Final Notes from Portugal

A quick sum up of what we've learned from our adventure in Portugal:
1.  Portugal is well known for it's tiles.

2.  Public transportation and signage of such transportation in Lisboa is some of the best we've seen during our travels.
3.  Figs trees grow like weeds and should be imported to Hawaii.
4.  Although toilet paper is specifically named to indicate that it can be flushed down the toilet, some Portuguese toilets/septic tanks apparently lack such capacity.
5.  With the above being true, showers must then be used as a bidet with much care being exercised to ensure that no feces remains in leg hair.  We never would have guessed that to some people in some parts of the world, ass-wiping is considered a luxury.
6.  24-hour train rides with loud Portuguese men should be avoided at all costs.
7.  Digging ditches is really hard work (and should also be avoided), hence the saying "it ain't digging ditches".
8.  Some people consume what they call "pork belly meat" when in fact we would challenge anyone to find more than 2% protein in an entire serving of the stuff.
9.  The architecture and landscapes throughout Portugal are stunning and the "financial crisis" is not as apparent as American media would make it out to be.

A vacation from our vacation

After 15 months of traveling (booking tickets at the last minute, finding apartments, phones, etc.)  we are taking a vacation like normal people.  We have all of our train tickets to Seignosse, France already purchased, we have a place to stay reserved and we have no plans to work while we are there.  Three countries and an entire day of train travel ahead of us... we can't wait to sit back, relax, and be tourists!

Forks, Elbows and Hockey Sticks

Having been raised where we were and when we were, we are accustomed to certain table etiquette and are unaccustomed to others.  Neither one of us purports to have great table manners but the European acceptance of the apparent hockey game that takes place at every meal, on every plate is not only strange to us, but it severely limits the number of people who can safely fit in a dining space.

At an American bbq, people can be packed around a table with the assurance that a right-hander's right elbow might need a small berth, and in turn their own elbow will also be given adequate space.  (A left hander definitely throws a wrinkle into the plan, but measure can be taken by giving them a corner seat.)  At a European bbq, no such assurances can be made and in fact, there seems to a free-for-all where people stake out space for their left hand for fork use and their right hand for knife/hockey-stick use.

"Scrumping"

The area of the Algarve where we are living is full of edible goodies!  There are walnut trees (which we've heard are good at keeping mosquitoes away - Todd is planning on planting one at our future home on Oahu)

fig trees (which Todd is also planning on growing in Hawaii now that it is one of his favorite fruits)

almond trees

orange trees, grape vines, plum trees, pomegranate trees, olive trees, etc.  In our particular yard, we make use of all the foods available, however, the walnuts are't ripe yet (only Freddie the dog eats them), the olives take too long to process for us to enjoy them, and the almonds haven't been harvested yet.  So, in order to fill our bellies and not let the wild produce go to waste, we've taken to "scrumping".  Jane and Graham have explained this British word to mean harvesting the common property whilst not stealing.  We try to stick to the honest ways of scrumping and only occasionally do we sample the tasty grapes growing in a small vineyard on our way home from the gym.  

It ain't diggin ditches

For the past week, we have been earning our room and board in Loule, Portugal by providing manual labor to complete tasks such as sanding and painting a gate,

gardening, and digging ditches through a "quarry".

For our efforts, we have accommodation in a small chalet with a kitchenette and private loo (no paper down the loo),

free use of the pool,

and breakfast lunch and dinner prepared with fresh fruits and veggies by our great hosts, Jane, Graham and their two dogs Fred and Sheeba.  We found them using the handy helpx website (http://www.helpx.net/).

After five days of working outside in the blazing sun, we now have an intimate understanding of the saying "it ain't diggin ditches".

Quick stay in Lisboa

Before making it to Loule, we stopped for two days in Lisboa, Portugal to regroup from the 18 hour bus ride between Barcelona and Lisboa.  We expected public transport to be a bit difficult there because... well lets be honest... public transport in other counties is never very easy.  However, we were VERY impressed with the organization, signage, and easy of use!  For about 4 Euros each, we had a 24-hour pass that allowed us to use all buses, trolleys and metros to see the sights:

Part of the fun of being lost is discovering places you didn't know you were looking for.  In particular, on the night that we were looking for a particular castle on a hill (we eventually found it but were denied access because it closed 5 minutes before we arrived), we stumbled upon a lookout at just the right time and just the right evening with just the right conditions to capture these (all you "real" photographers eat your heart out):