Boa tarde a minha familia e amigos!
Although seven hours separate us, you are never far from our thoughts. I have my watch set on Seattle time and we often laugh when we realize that as we are preparing for our dinner meal, many of you are just getting up! We are having such a good time and hope that through our blog sites we can bring some of our experiences to life for you. Please be sure to check out my sisters’ blogs entitled “Azores Island Girl” and “Mosaic Memories” in My Favorite Links. We are trying to write about different “adventures” and select different photos in order to share varied perspectives about our trip.
Nothing remains the same….all things change and undergo the passage of time. The same is true for my beautiful Terceira. Yesterday I stood below the apartment homes of my Tias Leontina and Inez, where I stayed twenty-seven years ago during my last visit. I can close my eyes and still remember lying in bed each morning and listening to the sound of the wooden wagon wheels of the donkey carts traveling by. The fishmonger would call out as he passed by….”peixe”. Fresh pao (bread) and leite (milk) were also delivered to the door each morning. We would also awaken to the sound of a multitude of birds chirping! The cobblestone street in front of my Tias’ place in Praia has now been paved over for passing cars and a hotel has been built across the street. I almost didn’t recognize where I was….but was finally able to get my bearings. The side roads are still the same, and hopefully will remain so for some time to come. It is the quaintness of the island that makes it so special and although progress can be welcome, my hope is that Praia will keep its unique flavor for many years to come.
Although seven hours separate us, you are never far from our thoughts. I have my watch set on Seattle time and we often laugh when we realize that as we are preparing for our dinner meal, many of you are just getting up! We are having such a good time and hope that through our blog sites we can bring some of our experiences to life for you. Please be sure to check out my sisters’ blogs entitled “Azores Island Girl” and “Mosaic Memories” in My Favorite Links. We are trying to write about different “adventures” and select different photos in order to share varied perspectives about our trip.
Nothing remains the same….all things change and undergo the passage of time. The same is true for my beautiful Terceira. Yesterday I stood below the apartment homes of my Tias Leontina and Inez, where I stayed twenty-seven years ago during my last visit. I can close my eyes and still remember lying in bed each morning and listening to the sound of the wooden wagon wheels of the donkey carts traveling by. The fishmonger would call out as he passed by….”peixe”. Fresh pao (bread) and leite (milk) were also delivered to the door each morning. We would also awaken to the sound of a multitude of birds chirping! The cobblestone street in front of my Tias’ place in Praia has now been paved over for passing cars and a hotel has been built across the street. I almost didn’t recognize where I was….but was finally able to get my bearings. The side roads are still the same, and hopefully will remain so for some time to come. It is the quaintness of the island that makes it so special and although progress can be welcome, my hope is that Praia will keep its unique flavor for many years to come.
We have done quite a bit of walking around town. My sisters did a good job of explaining the decorations around Praia for the “festas”. The festival extends from August 3 to August 12th. It began with an evening parade down the main street of Praia. Decorations included colorful hanging quilts from each window and bright lights along the beach boardwalk and up and down the streets of town. Bands played musica through the evening, a hot air balloon was set up on the beach and restaurants set up full-service dining tents all along the marina….much like the “Bite of Seattle” but with a complete dining experience rather than just a single “bite”. We stay out late and walk up and down the beach. Last night we met a serviceman from Minnesota stationed at Lajes Air Force Base, where my dad had been stationed many years ago. This young serviceman, Tim, gave us his work number and may be able to get us on the base later this week. It’s been fun to walk the beach and listen to the Portuguese families – we’re starting to pick up on more and more words each day! The festas end on August 12th with a “bull run” on the beach!
During the past couple of days I’ve visited the church where my parents were married. It is hundreds of years old (1456) and a landmark in town. We drove to the top of Monte Brasil yesterday afternoon. It is an old fortress and overlook. At the top you can see around the island for miles. We drove to the island municipality of Angra Do Heroismo (Heroism Bay) yesterday and walked around the beautiful and lush “Jardim” park. Angra is where the main bullring is located and we’re hoping to acquire tickets to the bullfight (tourada) event this Tuesday. The bull is not killed in Portugal, but we will still be ready with our best “Ole’s” as the handsome cavaleiro demonstrates his skill against the toro bravo!
We’ll be sure to keep you posted! Ate Logo!
Dorothy
1 comment:
Looks like you're practicing your Portuguese. I talked to Kevin about the problem you're having with the camera. He thought you might not be turning the camera off after taking a picture. Continue having a great time, and alkaline batteries will work, but lithium last longer.
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