Bananas Don't Travel Well

Tiled fountain near SintraOur second stop in Europe was Portugal, where we visited Chris' mom, Candace, and his stepfather, Sandro. Although neither of them is Portuguese, they have lived there together for over twenty years. Since we've been there before (Chris once lived there himself), we weren't too focused on sightseeing. Instead, this stop was mostly about eating and socializing.

Candace and Chris in AlmocagemeWe knew we were in Portugal from the applause of our co-passengers as we bumped down in Lisbon. This was reinforced by the 45 minute wait for the baggage carousel to budge, and another half hour for the bags to come through. Lisbon has sprawled considerably since our last visit, over ten years ago. But aside from the addition of an internet cafe, the coastal town of Almocageme, where we stayed at Candace and Sandro's house for most of our visit, hadn't changed much. Rural Portugal is lovely: mossy-walled villas, whitewashed houses with red tile roofs, winding roads, and cork and olive trees everywhere. I particularly like the decorative tilework that adorns street signs, fountains, walls and facades.

Candace and Sandro's ruinIn addition to the coast, we spent a few days in the Alantajo, near Spain, where Candace and Sandro have been camping out for a year and a half trying to arrange the necessary red tape to restore a ruined farmhouse they have bought. They were in good spirits when we arrived, having just learned that they could, after all, bring in electricity. The property is quite beautiful, with hundred-year-old olive and fruit trees, and a little stream running through it. The surrounding landscape is hilly with rocky outcrops, and sweeping vistas abound. We visited some of the neighbouring towns, including Marvao, a fantastic citadel with a commanding 360 degree view. view from Marvao

But mostly we just ate and ate and ate. Like Italy, the food is all good in Portugal, and Sandro loves to entertain. One night we had superb fish and crab (the guts mixed with boiled egg and mustard and served with crostini, mmmmmm!). The next, we went for all-you-can-eat Brazilian beef, served dim-sum style, with guys coming around with skewers of various cuts of beef and slicing off pieces. It was very good, but probably more beef than I've had in ten years. (Chris and I have completely fallen off the wagon where meat is concerned!)

whole tuna, in a Portuguese supermarketAll in all, we probably each gained ten pounds in Portugal, but also managed to catch up on some much-needed sleep before saying some tearful goodbyes and heading off for Cairo.