PORTUGAL

Through August 16, 2006: Costa Nova

For the last month in Portugal, almost every day we go to the Costa Nova (on the beach) to see all of our cousins, Tiago, Bernardo, Anabella, Guilherme, Joao, Joanna, Henrique, Ana, and  Zezinha, Joao, Ines, Gigo, Catarina (from Bressels), and Nuno Pedro, Rita, Nai, Jorge (from Coimbra). It has been a lot of fun spending time with all of our cousins. It’s a lot different in the U.S. because it’s not usual for so many relatives to be together in the same place for over a month. Every day the water is really cold and there are almost always big waves. The current is usually very strong so we just run in and dive and then come back out. Even though the water is really cold, it feels good after a hard game of footbasketball, volleyball, penalties and football because it is so hot outside. At about 3 in the afternoon, we usually go to Posto 4 (the little café on the beach) and have an ice cream. And, at about 4 p.m., we leave the beach and go to Tiago and Bernardo’s house (a yellow striped house) or Nuno and Pedro’s house (the smallest house in Costa Nova with red stripes) and play there until 6-8 p.m. when Mom and Dad pick us up to go home to my grandparent’s apartment in Ilhavo.

One time I didn’t feel like going into the water with everyone else. When they came out, they grabbed my legs and arms and carried me down the sand and into the water. Another funny thing is when Gonçalo, Tiago and Bernardo’s little cousin, goes into the water. He likes to get tossed around by the waves. A wave would take him in and take him out again but sometimes he would be plummeted into the shore and be sort of stunned. But then he’d go out and do it again. It was really funny.

August 11, 2006: San Joao de Madeira

Today we went to San Joao de Madeira to see Fernandinha, Nezinha, and Tio Fernando and for Vovo to take a test. When we got there some of us stayed in a café and Vovo went to get his EEG test. When his test was over, we went to lunch. Peter and I split fish and chips. When lunch was over, we went to the old Camara Municipal (city hall) where Tio Fernando is recognized as being a former city councilor. When we were done looking around, we went to Fernandinha, Nezinha and Tio Fernando’s house. We have had a lot of fun with Fernandina on her weekend tours during our stay in Portugal. We didn’t get to see Nezinha as much as we would have liked because of medical problems. We have many stories to tell of our times with them and we hope to see all of our cousins again soon!

July 22, 2006: Basketball Tournament

Today we went to the beach. When we got there we found our cousins Tiago, Bernardo, and Anabela. We went and played football with Tiago and Bernardo and Nuno and Pedro (Nuno and Pedro are cousins from Coimbra). When the game was over we had lunch and then played some more. At 3:00 we went to Barra to play in a 3 on 3 basketball tournament.  Our team was Tiago, Bernardo, Peter, and me and our name was DX (Tiago made up the name but it had no real meaning). We were in a group of 3 younger teams. First the other two teams played. One team had players who were our friends from the Iliabum basketball league in Ilhavo so we cheered for them. But they lost so we had to play them and we beat them 30-20. So we had to play the team that beat them in the final. In the beginning of the game Tiago slipped and got hurt so it was Bernardo, Peter and me. We had to play a lot harder but we still won. So we were the champions of our league. We got our medals and then went back home and had dinner.

July 19, 2006: Peter’s Birthday

Today we went to a tennis tournament. I played Peter first and I lost so I had to play another kid and I beat him. Then dad and I went back and went to the jardim (square in the middle of the town) where Peter was having his birthday party. Right as we came we decided to move and went to Joao’s house. When we got to Joao’s house we started playing and eating. When it was time for cake we all surrounded the table. Joao and his family had bought Peter a cake with a Benfica football player on it. When Peter blew the candles out Bernardo started saying “kiss the cake, kiss the cake!” and then all of us started saying “kiss the cake” and when peter went down to kiss the cake Bernardo, pushed his face into the cake!! When Peter cleaned his face off, we started eating cake. At 10:00 PM we went home.  

