems they never did while they were students). The students only seem to use the chapel when they want to get married.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0bAB-kJg4j-6qTwoNExE27bteV2fhgE4gmrJZquZLWJ6ve3A1bte3DfcFs3nXfIrRdlAV04oHLSvLeF8C_CY1v_q7tHjykcrcDCBpTONY22rgGG-LJitwDhI7V4vvi_WLna5ZWOQZtu4uALqILBtBuQ1xNiUpAAkgg08mTqLwHnpkRhZHmTBfePq-fA/s9248/20230429_172637.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="9248" data-original-width="6936" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0bAB-kJg4j-6qTwoNExE27bteV2fhgE4gmrJZquZLWJ6ve3A1bte3DfcFs3nXfIrRdlAV04oHLSvLeF8C_CY1v_q7tHjykcrcDCBpTONY22rgGG-LJitwDhI7V4vvi_WLna5ZWOQZtu4uALqILBtBuQ1xNiUpAAkgg08mTqLwHnpkRhZHmTBfePq-fA/s320/20230429_172637.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>My biggest interest was the university library, but unfortunately, you cannot take photos in the main library. We entered through the old prison, at the bottom of the library. The prison had also been part of the palace, and it was then used by the university (they had/have very strict rules). Even if the students were incarcerated they still had to go to class, accompanied by the Academic Guards. The 2nd level had books from the 1600's and 1700's and the library, as a whole, has 5,000 manuscripts and over 60,000 books (including many first editions). Almost all of them have been digitally scanned and can be accessed by the students. Here's the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:CoimbraUniLibrary-CCSA.jpg" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a> photo of the library, but it doesn't do it justice.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKMvwYFlHSp5JdkpwdztMTX9OJ_5LWhjasxKbvq2fxVPOCoy77us3pG6h2sNXmxrJPkzLMpp_3UmMKOxvrxaJ_3hO3uh6shXDiodI66feJUou4YIb5NUmhW6k0lYzuGOd5PR_iBVHYQZfB-UAQAhOQTAPq7fykkEaL0OXaygJ95RMzDvTtbflR5cwLtA/s9248/20230429_172659.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6936" data-original-width="9248" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKMvwYFlHSp5JdkpwdztMTX9OJ_5LWhjasxKbvq2fxVPOCoy77us3pG6h2sNXmxrJPkzLMpp_3UmMKOxvrxaJ_3hO3uh6shXDiodI66feJUou4YIb5NUmhW6k0lYzuGOd5PR_iBVHYQZfB-UAQAhOQTAPq7fykkEaL0OXaygJ95RMzDvTtbflR5cwLtA/s320/20230429_172659.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>We tour other parts of the former royal palace such as the throne room, where doctoral students present their dissertation. It was a lovely visit and I got to see more azulejos, which always gives me a smile.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9MhmRMcebpg1dLLvx4vbXYRZVX0nyMe49PFdq-nyDxHDYym5Nj7zi9MPLMT1gRWmCIh9SNvpLYNtgDIdc1Z1abrkqPCNTnQPdSA4zA7GoSAhblLakgr89IybQKhTztayNBO_-_KekHYUpHu22p--95G2F28IJB3iIOYa9HOZ6292BXCj8QJP6FCfqxw/s6936/20230429_173422.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6936" data-original-width="6936" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9MhmRMcebpg1dLLvx4vbXYRZVX0nyMe49PFdq-nyDxHDYym5Nj7zi9MPLMT1gRWmCIh9SNvpLYNtgDIdc1Z1abrkqPCNTnQPdSA4zA7GoSAhblLakgr89IybQKhTztayNBO_-_KekHYUpHu22p--95G2F28IJB3iIOYa9HOZ6292BXCj8QJP6FCfqxw/s320/20230429_173422.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>Our next stop was the catholic shrine dedicated to Virgin Mary in the town of Fatima. It's well known the world over, but I honestly didn't find it all that fascinating. We moved on to the town of Tomar (pronounced too-mar) where they were known in the 1500's-1600's for making paper and textiles. Their main claim-to-fame now is being the former headquarters of the Order of the Templars (our hotel was called "Hotel Dos Templários". </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5223799945138209202.post-89061847028555461122023-04-22T16:11:00.001-04:002023-04-22T16:11:24.081-04:00Medieval Portugal Tour<p> What I had thought was only a morning tour turned out to be a full day, so that was a nice surprise. They called this a "Medieval Tour", which I suppose is true, but after Croatia it didn't seem that old to me. Anyway, we began in the town of Guimarães (pronounced ghee-mar-aye-ja) for a stroll through the old town. A beautiful town, it was much like Croatia in that it was very easy to take loads of pictures when the spring flowers are blooming!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwkd_Mc8YUc6N0yO0CnqmBYsdvVUNDlL9WNcs2dILu_0KAluBnD3dSZhiSCl6gnSS3jA_JY591bvnae9AN1_y6pg-Wner8Y5uHG1r6Fh0DXALIo8i6dIArXQK8BgzbQG6Ht9Vwk-yC13bwXIPvVv9CsVzjFLBBi4WsX_yB6yvoKFLE6UcJ8FoGf6ohig/s3697/20230422_205151.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1704" data-original-width="3697" height="147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwkd_Mc8YUc6N0yO0CnqmBYsdvVUNDlL9WNcs2dILu_0KAluBnD3dSZhiSCl6gnSS3jA_JY591bvnae9AN1_y6pg-Wner8Y5uHG1r6Fh0DXALIo8i6dIArXQK8BgzbQG6Ht9Vwk-yC13bwXIPvVv9CsVzjFLBBi4WsX_yB6yvoKFLE6UcJ8FoGf6ohig/s320/20230422_205151.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6U1G7X3B3hD5jpDVhXDrefE73WqlzqisZodU5qbe7zn7--eFeZGQIclgzjKK6n8-Wo36wW7ySvmv_TLhedrfZEj6mflD-DkBn_khXd2tbioLzvbVhXsU0xC_3zcEXVfrbyDxWqIiPBrNo_Nrk3O6BIlL8w6xNPeusdZGUiX1v5qPS9mVxLgB99TtcPA/s3150/20230422_205232.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3150" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6U1G7X3B3hD5jpDVhXDrefE73WqlzqisZodU5qbe7zn7--eFeZGQIclgzjKK6n8-Wo36wW7ySvmv_TLhedrfZEj6mflD-DkBn_khXd2tbioLzvbVhXsU0xC_3zcEXVfrbyDxWqIiPBrNo_Nrk3O6BIlL8w6xNPeusdZGUiX1v5qPS9mVxLgB99TtcPA/s320/20230422_205232.jpg" width="307" /></a></div><br /><div>We then headed to Braga, the capital of Minho province (pronounced mee-ni-you). It was founded by Roman Emperor Augustus between 15-13 B.C. and was named Bracara Augusta. Home to Minho University it still retains the gardens from the original Episcopal Palace:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoCtVtterLn6u0oKwVif8oUq7RcaZ2xBPOqC3zYdsXeXhdZfEUzJCp8ryx2tsFuNw19oQkWL8YAvCInwqS8ZYxZ5YmY66dkBFDBpCUuS1CEDZE4xQv9WSfHHpHDZPULC8ZNKiVE-fUfpRPzLXdrAvQUan0Uy5RQSUUOJjpMTVt7Tf6LHhsF9k6_WFpRQ/s4032/20230422_205914.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoCtVtterLn6u0oKwVif8oUq7RcaZ2xBPOqC3zYdsXeXhdZfEUzJCp8ryx2tsFuNw19oQkWL8YAvCInwqS8ZYxZ5YmY66dkBFDBpCUuS1CEDZE4xQv9WSfHHpHDZPULC8ZNKiVE-fUfpRPzLXdrAvQUan0Uy5RQSUUOJjpMTVt7Tf6LHhsF9k6_WFpRQ/s320/20230422_205914.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div>Lots of lovely old buildings with tiled facades and flowers on balconies. They used to pay for the land on which they built, so the old buildings are often skinny with several stories to cut down on the cost.<br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggMeBV6jMzdBzGqF-H16r4OM_FdCrL962zqGb3IauScVoO7qM3-Y-tVYHs4XJ144ny_7f3YxxY2GdRONfxkAKbcMojui5TirD_SQF84Ermh8Pewq0F-ohtH58KSpc3SmAwxQ9UCXlkdbe3gBe_g8Jpp6icBrkCGmIK_y2X2mKBrtnYPJDJDk7ZJBLiNg/s4032/20230422_210220.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggMeBV6jMzdBzGqF-H16r4OM_FdCrL962zqGb3IauScVoO7qM3-Y-tVYHs4XJ144ny_7f3YxxY2GdRONfxkAKbcMojui5TirD_SQF84Ermh8Pewq0F-ohtH58KSpc3SmAwxQ9UCXlkdbe3gBe_g8Jpp6icBrkCGmIK_y2X2mKBrtnYPJDJDk7ZJBLiNg/s320/20230422_210220.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>It was soon time for lunch, so we headed to an unobtrusive restaurant called Cruz Sobral. It's the oldest restaurant in Braga and is still run by the same family that started it in 1926. A delicious soup (possibly potato and cabbage, we weren't quite certain), roast veal and potatoes, a fresh salad (grown by the family), and a nice sponge cake for dessert. <div><br /></div><div>Back on the bus we made the drive to Bom Jesus do Monte which sits atop a 1,300 foot hill. It's now UNESCO World Heritage site, and it is stunning. It's actually a huge architectural-landscape complex which they began building in 1494 and even in 1722 they were still adding things!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1O_bcnby4U7qs4Zu_tTBB82CqCrZL4NQ2cYVkslEJeqfPYd7C_4CJTpywU_mZt0rfQfb6NcBvdPbXElnXGYldbXOUFBahfIKidkuffu0oJ5YjD0w_Y8yfKrrqsL7u1oEfxP0NSmAlg7y6J-MflG28MUPnVwpQQo6fvcfQrURKSKmE-C53_aQmMMur-A/s4032/20230422_210828.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1O_bcnby4U7qs4Zu_tTBB82CqCrZL4NQ2cYVkslEJeqfPYd7C_4CJTpywU_mZt0rfQfb6NcBvdPbXElnXGYldbXOUFBahfIKidkuffu0oJ5YjD0w_Y8yfKrrqsL7u1oEfxP0NSmAlg7y6J-MflG28MUPnVwpQQo6fvcfQrURKSKmE-C53_aQmMMur-A/s320/20230422_210828.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>It's one of the most popular places of pilgrimage in Northern Portugal, but since we weren't pilgrims we walked down (not up) the 500+ steps. Definitely my favorite spot thus far on the trip!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF8bYgBjHpaaiMtdbji4G2E0UF2e44EGpkFf98aXrtFg8pPZUk5Xmp_AHfHVLj-o87-lTPYFCZVDJIdbcMqvZuX-3tg7zJttToUlZ5pamZ0UXmO4zS91fS4Vm3X1Bgy2aYJr5r7M9RREmBXk_y57yIAL3aQnmjRH5n2nZlWVkYYCr0fDK8rIXG_47uQg/s3290/20230422_210904.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3290" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF8bYgBjHpaaiMtdbji4G2E0UF2e44EGpkFf98aXrtFg8pPZUk5Xmp_AHfHVLj-o87-lTPYFCZVDJIdbcMqvZuX-3tg7zJttToUlZ5pamZ0UXmO4zS91fS4Vm3X1Bgy2aYJr5r7M9RREmBXk_y57yIAL3aQnmjRH5n2nZlWVkYYCr0fDK8rIXG_47uQg/s320/20230422_210904.jpg" width="294" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5223799945138209202.post-88730383288813697122023-04-21T15:31:00.000-04:002023-04-22T15:32:42.476-04:00Porto, Take II<p> We had a morning tour of the area and were on the bus and ready to go at 8:30am. An overcast morning drive down Avenida Da Boavista (the longest avenue in Porto, and also the one on which our hotel is located) to where it ends at the Atlantic Ocean. The Boston Crew had walked there yesterday (it doesn't look far on a map, but it's a few miles there and back) and said the city park (Parque da Cidade) is lovely. From there we turned south and headed down Av. de Montevideu before a quick stop at Jardim do Passeio Alegre - best known toilets in Porto! Maria, our guide for the morning, was quite serious about that because, as it turns out, the toilets have Art Nouveau tiles inside (and no, you cannot use the restroom there for free, you must pay). The garden had some lovely fountains as well, but we didn't stay long enough for me to have a proper perusal.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNSdagttOEhbxOjPfrSq-wPOXTmiU3Ywgq01k-Sk5yNimPZb8yeTj9oZ8Hb2xFOV535MG7dEMhf5WbBL6JRTzjQJ7nbnh01epzSzgNCaLCz-nQDDscKI7rwIyPewmBiE2uz7IQTNWDI1SzoDAAoF0GB7Cz1jYd_VpWmStdLXcxkyL0y_yQdt9M-bD4aw/s8077/20230421_172400.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="8077" data-original-width="6936" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNSdagttOEhbxOjPfrSq-wPOXTmiU3Ywgq01k-Sk5yNimPZb8yeTj9oZ8Hb2xFOV535MG7dEMhf5WbBL6JRTzjQJ7nbnh01epzSzgNCaLCz-nQDDscKI7rwIyPewmBiE2uz7IQTNWDI1SzoDAAoF0GB7Cz1jYd_VpWmStdLXcxkyL0y_yQdt9M-bD4aw/s320/20230421_172400.jpg" width="275" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></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/AVvXsEhi2S-YUkfBOnxI2MQTodXML3UqyAY3Qcv7F2lC_suxQDO1wEsiVaYmwZwGzYOTQrdyBXqni0yZ4Swu0mFyy5fe2ZbCL4x8J3ECEqo3dPUxIrOUzVULk9i_P2FqbrK1cSV5WIFRWgIdNcIbFyOvZZo682SSDQvNfb7Cz3lyUMqd5TRz3Ea4eew_KNekBg/s9248/20230421_172509.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6936" data-original-width="9248" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi2S-YUkfBOnxI2MQTodXML3UqyAY3Qcv7F2lC_suxQDO1wEsiVaYmwZwGzYOTQrdyBXqni0yZ4Swu0mFyy5fe2ZbCL4x8J3ECEqo3dPUxIrOUzVULk9i_P2FqbrK1cSV5WIFRWgIdNcIbFyOvZZo682SSDQvNfb7Cz3lyUMqd5TRz3Ea4eew_KNekBg/w320-h240/20230421_172509.jpg" title="Art Nouveau Tiles" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bathroom tiles</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">From there we headed to the Stock Exchange (it's not really a stock exchange anymore, but the name stuck), the home of the Commercial Association of Porto. It's a beautiful building with a neoclassical facade. It houses lots of paintings and lovely carved granite. But the pinnacle is the "Arabian Hall" - a stunning room full of gold-gilded tiles from floor to ceiling, absolutely spectacular and well worth the 18 years it took to finish building. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBbTS8W68Wnd-IwworLkhB-9TeiQn6xGyD0PVoBGqDi7S_R5-n1c0I_4Mrko8ZZWtCsvAZ2VLLOpvrHC1Svwn-XQNjwM8trYyS9I26bav0Mu49FLHWEyxU8rcVkcbgPtFlLbtW8iU1L0rtvfACKG729uJabtOPpyaa7qQO3msyDsfqVazZBXvEgu6t8A/s9248/20230421_165124.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="9248" data-original-width="6936" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBbTS8W68Wnd-IwworLkhB-9TeiQn6xGyD0PVoBGqDi7S_R5-n1c0I_4Mrko8ZZWtCsvAZ2VLLOpvrHC1Svwn-XQNjwM8trYyS9I26bav0Mu49FLHWEyxU8rcVkcbgPtFlLbtW8iU1L0rtvfACKG729uJabtOPpyaa7qQO3msyDsfqVazZBXvEgu6t8A/s320/20230421_165124.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">While there we learned about some of the history of Portugal. King Pedro IV (he was also King Pedro I of Brazil, just to keep things confusing) had a daughter named Maria. She became the only European monarch to have been born outside of Europe (though she was still born in Portuguese territory). Anyway, the death of Maria's grandfather (King Dom João VI) sparked a crisis because her father, King Pedro had claimed thee independence of Brazil (and himself as Emperor there). There was another male heir Miguel (or Michael for those of us English speakers), but he'd been exiled for causing problems. Since King John hadn't proclaimed which of his sons was the next ruler, and Brazil didn't want to be united with Portugal under one monarch again, Pedro decided he'd give the throne to Maria (only 7 at the time), she married her Uncle Miguel (crazy, but true) and he would act as regent until Maria was old enough to rule. A civil war broke out in 1828 (known as the Liberal Wars) after Miguel agreed to the plan, but then arrived in Portugal and quickly deposed Maria and proclaimed himself as King. Maria was restored to the throne in 1834, and her former-fiance (Uncle Miguel) was exiled to Germany. The final king of Portugal, Manuel II, was exiled in 1910 after a revolution which ended the monarchy.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Whew...that was your history lesson for the day. From there we took a wet walk over to Igreja de Sao Francisco (Saint Francis Church), a Gothic church covered in gold-covered, wooden, Baroque carvings. