Portugal

Our Portugal trip was smaller in scope than what initially seemed possible. Bound in the north by Coimbra and in the south by Lisbon, we didn't venture into the Alentejo or to the region north of the Douro river. We certainly didn't have time to cross into Spain. The magnificent monuments in central Portugal were the keystones of our trip: the Cistercian monastery at Alcobaça, the high Gothic monastery at Batalha, and the castle and round church of the Knights Templar in Tomar and its monastery. Nave, chapels, cloisters, & grounds was a recurring pattern of our trip. We spent a day or so in both Coimbra and Óbidos and most of both weekends in Lisbon. In Lisbon, we stayed in a wacky little hotel in the Bairro Alto - the perfect point from which to explore the city, and ended most every day at the Pavilhão Chinês. The Portuguese roads were nowhere as bad as advertised, but the drivers lived up to their reputation. They drove with the speed and impatience of western Americans but on much smaller and trickier roads - which was a little surprising because both of us felt the Portuguese in general had a natural reserve and a rather quiet nature. (In a restaurant in Barcelona after we returned, we noticed a marked difference in decibels.) In all, I found Portugal to be wonderfully dreamy. On the misty day we walked up the hill to the castle in Tomar, I could swear you could see a Templar knight riding out of the distant forest on a steed. The central part where we were was a beautiful, green, forested, semi-mountainous region marked with small towns - each which seemed to have its own castle. The food was uniformly good, whether in a recommended restaurant or a humble bar. The people were attractive and friendly, with that touch of reserve. In Tomar, Stephen spoke to an interesting couple of older Spanish lesbians. One of them confessed that she was addicted to Portugal. We understood what she meant. On the last Saturday evening we attended a concert by the Orchestre des Champs-Elysées, an early music group I had never heard in person. They played the Prague Symphony, a Haydn symphony, La Poule, and a Mozart piano concerto, K. 503, with Andreas Staier on the pianoforte. The next evening they played the Mozart Requiem and K. 550. Unfortunately it conflicted with our flight. I regret I didn't have time to look up the LJ guys in Barcelona - I was basically there for only a day. Next time I will.