July 9, 2006: World Cup Final: Italy vs. France

Today we stayed at home and at 7:00 PM we watched the final of the world cup, Italy vs. France. At the 9^th minute there was an absurd call in the box on Italy, the same as the call in the Portugal vs. France game. Of course Zidane went up to kick it. Buffon went the wrong way but it was close because it hit the bar but bounced back into the goal, 1-0 France. At the 19^th minute Italy fought back. Pirlo kicked a corner in and Materazzi headed it in for a GOAL to tie the score. Italy was in control of the game. The next two corners were almost goals: one a defender kicked out and the other hit the bar. At the half it was still 1-1. The second half started and Italy was playing good. They had a couple more good chances, like one time Luca Toni headed one in but they called it off sides. France had a couple good shots too but Buffon got them all. At the end of the game the score was 1-1. So they went in to over time for another 30 minutes. At the 10^th minute in over time Zidane head butted Materazzi in the chest and broke a rib. Zidane got a red card and was out of the game. After that it was still 1-1, so now it was shoot out time. Italy shot first and the score was 1-0 Italy, then France and they scored, 1-1. Then Italy shot and they scored, 2-1 Italy. Then France and they scored, 2-2. Then Italy shot and they scored 3-2 Italy and then France and they scored, 3-3. Then Italy shot and they scored, 4-3 Italy. When France went, they missed; Buffon went the wrong way but the ball hit the bar, 4-3 Italy. Then Fabio Grosso of Italy scored and Italy won the world cup, 1-1, Pen 5-3. Then the celebration began. The stage was put up and all the Italy players were kissing the world cup trophy. First France got the second place medals. Most players and even the coach put it in there pockets. Then went Italy. When everyone got their medals Fabio Cannavaro the captain stood on the stage and raised the cup. Fire works shot out of the roof and streamers went everywhere. When the celebration was over we had dinner and went to bed.  

June 29, 2006: Fatima, Tomar

Today we got up really early and got picked up by Isabel and her mom and went to Fatima. When we got to Fatima we went to get our souvenirs blessed. I went with Auntie Kat-Kat to get 400 medals for her church in Evansville, Indiana. We first went to one store but they didn’t have enough medals so we had to go to a different store and they had enough. We got the medals and some other things and then went to the Fatima square. When we got to the square there was a statue of a gold Jesus in the middle of the square. The main building starched across the whole length of the square and had a tower in the middle of it with a gold crown and a cross on top and a statue of our lady of Fatima. There was a pavilion where mass was going on so we went to mass and got our items blessed. The altar was where our lady of Fatima appeared to the children. The people at Fatima had built a little house and put a statue of Mary next to it. When mass was over, we went into the main cathedral. We went to the tombs of the three children. The first tombs were Jacinta and Lucia. The tombs were like Pope John Paul II’s tomb, a marble slab with the name, when they were born, and when they died. There was a painting and a statue of Mary coming to the children. Then we went to the other side of the church and saw Francisco’s tomb. His tomb was the same as the others. There was a statue of Francisco holding a sheep. When we were done looking we went and had lunch and then decided to go to Tomar where the headquarters of the Knights Templar was. When we got there we went up a hill and on top was the castle. We entered through grand brick gates. When we entered through the gates we saw a huge castle. We got our tickets and went in. In the first room there were tiles and lots of Templar crosses. There were older objects downstairs that had been found, like slabs of stone with Templar crosses. In the next room there were tiles on the walls. Then we went to another room where the Templar’s entered on their horses and had meetings. There was paintings and frescos. Then we went up and had a great view of the castle. In another cloister, there was a cafeteria and a dinning hall. We only got to stay there for one hour so we didn’t have much time. When our hour was up we went back through the gates and back to the cars. When we got back we said good bye and thanked them.    

June 27, 2006: Museum

Today we went to the maritime museum in Ilhavo. When we got there we met Vitorino, my grandfather’s friend who was a fisherman, and went in. The first room had a real size fishing boat that encompasses the whole hall. It had a long nose. The boat was totally equipped. It had two engines, small boats called dories, buckets for fish, and a large anchor. There were fishing hooks and rope and other fishing things on display—notes, locks, knots, rope, big fishing hooks, scale, anchor, molds to make hooks. At the end there was a video going on and it had Vitorino and his first boat, the Aviz, and his Dad in it. The video showed a farm for salting fish and a fish market and a bishop blessing the fishermen. Then the salt gets loaded on to the boat. When they get to Newfoundland off the coast of Canada and Iceland, they start to fish in separate boats, dories, and they catch, salt and eat the fish, lots of fish!  They also drink lots of coffee in the morning! In the video, they also showed a big storm.