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje2p9eW-W0OWWZeR6YqwI2FH0T6at_dWaLSKxBuaKOyPo3P40q77I_GTcONzj2izx-4PVRgLP0oj9HY6DBhqwEez9UVUKkNQZ6k3AKYefo61BzjrjncaFznqKLdta02k6XsEc8PdHt-LqixpLxVnzM8B0l9sLWBJJ6QTmX9AQs2Fe7oWdyT3hNKALKdg/s9248/20230421_173830.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="9248" data-original-width="6004" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje2p9eW-W0OWWZeR6YqwI2FH0T6at_dWaLSKxBuaKOyPo3P40q77I_GTcONzj2izx-4PVRgLP0oj9HY6DBhqwEez9UVUKkNQZ6k3AKYefo61BzjrjncaFznqKLdta02k6XsEc8PdHt-LqixpLxVnzM8B0l9sLWBJJ6QTmX9AQs2Fe7oWdyT3hNKALKdg/s320/20230421_173830.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><br /><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">No photos allowed inside, which I thought was a tad odd since it's no longer a church. The Italian Friars arrived in Porto in the 13th century, but since the friars were originally beggars the bishop wouldn't allow them to live inside the city walls. They eventually grew quite rich and built the church in the 14th century. The friars left in 1834 and the church closed. When they reopened it as a museum they decided keeping the bodies buried there was no longer appropriate, so they moved them to some catacombs across the street.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhthPlZBGYGglDx1pi4WAGFFkHY54gXgFlYj2wcnaP6RQe-m-re_jaBShNc8TMi8crtazwUtosiBSp6823l5MWufeZPWc-9S7LPjnhpHb5T4_f6hI8fy3p5pz01V4D6wF0zRLA9-TnChsLNPZj72gY0UsQcO7IrAmEMzAoPjx2-LafF-eKks2LpgWwIBA/s7041/20230421_173553.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="7041" data-original-width="6936" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhthPlZBGYGglDx1pi4WAGFFkHY54gXgFlYj2wcnaP6RQe-m-re_jaBShNc8TMi8crtazwUtosiBSp6823l5MWufeZPWc-9S7LPjnhpHb5T4_f6hI8fy3p5pz01V4D6wF0zRLA9-TnChsLNPZj72gY0UsQcO7IrAmEMzAoPjx2-LafF-eKks2LpgWwIBA/s320/20230421_173553.jpg" width="315" /></a></div><p>Another rainy walk towards the southern side of the Duoro River, over Ponte de Louis I (Louis I Bridge was built by a student of Eiffel), and into VIlla Nova de Gaia. </p><p>Although only across the river, it's a completely different city and actually has a larger population than Porto. When in Port, you do a Port tasting. We headed to Burmester Winery to learn about Port making and then to try some. To make port they had wine spirits to fermenting wine which stops the fermentation process and keeps the sugars. The Duoro Valley is a demarcated wine region (much like the Champagne Valley in France) and is actually the first such region in the world (and therefore the oldest). The grapes are grown in the valley, harvested by hand, and then transported to Porto to be aged. They can use 100 different varieties of grapes to make port, but Burmester uses only 18. The white port was very sweet, hints of honey, and even the tawny port was sweet, but I still preferred the white.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibp-rTopGXWAobJYkOHYiCIs-ZSxtp5Vlxecy1pabttialKGNHzuAD5ixJXtTAQxK9p_icwG3xUXwx6bQpThWLneKNEjJ2vqEA_2iEfFknPGB-e7aWsFej9Y4592ff0lj4GFhNxTr1X1gSHarSqnKKeNSAnA7GEzhefQx5b-PjgGx0dP53ZbBSBQ7XVg/s9248/20230421_172509.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6936" data-original-width="9248" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibp-rTopGXWAobJYkOHYiCIs-ZSxtp5Vlxecy1pabttialKGNHzuAD5ixJXtTAQxK9p_icwG3xUXwx6bQpThWLneKNEjJ2vqEA_2iEfFknPGB-e7aWsFej9Y4592ff0lj4GFhNxTr1X1gSHarSqnKKeNSAnA7GEzhefQx5b-PjgGx0dP53ZbBSBQ7XVg/s320/20230421_172509.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ7KgDEG-xqCbJkzBRR0Db_BTVsEdMtF1etcpKu80y1cqorr89CjWwoqObm13PzIsGpSlGG_qgYPcOpkMdc0YkHJU1L_6qHzKbCduRlZ-rRhB6-yCxAaslx80_IOnTu2-NFPCBDKtMtf0Id62ahElQIR-3-ZufASUdbQBUReKIdqZERECZ3Pf9oCtILA/s8077/20230421_172400.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="8077" data-original-width="6936" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ7KgDEG-xqCbJkzBRR0Db_BTVsEdMtF1etcpKu80y1cqorr89CjWwoqObm13PzIsGpSlGG_qgYPcOpkMdc0YkHJU1L_6qHzKbCduRlZ-rRhB6-yCxAaslx80_IOnTu2-NFPCBDKtMtf0Id62ahElQIR-3-ZufASUdbQBUReKIdqZERECZ3Pf9oCtILA/s320/20230421_172400.jpg" width="275" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDrXjKsmQUiQppLrVCnSfaSChACTY5Bwkz3AULCoMyOjlvdYzMecsm-OkHV0uZmbC5D2BzcGV8ERYGN3y7YaAjunbdahRUJKR-PNZ4fWzUdfnkja_ffIgxURoqvmN-i92zt0-2Tl4XMh3ahG-EnIStQrJi7EjaYNdIgfZpbNVbzJwl_x8-EqLxFeCsKw/s7101/20230421_165220.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="7101" data-original-width="6872" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDrXjKsmQUiQppLrVCnSfaSChACTY5Bwkz3AULCoMyOjlvdYzMecsm-OkHV0uZmbC5D2BzcGV8ERYGN3y7YaAjunbdahRUJKR-PNZ4fWzUdfnkja_ffIgxURoqvmN-i92zt0-2Tl4XMh3ahG-EnIStQrJi7EjaYNdIgfZpbNVbzJwl_x8-EqLxFeCsKw/s320/20230421_165220.jpg" width="310" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirMcs_iVxBNcHONFREcYendgP55N82dk5w2W0CI2iuRHxJO57M9Fu_A4EpSDLu8gwfEXUmucOghiI4_QTJ1MptBzk79Zga0nh4U2reEF4GSL1Stg1CCN6UONAYEIS4mMIE_hplAb_bxzO93m85dotyKJ8m9pSJnu1wakMXDTGvufU-3C6eq_ZLHGOLSg/s9248/20230421_120816.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="9248" data-original-width="6936" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirMcs_iVxBNcHONFREcYendgP55N82dk5w2W0CI2iuRHxJO57M9Fu_A4EpSDLu8gwfEXUmucOghiI4_QTJ1MptBzk79Zga0nh4U2reEF4GSL1Stg1CCN6UONAYEIS4mMIE_hplAb_bxzO93m85dotyKJ8m9pSJnu1wakMXDTGvufU-3C6eq_ZLHGOLSg/s320/20230421_120816.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p>A rainy walk back to our bus, and then we were deposited back at our hotel. A snack-lunch of tuna and crackers (my long-time readers will recognize my preferred travel snack), while drying out and waiting for the rain to end (by 4:30 it had stopped) gave me time to journal and upload photos before heading back out for the evening.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6YjbCIFZdyUO-aN1UfGegq2jjIcq7gS6M9xVXBqPHIgSWceXxtUvZq0lJIdcUznznFZ5haPjePLqGT6m01UC2iO1f1cUqbq75ADqYrSs4q_Uq7jP_eJC3q2bZZfXhUtQaT4dHf5eIF4EV_jyzIiGzNXub4Iq5TtIxqmokQ2nAPXoiWqEMVOnrm1Lcww/s4032/20230422_202141.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6YjbCIFZdyUO-aN1UfGegq2jjIcq7gS6M9xVXBqPHIgSWceXxtUvZq0lJIdcUznznFZ5haPjePLqGT6m01UC2iO1f1cUqbq75ADqYrSs4q_Uq7jP_eJC3q2bZZfXhUtQaT4dHf5eIF4EV_jyzIiGzNXub4Iq5TtIxqmokQ2nAPXoiWqEMVOnrm1Lcww/s320/20230422_202141.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>My fado performance for the evening was at Ideal Clube de Fado, where they advertise you can "Discover the most authentic tradition of classic Fado in an intimate concert with renowned Porto artists." It was highly recommended on the internet, and for good reason! As their website states, </p><blockquote><p>"There are many ways to sing the Fado, but among our artists we cultivate a passion for the origins of this song, which was included in UNESCO’s lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2011. At Ideal Clube de Fado, we believe that each concert is a live act of creation, a unique experience that is renewed every day and drinks from the inexhaustible source of this strange way of life that is to be Portuguese."</p></blockquote><p>There article <a href="https://www.fado.club/en/styles-in-fado/" target="_blank">here</a> attempts to explain the difficulty people have in defining fado (and what fado is not). </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb5XEaF-cm4l1cbVIvwivEbJxE4xSBk3B22o7TxK3OQ9Haj_83Q2oOXRvgST-IS3Avcmzf3R0KNtHeV91DcIvqred0_Gh6N9xB0Ld8AJbqstIlvi-hXVZZOiu5Pk7pWOiNy1bNXl5M2qUsBUhpbI2BMqH2Y4OuJmk144ZeRPoomdImUYR2wygQBDhrwg/s4032/20230422_202049.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb5XEaF-cm4l1cbVIvwivEbJxE4xSBk3B22o7TxK3OQ9Haj_83Q2oOXRvgST-IS3Avcmzf3R0KNtHeV91DcIvqred0_Gh6N9xB0Ld8AJbqstIlvi-hXVZZOiu5Pk7pWOiNy1bNXl5M2qUsBUhpbI2BMqH2Y4OuJmk144ZeRPoomdImUYR2wygQBDhrwg/s320/20230422_202049.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dy-5BT9KxrLWlF7zyYNWGUEhKhTT2XsFleJtzbk6lgL6nVMslRSCQ-O74TAGWjKqxMwIo7GBaDLHiqnok7VAQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5223799945138209202.post-23238522603824991492023-04-20T17:10:00.002-04:002023-04-21T11:48:37.233-04:00Porto, Portugal - And so it begins<p> Blessedly, my travels to Portugal (by way of Philly and Madrid) were uneventful, sleepless, but uneventful. My nascent Spanish does help in reading Portuguese (and some in listening comprehension), but does not help in figuring out how to pronounce things. Portuguese is the 5th most spoken language in the world, granted, that's mostly because of Brazil, but it's still an impressive statistic for a language that doesn't come to mind when I think of languages most spoken around the world. Oddly enough, the first Portuguese speakers I ever remember meeting was when I lived in Japan. Anyway, back to Porto. It is home to the second largest university in the country which was founded in 1911. The country has both private and public schools (for primary, secondary, and university level).</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Nz4YuvYT-FNf59wTKsWaxLFi_5BWFbIp70y1gjC4cPV-DLVADgGzohJvV4fvWDX7hrS81DhxX0vnaL1OxaSca32l9VGxzH41apn2UY_JSb6m4sh4ix8jUC_tIaruKtHx3B2ulVy_SRlyPZ8mqQ-4qSc6VNBttyT7rkdai-AWgayfgjs_vcsC9ousGg/s4000/Porto_2023-4-19.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Nz4YuvYT-FNf59wTKsWaxLFi_5BWFbIp70y1gjC4cPV-DLVADgGzohJvV4fvWDX7hrS81DhxX0vnaL1OxaSca32l9VGxzH41apn2UY_JSb6m4sh4ix8jUC_tIaruKtHx3B2ulVy_SRlyPZ8mqQ-4qSc6VNBttyT7rkdai-AWgayfgjs_vcsC9ousGg/s320/Porto_2023-4-19.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>I arrived at my hotel around 1pm, and my tour manager, Nelia, met me in the lobby - I must have been easy to spot because she asked right away if I was with Gate1 (maybe traveling alone does have its advantages at times). I was relieved to know my room was ready and I could go relax and try to get a power nap (6am the previous day was a distant memory of when I'd last slept). After gaining some energy I decided to walk to the market. It was a fantastic spring afternoon with mid-60's weather, plenty of sunshine, and barely a cloud to be seen.<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/AVvXsEiVTNhqf_lRGhePt_XjrlDbgJlmixCg92pNNT68i64fWvcBDM2K-gSyu92EMWaOpMKFM84H7N5EAV0B72TvTYFvyTR8y9eOHRCxMBCiCzxrWNnZn3ZiZiFDF6OTlrTeJv7jeL39Z9dCcS2muC-bheZ2zvS8bp1yryL0Bi1NCK3vlzP7I-bHBWHPUtHeGA/s4000/Porto%20Casa%20de%20Musica_2023-4-19.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVTNhqf_lRGhePt_XjrlDbgJlmixCg92pNNT68i64fWvcBDM2K-gSyu92EMWaOpMKFM84H7N5EAV0B72TvTYFvyTR8y9eOHRCxMBCiCzxrWNnZn3ZiZiFDF6OTlrTeJv7jeL39Z9dCcS2muC-bheZ2zvS8bp1yryL0Bi1NCK3vlzP7I-bHBWHPUtHeGA/s320/Porto%20Casa%20de%20Musica_2023-4-19.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Casa da Musica</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>There were some lovely parks, the iconic Casa da Musica, stunning tile-fronted buildings on the Rue Alvares Carbal, and plenty of little shops. I walked maybe 2k before I started feeling like I was getting blisters on my heels. I had needed to stay awake, and it was lovely outside, so turning back despite not reaching my destination didn't bother me - I didn't want to start my tour with blisters anyway! The walk did keep me awake and out of the room long enough that when I returned I was able to do some journaling before heading down to the tour orientation and welcome dinner.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqswDCLQqgQKJegwc1QBm73qwKpOyiOoxPAbwVxnuQ9COdb1AeWGqpYss-TvgiFlOXsdP7W-isWDIoIUYrC-tJ2GRVWpSKMf8LXXnUgARDnB3e-CVHYvuvhuu2HRDT-eWiMFkDnwMtenOAu9qViS8Sf9R2ags6YhgLqKxjS8tp2sjGNWNXbNegv_AZuw/s9248/20230421_154217.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6936" data-original-width="9248" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqswDCLQqgQKJegwc1QBm73qwKpOyiOoxPAbwVxnuQ9COdb1AeWGqpYss-TvgiFlOXsdP7W-isWDIoIUYrC-tJ2GRVWpSKMf8LXXnUgARDnB3e-CVHYvuvhuu2HRDT-eWiMFkDnwMtenOAu9qViS8Sf9R2ags6YhgLqKxjS8tp2sjGNWNXbNegv_AZuw/s320/20230421_154217.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisDoGhaRwd3Nh_WFQuCkSU-TtuOGr9tYu9ufkgfET4Ga0DoXkHdfQSYEB7TB3_LYNFc7NZOKWnqtXhehrEZBXwXKSW4gpLiivToLZYZRxF3WIERoU63T4W6F5axskFYbPQoFY7HHj5uzWdTjXEFQ_dxXj82Jy2LYP0ngYZzI8wljqJ_l8s_wiHNJvnVA/s9248/20230421_154105.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="9248" data-original-width="6936" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisDoGhaRwd3Nh_WFQuCkSU-TtuOGr9tYu9ufkgfET4Ga0DoXkHdfQSYEB7TB3_LYNFc7NZOKWnqtXhehrEZBXwXKSW4gpLiivToLZYZRxF3WIERoU63T4W6F5axskFYbPQoFY7HHj5uzWdTjXEFQ_dxXj82Jy2LYP0ngYZzI8wljqJ_l8s_wiHNJvnVA/s320/20230421_154105.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Oddly enough, I'm the only solo traveler on this tour, normally there are a small handful of us. Not a worry, I found a lovely group of 11 friends/family from Boston and they welcomed me to the open spot at their table. We are 42 people total, and we did go around the room and give a brief introduction, but I couldn't hear everyone. This tour is also comprised entirely of Americans (no Brits or Australians this time), although about 1/3 of those are first generation immigrants to the U.S. We have Russians, Iranians, Chinese, and Sri Lankans which helps keep things interesting. Dinner was a tasty meal of pumpkin soup, sea bass, cabbage, mashed potatoes, and a chocolate mouse torte for dessert. By 9:30pm all of us where exhausted and everyone started to head off to bed. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /> </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Porto, Portugal41.1579438 -8.629105299999999112.847709963821153 -43.7853553 69.468177636178837 26.5271447tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5223799945138209202.post-41969963252746075492022-05-29T20:00:00.077-04:002022-08-30T20:28:46.209-04:00Next Stop: Zadar<p> When we got up it was still cold and still raining, but the forecast for Zadar still said "low 70's and partly cloudy". With optimism that we'd drive out of the rain, we headed south. The scenery was lovely and after leaving the park we began to notice a plethora of little stands along the side of the road, in front of homes. They were selling cheese and honey. I finally decided to stop at one and buy my parents some honey. A mom, her daughter, and her six-month old granddaughter were manning their small booth. The daughter explained that some stands had sheep's milk cheese, but hers was from cows. She then let me sample some of the honey options. Since I'd never heard of "Pine Honey" before I decided to try that one.