The end of our 30 day venture into Portugal looms nigh and with it comes a mixture of anticipation and regret. One month is not a sufficient time to truly experience a new country, culture and language. As I write this, outside the window is a church with a massive dome. It holds some famous name, but as this is our first time visiting Lisbon, we have yet to view and learn about this European landmark. The same can be said about our stays in Madeira (a small island off the African coast belonging to Portugal), Tavira (an small city in the Algarves) and Cascais (near Sintra, the home of Portugal´s royalty). We have barely brushed the surface of Portugal, yet we are set to travel home.
Is Portugal worth a visit? Most definitely. The landscapes, architecture and mild weather make it an appealing option for snow smothered Canadians. Flights, hotels and meals are reasonably priced, compared to the rest of Europe.
Still, we are ready to travel back to the ice and snow of Creemore. In fact, we are both of the opinion that a month is a bit long to travel. We have been away from family, friends and haircuts for too long. Okay, the last is my fault, as I did not earmark adequate time to get mine cut, before we set out for Portugal...
Lee Anne is getting anxious to start building pottery inventory for the upcoming shows. I have considerable work to do, before I can fire up the maple syrup evaporator. And the latest technology (I think it is called Snap Crackle Pop Chatting) is a pale substitute for spending time with our children and grand children.
Cascais Half Marathon: DNS
I must admit that we were both lukewarm about running the half. Our DNS was due more to logistics than what I like to call Ultra snobbery. Yes, we both consider running a half marathon more as an afterthought than a true race goal. Lee Anne has cut down her running to the point where she is running a half marathon (or longer) only 4 times per week. I consider 21K a long run these days, but I am more embarrassed by my lousy speed than the thrill of completing another half. We only had 3 days in Cascais, which is close to Sintra. What is so special about Sintra? Nothing much, aside from being the residence of the Portuguese royal family. The last king died in circa 1908. As such, it has more palaces than in all of Canada. Oh, it also has a Moorish fort, which is close to the size of Creemore. I´ve never seen so many stairs!
So our option was to take 3 days to recover and run the half, or visit some of the most interesting structures built between 950 and 1850. Hmm... Pictures will be added next week.
Before experiencing a country with a language that is new to me, I like to make some effort to learn the basics. It is polite to at least try to communicate in the host country´s language. Problem: I know English quite well, a solid base in French and a smattering of Spanish. The latter is the problem. Portuguese is quite close to, but not exactly, Spanish. In Portugal, I found myself continuously mixing up Spanish and Portuguese. And even the Portuguese admit that their language is not easy to learn. How do you say "The" in Portuguese? You have 4 choices: A, O, As or Os. Unfortunately, you can´t simply pick one and move on. Too easy! "A" is used for singular feminine, such as "A Mulhere" (sp?) - The woman. Try translating this when listening to someone fluent in Portuguese and is speaking at 3,000 words per minute...
So, in 3 days we fly back to Canadaland. Although hard to keep in mind, we are both retired. Regardless, we both have impressive itineraries waiting for us in Creemore. We will be visiting 312 family and friends. We will miss my daughter Brittany´s birthday, who turns 30 tomorrow. Happy birthday Brit! I need to help Lee Anne reactivate the pottery studio. She needs to start making pottery. I removed several of the maple sap lines as there was a chance the maple bush would be logged while we were away. It is marked and is now under the forest management program. I need to rebuild the lines.
I need a haircut.
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