Then we went on the boat. On the boat were large ropes curled up, fish buckets, hooks to throw the fish. The fishermen would come in every night on their dories, small boats, and use a spear to throw the fish onto the main boat into a big hatch. Then the fishermen boarded the mother ship, cut the fish they had caught, and salted it and then had dinner! I went in a little room; it was the bathroom with a toilet, toilet paper and a bucket to flush. There was another display of the captain’s corner where the captain slept. There were cookies and his uniform with a Templar cross on it. Then we went to where they salted the fish. There were rubber codfish and a bucket of salt and Peter and I demonstrated how the fishermen salted the fish. The next room had other traditional boats from this area. There were some of the Aveiro boats with the different designs and boats for transport. They were cargo boats that carried salt and seaweed. Then we went upstairs where there were lots of model boats. They even had Vitorino’s boat that sunk. His boat was the AVIZ. Boats had numbers like: A-1937-M, A-1995-L and A-7892-R. The last room had shells on display. When we were done looking around we said thank you to Vitorino and went home.

June 24, 2006

We left Fernandina’s apartment and went to Braga. When we got to Braga, we went to Bom Jesus (good Jesus) church. In the church there were relics from Saint Clement. Near the relics there was a confessional and Fernandina and I watched Auntie Kat-Kat take a picture of Peter under the confessional sign. There was a statue of our lady of pain and a statue of our lady of Fatima. On the altar there was a statue of Jesus on the cross and the Roman soldiers.

After lunch, we drove into downtown Braga. Then we went to a café and had a coffee, watched a couple of drum corps, and then went to another church. In the church there was a statue of our Lady of Memory and we prayed for Vovo. On the altar, there was also a pieta and a statue of Jesus on the cross. Then we watched a parade. There were miniatures of every saint. When the parade was over we went to Fernandina’s house and had dinner with Nezina. They made us a great dinner and we ended it with port wine. We said good bye and went back home and went to bed.

June 23, 2006: Porto

Today we went to Porto for the festa (celebration) of Sao Joao de Porto. Isabel picked us up and we started to Porto. When we got to Santa Maria de Feira where Fernandina has an apartment we met Fernandina and dropped all of our stuff off and got it ready to sleep on because we knew we would be getting in late. When we were done we headed to Porto. When we got there we found a parking spot and started walking around Porto. On the way we got mallets for the night. We went to churches and monuments. We went to the oldest bookstore in Portugal. It had stairs painted pink and a stained glass ceiling and modern books. We met Valter outside the bookstore and went to the train station. At the train station, we saw lots of tiles and pictures from this area on the tiles. In the main cathedral there were big columns to hold up the wall. It was made in the 12^th century. There were six candles and flowers on the altar, probably for St. John the Baptist, the reason for the festa. When we were done we came back, had a picnic dinner and went to the river side at the Douro. On the way we were bonking people with our mallets. When we got to the river side there was a concert going on so we stopped and watched it for a while. Everyone that walked by got bonked. When the concert was over we walked over the bridge and went to a restaurant in front of Sandeman, the Port wine factory. Peter, dad, and I went and got cotton candy and then came back. In a little bit the fireworks started. The fireworks were really good because they were up close and they had music. The fireworks lasted 15 minutes. When the fireworks were over we started back to the car. There were lots of people trying to get back so it took a long time. When we were crossing the bridge, the bridge started to sway so we ran and got of the bridge. When we got to the car it was 2 AM. When we got back we went right to bed.