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK3Xklm-VyWmZCDRiWnJmN-v38tT00U0RNTcLqh6EzeYUNuxLaqCVhHF11-eQNf2sKZTh9S7lVJn4L_egXiQsHrmxvdN7PnbC38U22iVwfnl6OxkfMIZgi0S4kFmKSmToZuRWBpk5xEofWuc6Nl8cfUVk9cc-83imli3gHBHdaeLYKi0phEYfMMcfYQQ/s4032/2022.05.29%20DriveToZadar%20(5).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1908" data-original-width="4032" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK3Xklm-VyWmZCDRiWnJmN-v38tT00U0RNTcLqh6EzeYUNuxLaqCVhHF11-eQNf2sKZTh9S7lVJn4L_egXiQsHrmxvdN7PnbC38U22iVwfnl6OxkfMIZgi0S4kFmKSmToZuRWBpk5xEofWuc6Nl8cfUVk9cc-83imli3gHBHdaeLYKi0phEYfMMcfYQQ/w400-h189/2022.05.29%20DriveToZadar%20(5).jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO8JBeYIRmtw1qxm7021aoll-buO5YfU6AkXg83lINHc3cjsSoNYuJom3xv8Qyah-p3aG4WOiGdetrfg3za6N91QjUtZeIV6HB3hft57ilS6QZOaO6Jp0c9Vx4ouPHHzSk5VoG7XvxK7Vnvz-1SaVc5MUPdeOqnjlmrU2OotUnFttW9VFp935kO631_Q/s2667/2022.05.29%20DriveToZadar%20(9).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2667" data-original-width="1907" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO8JBeYIRmtw1qxm7021aoll-buO5YfU6AkXg83lINHc3cjsSoNYuJom3xv8Qyah-p3aG4WOiGdetrfg3za6N91QjUtZeIV6HB3hft57ilS6QZOaO6Jp0c9Vx4ouPHHzSk5VoG7XvxK7Vnvz-1SaVc5MUPdeOqnjlmrU2OotUnFttW9VFp935kO631_Q/w143-h200/2022.05.29%20DriveToZadar%20(9).jpg" width="143" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi81EHEyFU2Xl1YANUjCmM4FJ0Btko0MpTUyiHNOksLFy6krl-GKk2mRaChl_tkoEUSchO3oGIT8TVUOXQwn7LtXmgGNG6MYB6-WpnFjlK7sYoBeJjjFhRpvzKYLLTdcAVEvQOERzwVq9Kf9Nfou6LdEHpLEHA_9d0gDg07CecmIAb95EppznAal5S9YA/s332/zadar.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="332" data-original-width="271" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi81EHEyFU2Xl1YANUjCmM4FJ0Btko0MpTUyiHNOksLFy6krl-GKk2mRaChl_tkoEUSchO3oGIT8TVUOXQwn7LtXmgGNG6MYB6-WpnFjlK7sYoBeJjjFhRpvzKYLLTdcAVEvQOERzwVq9Kf9Nfou6LdEHpLEHA_9d0gDg07CecmIAb95EppznAal5S9YA/w163-h200/zadar.JPG" width="163" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>We continued on and drove through several tunnels, one of which was over 2 miles long (good thing we weren't playing the hold-your-breath-in-a-tunnel game on that one!). We made it to Hotel Kolovare with no issues and were once again able to check into our room early. We stowed our stuff and started walking towards the Old Town. We passed through the Land Gate and quickly decided gelato was in order. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX39yC-bNZ3xQpoqFsVbsX2StjQum48dZQl-MHCYGNR7pyLvQv-4FRfkopXegiRlpCFzGBgTKcXp8oTWhJZ-9waARybqowMo5dTtDDvpJBTLBI62PQ8b3R81-kZkHLCDi6E82q259njK2RejCNmotaM6bc6AGQcSfTHU7q3DmG-WtzNSIKZXcQRnddLw/s4032/2022.05.29%20Zadar%20Land%20Gate%20(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1908" data-original-width="4032" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX39yC-bNZ3xQpoqFsVbsX2StjQum48dZQl-MHCYGNR7pyLvQv-4FRfkopXegiRlpCFzGBgTKcXp8oTWhJZ-9waARybqowMo5dTtDDvpJBTLBI62PQ8b3R81-kZkHLCDi6E82q259njK2RejCNmotaM6bc6AGQcSfTHU7q3DmG-WtzNSIKZXcQRnddLw/w400-h189/2022.05.29%20Zadar%20Land%20Gate%20(2).jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>From there we wandered along past tons of tourist shops, cafés, and clothing boutiques. The old Roman Forum, the largest in Croatia caught our interest, and the Church of St. Donatus was there as well. We paid our 20 kunas to get in and see the inside - although not that much is left of the 9th Century church. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Wdpg36Iv_-xfA8H-eRKgzMKbEpqaMJI-xCDv3LYv34v9X9iGvi8J204CZINFodJBzKZzsRjvmIgoVRjqrfcsmVM1wdwirfkt0glNwEs9oUTpy8YPS9GaFvABXqvcluKO65jQcF9SHy3UhrXku7EFFsukdtX82DNnHueruWC9X8N9P3uhvakTp5lFqA/s377/zadar%20donatus.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="377" data-original-width="231" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Wdpg36Iv_-xfA8H-eRKgzMKbEpqaMJI-xCDv3LYv34v9X9iGvi8J204CZINFodJBzKZzsRjvmIgoVRjqrfcsmVM1wdwirfkt0glNwEs9oUTpy8YPS9GaFvABXqvcluKO65jQcF9SHy3UhrXku7EFFsukdtX82DNnHueruWC9X8N9P3uhvakTp5lFqA/s320/zadar%20donatus.JPG" width="196" /></a></div><br /><div>The architecture of these old stone churches and buildings, the narrow stone pathways - we love it - a feast for the eyes.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhectFFtnXnwpAKZ9ItLBRYk_TRFm7selMyPBzAbqPyvouBRj9O10mRHzqz0QPrB5N7eUaNT3HQ2aHX3z5GwgwIHHPBKDUA3fK8IrPmbzykIqDA3RGC7aXbJnZ9SQ1kOGq-p7h54C3oXecN9o54ocUZXwhIv9aa7x-XaB4yk-7ZOo9GhPrjlvYzIv9_Gg/s432/zadar%20bldg.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="206" data-original-width="432" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhectFFtnXnwpAKZ9ItLBRYk_TRFm7selMyPBzAbqPyvouBRj9O10mRHzqz0QPrB5N7eUaNT3HQ2aHX3z5GwgwIHHPBKDUA3fK8IrPmbzykIqDA3RGC7aXbJnZ9SQ1kOGq-p7h54C3oXecN9o54ocUZXwhIv9aa7x-XaB4yk-7ZOo9GhPrjlvYzIv9_Gg/s320/zadar%20bldg.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf_6OEKIVOafL1DqmIhTrg7km1TOBSrycaoh32YJyZCG1osjyycYVQ2Fm1PU1j8kyiFaZCH8F0Qz1pvBNG3quGg7cGJN4OrG8hvokuMOVc7c1QPYGg-1rWlRgoVNmTv7RAqAtpOjh6OWU5X3KQmWphr8cGFpzyhO84SbGODJ_kmrD6zU91H69j1RDFhw/s4032/2022.05.29%20Zadar%20(6).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1908" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf_6OEKIVOafL1DqmIhTrg7km1TOBSrycaoh32YJyZCG1osjyycYVQ2Fm1PU1j8kyiFaZCH8F0Qz1pvBNG3quGg7cGJN4OrG8hvokuMOVc7c1QPYGg-1rWlRgoVNmTv7RAqAtpOjh6OWU5X3KQmWphr8cGFpzyhO84SbGODJ_kmrD6zU91H69j1RDFhw/s320/2022.05.29%20Zadar%20(6).jpg" width="151" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>We continued on to the water for a visit to the famous sea organ. We enjoyed the somewhat random, but harmonic, sounds the Zadar Sea Organ on the city's waterfront. It plays music by way of sea waves and tubes located underneath a set of large marble steps. By 3:30pm I decided we should get a late lunch (or early dinner, take your pick), so we wandered until we found a spot with food from the Dalmatian Coast that included people watching opportunities. Skala Restaurant fit the bill perfectly and I enjoyed a tasty Dalmatian stew with gnocchi before we wandered back to our hotel.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJS4C-pcjEO9XfnBkF902tCjr3JE3nNz9EpAfN9Q30RwVRZ0ebQta-CIL7sXlDUbKc2kQgMUPliPKMVnX5Qpdo9K31xlY3Uh2fl0yVXmXGcRs57e4F8ETJY_dYUVl7u9B5_ozpwMdj6g7tuIsmhXRFnefG3yvk4hanAfumlRm6O9bGTMpDOmZ7PAgjhA/s273/zadar%20skala.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="273" data-original-width="164" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJS4C-pcjEO9XfnBkF902tCjr3JE3nNz9EpAfN9Q30RwVRZ0ebQta-CIL7sXlDUbKc2kQgMUPliPKMVnX5Qpdo9K31xlY3Uh2fl0yVXmXGcRs57e4F8ETJY_dYUVl7u9B5_ozpwMdj6g7tuIsmhXRFnefG3yvk4hanAfumlRm6O9bGTMpDOmZ7PAgjhA/s1600/zadar%20skala.JPG" width="164" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>We settled in by the pool for a bit, and since it is Sunday I listened to my church service back home on YouTube. By 6:30pm we decided warmer clothes and a walk along the water were in order. Too cloudy for an actual sunset, we still immensely enjoyed the views, and got some nice photos of the sun peaking through the clouds as it sunk below the horizon.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZHr7k54zydfXir3wx8sGB3jLiiwLsdW8XxnyL3wtsTWyKbKPX3A6a8lbGYsAGWcn1tOlvxjhok85etKU-T-SwddtAD4gIYqpOIQL9XlwkQwqcruuKsDxzk_3RyjB3dRBLF71a376cj65-kX1kZRDCxfqhBt3WztCe_hE718SDr4PU6sQ58EhjpbupxQ/s496/zadar%20sunset.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="241" data-original-width="496" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZHr7k54zydfXir3wx8sGB3jLiiwLsdW8XxnyL3wtsTWyKbKPX3A6a8lbGYsAGWcn1tOlvxjhok85etKU-T-SwddtAD4gIYqpOIQL9XlwkQwqcruuKsDxzk_3RyjB3dRBLF71a376cj65-kX1kZRDCxfqhBt3WztCe_hE718SDr4PU6sQ58EhjpbupxQ/w400-h194/zadar%20sunset.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><br /><div><br /></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5223799945138209202.post-22494290991502781982022-05-28T19:39:00.067-04:002022-08-30T20:00:05.899-04:00Plitvice Lakes National Park<p> What a change in weather from yesterday! Overcast skies and very cool, it only reached 53 degrees today! We had a leisurely breakfast, extensive options compared with our last hotel, and sat talking while hoping the sky might clear. By 10:30am we realized that was unlikely to happen and decided to start searching for warm layers to wear. I had brought none (anticipating humid, 80-90 degree days), so the best I could manage was capri leggings and 2 long sleeve shirts - no poncho and no umbrella.</p><p>We rode the "Panoramic Vehicle" to Station 3 on the upper lakes where we got out to chat with the information booth personnel. They suggested Hike H so that when we made it down to the boat dock we could decide to cross over that lake (and go back to the hotel) or take the long boat ride over to Hike F (which was the route I'd taken the day before). Today's hike, despite the damp, chilly weather, was spectacular! Less crowded and more waterfalls to be seen; a new stunning vista around every bend. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2U8_oAQmHm9fJAStGUQl5SDxuwryju050NLgEKgXFz4IEUzBpaj4tm8l0cbyU-fVEW0XDUfjmV3fP9YCysE96MwLnsiuDuXwrWeR9Ms22SPfCbDJgD-jw_dqMH1OBq3w_pUaXIPZdljZZw0rz4lERwg61aQeG-shbWF8PR-nET8kPzzWg2hCmGlmISA/s706/2022.05.28%20Plitvitce%201.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="706" data-original-width="337" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2U8_oAQmHm9fJAStGUQl5SDxuwryju050NLgEKgXFz4IEUzBpaj4tm8l0cbyU-fVEW0XDUfjmV3fP9YCysE96MwLnsiuDuXwrWeR9Ms22SPfCbDJgD-jw_dqMH1OBq3w_pUaXIPZdljZZw0rz4lERwg61aQeG-shbWF8PR-nET8kPzzWg2hCmGlmISA/w191-h400/2022.05.28%20Plitvitce%201.JPG" width="191" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhacvb4RjwBhsqe6qw3LhG_lQuIFaYtzaVVJchGCCtJsFLiZW_ivdERO_0xwB3VUifdG219v4rT7xiwGbjmSYnCs7pPHh7qHq4PL-yZW6-eNMUcLG5sxLkldoodzjCKzbkl0rym8HZLvccZL6hxSAWZfRUSoXCa5ai9pSSn2kS0oo1LkElTq1FpWg0LAA/s4032/2022.05.28%20Plitvitce%20Ntl%20Pk%20(15).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1908" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhacvb4RjwBhsqe6qw3LhG_lQuIFaYtzaVVJchGCCtJsFLiZW_ivdERO_0xwB3VUifdG219v4rT7xiwGbjmSYnCs7pPHh7qHq4PL-yZW6-eNMUcLG5sxLkldoodzjCKzbkl0rym8HZLvccZL6hxSAWZfRUSoXCa5ai9pSSn2kS0oo1LkElTq1FpWg0LAA/s320/2022.05.28%20Plitvitce%20Ntl%20Pk%20(15).jpg" width="151" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwk77o6fj9409Snf0XGthY7uZyApyXW-udxxoUBekv72eaQ2iBKemvd7Z32RpRA3EQZbE5CtgYajs0aketz-ITxVQDBoOI-ltKzsprNEkwT-D6krXp1oEnaqw95ys2RRqSjonJlUXlMEmGH_pQ5ifZM0AMBUssF23IV52q_tKTesS-ON1zknUjWJBpmQ/s4032/2022.05.28%20Plitvitce%20Ntl%20Pk%20(30).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="1908" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwk77o6fj9409Snf0XGthY7uZyApyXW-udxxoUBekv72eaQ2iBKemvd7Z32RpRA3EQZbE5CtgYajs0aketz-ITxVQDBoOI-ltKzsprNEkwT-D6krXp1oEnaqw95ys2RRqSjonJlUXlMEmGH_pQ5ifZM0AMBUssF23IV52q_tKTesS-ON1zknUjWJBpmQ/w189-h400/2022.05.28%20Plitvitce%20Ntl%20Pk%20(30).jpg" width="189" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaPgVKfIMZ1eREBMaxqP_pa6fCzpKsTeo2W0gKyMR_wArkrbUA4ltOHrdcvJIKWNGME1hr1-VaxMtyF9OQ-bBjz6AO6W4iBYIMf2HIH0B_C0Q_1XunsCzTq5zC27NYODCxtPUrytGqmywUNszaB7HDyFaxIoI7wFOZkqbzknxq_Q2ejCy5dmG4_6oB-A/s4032/2022.05.28%20Plitvitce%20Ntl%20Pk%20(35).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1908" data-original-width="4032" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaPgVKfIMZ1eREBMaxqP_pa6fCzpKsTeo2W0gKyMR_wArkrbUA4ltOHrdcvJIKWNGME1hr1-VaxMtyF9OQ-bBjz6AO6W4iBYIMf2HIH0B_C0Q_1XunsCzTq5zC27NYODCxtPUrytGqmywUNszaB7HDyFaxIoI7wFOZkqbzknxq_Q2ejCy5dmG4_6oB-A/w400-h189/2022.05.28%20Plitvitce%20Ntl%20Pk%20(35).jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>I was cold the entire walk and the last 1/3 of our hike was through the rain. Seeing how there was no other day for us to do the walk, we definitely made the best of it. Cold and wet, my Aunt was done by the time we finished, no more walking for her today. Since it was about 1:30pm we dried off, hopped in the car, and hit the road in search of food, which isn't as easy as it sounds when you're inside a National Park. We stumbled upon Winnetou Pansion (Bistro Winnetou). Winnetou is a fictional Native American hero of several novels written in German by Karl May (one of the best-selling German writers of all time). In the 1960s several Winnetou movies were coproduced by German–Yugoslav producers and became part of their Pop Culture. A warm hot chocolate, delicious grilled chicken and potatoes - they really hit the spot. <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPJnKQPZRywHgjg46_HIshOxm1jt5kfveDtApsjAPiBEnoEj4C2looSEU0a0ZEZdSMsZmF_At5pO3UkIE3jgBrLZmSyx1wcnx5FERiuq0_BHy4jd8I68gYNIf6Vf_gzi9_aXWcMm2EQX5CesS50An5GgmdfMjDijo6TG8JY9oDpLS2pKxznanM3f_0qw/s3235/2022.05.28%20Plitvitce%20Restaurants%20(3).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3235" data-original-width="1687" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPJnKQPZRywHgjg46_HIshOxm1jt5kfveDtApsjAPiBEnoEj4C2looSEU0a0ZEZdSMsZmF_At5pO3UkIE3jgBrLZmSyx1wcnx5FERiuq0_BHy4jd8I68gYNIf6Vf_gzi9_aXWcMm2EQX5CesS50An5GgmdfMjDijo6TG8JY9oDpLS2pKxznanM3f_0qw/s320/2022.05.28%20Plitvitce%20Restaurants%20(3).jpg" width="167" /></a></div><br /><p>It was still raining when we returned to the hotel, so we decided to try out the whirlpool. It was large, but only had two jets; we were thankful it was warm enough that we could spend a long time in it without being too hot or too cold. After exiting the whirlpool we watched TV and chatted in our room until we decided we needed another food run. We ended up back at Bistro Vučnica for dinner, since we'd enjoyed it for lunch the day before. Since my Aunt brought her Uno deck all the way to Croatia, we decided tonight was the night to play! We enjoyed a few rounds while waiting for our food - they serve excellent pizza (perks of Croatia having Italian neighbors perhaps).</p><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5223799945138209202.post-15200368200920667702022-05-27T19:29:00.045-04:002022-08-30T19:51:01.418-04:00Croatian Roadtrip Beginnings<p> Croatians drive on the right side of the road (literally, and figuratively, if you're American), and they have impeccable roads, so no real concerns with the remainder of our trip requiring me to drive from top to bottom of the country. We picked up our rental car - a small Opel SUV/crossover - and headed for the national park. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVS4Pzpm4CcOE3rZRvbj1nBUn_RpYHV-w96Sssy7-H65h4QZm-tqsBQc6qsM_D35kPRCmRGT-Ue2yaJ_BTs27uV0l29HmcitE_BqXcV4tOKkAJO-Yohb0QClFf3SYnOOXSa2tjol2uDJzQiuQtH0SxQvCi3tP0VDwWqBLYxRylWNWm9llht2N1nLRNhg/s710/2022.05.27%20Opel%20SUV.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="710" data-original-width="593" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVS4Pzpm4CcOE3rZRvbj1nBUn_RpYHV-w96Sssy7-H65h4QZm-tqsBQc6qsM_D35kPRCmRGT-Ue2yaJ_BTs27uV0l29HmcitE_BqXcV4tOKkAJO-Yohb0QClFf3SYnOOXSa2tjol2uDJzQiuQtH0SxQvCi3tP0VDwWqBLYxRylWNWm9llht2N1nLRNhg/s320/2022.05.27%20Opel%20SUV.JPG" width="267" /></a></div><br /><p>A missed direction trying to leave Zagreb was our only navigational issue, and with little traffic and little construction it was a nice drive to Hotel Jezero. Since our hotel is one of only a handful inside the park, we had few options for food - but with a car we could easily cruise around to find what few, small restaurants were nearby. After lunch we returned to the hotel, I bought my park entrance ticket and headed out for a quick hike (my aunt decided to stay and read a book since she was a bit stiff from all the walking the day before). Photos do not do this park justice, it's a place you have to see for yourself. I took the trail that led to Veliki Slap ("slap" means waterfall, so I'm assuming Veliki means "big" since this was the "Big Waterfall"), the tallest waterfall in Croatia. It was a very warm afternoon, but the path was partly shaded in most places and the water in the lakes past which I was hiking was an incredibly shade of blue.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTjZAARnVrR-0gce8ZKD5Ql4cMtWZUUtKyWa7klaGjhJbJTxkMx_ChSiq5_iZVhT4KToyguTfgReWWD6vVJilLwC2Pexri8MVjWXqc7g2elTCkPnHOC0Sd93cTNpmNT4C1MubV3VN3vqRdm1OHR8-25HWD5u-tGZXqrj3BtOLO5EeiTcRZxUosjynK2A/s707/2022.05.27%20Plitvitce%204.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="706" data-original-width="707" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTjZAARnVrR-0gce8ZKD5Ql4cMtWZUUtKyWa7klaGjhJbJTxkMx_ChSiq5_iZVhT4KToyguTfgReWWD6vVJilLwC2Pexri8MVjWXqc7g2elTCkPnHOC0Sd93cTNpmNT4C1MubV3VN3vqRdm1OHR8-25HWD5u-tGZXqrj3BtOLO5EeiTcRZxUosjynK2A/s320/2022.05.27%20Plitvitce%204.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcljmbJ2AUYTvaVdSlg6thB5pzH8S2nrzY9CwhWvxP15IWnp74-5quHs80O1p1tFhY6qFnKFCUOYbH997umQHzMeMkB2rM43Assqg9YMU1r7cphKMKHNAcC0d8dFxGpVsjijinjTkrwFgOAYozJ-4zUajWdCwS1vFipZ_hPUzr5B3wn9YrdEZvkOdsSg/s707/2022.05.27%20Plitvitce%202.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img border="0" data-original-height="706" data-original-width="707" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcljmbJ2AUYTvaVdSlg6thB5pzH8S2nrzY9CwhWvxP15IWnp74-5quHs80O1p1tFhY6qFnKFCUOYbH997umQHzMeMkB2rM43Assqg9YMU1r7cphKMKHNAcC0d8dFxGpVsjijinjTkrwFgOAYozJ-4zUajWdCwS1vFipZ_hPUzr5B3wn9YrdEZvkOdsSg/w400-h400/2022.05.27%20Plitvitce%202.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIvhdn14Z0FBfvM4PPboyiNOoxxq-7oUQcAx5z0SeNHsNYRuXaxrVyCzhqp8vwFxuOurg2VGI3ua8DJf2gU1KrengDT4K5Mewjf6b_VbKpRN6UBOv5o4k80Z4l9BLuoMu6yomwQqhWqSw5d4n_RKrXK8ol2993oyI0FhlsvwDQDpHeenp7FG_na7ZoCA/s706/2022.05.27%20Plitvitce%203.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="705" data-original-width="706" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIvhdn14Z0FBfvM4PPboyiNOoxxq-7oUQcAx5z0SeNHsNYRuXaxrVyCzhqp8vwFxuOurg2VGI3ua8DJf2gU1KrengDT4K5Mewjf6b_VbKpRN6UBOv5o4k80Z4l9BLuoMu6yomwQqhWqSw5d4n_RKrXK8ol2993oyI0FhlsvwDQDpHeenp7FG_na7ZoCA/w400-h400/2022.05.27%20Plitvitce%203.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLBQRxvppfRtXcPIvu9zsqDbFo0bqiF6KkVcZJrAuMrgIUKW5YtHLMtjfPAaxkSaSgZhMKvpEhhuOnUx1QrObuPr5MKAjj34W0Px0Ftl7eEiWJKOvDx4IaHRiC8JPyPvNYxDY4ZAS2aitdxSTLcAnStaPt6f-HQcvHuZs9xuksMhyoRkudyUfPkx0UXQ/s700/2022.05.27%20Plitvitce.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="699" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLBQRxvppfRtXcPIvu9zsqDbFo0bqiF6KkVcZJrAuMrgIUKW5YtHLMtjfPAaxkSaSgZhMKvpEhhuOnUx1QrObuPr5MKAjj34W0Px0Ftl7eEiWJKOvDx4IaHRiC8JPyPvNYxDY4ZAS2aitdxSTLcAnStaPt6f-HQcvHuZs9xuksMhyoRkudyUfPkx0UXQ/w400-h400/2022.05.27%20Plitvitce.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>After my return and a shower, we took a short walk near the hotel and then had some coffee (decaf, of course) and dessert on the terrace to round out our day.</p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5223799945138209202.post-13535423462040556022022-05-26T19:22:00.103-04:002022-08-05T19:29:37.066-04:00Zagreb Day 2<p> Jetlag last night made it difficult to fall asleep, despite being tired, so we started the day a bit earlier than usual largely due to the need for coffee (our room had no such amenities). With some caffeine and food in our system we were ready to explore <a href="https://www.visitzagreb.hr/category/sights-landmarks/">Zagreb</a>. Our first stop was the Nikola Tesla Technical Museum, which only bears his name, which we found out once inside. Although disappointed at this turn of events, it was still a fascinating visit. It was a technology museum, so it focused scientific and technical appliances used in Croatia's history; showcasing planes, bikes, boats, trains, engines, turbines, even fire fighting equipment. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-5vTU6bYL2kAM8Qzk_r0z1QrwiOuF43HNeimNYUbob_oHJrCPEd_v59O1NFT62tiZt5p5rarkYH2Y33mfaKOxlobD1fzfYp4q9FTIa_pQv4nZqZQWSqrMfRM-IfsIXi__J0hJuWvTcyVvz6MHSOox5owanQ46wfUKWl2tZuRXdCPCCaateUZIKjGFdA/s706/2022.05.25%20ZagrebTesla.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="706" data-original-width="705" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-5vTU6bYL2kAM8Qzk_r0z1QrwiOuF43HNeimNYUbob_oHJrCPEd_v59O1NFT62tiZt5p5rarkYH2Y33mfaKOxlobD1fzfYp4q9FTIa_pQv4nZqZQWSqrMfRM-IfsIXi__J0hJuWvTcyVvz6MHSOox5owanQ46wfUKWl2tZuRXdCPCCaateUZIKjGFdA/s320/2022.05.25%20ZagrebTesla.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>The real planes, helicopters, bikes, and boats were neat, but I most enjoyed the exhibit they had on Tesla himself (he is the museum's namesake, after all). He was a fascinating man and the glimpse into the contrast between him and Edison made me realize I need a better grasp of these two men who changed the course of history. A book explaining the ramifications for Edison's direct current electricity vs. Tesla's alternating current electricity and why DC beat out AC at that point in time. *If anyone knows of such a book, please let me know in the comments!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu7GaOC2t03AQIBoaIgdcUaGDKW-6koypCbBT3EjeY3HsDFhTrC36EiNAUkQET6ds1LStYn-liVOjqcLtL2XkfDk6OPENiZMu_QFHJL0YzwXN0Lmzm1ENHEtLNI_06CYh5sBomRZppVYnU4YOhvMmy5NKd2y1iV5-5szQQEHVi-oDsqA7Wh937ImUqQg/s705/2022.05.26%20Zagreb%20tesla.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="705" data-original-width="403" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu7GaOC2t03AQIBoaIgdcUaGDKW-6koypCbBT3EjeY3HsDFhTrC36EiNAUkQET6ds1LStYn-liVOjqcLtL2XkfDk6OPENiZMu_QFHJL0YzwXN0Lmzm1ENHEtLNI_06CYh5sBomRZppVYnU4YOhvMmy5NKd2y1iV5-5szQQEHVi-oDsqA7Wh937ImUqQg/s320/2022.05.26%20Zagreb%20tesla.JPG" width="183" /></a></div><br /><div><p>Our next destination was Zagreb's cathedral (formerly known as St. Stephen’s Cathedral)and its stunning neo-Gothic architecture. It's the country's largest Catholic cathedral, and was only partially hidden behind the scaffolding used to fix damage from weathering and the earthquakes that have damaged the façade. The church has dominated Kaptol Square since the 11th century, not the original, mind you, since invasions, fire, and earthquakes have all had their way with the edifice over time. We were unable to go inside, but we did get to see the clock from 1880. The time always reads 7:03, the exact time when the "The Great Zagreb earthquake" struck.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ShEKsLZxMbRSF3RGz1TFSE8HH4_U-uByiyIkZnJI_FjAlEoMq2mDNVYYO43ikHmHLirwEQ95GQLA4Fag6KpzxyIWpNNtam18ix-Bll414av6HsPhZnVdiLL8x64AXrOIxsHCCrFqEvptynX0P6QK1Z_jieIT81PqX8wKmFfth2TxnQ1FbLhfwz0zaw/s541/2022.05.26%20Zagreb%20cathedral%20C.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="541" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ShEKsLZxMbRSF3RGz1TFSE8HH4_U-uByiyIkZnJI_FjAlEoMq2mDNVYYO43ikHmHLirwEQ95GQLA4Fag6KpzxyIWpNNtam18ix-Bll414av6HsPhZnVdiLL8x64AXrOIxsHCCrFqEvptynX0P6QK1Z_jieIT81PqX8wKmFfth2TxnQ1FbLhfwz0zaw/s320/2022.05.26%20Zagreb%20cathedral%20C.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>Onwards towards Dolac's iconic red parasol-ed farmers market! We snagged some pastries (not as enticing as a French pastry, if I'm being honest) and stopped at a café for another shot of coffee with a view of the beautiful fruits being sold. It was after 1pm, so many of the stands had already emptied and removed their umbrellas, but we still got the essence of the place. A brief stop at the kumica monument to the village women who have sold their products on Dolac for hundreds of years and then it was on to Ban Jelačić Square.</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/AVvXsEicct4FnK2DWUvxygqIe2f4y9Q5S1vSfO0xin8BqLkKUbIQj1OXQguob-zGfBmazd4eWMrWvZmCf04--BUy9PWGIKDtsi2HiaQkGil3HxX-ARn8QVzD_GaFaGrhAx1hOr8P4qjC76fzkNqyii4tFNGcYgOkrtXFZ5MT81pp77-EYCIVYTRhGEyaNPUPVw/s1193/2022.05.26%20Zagreb%20Dolac.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="562" data-original-width="1193" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicct4FnK2DWUvxygqIe2f4y9Q5S1vSfO0xin8BqLkKUbIQj1OXQguob-zGfBmazd4eWMrWvZmCf04--BUy9PWGIKDtsi2HiaQkGil3HxX-ARn8QVzD_GaFaGrhAx1hOr8P4qjC76fzkNqyii4tFNGcYgOkrtXFZ5MT81pp77-EYCIVYTRhGEyaNPUPVw/w400-h189/2022.05.26%20Zagreb%20Dolac.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dolac Market</td></tr></tbody></table><p><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/AVvXsEirEG7n7oi_4M7uBgHocd2vLOroEre3aqmiIzMo1rFSQ8KG-Jd7DSpCQV1ODRtfE99jaW4pctg43BI_OUhW7xDNKOaa7H0rYaSioASvReiUtjRoULXUXD9p-x8NshZevNTh3cVkfDMEkJmjM_FiyyOhtvX4m5MHLfoLKit9yK0xjtxdVVrEntjB_1QcuQ/s1197/2022.05.26%20Zagreb%20BJSqaure.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="564" data-original-width="1197" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirEG7n7oi_4M7uBgHocd2vLOroEre3aqmiIzMo1rFSQ8KG-Jd7DSpCQV1ODRtfE99jaW4pctg43BI_OUhW7xDNKOaa7H0rYaSioASvReiUtjRoULXUXD9p-x8NshZevNTh3cVkfDMEkJmjM_FiyyOhtvX4m5MHLfoLKit9yK0xjtxdVVrEntjB_1QcuQ/w400-h189/2022.05.26%20Zagreb%20BJSqaure.JPG" title="Ban Jelačić Square" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Ban Jelačić Square</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p>"Ban" means governor, and Ban Jelačić Square is the main city square - its size alone gives that impression. From there we walked to Nikola Zrinski Square which had large trees, Zagreb's first fountain and lots of park benches for resting (which we did). It is adjacent to two other squares/parks (in a long strip) and they are lined with stunning landmark buildings (on both sides of the street).</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxDgIu9j9r7YLm-S80EnZZxqiVfl8x8eDyzOVZK0rOcKoqVDQBWdSrqELZ4FpsrvHyxR8PGewOK5XfSWj6-dHuXapr5qpaAVyx-hRZeGmDpS6GJA33a-V7BqeCvoWADWyakvjVWfaPC2gFM9neScO9uCcv8bsVg8K9skVBWUf2XpZ-t44EGxoogkyvcA/s1198/2022.05.26%20Zagreb%20Nikola%20Z%20Sqr.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="567" data-original-width="1198" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxDgIu9j9r7YLm-S80EnZZxqiVfl8x8eDyzOVZK0rOcKoqVDQBWdSrqELZ4FpsrvHyxR8PGewOK5XfSWj6-dHuXapr5qpaAVyx-hRZeGmDpS6GJA33a-V7BqeCvoWADWyakvjVWfaPC2gFM9neScO9uCcv8bsVg8K9skVBWUf2XpZ-t44EGxoogkyvcA/w400-h189/2022.05.26%20Zagreb%20Nikola%20Z%20Sqr.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div>King Tomislav Square, with his statue proudly presiding over the square, was the last in the lineup. Opposite his statue is the beautiful Art Pavilion, built for the 1896 Exhibition. Surrounding the statue are signage explaining the history of the monument. Tomislav is considered to be the first king of Croatia, somewhere around year 925 (historians debate the year), and although little is known of his reign, the invasion of Hungarians was stopped and there was a unification of different regions of the country during his time. "The celebration of the thousand years of the existence of the kingdom of Croatia took place in 1925. its goal was to strengthen the national consciousness and to develop the Croatian national identity...During 1925 there were numerous cultural and artistic events." In 1927 they dedicated the square in his name, and his monument (much political disputing delayed its erection) was finally placed in the its current location in October 1947.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0OythUttvJoTnxDhWZk9XP0vlrpbjH3_eZHD_F1VMeoHb3gqLje10VNquz5CaEi8EvVo43aIXMAqpG0qP5XM_dI4JXdH-B-DlZZqwqkTirk1kMaUT1qzugMPVMJn7Ox73a9MuHmvYCXuS_aEplPly-DEpJ8GU7iCzo1YogKU5ZpoF71Tr3M87gcnDPQ/s709/2022.05.26%20Zagreb%20Tomislav.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="708" data-original-width="709" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0OythUttvJoTnxDhWZk9XP0vlrpbjH3_eZHD_F1VMeoHb3gqLje10VNquz5CaEi8EvVo43aIXMAqpG0qP5XM_dI4JXdH-B-DlZZqwqkTirk1kMaUT1qzugMPVMJn7Ox73a9MuHmvYCXuS_aEplPly-DEpJ8GU7iCzo1YogKU5ZpoF71Tr3M87gcnDPQ/s320/2022.05.26%20Zagreb%20Tomislav.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>The stunning <a href="https://www.esplanade.hr/press/download/brochures/Esplanade-Zagreb-Hotel-History-90-Years.pdf" target="_blank">Hotel Esplanade</a> was our next stop and it was built in 1925 to lodge passengers traveling the Orient Express from Paris to Istanbul. It retains its Art Noveau architecture (inside and out), very glamorous, and I'm not only referring to the architecture. Their list of A-List guests over the years includes Charles Lindberg, Alfonso XIII (King of Spain), Vladimir Gajdarov, and even Jane Seymour, and Omar Sharif. During WWII the Gestapo and the Wehrmacht turned it into their headquarters, but you wouldn't know that today. We found a small café on the grounds in front of the hotel and sat by their fountain to enjoy a cold beverage and people watch. We so enjoyed the atmosphere that we probably sat there for two hours; they don't care how long you stay at restaurants and cafés here, it's refreshing.