Portugal week two

Hi all!

This week has been a bit more relaxed after the "grand tour" last week. On Monday my parents and I went to see the ruins of the Mosteiro do Carmo, a beautiful old monastery (yes, I love monasteries!) that was ruined in the 1755 earthquake that struck Lisbon. There is also a small archeology museum there, which I love. We had lunch in the cute square outside the ruins, which was really nice.

That afternoon my mom and I went to the expo, the sleek new part of Lisbon made for the 1998 World Exposition. There we saw the Oceanário, the biggest aquarium in Europe. It was quite cool, and of course had many fish, sharks, birds, penguins, and even two adorable otters... I want an otter now!

Tuesday morning I had breakfast with my parents in their hotel, then we took a stroll and headed to the airport. After they left I went to get my hair cut (not too much!) then went to my belly dance class that evening. I had missed my dance class--I went back on Thursday too. It was so nice to see my teacher and my classmates and to get to dance again.

Wednesday I walked to Restelo (about 45 minutes... I've gotten in the habit of walking everywhere) to have lunch with my host grandfather. I stayed there for about 2.5 hours, talking to him about various things--he seemed very keen on telling me about himself and his family history. I think he appreciated me being there; I think he must get lonely sometimes.

That night I went to the mall with my friend Catarina. There we had dinner, then went to see Mamma Mia, which I really enjoyed. I've been singing ABBA songs all week. :-D

Thursday I had lunch with my friend Marisa, again in the same shopping mall. It was so nice to see her again! We had typical Alentejano food (from the region of Portugal south of Lisbon) then walked around the mall. That afternoon I made the 30 minute walk home again... partly because I like walking and partly because if I walk I don't have to pay for bus tickets!

Yesterday I went back to the Escola Secundária do Restelo, aka my portuguese high school. My friends Mariana and Inês have the same history professor as when I was there, so I went to a history class. It was fun to see my teacher again; she made a point of introducing me to the whole class....

That afternoon Inês, Mariana and I had lunch at Mariana's house, then went to yet another shopping mall where we walked around smelling perfumes and looking at notebooks. We went to the Gulbenkian museum to hang out a bit in the gardens there, then parted ways and went home.

Last night I went to go see the Cruz Quebrada band that I played with when I was here. there were happy to see me, and I sat in the clarinet section for a bit listening to them play. It made me miss my clarinet, which is sitting back home feeling lonely without me!

Today Miguel, Miguelinho and I went to Careca, the best pastry shop ever, to have croissants for breakfast like I did on my birthday. sooooooo good. Then a quick lunch at home and a rest this afternoon. I'm thinking of going to Cascais.... we'll see!

Tchau a todos! Next time I write I won't be in Portugal anymore. Either France or Norway, depending on where I get internet :-D