June 18, 2006

Today we got up and went on a walk to some churches. In the beginning we got separated so it was G, Dad, and I. We tried to find the rest of them but we couldn’t. Then we started walking down a road and we heard a car coming and in the car was the rest of them with a Bombeiro, the captain of the volunteer firefighters, and he took us to the churches. After the churches we went to eat lunch by the river. Peter and I played football for most of the time. After saying goodbye to Nezinha, Paula, Ismael and Helena Teresa, we went to the town of Lamego, but first we stopped by Galp and got gas and magnets for our Portuguese jugador (player) collection (we only got Paolo Santos and Quim, the two back up goalies). In Lamego, Peter, Fernandinha, Mom, and I climbed up many stairs. Each platform had a fountain or tiles and we kept walking up more stairs. When we got to the top, Valter, Grandma, Nana and Vovo were waiting for us (they had driven up the hill). We tried to light a candle for Nezinha but couldn’t find an altar to do that. When we were done, Dad, Peter and I walked down. Peter and I ran and raced the car. Peter and I won! Dad even beat the car and he only walked. Then we went to a village with a river going through it and a small little church and cemetery. The church was closed but the people were really nice to us and rang the church bell and called the caretaker and she let us in. There were 12^th century carvings in it and angels with very long heads. When we stopped for dinner, we had a Copa Mundial (World Cup) ice cream. We made our way back to Ilhavo. The windy roads made us sick but we finally got there at 12:00 PM and we went to bed.

June 17, 2006: Douro

Today we went to an archeological site. When we got there we went in a jeep and he took us to where there were carvings from 15,000-30,000 BC . The carvings were down near a river. All the carvings were of animals like goats, sheep, and a mythical animal. All the carvings were on a slab of rock and some carvings were in half because the slab had broken. No one knows what the carvings were for but our guide said maybe something for hunting. When we had seen all the carvings we went back up in the jeep and went to a café and watched the Portugal vs. Iran game.  When we got there it was 0-0 and almost done with the first half. When the first half was over it was still 0-0. In the 65^th minute Figo passed to Deco and Deco shot and scored!! In the 80^th minute there was a foul in the box, and C. Ronalo shot it and made it!! In the end Portugal won 2-0!! Then we went and had lunch and then went back to Helena Teresa’s house. That night we went to the little church near Helena Teresa’s house. After church, Dad, Peter and I went to watch the U.S. vs. Italy game. All of a sudden, Mom runs in and is really mad because Helena Teresa, Nezinha and Paula had prepared a big meal and it was done. We ran back to the house and had a great barbecued chicken meal.

June 16, 2006

Today, Fernandinha and Valter picked us up and we went to the Douro River area. First we stopped at Amarante. We went to the church of St. Goncalo. Inside the church was the tomb of St. Goncalo. There were a lot of people there because it was the festa of St. Goncalo. When we left, we went to a hotel. In the garden was a little stone statue of a man peeing and Mom stood by him and helped him out, fake peeing. We picnicked near the river in Amarante. Grandma accidentally spilled her water and Vovo got really mad! Back on the road, we stopped at a 5-star hotel to see the view. In the hotel, we watched the end of the Argentina vs. Serbia/Montenegro game. Argentina won 6-0. The goals we saw were Messi to Crespo and a goal by Messi and Tevez. Then we went to another town and went to Castelinho, a Port wine cellar, to taste Port wine. On the road we met Nezinha, Fernandinha’s sister, Helena Teresa, Ismael, and Paula, Fernandinha and Nezinha’s friends from Sao Joao de Madeira. We stopped at a viewpoint to look out over the vineyards of the Douro River and then went on to Sao Joao de Pesceira, where Helena Teresa’s family has a house. We made our beds and then went on a walk around Sao Joao de Pesceira. That night we had a great bacalhau (codfish) dinner. Vovo had a few more glasses of wine than he usually has and started to sing. Fernandinha and Nezinha helped him with the words. After dinner, we had a Port wine toast and even Vovo joined in on it.