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju1xU6XXWGfFX0gITfcXfYa_LqARkOp6uMvpHKqMS0CXZYWUft58XnupOAdUUPISGah9fEAio_aLTsmBCZ0Pwgeg1IRxQ7OmXgaBkxogKvQCzIY35LveGEmniqPKRh_TQoiFrFnWTXsrRbgWyDwGRuqqd5N8Ede9ZT2tWM1nAuSFUchjgUlJ8uR_OUcA/s1203/2022.05.26%20Zagreb%20esplanade.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="571" data-original-width="1203" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju1xU6XXWGfFX0gITfcXfYa_LqARkOp6uMvpHKqMS0CXZYWUft58XnupOAdUUPISGah9fEAio_aLTsmBCZ0Pwgeg1IRxQ7OmXgaBkxogKvQCzIY35LveGEmniqPKRh_TQoiFrFnWTXsrRbgWyDwGRuqqd5N8Ede9ZT2tWM1nAuSFUchjgUlJ8uR_OUcA/w400-h190/2022.05.26%20Zagreb%20esplanade.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5223799945138209202.post-21802022652417131672022-05-25T19:49:00.000-04:002022-08-03T20:22:20.612-04:00A Long Awaited Adventure<p>Our arrival into Zagreb was uneventful, for which I'm always grateful. We got an Uber ride from the airport to Hotel Laguna, our very friendly driver gave us some good recommendations for our visit as well. We were able to check into our room early so we managed a nap before heading out to do some exploring. We knew nothing about the city and had no desination in mind, so we wandered and looked for some dinner. In the end we ate at Pizzeria Karijola, located across the street from our hotel, but highly recommended by the Uber driver (he was correct, the pizza was fantastic).</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM22-aPVmibdAAmP6Enl9o8_XeIFi83EA44rafEXfE20xVrrzvIpwt9-R7LcXHfoisXmKGXIqeBwk3UxdHRnWdmipHRecW3PoH3QKfWN7Z3bGNvCFeS3IefTNAcZuZu_Z62VxcefgX8CkDGBpW-dZov9kYj9W8BTcTV8FSjqk0kG2Ac2HHp9koVrTKWg/s708/2022.05.25%20Zagreb%202.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="708" data-original-width="368" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM22-aPVmibdAAmP6Enl9o8_XeIFi83EA44rafEXfE20xVrrzvIpwt9-R7LcXHfoisXmKGXIqeBwk3UxdHRnWdmipHRecW3PoH3QKfWN7Z3bGNvCFeS3IefTNAcZuZu_Z62VxcefgX8CkDGBpW-dZov9kYj9W8BTcTV8FSjqk0kG2Ac2HHp9koVrTKWg/s320/2022.05.25%20Zagreb%202.JPG" width="166" /></a></div><br /><p>Our first full day (May 25th) started with an unimpressive hotel breakfast we caught an Uber to Upper Old Town. We'd learned the night before that we were well "below" the Old Town (tourist attractions) of Zagreb, so an Uber to the farthest destination and walking back was the outline for the day. Our driver dropped us off a "Trg Sv. Marka" to visit St. Mark's Catholic Church. It is one of the city's oldest architectural monuments (13th century I believe), and the iconic roof tiles show the medieval coat of arms of Croatia, Dalmatia and Slavonia on the left side, and the emblem of Zagreb on the right. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4JoHxfVNO6zu_755wxy2aWzrpugfc0w6ofc357KxA-KgO5YzxlN1kfw0CwutyBj1dh08x7DAprbEPNAa20ozxOP4EmIpmP746s2gulrt1nhIsjpYMHqUZ7K3957eQN2FvicGdy0Moje6bbbRAPEW4AMVJ3Da8vIsevi9EwPzCqYBZ4jEmRnnuw5urcg/s977/2022.05.25%20Zagreb%20St%20Mark.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="693" data-original-width="977" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4JoHxfVNO6zu_755wxy2aWzrpugfc0w6ofc357KxA-KgO5YzxlN1kfw0CwutyBj1dh08x7DAprbEPNAa20ozxOP4EmIpmP746s2gulrt1nhIsjpYMHqUZ7K3957eQN2FvicGdy0Moje6bbbRAPEW4AMVJ3Da8vIsevi9EwPzCqYBZ4jEmRnnuw5urcg/w400-h284/2022.05.25%20Zagreb%20St%20Mark.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>Due to the earthquakes in Croatia a few years ago, many of the churches and historic buildings, which often house museums, are closed to the public due to the ongoing renovations. The Klovićevi Dvori Art Gallery shows both Croatian and international art, and since it was open we decided to visit. Here we were introduced to the country's renowned artist Vlaho Bukovac. The "<a href="https://www.infozagreb.hr/news/klovicevi-dvori-gallery-exhibition-by-vlaho-bukovac-roots-and-wings" target="_blank">Roots and Wings</a>" exhibit was a highlight, he was a phenomenal portrait artist; paintings to lovely and clear they almost looked like photos! </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbHDu0GkY51GJ2d5vrMSswriF5eH4GG_yzvD5l6Xa63LVQgOb2SW7rKfDAnIX-CirYu-9ipPVc2iVVS-g94emZxzgHyLrnferMoVU8PrHAILry3-XrrpzidF9UnF3FyVm-zsuasW8a1Dj20bZsw7MR-FLarg2WO4t-Ic3_lfAz_EoB8JDOUV_mZ5kJ4g/s708/2022.05.25%20Zagreb%20Bukovac.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="697" data-original-width="708" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbHDu0GkY51GJ2d5vrMSswriF5eH4GG_yzvD5l6Xa63LVQgOb2SW7rKfDAnIX-CirYu-9ipPVc2iVVS-g94emZxzgHyLrnferMoVU8PrHAILry3-XrrpzidF9UnF3FyVm-zsuasW8a1Dj20bZsw7MR-FLarg2WO4t-Ic3_lfAz_EoB8JDOUV_mZ5kJ4g/s320/2022.05.25%20Zagreb%20Bukovac.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div>After spending the morning in the gallery we wandered back into the streets and past the Stone Gate (their only preserved city gate from the Middle Ages) which has since become known for the chapel there to "Our Lady of the Stone Gate, Protectress of the City of Zagreb". A fire in 1739 spared a painting of the Virgin Mary so it is a place of worship for all devout Croatian Catholics now. From there we headed down to the Lower Old Town and had lunch in Petra Preradovića Square. We enjoyed being off our feet for a bit and with an outdoor table we had a prime spot for people-watching. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9q35woUOLeKprLVIcSF_AHh51YmZ0wIw6FW5agr5QqzdWyEM7wmCY-UVQ1w_meK4atr6ICkYe8zsZ90woCC6ntVjdPVgJdFBsOQVC1l0WwrQcf6AV52Fs3oCeWh3PKi7kuQNsq8mn7o18dwGTk9sQhFb9EAd6X6Ai3vL1QlvGFS5xhVQYEpsxPu6Fww/s705/2022.05.25%20ZagrebE.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="705" data-original-width="429" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9q35woUOLeKprLVIcSF_AHh51YmZ0wIw6FW5agr5QqzdWyEM7wmCY-UVQ1w_meK4atr6ICkYe8zsZ90woCC6ntVjdPVgJdFBsOQVC1l0WwrQcf6AV52Fs3oCeWh3PKi7kuQNsq8mn7o18dwGTk9sQhFb9EAd6X6Ai3vL1QlvGFS5xhVQYEpsxPu6Fww/s320/2022.05.25%20ZagrebE.JPG" width="195" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">At our stop next to the Nikola Tesla Monument we met a lovely couple from Sri Lanka (now Aussies) and had a lovely chat about our respective visits to Croatia, American politics, and travel safety to name a few. Unbeknownst to us before arriving, Tesla was born and raised in Croatia (although it was Yugoslavia at the time), and as such they have capitalized on his identity.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlmuykTlVJmKhB9hbYy8A3Dyt5ujSd1VZzj1TcequVCr3JCkmuWOkMMUhQVktZqLvELNqxG8YAgAcBSyCPG-ffacSGnkfpAwGvQYl4oCc5G4m3T2G_K0CVemwRvBIpyPnIHvnUM8t6ZbJQl4qiflbp6BhbKnvDsVKXeR4yLUbqxzNPSlirEIRahndWag/s709/2022.05.25%20Zagreb%20tesla.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="364" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlmuykTlVJmKhB9hbYy8A3Dyt5ujSd1VZzj1TcequVCr3JCkmuWOkMMUhQVktZqLvELNqxG8YAgAcBSyCPG-ffacSGnkfpAwGvQYl4oCc5G4m3T2G_K0CVemwRvBIpyPnIHvnUM8t6ZbJQl4qiflbp6BhbKnvDsVKXeR4yLUbqxzNPSlirEIRahndWag/s320/2022.05.25%20Zagreb%20tesla.JPG" width="164" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Our last stop for the day was the Botanical Gardens which opened in 1891. Professor Antun Heinz of the University of Zagreb founded it and it is still mainly a scientific institution. Home to about 10,000 species of plants, 14 greenhouses, and many sub-gardens in various styles, it was quite impressive. We enjoyed the shade and bench by the duck pond (it was unseasonable warm) and then enjoyed the incredibly variety of flowers while meandering back through to the entrance/exit.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGRsNlH3Gs9_HyCvxIKwLJANBRAaV-OGOoOtKMz8XHVzbtANUbOXGheC1r6JNeteBodrcddVIcMjhB_AyhW_WFLhVheoD9X5Oe_Dx9yt2PJ6iqlvHNhMmcrv0FFwQTFb51jqLfQla7Z1ebhzi13QfRHVWM-_iQHXDffDl_NPJgDVvobvhAzI5SfkP79g/s1201/2022.05.25%20Zagreb%20BGardens.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="569" data-original-width="1201" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGRsNlH3Gs9_HyCvxIKwLJANBRAaV-OGOoOtKMz8XHVzbtANUbOXGheC1r6JNeteBodrcddVIcMjhB_AyhW_WFLhVheoD9X5Oe_Dx9yt2PJ6iqlvHNhMmcrv0FFwQTFb51jqLfQla7Z1ebhzi13QfRHVWM-_iQHXDffDl_NPJgDVvobvhAzI5SfkP79g/w400-h190/2022.05.25%20Zagreb%20BGardens.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">To round out the day I taught my Aunt my lazy-travel-dinner secret (Australian tuna flavors, I miss you) of flavored tuna and crackers. Purchased at a little convenience store and enjoyed at a small park near our hotel, it "hit the spot" as they say.</div><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5223799945138209202.post-3729306483201082962022-05-23T20:13:00.000-04:002022-08-02T17:50:03.860-04:00The Grand Balkan (That Wasn't To Be)<p>Since I've now heard a few times, in person and through the grapevine, about how my blogposts were missed I will attempt to give some glimpses into my trip. Traveling on your own certainly affords more "downtime" to blog, but when you have a traveling companion the concentrated time required seems a bit rude.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz9ENwDxlTUlrQNi1D7GLc5cPj0Wu3dbJXblIjYEmk6sZKlBKMo0J6Rk_nTaVOvbbriBIgT8I4ppA8xd4autiu5LiXb5VQU_2_4e_BMEsba6yDHm35STuo6uaqt4ytxc1ymZESpzd_GnBkXsUJYWh8ljDdQOfKINgQEVa_vG9Lx80LCa_lKBLv_o89xQ/s635/BalkansMap.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="635" data-original-width="635" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz9ENwDxlTUlrQNi1D7GLc5cPj0Wu3dbJXblIjYEmk6sZKlBKMo0J6Rk_nTaVOvbbriBIgT8I4ppA8xd4autiu5LiXb5VQU_2_4e_BMEsba6yDHm35STuo6uaqt4ytxc1ymZESpzd_GnBkXsUJYWh8ljDdQOfKINgQEVa_vG9Lx80LCa_lKBLv_o89xQ/s320/BalkansMap.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">When I booked our Grand Balkan adventure in October of 2019 I was anticipating getting 4 passport stamps and visiting an area of the world of which I knew very little. Touted as a "13-day odyssey through Croatia, Montenegro, Albania, and Macedonia" that would give us a look at the region's most impressive sights, it sounded perfect. One of the things I enjoy about Group Tours is that the tour guides are a wealth of information - from culture, to history, to personal stories and experiences, they are a huge asset when visiting another country (if you came to learn, that is). As many of you know, the pandemic was blamed time-and-again for the cancelation of our tour. They would postpone and I would buy another set of plane tickets, then they would do it again. I have refused to add up all the money I have spent on a tour that never materialized, it would have been far too depressing. When they cancelled again in March of 2022, my aunt and I had both decided we were done. They continued to refuse to return our money and they would only offer travel vouchers, but since our plane tickets were still valid we were stuck. When I saw that they had a self-driving tour of Croatia (only Croatia, not the Balkans), we concurred that this was our best option at this stage of their little game. We had to pay more money, which was nearly unthinkable, but we felt desparate to get out of their clutches so we did it anyway and had them book our rental car and hotels for us. </span></div><p>After many delays and email exchanges we finally got all of our vouchers with less than a week before our departure (can you tell how incredibly disgusted I was with them by this point?). It was then that I realized the company with which I'd booked our tour is more of a travel broker. The vouchers were from a completely different company (in Slovenia), so the tour wasn't their tour, hence they had no control over whether it operated or not! But enough about our travel woes, we had a plan and we were packed and ready on May 23rd for whatever the trip might bring. The bright spot was that the week before our trip Croatia decided to waive all Covid Restrictions! No testing or vaccincations required, no masks, just live your life. Since we transited through Germany there were Covid restrictions on the journey to and from (the U.S. didn't remove their testing-to-return requirements until the week after we returned), but once there it was smooth sailing.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5223799945138209202.post-60556357293629071102020-08-16T20:51:00.000-04:002022-08-01T19:43:20.953-04:00One Happy Island<p> The Aruba Health App (where you can get your test results back) didn't have a notification when I woke up Sunday morning, but I decided to log in and check anyway. To my delight, our results were in and they were negative; we were "free to move about the cabin", or in our case, the outside world. The email confirming our negative status was sent at 1:06am so that was a pretty good turnaround. We putzed around for a bit and then decided a trip to the grocery store should be prioritized because although I had brought coffee with us, we didn't have any milk. As it was Sunday, we weren't sure what would be open, but we found a small shop down the road from us. Back at the apartment with coffee in hand we headed for the water. </p><p>It was a 5-6min walk down the road to get to the water, but I wouldn't call it a beach. Malmok 'Beach' is more of a rocky ledge of limestone and coral along the coast. A nice place to snorkel (the <i>Antilla </i>Shipwreck is off-shore and visible because of the clear water) and swim according to the visitor guide, but definitely not made for sunbathing. Despite only being 10am it was hot, so we sat under a palapa (little thatched umbrellas) and chatted while watching the little lizards (some of which are bright blue) scuttle around and reveling in the salt air and blue vistas before us.