Days 2,3,and 4

Well, I had the best of intentions of writing to write almost everyday, but the days have been long and the recoveries slow. Stephanie and I have been exploring parts of Lisboa we did not know and adding to our Libations and Gastrronomy Tour. She is a lot better of keeping track of things than I am, but here we go anyway on my random commentaries.

Portugal is a fairly small country and the population is 10+ million, so we can get from point A to point B rather quickly. Sunday we headed up to Castelo do Bode wnere Luis has a beautiful home near the lake. Ostensibly we were going to made a minor repair, but in true Portuguese fashion, we made a day of it it. I had mentioned that one of my "bucket list" places that I wanted to visit was Almourol Castle which is located on a islet in the Tejo about 100 kilometers north of Lisboa. Of course we went there and I was ecstatic. The castle was eveything I expected and more. I was surprised how close the north side of the islet is from the shore, but still the castle stood imposing near a bend in the river. The structure is in excellent condition, and I will visit again, I did not have my knee brace on today, so climbing it was out of the question.

We drove further up the river and entered Constancia, birthplace of Camoes, the Portuguese epic poet. Two "bucket lists" in one day!!! I sat and spoke to him on a park bench overlooking the Tejo. Later we had a cafezinho with Camoes and he was still sitting on his little bench.

The interior of Portugal is slowly becoming desertified is the young people are leaving for the big cities to find work and adventure. I can understand why, and I would probably have the done the same, but the interior is so beautiful, especially along the rivers. For example, Constancia is gorgeuos with white-washed houses, beautiful tile roofs, clean, great views of the confluence of the Tejo and Zezere rivers, but again, not many young people. We see the same thing in the US and other countries and it seems to me that we need to look at what we are doing to the interiors of our countries.

Ashley and Patricio arrive today. I expect that they are now flying across the Atlantic and are due in Lisboa at 2pm local time (4am in California). We are planning on giving them a couple of hours of shut eye and then the Libations and Gastronomy starts at a restaurant that is highly recommended. I am going to stop now since I cannot type and I am tired to making corrections. I will add to this when time permits or I am not eating, drinking, or sleeping.

Beijinhos

First day in Portugal

Well, after a 5 hour flight from Boston we arrived in Lisboa at 9:00am. The flight was uneventful, but L O N G...

When we arrived at Portela Airport, the line for passport control was huge since several other international fligths had come in at the same time. We were probably 200th in line, BUT, I showed my EU passport and was told to go into the EU line. I mentioned that my wife was with a US passport and he said go ahed to the EU line that must have saved us 30 minutes or more.

Luis, our cousin, was waiting, so off we went to his apartment. One of the great things about coming into Lisbon is that when one walks out of the arrival area, one is actually up on a stage where people can spot you and call out to you. Very nice.

We arrived home, had a cafezinho and talked for a bit and sacked out from about five hours. Luis took us down to the Docas area of Lisboa where we saw under the 25 de abril bridge and enjoy another cafe and an Agua das Pedras mineral water. We came back home and had a FABULOUS dinner of bacalhau com natas (codfish with cream) and some wine. Luis had gone out for a couscous gourment dinner, so Stephanie and I were on our own.

Tomorrow in the morning Stephanie and I are going to the Colombo shopping center where she will visit Zarra (Cyndi says it is a great European clothing store) and afterwards we are taking one of the ferries across the Tejo for a fish dinner. As Luis says, if we take the ferry, then we can drink more. A philiosphy I completely agree with!

