Ao Norte!
As I had anticipated, our hostel did have WiFi, but it didn't reach our room, and there weren't any computers there. So...we catch up,
6ªFeira 6-julho:
I bought new shoes before coming here, and silly me for not breaking them in. I woke up with an intense pain in my right foot (the same foot I "broke" almost 4 years ago on a Life Teen retreat...) It actually felt similar in degree of pain, and I was limping most of the day. After class and lunch, Mike and I made our way to Rede Expressos bus station for our 3 pm autocarro to Porto. We arrived at 6:30 and began walking. (I bought ibuprofen for my foot as it was throbbing) When we finally got to the hostel, our senhora de casa said (all in Português) that she had already heard we speak Portuguese...
We had told Sofia (Portuguese professor from BC) where we were staying, as she was in Porto for her masters defense and as it turns out, she beat us to the hostel and left us a note saying where she and Sven would be waiting for us. We walked the city along the river for a couple hours and ate dinner and then departed.
Sábado 7-julho:
I knew this day would include a lot of walking, so at Mass I was just praying for the strength to get through, and I decided to offer up the pain for certain people for whom I have been asked to pray. Mike had arranged a FREE tour of Porto where you tip in the end what you think your tour guide was worth. We had a university student named Andre. He was pretty good, and we saw a lot of sites that most likely go unknown to tourists.
After the walking tour of about 2.5 hours, we met up with Sofia, Sven and Sofia's friend from Croatia (who is a Portuguese teacher there) for more walking and a little almoço. Mike and I then went into St. Anthony's Church, (which is now owned by the state so it costs 3,50€ to enter) while the other 2 waited outside.
After Sofia's friend departed for her hostel, the 4 of us walked around. We crossed the bridge into Vila Nova de Gaia to try to see a Monastery over there. After climbing this HUGE hill, we discovered there was a wedding and no one was entering the church. When it was over the doors were closed and locked. Sofia asked how to get in and a guy directed us WAY in the wrong direction...in short we never ended up seeing it. We took a cable car down to the street level again, where we had a free wine tasting sample of Porto wine. Back across the bridge to walk some more eventually jantar and then depart again. We will meet up with them again in Lisboa...
Domingo 8-julho:
There are trains to Braga every hour, but there was a little miscommunication when I asked what time. Mike and I after the 8 am Mass decided we would try to make the 9:55 train...we hurried to the Metro got to the train station at 9:52 and discovered that the 9:55 train actually is a 9:45 train...so we waited until 10:45...nbd in the end.
We went to Braga because Mike's summer assignment pastor (Pd. Walter) knows the pastor of Capella de São Frutoso, which is the oldest church on the Iberian peninsula, dating back to 666 A.D...When we got there, we walked and walked until we came upon the church. We didn't know where the rectory would be so Mike just asked this kid, who had no idea who Padre Hermilgildo (sp) was. We kept walking for <5 minutes and got to the Church. A few minutes later he arrived...turns out the house we stopped at was the rectory and the kid was telling Mike Father wasn't in the Church but he was waiting for us...
Anyways he brought us to a carry out place where he treated us to lunch. We brought it back to the rectory and then off we went! Thankfully Padre was taking us around in his car. We had no idea what to expect in Braga, but we figured out quickly that without Padre we wouldn't have seen half of what we saw because the sites are too far apart to walk.
Anyway, we were able to see the Church and the Capella de São Frutuoso, play the organ (no tourists where there), and venerate the relics of St. Frutuoso! Padre then took us to the Sé Cathedral, which was beautiful, and then we ascended 365 stairs up a mountain to get to the Church of Bom Jesus. Next we went up even further (by car this time) to the Basilica where the Ordinations in Braga take place. Following this was a brief tour of Citânia de Briteiros, a Celtic settlement in the hills outside of Braga that dates back 2,000 years...Makes going to Plimouth Plantation seem a little lame!
