Dark Night

Adventure

After the lab final, some of my new friends went home, but others stayed with me and we poked around Lisbon and Sintra. We got Lisboa cards for discounted admissions to museums and public transportation, and visited Praca do Comerci, the former site of the royal palace until it was destroyed in an earthquake in 1755, still with beautiful arcades and statues. The oldest coffeehouse in Lisbon, Café Martinho da Arcada, dated to the late 1700s and served delicious coffee in a very atmosphere space. We had a traditional dish, Pastel de Nata, a Portuguese custard tart, and thus fortified, went out to see sights with a vengeance. There was Rossio Square, with its beautiful fountains and architecture, the Fado museum, dedicated to a moody, dramatic music that was performed at bullfights, parties, and festivals, the Museu Nacional dos Coches, a museum devoted to horse-drawn carriages, and LX Factory, a former industrial complex that now showcased shopping, design and visual arts, restaurants, performing arts, fashion, music, and performing arts. We went to the Thief's Market, an extraordinary open-air shopping experience, ate amazing food, soaked up the sun and atmosphere. We had several other redheads in my group, which meant that the sunscreen was plentiful and always available. Then we went to Sintra, which was kind of castle-central. Quinta da Regaleira, which was classified as World Heritage by UNESCO and built at the turn of the 20th century, a romantic architectural complex is comprised of a palace, a chapel, and gardens with grottos. The Moorish castle, a military fortification that bears witness to the Islamic presence in the region, and was probably constructed between the eighth and ninth centuries and later expanded after the Reconquista. Overlooking the town of Sintra, it served as a watchtower, guaranteeing the protection of Lisbon and its surroundings. And Monserrate Palace, an exquisite and eclectic palace with beautiful gardens. We spent an afternoon at the beach, Praia Grande, where I got to surf for the first time that summer. Different waves, different culture, tons of fun. And there were dinosaur footprints near the cliffs. At this point, my friends went back home and I was on my own.

I went back to Lisbon and took some classes. The Lusitanos Riding Centre is a school built around the Lusitano horse and settled in a beautiful farm. I learned how to ride during my day there, the horses were beautiful and sweet. Then I went to the Lisbon Cooking Academy and learned how to make petiscos, Portuguese small plates. They served wine with our finished product, and I went back to the hotel pleasantly buzzed and with new recipes. From Lisbon, I went to Madrid, and took a night-time Segway tour that included the city square, the Royal Palace, Opera Square, Almudena Cathedral, and Templo de Debod. It was great fun zipping around on the Segway and we covered a lot of ground. So to speak. The next morning I joined a small tour group for a morning tour of the city that included the Royal Palace, Plaza Ramales, the Plaza de Oriente,  the beautiful Sabatini Gardens and Campo del Moro. My group decided to have lunch together, then we went our separate ways; I went to A Punto Cooking and Tasting School to learn how to make tapas--came away with ten recipes!--and poked around until it was time for a beginners class at the Flamenco Center. It's fantastic, both disciplined and sexy, and my teacher was terrific. From there, I caught the train to Brussels. I'd thought to stop in Paris, but I wanted to spend a lot of time there and would have to come back. My money was running low, as was my time, and the Eurail fare was still expensive. I went second class, but still had comfortable chairs and an advantage, as I saw it, was that there was a restaurant and bistro car rather than being served in the seat in first class. I met some nice people over the eighteen-plus hour trip. I had to change trains five times, but it was nice to get up, stretch, explore the amazing train stations, which could be a little intimidating.

I had only one day in Brussels, so I did the Brussels Hop-on Hop-off tour (red line) which included Central Station: the Grand Place, the Chocolate Museum, and the Beer Museum; the Place Royal: Royal Park Theatre, Belgian Federal Parliament, and Royal Palace Dynasty Museum; the Sablon: the Antiques Market, Sablon Church, and Sablon Garden; Louise Square - Justice Palace: the Obelisk and beautiful panoramic views over Brussels, the Horta Museum and beautiful Art Nouveau buildings; the Palais Royal: Park of Brussels, Belgian Federal Parliament, and the Royal Palace. I had to hurry to make my workshop, which was learning how to make Belgian chocolates. They wouldn't travel well, so I ate them that night and on the flight back to the US. I changed planes in New York; unfortunately I didn't have time to see Zayna, who was settling into her new job and life, and flew to San Francisco, where Grandpa picked me up. He wasn't too thrilled by my still-colorful black eyes and tender nose, but he had to admit that the game sounded fun, if a little vicious. Stan had already gone down to school, so he missed out on the show and tell with the parents as well, supplemented with the recipes I'd learned in Portugal and Madrid. My parents were glad I was home safe and (relatively) sound, and as a special treat, Mom didn't have a fit over my nose. Before I went back to school, I made chocolates as a treat and a reward. Cass had gone down a little early, so I caught a ride back to school with John. He was interested in my classes and a little surprised at my hard-partying ways.