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQPDjWIVqxGXQWWaIsUKfLkeg36Pb1L4j4hMQayA7ijdQ8ImLsJuL-mMzyyYFBX4vuKOW0N21C7VK74GmnfqeXFxK7G5xiH9CteEtX6pDewifLrcOOho6Ip4C0uft3aBG8N9TIDgb8fA49/s2000/aruba+wildlife+collage+%25281%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1241" height="410" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQPDjWIVqxGXQWWaIsUKfLkeg36Pb1L4j4hMQayA7ijdQ8ImLsJuL-mMzyyYFBX4vuKOW0N21C7VK74GmnfqeXFxK7G5xiH9CteEtX6pDewifLrcOOho6Ip4C0uft3aBG8N9TIDgb8fA49/w254-h410/aruba+wildlife+collage+%25281%2529.jpg" width="254" /></a></div><br /><p>Back at the apartment we live-streamed my pastor's sermon and then had some lunch. Our third travel-mate was soon to be arriving, so we decided to hang out at the pool for a spell while we waited. She had a vastly different experience at the airport (no lines it seems). Plus she'd been able to get her PCR test before leaving the U.S., because of her line of work, so she ended up having to wait for us -- the directions on my phone to get to the airport were not the reverse of the route we'd taken the day before, so that slowed us down as I don't trust myself with directions.</p><p>We quickly collected her from Queen Beatrix Airport and went in search of coffee (she drinks coffee like I drink water). Our first two attempts resulted in business that were closed so we headed towards the Cruise Terminal hoping the tides would turn. We did find the "I 'heart'Aruba" sign and a stand selling empanadas. Not knowing if our issues with closed stores was due to a Sunday or the pandemic we decided to just head back to the apartment when she spied an open coffee shop - point for us. After showing us our little home for the week we quickly decided that we should do a sunset sail and we should do it tonight (the biggest discounts are on Sunday). We booked and paid online, got dressed and headed out. While standing on shore waiting to get on the boat we read a sign that said there was a rope swing on this cruise - which explained why everyone else was wearing swimsuits!</p><p>The boat was nice enough and the crew was entertaining. We sailed south towards Eagle Beach and they put down the anchor so we could use the rope swing. The youngest really wanted to go in and I wasn't opposed. As our Grandmother had taught us: if you don't have a swimsuit, don't let that stop you, clothing dries! I'm not a fan of heights but the swing wasn't that high off the water and the water was amazing. We even did some tandem swings, which turned out rather comically. The sunset on the way back to dock was just lovely and we all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gfF_g0qw1EA/X0pfwX7KWAI/AAAAAAAAkZE/M03Eu2T5GOsNtC8FMbcPdtGGVTQpyfdIQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Aug%2BJolly%2BPirate.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="410" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gfF_g0qw1EA/X0pfwX7KWAI/AAAAAAAAkZE/M03Eu2T5GOsNtC8FMbcPdtGGVTQpyfdIQCLcBGAsYHQ/w307-h410/Aug%2BJolly%2BPirate.jpg" width="307" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCND381jHjl_otMyUsmRYbsbajCZBsZgZcmidCC_YMaI2X7dHg0HRgrxr5Un3m5N2asGJ5SMvV-U64wx3hbexFYmzsM9Ds_YWvZGMEGvEffW-CITY7kaVLwr1ye8nD-FIthlfl3zNcV4CB/s2048/Jolly+Pirate+Sunset+%252846%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCND381jHjl_otMyUsmRYbsbajCZBsZgZcmidCC_YMaI2X7dHg0HRgrxr5Un3m5N2asGJ5SMvV-U64wx3hbexFYmzsM9Ds_YWvZGMEGvEffW-CITY7kaVLwr1ye8nD-FIthlfl3zNcV4CB/w512-h384/Jolly+Pirate+Sunset+%252846%2529.jpg" width="512" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>The sun actually sets rather early here, so since two of us were already wet we figured some time in the pool was the perfect ending to our day. Add some Domino's pizza delivery, eaten while in the pool, and a warm Aruba night - vacation perfection!<div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zotHQ-eEGTw/X0r3QDeK6SI/AAAAAAAAkZQ/89WCqSo0rGo4deiizLzQqku_4WTe6FAWACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/BananasApts%2B%252813%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="307" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zotHQ-eEGTw/X0r3QDeK6SI/AAAAAAAAkZQ/89WCqSo0rGo4deiizLzQqku_4WTe6FAWACLcBGAsYHQ/w410-h307/BananasApts%2B%252813%2529.jpg" width="410" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5223799945138209202.post-570688818339769772020-08-15T09:23:00.000-04:002020-08-29T20:31:47.358-04:00Pandemic Travels<p> As the world continued to reel from the effects of COVID-19 it became clear, in late April, that my trip (scheduled to depart at the end of May) to the Balkans was not going to happen. I was incredibly disappointed that my long awaited trip to Croatia would not materialize and yet relieved that the decision on if I should still go was out of my hands. With that trip post-poned to 2021, and vacation time to use, I scrambled to find a pandemic-friendly alternative. Flights to Aruba were relatively cheap and who doesn't love a week at the beach? But oh, what a roller-coaster just to get here. Our first set of flights, on Spirit Airlines, were cancelled so we had to try to get our money back; the the rules about open/closed borders seemed to change week-by-week. The accommodations I had booked were non-refundable so we decided to take our changes and book another set of flights. Blessedly, my cousin did some research and found out that we had to get COVID tests prior to our arrival (I was just planning on showing up, we had a place to stay, what more did we need?).</p><p>We had our plans in place and about a week before we were to leave I decided I'd better read up on this Covid testing process and I realized our plan was fatally flawed. Aruba was only accepting 1 type of test, the PCR test. In our area getting a PCR test is not that easy and even if you get one the results take 5-7 days. Aruba was requiring you to be tested and upload your results within 72 hours of your arrival in their country. If you do not do this you have to pay them $75 and they will test you at the airport. You then have to go straight to your hotel and quarentine in your room until you get the results. We were going to pay $90 here in the U.S. for a Rapid Test, but further digging revealed that it wouldn't be a PCR test, and therefore would not qualify... </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHQXzJduKle1o0WqO7Cm3Jl6Vx6R3d4UacbXseVadYXJwjPwx_yLNtmL60JJFOu0vq9w3WLvQniU_mxbGQFYRwolVGUNdPjfRb7QNTb5y1eMm2_UM8iWxJ3bTiiTpgGdzQqsCSWTRGnRaT/s2048/airplane.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHQXzJduKle1o0WqO7Cm3Jl6Vx6R3d4UacbXseVadYXJwjPwx_yLNtmL60JJFOu0vq9w3WLvQniU_mxbGQFYRwolVGUNdPjfRb7QNTb5y1eMm2_UM8iWxJ3bTiiTpgGdzQqsCSWTRGnRaT/w384-h512/airplane.jpg" width="384" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Well, it took a really long time to get out of the airport. They were only allowing small groups into Customs & Immigration (despite the customs area being designed to handle large crowds), but I eventually managed to get my 2020 passport stamp and we headed off to baggage claim. Another long line to get everyone through the bag X-ray and then on to the medical screening. Once there the test was quite fast (since we'd paid already) - fast, but not comfortable at all. A throat swab and a nasal swab, a little packet of face masks and they sent us to our apartment to await our results.</p><p>Bananas Apartments was landscaped to perfection and the Dutch caretakers were lovely - pandemic perk: we had the entire place to ourselves! Our flight had left very early in the morning, so we were exhausted by the time we arrived. Thanks to an hour spent in the pool we managed to stay up until 9pm. I was keeping my fingers crossed that our test results would be in overnight and we could pick up our third member at the airport the next day with a clear conscience....</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gvQKMTDi3Iw/X0pVZgd9m8I/AAAAAAAAkYk/3PFXWp3-PisOn5v2xgfS_-pM0ht1dl19QCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Bananas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="512" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gvQKMTDi3Iw/X0pVZgd9m8I/AAAAAAAAkYk/3PFXWp3-PisOn5v2xgfS_-pM0ht1dl19QCLcBGAsYHQ/w384-h512/Bananas.jpg" width="384" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5223799945138209202.post-37909368428910506352019-12-12T12:51:00.000-05:002019-12-12T12:51:19.693-05:00GrandmaHow could one do such a remarkable woman justice in a few short minutes? An entire lifetime of memories, and boy are we blessed to have so many wonderful memories with her.<br />
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How many of us grandkids can finish this chorus thanks to Grandma? Skidda merrinky dinky dink……. And I’m sure many of us can also say that we had our first sip of coffee at her house too; she loved having us spend the night. She could never babysit just one grandchild, if she had to babysit one she would immediately drive to another one of her children’s homes and picked up their kids as well. She was definitely onto something with that, she never truly had to babysit as we’d all entertain each other. Sometimes she’d take us all to the pond, but we never seemed to have swimsuits (as half of us had been picked up spontaneously). Not that Grandma minded, she’d always tell us, “You don’t need a swimsuit, just swim in your underwear!” I don’t recall how our mother’s felt about that (or perhaps they didn’t know), but there are incriminating photos to prove that many of us did just that.<br />
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Most people have memories of their grandmother’s cooking, but by the time we all came along she’d already spent 20+ years in the kitchen. I don’t think I ever saw her bake, ever. But she always had a cabinet stocked with Chips Ahoy or Oreos and she would pull them out with a smile and joke that they were fresh from the oven. Ramen Noodles, one would hardly call that cooking, but just the smell of them and I’m transported back to her sun-room, sitting around the lunch table with my cousins, slurping from a steaming bowl. She would always cut and peel apples for our lunch as well, and one time she peeled a potato and snuck it onto the plate. Seth and Zach were fighting over the last piece, and I believe Seth won the battle, but Zach and Grandma had the last laugh. Since we’re on the subject of food and her jokes, here’s one she told a few times: “How do you turn anything into a vegetable?” “Throw it up in the air, and voila, squash.”<br />
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When I think back, it’s a small wonder that none of us girls work in retail-sales considering the countless hours we spent in her basement buying and selling Shaklee products and playing “store”. Speaking of Shaklee, we all have strong bones and teeth because she would always let us eat the protein bars off the shelf – to us they might as well have been candy bars.<br />
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How many of you remember the year she bought Christmas gifts, wrapped them all up and then put the name tags on them? Inevitably many of the tags were mixed up and some of the boys received baby dolls and the girls received toy cars. I distinctly remember receiving a baby’s playmat, so that had to have been Zachs. After that she started taking us all to see Disney on Ice as our Christmas present. I can’t say for sure how many years we went, but they were certainly a highlight and the memories lasted far longer than any toy ever could; she was ahead of her time in that way.<br />
Even in her later years, she never lost her sense of humor or her mischief. I know we can all remember a time when we weren’t entirely sure she was following the conversation, or even paying attention, and then she’d turn to you and give you some snappy remark. If you ever had the pleasure of escorting her to Bingo, you surely heard this reply when asking her where she’d like to sit, “On my bottom of course!” Speaking of Sunnyview, none of the single employees were safe when Barb was around. Some of us grandchildren were very well aware of Grandma’s matchmaking attempts, others perhaps not so much. The grandsons were easy targets as most of the employees are female, but she was an equal opportunity matchmaker. On more than one occasion she embarrassed me by asking me to push her down the hall so she could find someone, and low and behold, she was trying to introduce me to another one of her physical therapists! The worst was when the poor guy had to kindly explain that a match just wasn’t possible as he was already engaged. These sorts of incidents never perturbed her… Another one of the therapists moved away before I got a chance to meet him in person and I’m not sure she ever forgave me for not making more of an effort. <br />
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Grandma was a gem and will surely be missed. She always told me that “home is where you go when there’s no place else to go” and now she’s truly home. She was ready to go, and we were never going to be ready...<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5223799945138209202.post-38544276187884920352019-08-10T12:34:00.003-04:002019-08-10T12:34:48.033-04:00Winner, Winner, Tuna Dinner!A few years ago, I stumbled upon the idea (from the <a href="https://www.toadandco.com/blog/goodcompany/7th-annual-grilled-cheese-smackdown">Toad& Co.</a> blog/newsletter) of a Grilled Cheese Competition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>About that time my church was planning a missions
trip to Guatemala and I suggested it as a fundraiser.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of my comrades latched onto the idea, and
although we never did use it, she kept it in the back of her mind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each year our church does SummerFest and this
year they decided to change the format a bit and do dinners after the special
speakers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The aforementioned comrade saw
her opportunity and pounced!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It didn’t
take too much for us to convince the fun & fearless kitchen leader to make
it part of the schedule.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And so it was
that the “GLC Meltdown” was born.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
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Originally scheduled for early June, a flood and subsequent
building damage pushed the date for the “Meltdown” to the middle of July, on
what just happened to be one of the hottest days of the year. As I overheard someone say that evening, “We’re
having a meltdown either way you look at it!”