After Braga, we went to Guimarães, which is the city where Portugal was born! Unfortunately we got there around 6:30, and the castle closes at 6. However, Padre was born and raised in Guimarães so we took a little walking tour of the medieval section of town and sat to grab some tapas (not sure if Portuguese uses the same word, but oh well) We were very blessed to meet Padre Hermilgildo, because we chose Braga over Guimarães thinking we'd never be able to do both, and with him as a person tour guide...we were able to!
We rushed back to Braga to catch an 8pm bus back to Lisboa...we got to the station at 7:52, rushed to buy tickets and were making ourselves comfortable when the bus departed...We arrived back in Lisboa at 00:25, walked back to the seminary (don't worry mom, it was only a short walk along a lit, busy street) I had yet to do my TPC but I was too tired to even think of it (descupla Sofia!!!). I decided it'd be better to sleep and wake up "earlier" to do it.
That's pretty much the weekend! We're in a routine in class, so no boring details there...I'm going to head out to buy some stamps to send snail mail...some Portuguese knock off of IcyHot (TS!!!!!!) for my foot, go to the gym and get some TPC done...It'll be Friday before you know it and we'll be off on another adventure!
Até já...Que Deus vos abençoe
--KPL
6ªFeira 6-julho:
I bought new shoes before coming here, and silly me for not breaking them in. I woke up with an intense pain in my right foot (the same foot I "broke" almost 4 years ago on a Life Teen retreat...) It actually felt similar in degree of pain, and I was limping most of the day. After class and lunch, Mike and I made our way to Rede Expressos bus station for our 3 pm autocarro to Porto. We arrived at 6:30 and began walking. (I bought ibuprofen for my foot as it was throbbing) When we finally got to the hostel, our senhora de casa said (all in Português) that she had already heard we speak Portuguese...
We had told Sofia (Portuguese professor from BC) where we were staying, as she was in Porto for her masters defense and as it turns out, she beat us to the hostel and left us a note saying where she and Sven would be waiting for us. We walked the city along the river for a couple hours and ate dinner and then departed.
Sábado 7-julho:
I knew this day would include a lot of walking, so at Mass I was just praying for the strength to get through, and I decided to offer up the pain for certain people for whom I have been asked to pray. Mike had arranged a FREE tour of Porto where you tip in the end what you think your tour guide was worth. We had a university student named Andre. He was pretty good, and we saw a lot of sites that most likely go unknown to tourists.
After the walking tour of about 2.5 hours, we met up with Sofia, Sven and Sofia's friend from Croatia (who is a Portuguese teacher there) for more walking and a little almoço. Mike and I then went into St. Anthony's Church, (which is now owned by the state so it costs 3,50€ to enter) while the other 2 waited outside.
After Sofia's friend departed for her hostel, the 4 of us walked around. We crossed the bridge into Vila Nova de Gaia to try to see a Monastery over there. After climbing this HUGE hill, we discovered there was a wedding and no one was entering the church. When it was over the doors were closed and locked. Sofia asked how to get in and a guy directed us WAY in the wrong direction...in short we never ended up seeing it. We took a cable car down to the street level again, where we had a free wine tasting sample of Porto wine. Back across the bridge to walk some more eventually jantar and then depart again. We will meet up with them again in Lisboa...
Domingo 8-julho:
There are trains to Braga every hour, but there was a little miscommunication when I asked what time. Mike and I after the 8 am Mass decided we would try to make the 9:55 train...we hurried to the Metro got to the train station at 9:52 and discovered that the 9:55 train actually is a 9:45 train...so we waited until 10:45...nbd in the end.
We went to Braga because Mike's summer assignment pastor (Pd. Walter) knows the pastor of Capella de São Frutoso, which is the oldest church on the Iberian peninsula, dating back to 666 A.D...When we got there, we walked and walked until we came upon the church. We didn't know where the rectory would be so Mike just asked this kid, who had no idea who Padre Hermilgildo (sp) was. We kept walking for <5 minutes and got to the Church. A few minutes later he arrived...turns out the house we stopped at was the rectory and the kid was telling Mike Father wasn't in the Church but he was waiting for us...
Anyways he brought us to a carry out place where he treated us to lunch. We brought it back to the rectory and then off we went! Thankfully Padre was taking us around in his car. We had no idea what to expect in Braga, but we figured out quickly that without Padre we wouldn't have seen half of what we saw because the sites are too far apart to walk.