June 10, 2006: Coimbra

Today we got up early and went to Coimbra. When we got there we went to Portugal dos Pequeninhos; it means Portugal for the little ones. In Portugal dos Pequeninhos there are small replicas of monuments in Portugal. So we saw some replicas of where we have been in Portugal. On one wall there is a world map with a statue of Prince Henry the Navigator and the map shows all the routes the Portuguese explorers went. On the other side there were all the typical houses of the various regions of Portugal. There were some from Lisbon, Algarve, Porto, Aveiro, and others. There was a moat around some of the houses and there was the Barra light house, which is near Ilhavo, where we live. At 12 we went out and went to the church where the first king of Portugal was buried there at the altar. When we were done exploring this church, we went to the university. The university of Coimbra is at the top of a hill. We went in to the university and had a great view of the town. There was a statue of Vasco da Gama in the square at the top of the hill. We got the same picture on the stairs of the main University building as in Portugal dos Pequeninhos but in real size. When we were done we went toward the mountains and the town of Luso. When we got to Luso, we went up to the old palace (now a five star hotel). When we got there we had a snack. In front of us was a beautiful  garden. All the bushes are cut into different designs. When we were done we walked around the castle. Mom and I tried to find the spot where we got a picture last time we were here. When we were done we had to go back so we got in the car and went back.

June 9, 2006

On the 9^th was the first game of the World Cup, Germany vs. Costa Rica, so we went over to Joao’s house to watch it. The first goal was in the 6th minute by Germany. Then 6 minutes later Costa Rica scored and then 6 minutes later Germany scored again. There were no more goals for the rest of the half. In the second half Germany scored 2 times and Costa Rica scored once. The final score was 4-2 Germany. When the game was over, we had dinner with Joao and then went back to the house.

June 4, 2006: Lisbon

Today we got up early and went to Lisbon. When we got to Lisbon we went to church at the Mosteiro dos Jeronimos. When church was over we looked around Mosteiro dos Jeronimos. We went to a famous Portuguese poet’s tomb called Luis Camoes and we went to Vasco da Gama’s tomb. Then we walked through a museum with lots of old stone artifacts. When we were done we went outside and went to the Monument of Discoveries. The Monument of Discoveries is for all the Portuguese navigators. At the front is Prince Henry looking out to the sea and then there are about 15 others behind him. After we walked around there we went to lunch and then to Torre de Belem, a castle for the king and queen to wave good bye to the explorers that went to sea. We went in and started up the long spiral staircase. We looked out to Dad at each level and he would take a picture. When we got to the top we had a great view of Lisbon. We walked back down to dad and went back to the car and started towards Saint George castle. When we got there we found parking and then went in. This was the best view of the city. We walked in to the castle and to our surprise, there were three peacocks. We explored the castle until it was time to go so we walked back down and went to the car and then went to dinner. On our way to dinner in a mall, we saw Sporting stadium and Benfica stadium. When we were done with dinner we started our long journey back home. We got a flat tire. My mother got out of the car and woke me up. There was a wretched smell in the air from the tire. I slept while Dad changed the tire. When we got there, we went right to bed.    

June 3, 2006: Evora, Monsaraz

We got up early and went to Evora. When we got to Evora we had a coffee and then started walking down streets and finally got to the Roman temple made in 1 BC called Temple of Diana. There were 14 colums. Then we went to the park and it had a lot of modern sculptures. We had a great view of red tile roofs and then had lunch under a tree in the courtyard. After we finished lunch we went to a big cathedral. At the altar there was an Assumption painting and there were paintings of popes on the ceiling. When you looked back you could see a big organ. There was a marble cross on the altar and two marble angels at foot of cross. The altar was made of gold. The marble they used is from this area and it comes in red, black, white, and green marble. Leading up to the altar were red carpets. The church helpers were starting to decorate for mass the next day. The whole church is in the shape of a cross. Next we went to the University. The University has blue and white tiles and a fountain in the middle of courtyard. There are lots of columns around the courtyard. On the roof there are two marble statues, one is holding a moon and the other one is holding a sun. We went into a room that had lots of model buildings. One guy build a house and we really liked his project so we wrote a letter to him and asked him to visit our website and email us. There were lots of columns around the courtyard. Then we went to the church of bones. The bones are in the wall. There are skulls and other bones. On one wall there is a full body skeleton. The paintings on the ceiling are lined with skulls. You can see names on skulls and there are about 5,000 skulls. Next we drove to a small village, surrounded by a castle wall on a hill, Monsaraz. When we got to Monsaraz, we walked by windows with hand made curtains. Because Monsarz is on top of a hill, you can see Spain. We went to the church. We found out that there are rooms for rent in the church. There are Roman columns in the church and the holy water is in marble shells. They still have cobblestone streets. We walked on the cobblestone streets to the castle. Inside the castle is a theater with flags. The theater is for the Medieval knights to ride in, so the theater floor is dirt. Mom, Peter, and I put on big helmets and used swords (picture below). Then Peter and I climbed up a spire of the castle but Mom and Fernandina told us to come down so we did. Then we went to dinner and then went back and went to bed.