The rules were quite simple: a name for your entry was required, make 2
sandwiches for judging, each entry was judged based on “creativity,
presentation, and taste”. Since I appropriated
the idea, one might assume I had a submission just waiting for the go-ahead. And even with the date being pushed, I was
still down to the wire on figuring out what I would make. I googled ideas, searched my local Aldi for
cheeses (they have tons of great options), and still didn’t have anything that
was striking my fancy. With not much
time I turned to my travels for inspiration.<o:p></o:p><br />
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While living <a href="http://notonaccident.blogspot.com/2014/07/north-queensland.html">DownUnder</a>, I stumbled upon the delightful world of <a href="https://www.woolworths.com.au/shop/search/products?searchTerm=tuna">flavored tuna</a>. Spicy Chili, Mexican Style, Zesty Vinaigrette, Indian Curry, Teriyaki, Tomato & Basil, etc. They were delicious, straight out of the can – just grab some crackers and scoop! <br />
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Upon my return to the <a href="http://notonaccident.blogspot.com/2018/03/another-grand-adventure.html">Southern Hemisphere</a> I revisited this tasty past-time. Those who are long-time readers might remember how my Taranaki house sit involved leftover foods. Some of the items they left in their fridge were cheeses and one was goat cheese. My last known experience with goat cheese was in France when I was about 17 and it left a bad taste in my mouth, both literally and figuratively. However, I didn't want to waste perfectly good food (if it was indeed perfectly good), so I decided to give it a try before I threw it away. Some hearty, whole-wheat bread, a small smear of goat cheese, and a hearty topping of Tomato Basil flavored tuna - pop it in the toaster oven... Surprise! I rather enjoyed it.<br />
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This memory is what spawned my submission. My only problem was that there is no Tomato Basil Tuna in the U.S. Thanks to the world wide web I was able to find the ingredient list to a can from Australia, but without amounts of each ingredient my result would be quite unpredictable. I decided to try Pinterest to see if someone else had already beaten me to it, but alas, I was on my own. The closest I found was a recipe for <span style="color: magenta;"><a href="https://www.laylita.com/recipes/tuna-and-tomato-pastas/">Tuna and Tomato Pasta</a></span>. I took the additional ingredients and decided I would just wing it. As my younger brother likes to remind me, I rarely follow a recipe exactly anyway. Saturday night dinner was my test run, but I didn't write down how much I added of everything, so it was a one-of-a-kind dish (I made sure to save enough of the tuna for the competition the next day). I tested four variations (amounts of goat cheese, the addition of mozzarella and provolone, and home made wheat bread) on my family and based on their votes I had my finalized entry. The name of my entry, "Tasman Tuna Toastie" was finalized before the sandwich - yes, I enjoy alliteration. The Tasman sea separates Australia and New Zealand, and in both countries a sandwich that is grilled or melted is called a "toastie", so the name fit like a glove.<br />
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For me the competition was rather uneventful, I didn't truly feel as if I was competing - I just made a sandwich because I felt like I should. I'm not very competitive as it is, so winning wasn't really on my radar (to be honest I thought I might be disqualified for a lack of cheese in my submission). Once my sandwich had been delivered to the judges I took my extra sandwiches and gave them to those sitting at my table to taste. Without telling them the name no one could figure out my ingredients. Tuna and goat cheese weren't on their radar at all. I then took a taste over to my comrade (although, at this point, she was not viewing me as a comrade but a foe). She made several wrong guesses as well and then finally said "seafood" to which I replied, "tuna". She rather enjoyed it, but I still assumed I was still out of the running. I was shocked, and a bit incredulous, when they declared my sandwich the winner of the Golden Spatula Award. I still feel bad that someone who really wanted to win didn't win, but I guess there's always next year...<br />
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Life's been busy, but I finally found time to recreate the recipe for the tuna - ENJOY!<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<h2>
<b>Tomato Basil Tuna</b></h2>
2 cans (5oz/142g) tuna (I used 1 in water and 1 in oil)<br />3.5 Tbsp tomato paste<br />1 Tbsp Basil<br />1 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar<br />1/2 Tbsp minced onion (I used dried)<br />1 tsp minced garlic<br />1/2 tsp sugar<br />1/2 tsp garlic powder<br />1/4 tsp salt<br />splash of white wine</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
~ In a small skillet, combine all ingredients and heat through. </blockquote>
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To make my entry, I buttered and toasted two pieces of Mack's Flax Bread™ by Silver Hills Bakery (but any hearty bread with a bit of crunch will do). Next I topped one piece with a nice spread of goat cheese and a thick layer of tomato basil tuna. Sprinkle on a bit of mozzarella for some extra creaminess and then top with the second piece of bread and melt everything in a skillet or on a griddle. **At home I normally make these open-faced (no top piece of bread), so I put it in the toaster oven to melt everything. The leftover tuna is even better the second day as all the flavors have time to marinate.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5223799945138209202.post-85303105365778472512019-03-21T20:33:00.000-04:002020-01-27T15:25:16.769-05:00IstanbulWe had an early morning start to the day with our drive back to Istanbul, passing through Bolu (in the Black Sea region), and then crossing the bridge back into Europe. The drive took our entire morning but we spend the rest of the afternoon walking to make up for all the sitting. A tour of Topkapi Palace Museum (specifically the Summer Palace and the Harem Apartments). The complex is very large and includes at least three courtyards, with each courtyard having its own ornate gate. Although Turkish coffee is something for which the country is known, the beverage was not part of their culture until the Ottomans invaded Ethiopia and were introduced to the drink. The lasting memory of the palace was all the stunning tiles - I couldn't stop taking pictures of them! They were absolutely magnificent!<br />
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The Harem Apartments include over 400 rooms as the sultan was allowed up to four wives. The word harem, despite the connotations of the word when used today, actually means "forbidden". My understanding is the there was no limit on the number of concubines the sultan could have and I think the concubines were slaves. If they were lucky they might become a wife, but seeing as the number of wives was limited, the chances were not good. The mother of the first born son had the highest status and therefore had the largest rooms in the palace. The eunuchs were the bodyguards for the harem and had their own section inside the harem. Oddly enough, Turkey has the world's 3rd largest collection of Chinese Porcelain (China and Germany hold 1st and 2nd place).<br />
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From the palace we walked to the Basilica Cistern, the largest of the hundreds that lie beneath the city. Built about 500ft from the Hagia Sofia by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I (also known as Justinian the Great). It is estimated to hold 100,000 tons of water sourced from the Belgrad Forest, about 19km (12 miles) from the city. This cistern has 2 Medusa heads and many beautiful Roman columns. I found it so odd that they bothered making such beautiful columns inside something never meant to be seen, let alone visited by tourists! Later research enlightened me: many of the columns were recycled from the ruins of other buildings. The most famous thing about this particular cistern (apart from its size) is the aforementioned Medusa heads. The <a href="https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/basilica-cisterns-istanbul">Atlas Obscura</a> entry sums it up quite nicely, "The two giant Gorgon-head pillar bases at the far end of the cistern are an intriguing mystery. It is suspected that they may have been pulled out of an older pagan temple, where motifs of the famous Gorgon Medusa were used as a protective emblem. It is possible that the placement of these two faces — upside down and sideways, at the base of pillars — may have been a deliberate display of the power of the new Christian Empire. Or it’s possible that the stones were just the right size."<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hard to take photos down there...</td></tr>
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Our final stop of the day was to the famous Grand Bazaar. Oh my goodness, what a maze! I honestly don't know how the shop keepers ever find their stores - there are over 4,000 shops! It is one of the oldest and largest covered markets in the world. As <a href="https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/read/articles/istanbuls-grand-bazaar">Rick Steve</a> explains, "Sprawling over a huge area in the city center, Kapali Çarsi ("Covered Market") was the first shopping mall ever built. During Byzantine times, this was the site of a bustling market; when the Ottomans arrived, it grew bigger and more diverse. The prime location attracted guilds, manufacturers, and traders, and it grew quickly — its separate chunks were eventually connected and roofed to form a single market hall. Before long, the Grand Bazaar became the center for trade in the entire Ottoman Empire. At its prime, the market was locked down and guarded by more than a hundred soldiers every night, like a fortified castle."<br />
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Fittingly, we entered (and therefore needed to exit once finished) through <a href="https://www.gate1travel.com/">Gate 1</a> (which is the name of our tour company). Serdar assured us that if we simply asked for directions back to the Main Street (once once found themselves completely lost) and once there simply walk in the direction of the descending numbers and we'd find ourselves back where we started. These days there are apps and special maps to find your way around, but even someone as directionally-challenged as myself was able to manage with those instructions as my guide. I wandered around the Grand Bazaar by myself the whole time and although the reputation of the aggressive shop keepers is true (and the vast majority are male) I never felt threatened or uncomfortable. To be fair, I'm told I give off a no-nonsense vibe, so that might have tipped the scale in my favor.<br />
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You're supposed to haggle with the shop keepers, but I'm incapable. It's just not in my blood. With a recent sermon on consumerism on my mind, I didn't end up buying any souvenirs. I looked at a lot of beautiful pottery and scarves, but at the end of the day my suitcase was already full and I had absolutely no need for more items. Couple that with my inability to haggle and the only thing I purchased was some Turkish Delight for my family and coworkers to try when I got home (and yes, I paid full price). On our bus ride this morning Serdar mentioned that Turkey is quite popular with Medical Tourism. Based on the number of men I saw at the Grand Bazaar with bandages and scabs on their heads it would seem that hair transplants are quite popular.<br />
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We returned to our hotel (where I think I might have been upgraded to a suite or something - the room was amazing) and then enjoyed a lovely farewell dinner with my tour-mates. A fantastic trip and a nice way to end our tour together.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5223799945138209202.post-25074335358051554722019-03-20T14:47:00.000-04:002020-01-20T10:27:39.322-05:00Ankara & AtatürkWe departed for Ankara this morning, a four hour drive, with our first top of the morning featuring ice cream! You certainly can't go wrong there. We tried Mado brand "dondurma", a Turkish mastic ice cream - it's a bit gummy because they add salep (a flour made from the tubers of orchids) and mastic (gum or resin from a specific type of tree) to the other "usual" ice cream ingredients. On our drive we passed Tuz Gölü (literally meaning Salt Lake), the second largest lake in the country (the largest being Van Lake). It is also one of the world’s largest hypersaline lakes: fed by two streams it has no outlet. Oddly, it is extremely shallow with a maximum depth of 5 feet!<br />
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Also en-route, Serdar treated us all to a honey soaked chestnut, kestane şekeri. Since one of our main stops for the day was at the Mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, he spent part of the drive providing us with some history and background of the country's favorite son.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">“Commander-In-Chief in Ilgen” with Atatürk on the left</td></tr>
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Ankara is the capital and second largest city in Turkey and Atatürk is the founder and first president of the Turkish Republic. Not only was he excellent in his various military roles, he also was the one credited for campaigning for independence and then fighting to expel the Greeks in 1919. I find the last part slightly ironic as he himself was born in Greece. The last Ottoman Sultan (Mehmed VI) left the country with the British Navy and in 1922 Turkey became a new country. As the first president (he served from 1923 until his death in 1938), <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/ataturk_kemal.shtml">Atatürk</a> completely reformed and westernized Turkey. He changed the alphabet, the clothing styles, capitol city, education system, type of government, calendar system, he gave women the right to vote, and even introduced surnames -- it is astounding how much his people allowed him to change about their country! </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E4dVKj1kzJA/XiNdznqJaAI/AAAAAAAAhYs/0ljqlvXw9Tse4m3AnRdx7allfylX4jVrQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/D10%2BAnikabur%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E4dVKj1kzJA/XiNdznqJaAI/AAAAAAAAhYs/0ljqlvXw9Tse4m3AnRdx7allfylX4jVrQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/D10%2BAnikabur%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">To read more about the architecture and building of the<br />
museum itself, check out <a href="https://theculturetrip.com/europe/turkey/articles/why-anitkabir-is-ankaras-most-monumental-site/">this site</a>.</td></tr>
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Our visit to Anitkabir (the beautiful mausoleum built for him) was good, albeit far too short for me. </div>
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"<a href="https://www.planetware.com/ankara/ataturk-mausoleum-tr-an-aam.htm">The mausoleum complex</a> is mammoth, with a grand staircase known as the Path of Honor, flanked by reclining Hittite lions, leading up to the Court of Honor where the mausoleum itself and a museum dedicated to Atatürk's life both sit". I did not have enough time to soak up all the information available about such a fascinating historical figure. The museums many sub-sections were extensive and I simply had to skip many of them to ensure my group didn't leave me behind. A quick perusal of his library was insightful and I loved looking at the beautiful old books. I’m not sure how many languages he spoke, but he had many books in various languages. We were able to see a changing of the guards before we left, but sadly it seemed marred by how many people were rude in their attempts to film the whole thing (thereby ruining it for countless others). The security forces overseeing the entire affair were certainly used to dealing with the rudeness and were quite brusque in their directions and scoldings of the crowd.</div>
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Our last stop of the day was the Museum of Anatolian Civilization, but I just couldn't get interested in all of the 1200 B.C. Assyrian, Hittite, and Phyrigian artifacts - I'd have much rather spend more time at Anitkabir, but alas, that's the price you pay by not traveling on your own.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7zA97v2Sp1sMAiDbhUixLyMbpzpY78_SNDYPehddJEidf1SmaorVXQ4XSzZ2Rr5ZkjjAnKo0b8fZsHuRpfbgwzPr24RO4aA31JlbKVMAwzJfMsntiG5Flx41821GTt8f6INl7ghGVuOg5/s1600/D10+Anatolian+Museum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="929" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7zA97v2Sp1sMAiDbhUixLyMbpzpY78_SNDYPehddJEidf1SmaorVXQ4XSzZ2Rr5ZkjjAnKo0b8fZsHuRpfbgwzPr24RO4aA31JlbKVMAwzJfMsntiG5Flx41821GTt8f6INl7ghGVuOg5/s320/D10+Anatolian+Museum.jpg" width="185" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Statue of King Mutallu - a local king dependent to Sargon II <br />
(king of Assyria) - sent to govern Aslantepe; circa 1000 B.C.</td></tr>
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Back at our hotel for the evening, I got a call from Jonathan and Oak asking of I'd like to join them, Marcia, and Frank for a walk over to the mall for some dinner. With nothing else to do than journal, upload photos, and repack, I decided to join them. I always enjoy a wander through a grocery story (in this case MM Migros) while visiting new places, and it was interesting to see the food court at the shopping mall as well.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5223799945138209202.post-32437242317063749622019-03-19T20:14:00.000-04:002019-05-28T19:35:34.414-04:00Nevşehir Province Part II<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MOv07xmIYR0/XM23052WHoI/AAAAAAAAgPQ/edsq4E1W0UQ6slqIppTEZjBvwacdGxzaQCLcBGAs/s1600/D9%2BUchisar%2BPan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="612" data-original-width="1600" height="152" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MOv07xmIYR0/XM23052WHoI/AAAAAAAAgPQ/edsq4E1W0UQ6slqIppTEZjBvwacdGxzaQCLcBGAs/s400/D9%2BUchisar%2BPan.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Lunch, on this beautiful Tuesday, was in Avanos at a local, built-to-look-original caravanserai restaurant called <a href="http://avanoshanedanrestaurant.com/restoran/">Hanedan</a>. I tried a local pastry of pastrami and cheese (called Paçanga Böreği, I think) and washed it down with some cherry nectar. The building was very impressive, however I was more taken with their beautiful pottery (a little taste of what was to come later in the day)!<br />
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Our next stop was the Zelve Valley (Zelve Open Air Museum) with it's mushroom-looking rock formations. Known as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoodoo_(geology)">Hoodoos</a> (or Fairy Chimneys here in Turkey), they "<a href="https://www.goreme.com/zelve-open-air-museum.php">once</a> housed one of the largest communities in the region in an amazing cave town, honeycombed with dwellings, religious and secular chambers." Even their police station is in a rock!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD3YLa4bNhd3U0yhHqpp3tTX54wAgJliXUclMO-fnuhOmhxaVL645XLPYPDftNmH-GTFluYFAYcVLUbULDjnxjMMyN9B0-NNm8W7tbZhiCdeJXrTm68AoAObLuT89xrMJXoA3JeaSaJL4i/s1600/D9+Zelve+Valley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1197" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD3YLa4bNhd3U0yhHqpp3tTX54wAgJliXUclMO-fnuhOmhxaVL645XLPYPDftNmH-GTFluYFAYcVLUbULDjnxjMMyN9B0-NNm8W7tbZhiCdeJXrTm68AoAObLuT89xrMJXoA3JeaSaJL4i/s320/D9+Zelve+Valley.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unfortunately, the police officer standing in the doorway<br />
went back inside seconds before I snapped the picture...<br />
He must have been camera shy.</td></tr>
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We soon moved on to the historic site of Özkonak Yeraltı Şehri, an underground village probably built by the Byzantines. In 1972 a local farmer discovered an underground room (he couldn't figure out what kept happening to his excess crop water) and further excavation revealed an entire village. Özkonak had a ventilation system, water wells, a winery, along with many other living rooms. It also had many moving stone doors to block off areas in case of attack.<br />
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We walked through quite a bit of what is excavated, albeit rarely walking upright; I believe there are 10 levels, but you can only visit 4 of them. They claim it could hold almost 50,000 people for three months. It was very extensive and quite impressive; but I definitely wouldn't want to be in hiding for very long.<br />