Anyway, we were able to see the Church and the Capella de São Frutuoso, play the organ (no tourists where there), and venerate the relics of St. Frutuoso! Padre then took us to the Sé Cathedral, which was beautiful, and then we ascended 365 stairs up a mountain to get to the Church of Bom Jesus. Next we went up even further (by car this time) to the Basilica where the Ordinations in Braga take place. Following this was a brief tour of Citânia de Briteiros, a Celtic settlement in the hills outside of Braga that dates back 2,000 years...Makes going to Plimouth Plantation seem a little lame!
After Braga, we went to Guimarães, which is the city where Portugal was born! Unfortunately we got there around 6:30, and the castle closes at 6. However, Padre was born and raised in Guimarães so we took a little walking tour of the medieval section of town and sat to grab some tapas (not sure if Portuguese uses the same word, but oh well) We were very blessed to meet Padre Hermilgildo, because we chose Braga over Guimarães thinking we'd never be able to do both, and with him as a person tour guide...we were able to!
We rushed back to Braga to catch an 8pm bus back to Lisboa...we got to the station at 7:52, rushed to buy tickets and were making ourselves comfortable when the bus departed...We arrived back in Lisboa at 00:25, walked back to the seminary (don't worry mom, it was only a short walk along a lit, busy street) I had yet to do my TPC but I was too tired to even think of it (descupla Sofia!!!). I decided it'd be better to sleep and wake up "earlier" to do it.
That's pretty much the weekend! We're in a routine in class, so no boring details there...I'm going to head out to buy some stamps to send snail mail...some Portuguese knock off of IcyHot (TS!!!!!!) for my foot, go to the gym and get some TPC done...It'll be Friday before you know it and we'll be off on another adventure!
Até já...Que Deus vos abençoe
--KPL
Hello! Kevin and Mike
ReplyDeleteLuís and I talked on skype the other day and he gave me the address of Kevin's blog (a little indiscretion…). So I'm quite updated as a «spy» of your wanderings.
And I would say that you have been flying all over: Porto, Braga, Guimarães… in just 48h, that's huge! All the more with an aching foot (how I understand you, Kevin, for all my life I've been twisting and broking feet and ankles). What you need: go in one of the many «lojas dos chineses» (there are plenty here in de «bairro», ask the Missionaries of Divine Word) and buy yourself a pair of large and comfortable sandals, very cheap and… quite bad material, but for the price, excellent. I'm happy that you are having a good time with lots of saints and angels (human «angels» also), following and protecting you. Saint FrutUoso (not «frutoso», from «fruta», «fruit») at your service (not properly a Portuguese saint since he lived in a time when there was yet no Portugal).
Que Deus vos abençoe (the Portuguese way = God bless you). Or «fiquem – the plural - com Deus», the Brazilian way of blessing each other on a daily basis.
Carmo
Hello! Kevin and Mike
ReplyDeleteLuís and I talked on skype the other day and he gave me the address of Kevin's blog (a little indiscretion…). So I'm quite updated as a «spy» of your wanderings.
And I would say that you have been flying all over: Porto, Braga, Guimarães… in just 48h, that's huge! All the more with an aching foot (how I understand you, Kevin, for all my life I've been twisting and broking feet and ankles). What you need: go in one of the many «lojas dos chineses» (there are plenty here in de «bairro», ask the Missionaries of Divine Word) and buy yourself a pair of large and comfortable sandals, very cheap and… quite bad material, but for the price, excellent. I'm happy that you are having a good time with lots of saints and angels (human «angels» also), following and protecting you. Saint FrutUoso (not «frutoso», from «fruta», «fruit») at your service (not properly a Portuguese saint since he lived in a time when there was yet no Portugal).
Que Deus vos abençoe (the Portuguese way = God bless you). Or «fiquem – the plural - com Deus», the Brazilian way of blessing each other on a daily basis.
Carmo
Sorry: Marta Sim, is my Google name. I was born on St. Marta's feast day. That's why...
ReplyDelete