A Day in Quincy and Boston

Today, my cousin Maria Jose (Ze), Stephanie and I went to Quincy, Massachusetts to visit the birthplaces of presidents John Adams (#2) and John Quincy Adams (#6). We toured their birth homes, which are all original, except the very first one. They are part of the National Park Service and are very well organized. Ze struggled a bit to find the parking lots, actually going to the train station first and driving backwards in the exit lane. Even the GPS was confused.
We eventually found the National Park Service visitors center and then went hunting for a Dunkin Donuts. If one has never been to Mass, it is surprising how many Dunkin Donuts are located around here. For folks in this region, Dunkin Donuts is the place to be and be seen. We did not find one, which caused Ze some psychological discomfort. A Starbuck's was secondary choice, but satisfying nonetheless.
We visited the Adams' places which very nice.
Afterwards we went to the crypt where John, John Quincy, Abigail, and Catherine are buried. It is a classic crypt under the Universal-Unitarian Church in downtown Quincy. What surprised me was that I was allowed to take pictures. Afterwards we visited the church itself and sat in the Adams' pew. I was invited to go to the pulpit where I made the sign of the cross. Alarms went off with gongs, and within two minutes there were three Quincy Fire Department engines there. After I explained what had happened I was allowed to leave with a firm warnings that Unitarians take their beliefs in the Trinity very seriously. Just to spite them I prayed a Hail Mary silently. Nothing happened! Excellent.
We drove to Cambridge next to have lunch with Jose (another cousin) and chatted it up a bit. He works at a restaurant there named Casa Portugal. Great food, wine, coffee, etc. It was great seeing Jose again.
We next visited Harvard University and Harvard Square. We didn't stay long because all the smart people were making me nervous. A visit to the COOP and then back to Dover.
The only bad was that Emily called to let us know that her ankle was causing a lot of pai. We told here to go see a doctor. More news later.
Overall Monday was great.

Aristides de Sousa Mendes

Aristides de Sousa Mendes... Portuguese hero of World War II.
More to come soon.

Immigration Problem

I am starting to think more and more about the immigration problem that is stemming especially from Mexico. I see a conservative trend in the US, especially projected by the Arizona immigration law. As people living in a democracy, we have an obligation to reach decisions in a clear manner and to understand why issues happen. In this series of blogs I will try and look at some of the causes forcing people to leave their homes and come to the United States.

As a Catholic Christian I consider what Christ taught as to how we are to treat our fellow man: with love and compassion. I believe there are several issues that are affecting how many citizens of the US think on the matter. One is economics, meaning the concern that illegal immigrants are taking jobs away from those born n the US or naturalized. Also under the umbrella of economics we have the arguments that illegals are feeding at the trough of the social welfare system and being educated in our public school, as well as receiving free medical assistance.

Most people do not want to leave the land of their birth; the land that they know; their family and friends. The place(s) that are familiar to them. If we consider the situation of illegal immigrants to the United States, we see that most, not all, illegal immigrants are leaving their homes in search of a better life for their families and for themselves. As an example: a poor family in rural Mexico has difficulty accessing education for their children. Many schools are decrepit, teachers ill prepared, and the cost is high. So we see that young children are not receiving the education they need to break the cycle of poverty. The Mexican educational system is dysfunctional with very little money reaching the schools. In 2007, 93% of the education budget went to salaries! So,as a parent what is one to do? I would say that the answer is to leave for the land of opportunity, the United States. So, the challenge we have at hand is what to do about an educational system in a neighboring country that is dysfunctional and causing its' citizens to leave? If one answers, "screw them, that's their problem," then we are not moving forward. Does the U.S. have an obligation to its' own citizen to assist Mexico to keep Mexicans in Mexico? These are answers that we need to look int out hearts and answer.

Meg Whitman

As I watch the TV commercials for the California gubernatorial election in November, I am completely fascinated by the outward and quite public dislike which Meg Whitman has for middle and lower class working Americans. Her advertised contempt for labor unions and thus workers is remarkable. She tends to blame the problems of the economy on "special interests lie labor unions." Wow. That is fantastic.

First of all she conveniently forgets that all labor contracts are signed by two groups, workers and management. By calling unions a "special interest (like it is not O.K. to take care of your family and have a higher standard of living)" she distracts people from the reality that it takes two to dance strike a deal. This is very simplistic of her and naive. Of course I she that her conservative constituents will lap this up and run with it as the truth. She is being untruthful and misleading.

Also, Whitman wants to create jobs in California after she fires 40,000 Americans who happen to work for the State of California. Huh? You fire people and then create jobs for them. Now that is truly brilliant thinking. Whitman is an intellect all to her herself and the Republican yeah sayers. Whitman has yet to say how she will create jobs... oh wait she'll use the old and tried Republican axiom of reducing taxes on business. That's right. Businesses will create new jobs with all their tax breaks. Gosh, Meg, no one else ever thought of that. And, oh yes... has it worked before?

So, let's see: 1. Workers are bad; 2. Fire workers; create new jobs; 3.give businesses and hey, why not throw in the wealthy to, tax breaks to create jobs.

And this woman wants to govern the world's 8th largest economy? I don't think so.