Tuesday, August 26, 2008

The First Stamp


You have never seen anyone happier than Angela Shaver when she went through customs in Lisbon this morning. It wasn't because she thought she might have trouble getting through...it was because she got her very first stamp in her passport. She even turned and did a little victory dance as the rest of us were struggling with suitcases, and standing in line waiting to get our matching stamp.
After a layover in Lisbon we hopped on yet another plane to Porto. There we checked into our hotel and we were glad to see beds and bathrooms. While some took naps others explored the area outside of the hotel and some of us practiced learning Portuguese, for example "grande aqua" is a big bottle (two liters) of water. Personally, I had already mastered the language of my favorite beverage, "coca-cola" for Coke, and "Coke-light" for diet coke.
We ate dinner just a few blocks from the hotel at the Cafe Majestic, and it was definitely majestic. The restaurant had an old world elegance, with marble pillars, plaster cherubs on the walls, and elegant woodwork and ceiling decor that reminds you of the 1930's. I don't know if it was the lack of sleep, magic of the city, or just general touristy behavior but many found the main course they ordered so appealing they photographed them.
I will do my best to collect photos each day and link them to our web site so you can see what we are seeing. This city has a special mix of old world charm and modern business opportunity mixed together. We will be here through tomorrow afternoon, adjusting to the time difference, then we head by bus to Universidade de Tras-os-Montes e Alto Douro or UTAD. This is Portugal's equivalent to a land grant university, or should I say their version of N.C. State.
Thank you to everyone who is checking this blog and leaving comments. Hearing from you makes it feel like we really are not that far away from home and we hope you have as much fun reading and viewing as we are having sharing it with you.

4 comments:

Unknown said...

I'm so glad you guys are having a good time! I'm jealous! Have a wonderful time and see you all soon! We miss you!

Lauren Irby

kool_kids said...

YEAH Angela!!!! Enjoy. I have to remember the Coke thing. Don't forget to take some pictures of the buildings. I might be able to paint a couple of them.

Anonymous said...

Scary pciture. I think we could have taken a more flattering one, but what would anyone look like after two days of traveling without much sleep! I was excited to get my stamp and even more so to see this fabulous country. To everyone back home - stay tuned, there is plenty more to come.

Mark said...

Angela,

You will be easy to buy for this year for Christmas, now that we know what makes you happy.

Mark (Dad)