well, it has been some time since I’ve had a chance to write, which means that a lot has been happening. Several nights in Barcelona, which were amazing, but I´m not going to worry about them right now – I´ll send another email some time talking about that city. It is a great place, probably my favourite place that I have visited so far, certainly the only one I didn´t
want to leave.
Leon joined me in Barcelona and we made our way to Portugal, and spend several nights with our friends Dean and Kerry (and their son Ethan, nearly 2) at Kerry´s father´s farm in the middle of Portugal, near Viseu and Nelas which is sort of southeast of Porto. It is a wonderful area, full of ancient hills ridged with patient stone. We went up into the mountains and had a glass of port at a little cafe/bar in a tiny mountain village straddling a rushing stream, and went to local markets where gypsies travel selling rugs and clothes and tools and more.
At nights we ate great local cuisine and sat talking over wine, while the enormous dogs barked and ran around. It was very relaxing. Cheers to Badal and Devamani for their hospitality, and to Dean and Kerry for coming to Portugal!
Anyway, we headed south and made our way to Lisbon, stopping at Fatima on the way. A fascinating place, filled with pilgrims and the curious. Tomorrow is the 85th anniversary of the last and greatest apparition at Fatima and huge crowds are expected, but there was no sense of anticipation there, instead a feeling of great calm. The size of the place is what surprised me the most, the enormous basilica with two-story reproductions of photographs of the children the most striking thing of all.
And now we are in Lisboa, staying at a Pension in Belem, which is out of the centre near historical locales. Plenty to see, and the nightlife is grand. It’s a good place and I’m glad I came.
Stay well you all
morgan