Easter Sunday

Didn't make it to a service this morning - I hadn't done any research to find an English speaking service (if there were any), and others in the group were attending a Catholic mass in Portuguese. So my roommate and I slept in a little, then went to breakfast downstairs at the hotel. We didn't have breakfast included at the Dublin hotel, so everyone in the group was eating whatever they could find for breakfast. I had been eating a loaf of baked bread all week, so it was very exciting to have the opportunity to eat a real breakfast and to know that we will have a variety for the rest of the week. I don't think I've ever been so glad to see cereal and juice! We met up with some other people in our group while we were at breakfast and decided to spend the day walking around, exploring the town and taking photos. It's supposed to start raining late tonight and rain tomorrow and then off and on all week. But today's weather was absolutely GORGEOUS!!! Sunny and warm, with a slight breeze....

Not long after we left the hotel, we stepped inside a beautiful church where the service had just ended. The adornments up and down the walls on either side and at the altar were absolutely beautiful, so we quietly took some photos and then stepped back out. (So, I CAN say I at least went into a church on Easter.) As we were walking, we came across a building (another church, we think) that had big tile murals outside, but we couldn't go inside (if I remember correctly, Porto is known for their azulejos, or tiles) and a nice view of part of the city. We also stopped at Sao Bento train station, where they had huge tile murals depicting what I assume were scenes from Porto's or Portugal's history. We continued walking down to the river and crossed over the top part of the bridge (the bridge actually crosses at two different levels - one up near the city, where our hotel is located and another down at the level where the riverside cafes and restaurants are). We crossed the top and got really good views of the city and port. On the other side of the river, we came across a pretty little park (would be perfect for a picnic!!) that overlooked the river. We took some photos in the park, and then we crossed back over the bridge and took steps down to the riverside area - it was cool walking through the little alleyways and really getting a feel for everyday life here. We had stopped at the end of the bridge to take in the views one more time and to watch some stray cats walking across the rooftops of the houses, when we saw a big group of cats at the bottom of some steps. Next thing we know, an old man is lowering a box of food on a rope from his back yard down into the alleyway where the cats were. So, I nicknamed him the crazy cat man! Once we got down to the river level, we ate lunch outside at a cafe so we could continue to enjoy the beautiful weather. After lunch we meandered our way back to the hotel, where I spent the afternoon uploading photos to my computer and finishing the short company summary we have to write for class. We had our window open to let the breeze blow through our room (and to help dry the clothes we had washed in the sink after breakfast!) and would take breaks from work to just watch people in the plaza that our room overlooks. Later, while we were working, the bells in the church next to the hotel started ringing, so we went to the window to watch in case anything was going on. A group of priests ringing bells came walking up the street and into the church - so we got to see an Easter procession after all!! Very small, but a nice little piece of culture to take home!! A group of us went to dinner, but since it was Sunday night (and Easter at that), most places were closed. We went into the first open place we came to - Pizza Hut! That's right - we're in Porto, Portugal, and we ate dinner at Pizza Hut!! (We even took a photo to prove it!) We have tomorrow off, but it's supposed to rain. I hope to wander through some shops if they will be open, but we may spend most of the day doing work for class.

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