I've got lots of pictures for you all today :)
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| The roof of the cafe/church. |
FRIDAY (2/11/2011):
I mentioned before that we were planning on seeing a fado performance at a local cafe, and that was pretty amazing. Tatiana and I got to the cafe first, and this cafe was absolutely beautiful inside. It used to be a wing of the church, but the owners bought it and converted it (there was a lot of controversy... the whole story was in three different languages in our menus). We were under the impression that we would eat dinner there, but apparently this country doesn't eat out past 4 pm and we had bifana... again. These sandwiches are basically all we eat other than pasta and rice (so cheap!) and despite their less than favorable appearance, those pork steaks are delicious.
The fado performance was amazing. It was simply a singer, a guitarist, and another musician on a "Coimbra guitar," which is rounder and seemed a little higher pitched. The singer was this very old man in this long dramatic cape, though several times I caught him dancing subtly to the music. The guitarists were amazing, and their two instrumentals (sans singer) were my favorite songs. I didn't understand much of the lyrics, but there was one song that I was able to find on YouTube afterward solely because it is about Coimbra. We were basically the only ones there when we arrived in the cafe, but by ten, when the performance was scheduled to start, the entire cafe was brimming with people. One of my professors was talking about fado and said, "I don't know what it is. Its all very sad, but every Portuguese person just loves fado." I recorded quite a lot of the concert, so if you want any clips, I can definitely email you a few snippets. I posted one of the instrumental songs on my Facebook as well.SATURDAY & SUNDAY (2/12-13/2011):
Amy's boyfriend James visited this weekend (and was with us at the fado performance), but Tatiana and I were able to meet up with them a few times during the weekend. I accompanied Tatiana to a few apartment for rent. More cafes. More pasta. More loud Asian neighbors who seem to be destroying the pots, pans, plates, and each other at all hours of the day (at least that's what it sounds like). So much rain.
MONDAY:
New classes! In addition to my language classes, I also attended the História Portuguesa class in the Intermediate level with Dan from West Point. The professor promises to be delightful. He was a history professor all the way: impeccable suit, awkward, and constantly made himself laugh at his strange jokes. What more could you ask for? Plus, he speaks very slowly. I love him already. We will definitely make my Mondays, where I have class non-stop from 9 AM to 6 PM (with an hour lunch break), a little more bearable.
TUESDAY:
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| Alex's Bar, 2/5/2011 |
WEDNESDAY:
Today, I luckily didn't have class until 2 PM, though the rest of my party group had to be up at the University for 11 AM classes. Rough. But I again had my history class again, accompanied with a giant book I had to buy for the class. Seriously, that monster is about two inches thick and can stand up on its own. For an English/Theater concentrator, this is new and different than my little paper-back novels. But after I finish this particular post, I want to start reading it immediately. We are picking up in the middle of Portuguese history in class (we'll cover the 15th to 20th centuries), but I definitely want to go over the beginnings of the country. Plus, I missed out on learning about Dom Pedro I and Inês, Portugal's real-life Romeo and Juliet and one of my favorite romances... despite the exhuming and heart-ripping-out and such.
So basically it as far as events go. But I would like to share a few things I've learned:
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| Gnomes love vinho verde. |
2. I now know the difference between vinho verde and vinho branco. In Portugal, most of the wine that looks like white wine (vinho branco) is actually vinho verde, "green wine," which is so named not for the color but because this kind of wine is not made to sit but to be drunk usually within the first year or so of its creation. Vinho verde is a distinctly Portuguese kind of wine, so if you see it anywhere else, you can know that it is from Portugal. It can be white or red in color, but I haven't noticed at red vinho verde yet. I have also learned that it is delicious.
3. Coimbra is Portugal's third largest city. This fact was a little sad to learn, especially when you are wandering these streets on a Friday night and there is literally NO ONE THERE.
4. I now know why Portuguese people flocked to the New England area: the weather both here and in Rhode Island has the same mentality: if you don't like it, just wait five minutes. In walking between the Faculdade de Letras and my bus stop, I experienced perfect sunlight, rain, sleet, and basic dreariness. All in a seven minute walk.
5. I have also learned that my prejudice against chouriço is completely unfounded. It makes the best sandwiches and therefore has basically been a vital part of my lunches for the past few days. I have been missing out for the past 20 years. Thank God I came here and fully realized my Portuguese heritage. Soon I'm going to be eating bacalhau and pastéis de nata like its my job (I've already started employment)
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| Sandwich with chouriço |
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| Eating pastéis de nata |
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| Also these cookies are delicious but their name escapes me... for now. |
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