Blogs from Portugal, Europe - page 152

Mei 2003 Wilma heeft een verschrikkelijke hoofdpijn, maar we gaan toch op weg naar lissabon. Kees brengt ons naar schiphol; Meer liggend dan zittend gaat wilma in auto en vliegtuig mee. In Lissabon na wat rusten en veel pijnstillers gaan we rustig met de oude tram 12 tussen de oude smalle straatjes rijden. We bezoeken de burcht en het oude deel. Het is een mooi aparte stad aan de kust met veel heuvels en verschillende wijken en natuurlijk de Fado. We blijven hier enkele dagen; Lopen een paar keer naar Belém, een mooi kust- boulevard wandeling. We nemen de trein ( prachtig moderne treinen en station) naar Estoril, met casino en stranden; De volgende dag naar het bergplaatsje Sintres, waar veel mist hing maar een gezellig plaatsje is Dan een dagje Porto, met de Expresstrein binnen ... read more

Nach einem eher unfreiwilligen Bus-Trip einmal Rund um La Palma, bei dem ich noch einige schoene Gegenden dieser farbenpraechtigen und facettenreichen Insel bewundern konnte, bin ich vor einer Woche in Santa Cruz de Tenerife wieder an Bord der Bessie-Ellen gegangen. Die war meist sehr gemuetlich und entspannt. Wir hatten selten mehr als 5 Beaufort Wind, dafuer aber auch fast nie keinen und konnten deshalb fast die ganzen 750 Meilen unter Segel zuruecklegen. Trotz wenig Wind hatten wir manchmal starken Seegang und auf Vorwindkurs bei wenig Wind hat die Bessie-Ellen trotz ihrer Groesse ziemlich geschaukelt. Trotzdem wurde ich gluecklicherweise nie Seekrank und konnte die Ueberfahrt in vollen zuegen geniessen. Mit drei Wach-Teams bekam man immer genug Schlaf und ich hatte sogar noch viel Zeit zum Faulenzen und Lesen (hab jetzt die Bibel endlich fertig :-) Wunderschoene Sonnen- ... read more

The expansive generosity of the Verdade family was expressed once again as we were shuttled down the road to Coimbra. This was particularly appreciated because of rotating strikes on the part of the train service. I suppose they imagined us waiting at the station, with kids, for a train that might never come...depending on the whims of the union. But, good natured lovingkindness won over civic unrest. Coimbra is the home of Portugal's oldest university. It is the part of the country where one begins to notice the strong influence of Moorish culture. When Afonso Henrique threw off the Moorish yoke in 1145, Portugal as a distinct society began its development. But a large part of that identity is Arabic in origin. You can see it in the architecture and the music, in the darker skin ... read more

Concerto Promenade no Coliseu do Porto No passado dia 13 Março 2011 realizou-se, como estava agendado, um encontro constituído por 3 eventos: 1 Concerto Promenade no Coliseu do Porto 2 Almoço no Grande Hotel do Porto 3 Momento de poesia O Concerto consistiu na suite sinfónica Sherazade op. 35, de Rimsky-Korsakov (compositor russo que nasceu em Liubensk, perto de Sampetersbugo em 1844 e morreu em 1908). Foi interpretado pela Orquestra Sinfónica do ESMAE (Escola Superior de Música e Artes do Espectáculo) sob a direcção do Maestro António Saiote. Os lugares foram bem escolhidos pois a audição era boa (o que não acontece em alguns outros sítios do Coliseu). A refeição decorreu no Grande Hotel do Porto o qual tem um ambiente acolhedor, uma decoração sóbria com um toque muito britânico. O almoço (buffet) foi ... read more

After the grand snooze, it was up and at 'em and on the road to Aveiro. This is another little fishing village that has lent itself to tourist pursuits. Aveiro is a city of canals and bridges, waters plied by colourful boats (barques) and home to salieneras. Salienaras are facilities where salt is extracted from ocean water and then turned into a vast variety of products, some for munching and some for scrubbing. Portuguese people have a great love of salt. It has been used since olden days to preserve cod and many varieties are produced for use on the table. There is the usual bleached white type, but also brown salts, salts flecked with black,grey salt and lovely coarse, chunky salts. When you begin to explore the world of salt, it can become something of ... read more