June 2, 2006: Nazare, Alcobaca, & Obidos

Today Fernandina came over at 9 a.m. with Isabel and Valter. One hour later, we got to Nazare. The legend of Nazare is where a prince was hunting on a very foggy day and right before he fell off the cliff to his death, Mother Mary gave him a signal and he stopped and was saved. We got some food and then went down to the beach to eat. When we were done eating, we went on to Alcobaca. When we got to Alcobaca we entered the church through the big doors. We learned it was a UNESCO site and it had 9 chapels. The ceiling was made with X’s and big columns to hold it up. I went down to the king and queen’s tombs. First I went to the king’s tomb. The king’s tomb is in a lot of detail with a dog at his feet. Next I went to the queen’s tomb. There was a cross with the hair of the queen, the knife that murdered her and her crown. The murderers are holding up the queen’s tomb. At the altar was a dome. Next we went in to the monastery. Along the hallways we saw pentacle stars and carvings in the walls of these very old buildings. When we got to a room there was a singer so we stay for a song. In this living room were statues of bishops and elections happen in that room. Next we went to the monks’ hall that was lit with sparkling lights. Then we went in to the kitchen. The kitchen had a river going through it so that the cooks could catch the fish and cook them right away. There was one tub were the fish were cut. The water spouts were in the shape of a man’s head. There was a huge oven where a whole cow can be cooked! Next we went to Obidos. When we got to Obidos we went to Santa Maria church. It had the same tile as Gaudi’s Casa Batllo and had lots of paintings. The other tiles were blue and white with different designs. There was three statues of Mary on the front altar and lots of paintings on the ceiling. When we were done looking around the church, we started walking through the streets. There was lots of stores on the side of the street selling galos (Portuguese roosters) and wine and other things. There were very narrow streets and all the roofs were red tile roofs. There was a very expensive hotel in the castle. There are walls surrounding the whole city. Then we walked up stairs and had a great view of vineyards. We started walking around the walls of the castle. On one side there were no walls and on the other side were holes in the wall for places to put guns and bows and arrows through. Peter, Dad, and I walked around the whole castle. We went back to the car and went to a friend of Fernandina’s house named Gida. We got there at 12 midnight and went right to bed.

May 28-June 1, 2006: Ilhavo

We spent the whole week spending time with Nana and Vovo and working on travelog and playing football. The first day we went to Costa Novaá with Joao and Joana and Ana. When we got there, we saw the traditional homes of Costa Nova, striped houses in different colors. We went to the beach and played football because the water was cold. When it was time to go, we got all of our stuff and headed to see the Barra lighthouse. When we got there, we found out that it is one of the tallest light houses in Europe. It is striped red and white and is right on the sea. When we were done looking around, we went back to Ilhavo.

One night we went to a UEFA Under 21 championship game, Holland vs. Italy. It wasn’t a very good game but Holland won 1-0. We also went to Ukraine vs. Serbia/Montenegro and that wasn’t a good game either but Ukraine won in shoot outs. On the weekend, we went with Fernandina, Isabel, and Valter sightseeing and didn’t get to see Holland win the cup.

May 27, 2006: Salamanca to Ilhavo

We got a bus from Salamanca to Aveiro. When we got to Aveiro, we were picked up by our cousin Ana and her brother Ze and Nana and Vovo (our other grandparents) and went to Ilhavo. When we got there, Peter and I went over to Ana’s house and the rest of the gang went to the store. At Ana’s house, we were met by Ana’s son, our cousin Joao. We play football (soccer) in the back and watched a friendly with Portugal in it. We had dinner at their house and then went back to our house.