viva portugal!

Moi and I have been in Portugal for several days now, visiting his family and doing some sightseeing.
A few highlights and thoughts.....

• The Portuguese love their food and are very particular about it!  Some staples of Portuguese food are fish, sausages, cheeses, potatoes, snails, seafood, eggs. One of my favorites so far have been the grilled sardines, caught fresh in the ocean and eaten on bread or with olive oil. I also enjoyed the sopa verde, or green soup, made with a type of grassy kale grown only in Portugal. We ate escargot from the shell along the boardwalk of Cascais, enjoying the ocean breeze of an afternoon. And, of course, there is the little bakeries that sell a million types of pastries and delicious capuccinos. Bacalao, salted cod fish, is one of the favorites for Portuguese. For me, it was pretty difficult to eat. The Portuguese diet is very salty, with strong flavors and heavy sauces. After the initial excitement, I think I need to find some fruits and vegetables to soothe my stomach.  
• We've been hopping around from place to place meeting Moises family. His mother is one of thirteen children and there are plenty of aunts and uncles that live in Cascais and Estoril near where we are staying. When the car broke down on the side of the road it was only a few moments before a prima, cousin, happened to be driving past and helped us. Portugal is very family oriented as a culture and everywhere we go we are invited in for tea, croissants and conversation.
• One of my favorite experiences so far was an adventure that we had on the way back from visiting an aunt, driving through the mountains of Sintra. Up and down, through tiny walled towns and enjoying the view of the ocean, we went in search on a fair taking placing in a little village. We turned a corner and discovered the lights of the carnival and families walking along t he cobbled streets of the town. Along with the typical carnival games and rides, we discovered a stand selling ginga, a traditional cherry liquor, drunk from tiny chocolate cups, and an accordion concert. It was magical!
• The Portuguese soccer team arrived to the semifinal of the Eurocup this year and we were here to watch the game with Moi aunt and uncle, Micas and Tze. The phenomenon of soccer as a force the unites society is amazing. Everyone was talking about the game with anticipation, giving plenty of praise to Ronaldo (named for Ronald Reagan apparently) and with high hopes for a Eurocup victory. And Portugal came pretty close, as the game finally ended in penalty kicks.