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Our final stop of the day was at Ömürlü Seramik, where they have been making pottery since 1807 (or so their sign claims). Oh my word, the carpets were amazing, but the pottery was even more spectacular, in my opinion anyway. The history of pottery in this region dates back to the Hittites. According to their <a href="http://www.omurlu.com/index.php?page=sayfa&id=2">website</a>: "Avanos has now become a place where the Turkish art of ceramic tile making, inherited from the Seljuks, and improving with the Ottomans, continued to be kept alive, in this city along the banks of the longest river of Turkey, Kızılırmak." The river is known for its red clay, which has been used by many generations of potters. This ceramics company has about 45 Master Artists and we had a demonstration of pottery made on the ancient kick-wheel and then proceeded to their spectacular showroom.<br />
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The potter was making a Hittite Wine Jug, it was rather fascinating to watch how it is formed.<br />
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Sadly for me, even their small pieces were over $500 (US); not that I needed any pottery, but their works were captivating and I found nearly every piece to be stunning.<br />
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Since I was not shopping I decided to treat the show room as an art museum, and it certainly did not disappoint. They have samples of historic, contemporary, geometric, phosphorescent, and floral designs. A nice young man chatted with me about the various pieces and designs as I wandered around (knowing full well I was not going to buy anything most of the other salesmen had moved on). A few people bought pieces and with that the day was spectacularly book-ended and we returned to our hotel.<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5223799945138209202.post-46810578482946496102019-03-19T17:00:00.000-04:002019-05-28T19:35:58.034-04:00Nevşehir Province Part II hate when I have to wake up super early so my brain decides to skip the wake-up part and simply never lets me sleep. The balloons have been unable to fly for the last five days, so although hopeful our fate would be different, we were very uncertain. We were picked up at the hotel shortly before 5:30am and transported to the <a href="http://www.royalballoon.com/2/balloonflights">Royal Balloon</a> Headquarters. We enjoyed a buffet breakfast while waiting for the Turkish Civil Aviation Authority to give (or deny) permission to fly. Once we got the OK we hopped in our van and headed to the take-off site. The dusk was just beginning to fade as our balloon was inflated and we all climbed inside.<br />
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Our Gate1 group had the balloon to ourselves and our pilot Abdullah kept us laughing as we drifted up and over the valleys and in between the rock formations. The balloons climb about 1000 feet and since they're moved where the wind takes you, no two flights are the same. The views were marvelous and even my photos just don't do the experience justice. The temperature on the ground was near freezing, but thankfully once up in the balloon we were quite warm.<br />
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The sun rose quickly and was shining brilliantly over the magnificent rock faces as nearly 100 balloons filled the sky. It was an incredibly serene experience and one I'll not soon forget.<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"There was that rare thing, novelty, about it; it was a fresh, new, exhilarating sensation...and worth a hundred worn and threadbare home pleasures." <span style="font-size: x-small;">The Innocents Abroad</span></blockquote>
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Abdullah worked hard to get the balloon to land on the trailer; the truck driver had to keep moving as the wind has more control over where the balloon will land than the pilot does. True to the Royal name we celebrated our journey with champagne, chocolate-dipped strawberries, and a medal around our necks. I found out later that celebratory champagne after a flight is a nearly 250-year old ballooning tradition (way before social media and instagram). Variations exist, but it seems that the first hot air balloon flights were started in the 1780s in France. "As <a href="https://vinepair.com/articles/champagne-veuve-clicquot-balloons-history/">legend</a> has it, pilots began landing in farmland with Champagne in hand. They brought bottles to area farmers in hopes of convincing them that they were human beings, not monsters. The bubbles served as a peace offering."<br />
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After returning to the hotel we joined the rest of our group and were off on a full-day tour of the region. Our first stop was the Göreme Open Air Museum, a Unesco World Heritage site containing some of the earliest churches in history. From what I remember of Serdar's introduction (before we wandered on our own), when the Arabs started the holy war the Christian people of the region carved hideaways and homes into the rocks. This area was a fully functioning community of monks and Christian believers who were persecuted for their beliefs. Sadly, because Islam considers pictures to be idols, the eyes, and sometimes faces, of all the frescoes were scratched out long ago. In 1923, when the Cappadocian Greeks were expelled from Turkey, or exchanged if you prefer that term, the churches were abandoned. The area has been under protection since 1950 and they're now trying to repair the frescoes.<br />
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We visited Aziz Basil Şapeli (Chapel of St. Basil - born in Kayseri he is one of Cappadocia's most important saints), and the 11th-century Azize Barbara Şapeli, carved by Byzantine soldiers. Unfortunately, you are still not allowed to take videos or photos of the interior frescoes in any of the chapels (even though most modern cameras can avoid use of a flash that over time would damage the frescoes).<br />
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Our next stop was at the fortress and village of Uçhisar. The region has a fascinating history (if <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U%C3%A7hisar">Wikipedia</a> can be trusted): First mentioned in the 14th century, the area was certainly occupied previously. "The Hittites, who may have used the natural structures of the cliffs as refuges and strongholds against possible attacks. In the 5th century AD, the Byzantines created a 'buffer zone' in the area against Islamic expansion....After their conquest of the region, the Muslims also made use of the defensive possibilities of the area, creating small centers with caravanserais in the region." Uçhisar Castle makes for a great photo and I believe it would have been fascinating to visit, but alas, we only had time for a photo stop.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5223799945138209202.post-61878488302863969712019-03-18T20:07:00.000-04:002019-04-19T14:28:12.721-04:00Konya to KapadokyaWe were able to spend less time on the bus today, so that was a nice perk. Our first stop, as we traveled along the route of the ancient Silk Road, was at Caravanserai Sultanhani. The name "serai" means "inn", so it was once a hotel for the caravans transporting goods along the Silk Road. Touted as the best caravanserai of the seljuks, it was built in 1229, and after a fire they restored and enlarged it in 1278, making it the largest in Turkey. It was under renovation during our visit and not incredibly awe-inspiring, but then again, hotels at that time weren't a luxury. Despite that the carvings and designs in the rock walls were very impressive for such a simple structure.<br />
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At our rest stop I finally found a book (in English) on Nasreddin Hodja! It contains humorous stories of his purported antics, and certainly helps pass some of my time on the bus.<br />
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Our next stop was the town of Güzelyurt for a home-cooked meal made by a local woman. We ate in her home, there were 10 of us in one room and the food was simple, but very tasty and quite filling as well.<br />
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Lentil soup, salad, cooked chickpeas with cracked wheat in a sauce, fresh yogurt, and a special cake soaked in honey, topped with a bit of coconut. Güzelyurt means "beautiful land", and it is known for its underground cities. Serdar told us that Christians from the 1st Century fled from Caesarea to this region because of persecution under Emperor Domitian. In the interest of truth, there is <a href="https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-topics/post-biblical-period/domitian-persecution-of-christians/">debate</a> on whether Domitian was actually a great persecutor of Christians. Anyway, the fact remains that homes were built into the rocks in Cappadocia.<br />
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By the 6th Century the people needed to hide themselves from wandering armies so they dug their cities underground. I've also found out that a historically large native-Cappadocian Greek population existed in the area until the 1924 population exchange when they were replaced with the Turks from Thessaloniki and Kavala.<br />
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After lunch we drove about an hour to the Matis Carpet Weaving Village. The carpet weaving they do here is quite interesting. The women use a chart, similar to a cross-stitch pattern, to create the rug's design and each of the carpet's threads, whether wool, silk, or cotton, and the dyes used to color them come from Turkey. They say one of their carpets is in the Guinness Book of World Records (I think for being the most expensive sold at auction or something).<br />
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The carpets can often take 1-2 years to create and they have over 700 knots per square inch! They explained that you can tell if a carpet is hand-woven by turning it over. If you can still see the pattern from the back side and you can easily fold it, then the carpet is hand-made. We also learned that the geometric designs are from the early nomadic days of Turkey's history and the more flowery designs are from the Ottoman period. The array of carpets was spectacular. The colors, the patterns, the feel of them under your toes - it was a delight to the senses. With even the smaller 2ft x 1ft wall hanging carpets costing over $200 I had no intention of making a purchase. With such time-consuming effort and high quality you had to view them as works of art, hence the hefty price-tag.<br />
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My final event of the day was the Whirling Dervishes ceremony. Performed inside the <a href="http://www.sarihan1249.com/">Saruhan Carevanserai</a>, I found the entire thing a tad odd. I have so many questions about the whole thing and how it is tied to Sufism ad Islam, etc.. Serdar said it is not a religion, or a sect, but is a philosophy. The whirling is a kind of meditation, but the enter thing felt very ceremonial to me and I couldn't help but notice that the Caravanserai where they do this "practice" (Semâ) had the same Islamic prophet names on the walls as the ones you see in all the mosques. According to the pamphlet, "the Semâ ceremony represents an entire mystical journey, a spiritual ascent through love, in which the dervish deserts his ego, finds the truth and arrives as 'The Perfect'". One of Mevlanâ Rumî's metaphors about wind and the love of God (as paraphrased by Serdar) was quite good: "a soul without the love of GOd is purposeless."<br />
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After the meditation ritual we headed outside where they served us hot cherry juice with cinnamon and cloves (almost like a mulled wine) and then projected an animation of the history and culture of Turkey onto the stone walls of the caravanserai. We eagerly headed back to the warm bus for the short jaunt back to the hotel where we had a quick dinner and rushed off to bed. We have to be in the lobby at 5:15am tomorrow in hopes that the winds are weaker tomorrow and and our hot air balloon ride isn't cancelled.<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5223799945138209202.post-4434301385873314472019-03-17T21:04:00.000-04:002019-04-16T18:33:45.748-04:00Visiting the Seljuks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I slept with my door open last night (the hotel rooms are very warm and there are no sheets, just a duvet), and because we are right next to a mosque I was awakened quite early with the call to prayer. After our incredible breakfast buffet we boarded the bus and set off for Konya. The overwhelming majority of the day was then spent driving, as it takes about 5 hours from Pamukkale. Our first rest-stop was in the town of Dinar, where I tried a special yogurt dish called <a href="http://www.bucketlisttc.com/unique-tastes-turkey/">Balli</a> (I found out later it is often made from goat's milk, not sure about the one I tried). The yogurt is strained so that it is very think, like Greek yogurt, and then they top it with honey and opium (poppy) seeds.<br />
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Although the seeds were brown, not black as I'm used to seeing them, it was a delicious treat. You can find honey, and honeycomb, for sale in all sorts of varieties in most of the roadside stops we made. On our drive we passed quite a few wind turbines and even a large solar panel farm. We had some lovely snow-capped mountains to our right as we drove through a bunch of farming villages in the large valley. You could sometimes see rows of women bent over, planting their spring crops in the fields.<br />
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For lunch we stopped in the town of Akşehir, known for the burial place of Nasreddin Hodja. I had seen cartoon caricatures of Hodja on books in many of the shops (he's usually riding a donkey backwards), but none of the books were ever in English so I couldn't figure out the significance of this person. It seems he was an imam and he became part of Turkish folklore because of his odd ways, funny stories, and witty sayings.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No, I still don't know why it's called "The City of Hearts"</td></tr>
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After arriving in Konya we visited the <a href="http://www.kultur.gov.tr/EN-113978/konya---mevlana-museum.html">Mevlâna Museum</a>: the mausoleum of Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi, a Persian Sufi mystic, and also the home to the former lodge of the Whirling Dervishes. Rumi is known to the Turks as Mevlana (the Sainted One), hence the name ofthe Museum. I really didn't understand what we were seeing, or why, but I looked around anyway.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A stunning copy of the Quran done in 1544 by Rumi's daughter Fatima</td></tr>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5223799945138209202.post-3185706671480406042019-03-16T20:06:00.000-04:002019-04-10T20:11:14.485-04:00The White Marvel<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Our destination for the day, Pamukkale, was about a 3 hours drive from Kuşadasi. Located in the textile capital of the country, Denizli (pronounced Den-iz-lay), is also home to the ancient city of Laodicia. The region is well known for its pomegranates too, so at our rest stop we were served a mixture of fresh orange and pomegranate juice. Also quite tasty were the samples of Turkish Delight, chocolate covered hazelnuts, and chocolate covered figs. The boxes of those treats seemed a bit pricey, so I settled for trying once of their candy bars. I didn't really look at the picture, the name sounded like coconut (at least the way I was pronouncing it), but I was delightfully surprised when it was similar to a hazelnut Little Debbie Nutty Bar!<br />
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Around 1pm we reached the hot springs, ironically, the glacial looking formations are flowing with hot water! I couldn't say it any better <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/turkey/articles/Pamukkale-everything-you-need-to-know-about-visiting-Turkeys-most-popular-attraction/">myself</a>, "the surreal, brilliant white travertine terraces and warm, limpid pools of Pamukkale hang, like the petrified cascade of a mighty waterfall, from the rim of a steep valley side in Turkey’s picturesque southwest. Truly spectacular in its own right, the geological phenomenon that is Pamukkale, literally "Cotton Castle" in Turkish, is also the site of the remarkably well-preserved ruins of the Greek-Roman city of Hierapolis. With such a unique combination of natural and man-made wonders it’s little wonder that Pamukkale-Hierapolis has been made a Unesco World Heritage site." </div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-C-XU_nMNdv4/XKkyb6VGXsI/AAAAAAAAgHc/uJQm6pfiFc4ko1SMDuzPv4VJX01h0gbhACLcBGAs/s1600/D6%2BHot%2BSprings%2B6%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1011" data-original-width="1600" height="202" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-C-XU_nMNdv4/XKkyb6VGXsI/AAAAAAAAgHc/uJQm6pfiFc4ko1SMDuzPv4VJX01h0gbhACLcBGAs/s320/D6%2BHot%2BSprings%2B6%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I didn't quite understand how it was created, but it seems that, "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pamukkale">when</a> the water, supersaturated with calcium carbonate, reaches the surface, carbon dioxide de-gasses from it, and calcium carbonate is deposited. Calcium carbonate is deposited by the water as a soft gel which eventually crystallizes into travertine." All the hotels in the area use water from the hot springs so that the tourists have thermal spas, but this means there isn't quite enough water for the Cotton Castle anymore. Serdar relayed that during the dry months they change the direction of the water so that it keeps everything wet, which in turn keeps everything white. </div>
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After wading around in the pools I headed into the thermal spa and food court to get some lunch. A woman there makes a local dish called "Village Bread" and it was simple, but tasty. It's a thin, crepe-like crust filled with potatoes, some spinach, and some cheese.</div>
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The thermal spa still has the original Roman columns, now lying prostrate in the pool. Since we still had some time before we were to meet up and begin our walk through the Necropolis, I decided to make the trek up the hill to see the remains of the theater. From the bottom of the hill, viewing the back-side it did not look that impressive, but man was that view misleading! </div>
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Much like the facade of the library in Ephesus, the view of the valley behind the stage made the effect quite breathtaking (yes, that may have partially been due to the hike up the hill). You were not allowed down on the ground level, you could only walk part-way down the stadium, but it was incredible. Although I couldn't see it up close, "<a href="https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/485">the</a> theatre, which dates from the time of Severus, is decorated with an admirable frieze depicting a ritual procession and a sacrifice to the Ephesian Artemis."</div>
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At 3pm we started our walk through the ruins, and eventually through the Necropolis, back to the bus. "Necropolis" is Greek for "city of dead", the site is the cemetery of the city of Hierapolis. Hierapolis was established by the the kings of Pergamon at the end of the 2nd century B.C. The cemetery extends a little over a mile, and I think Serdar told us it is the largest one in Asia Minor.</div>
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It was cold and windy, but thanks to the brilliant sunshine bestowing its beams on us all day the wind was much more bearable. The sepulchers and tombs were quite interesting (according to the UNESCO <a href="https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/485">website</a> the necropolis "affords a vast panorama of the funerary practices of the Greco-Roman era"), but the fresh, green grass, dotted with bright red poppies and little yellow flowers, all around the pale stone remains made the area very picturesque. We saw four different types of <a href="https://www.pamukkale.net/listingview.php?listingID=25">graves</a> from various time periods, including Tumulus, Sarcophagus, Public, and Family.</div>
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Our hotel for the evening was the Doga Thermal Health Spa, so we all enjoyed the thermal spas and swimming pools before dinner. </div>
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The dessert displays at every hotel are jaw-dropping, and no matter where we stay the food is so good (not that I'm incredibly picky, mind you). This evening they had a special dessert called Tulumba. It's a fried dough dipped in a sweet (probably honey-based since they seem to make anything into a dessert by soaking it in honey) sauce. I would describe it as a cross between a donut and a churro (minus the cinnamon). I learned later that they are sometimes referred to as Turkish Churros. While they were tasty, I much preferred the baclava assortment.</div>
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