Concerts - Fado and the Cranberries

Jared and I have been on the go, trying to do as much as we can before we leave! I have so much to fill you in on. First of all, lets talk music! Everyone knows that music is totally important to both me and Jared – he has played bass since he was a kid, and I have sang since I came out of the womb – so it is only fitting that we went to some concerts while in Lisbon.

Fado. Fado is a type of music that originated in Lisbon, specifically, around the turn of the century – so, late 1800s. It was started in low-income areas, with sailors and prostitutes mainly. The music was rich in “saudade” which has no English translation, but it is close to “a type of sadness or longing”, and relied heavily on the Portuguese guitar. Fado is a beautiful music that takes you on a journey. The guitar as well as the voice makes your heart swell and break as easily as blinking! I fell in love with it when I went to the Museum of Fado and spent the day in Alfalma, the area of Lisbon where it all started. Singers would perform in a café late at night. There would be no stage, no lighting, and no official performance – so to speak; just a crowded, smoky café with a guitar player at one table and a singer standing amongst the tables.

There is a theater in town called “Fado in Chiado” which is mainly for tourist who want to experience Fado, but do not know where to go for authentic settings. Chiado is one of the tourist areas in Lisbon and is right in the middle of town. So, Jared and I went. First, let me say, it was awesome!!! When we turned in our ticket, I was given a red rose and Jared was given a magnet of a Portuguese guitar and both totally made our night! As we sat in out seats, fog machines were pumping out smoke to make it seem like a smoky café and the lighting was very dim. There were only 4 performers, 2 guitar players and 2 singers, but it was a fabulous performance! The most famous Fado singer was Amalia, and she is considered the voice of Portugal! (And of course we bought her best hits CD!)

The other concert Jared and I went to was the Cranberries! I think it is totally fitting that we got to see them on this trip because I cannot talk about my life without hearing the Cranberries in the background! They are the soundtrack to my middle school, high school and crazy-just-after-high school days! I saw the lead singer, Deloris OReirdan at the Gravity Lounge in C’ville 2 years ago, and I cannot take a road trip without singing my heart out to at least one of their CDs! They are the only band that I own all of their CDs! I love them. It was so awesome that I could see them on this trip – its like, a sign, you know?! Like, verification that we are doing what we are supposed to do and that we are on the right path! Or, maybe we were just really lucky – who knows! Anyway, they played at the coolest venue. An old bull-fighting ring! It was awesome! They were amazing! Deloris sounded great and her man was shredding on his guitar like no other! The audience was great too! Everyone was singing along and dancing! It was super fun!

Yay for music in Portugal!

Mystery Necklace

All right, who sent me this necklace? About 3 weeks ago, a package arrived at our flat. It was addressed to me, had no return address, and the postage was from the UK and paid for in pounds. I only know 2 people in the UK right now and they did not send it to me. I posted it on Facebook and no one came forward. I have asked other people, but so far nothing. WHO SENT THIS TO ME? I would love to say thank you. The map of the old Spanish and Portuguese provinces is cute. So, whoever you may be, thank you from the bottom of my heart and please step forward!

Love,

Michelle

Sending Things Home

Since our time in Portugal was during the winter and because Sao Tome is on the Equator, Jared and I had to pack for 2 completely different climates. But now that our time in Portugal is coming to an end, we are in the process of shipping our heavy, winter clothes (and all the stuff we bought/acquired) back to Virginia. We assumed we had several options for shipping, like in the US, however, this was not the case. Last month I sent my sister in Michigan a purse. The box I sent was fairly small and the purse clearly did not weigh that much. At the post office, it was around 11 Euros for shipping. Well, I decided to try out other places, so they other day, I took a similar sized box, stuffed with a similar weighing purse for my Mom in Indiana to Fed Ex way the hell out on the North side of Lisbon. I must have sat on the bus for 45 minutes. Anyway, the Fed Ex turned out to be an express only and I was quoted at 90 Euros. Well screw that! Jared and I (obviously) have chosen to go with the post office for our shipping needs! Now, my days are filled with dumpster diving for clean, usable boxes (because Fed Ex, UPS, and other places do not sell boxes) and filling them with sweaters, coats, scarves and the like.

Ships & Our Lady of Fatima

Well, its already March which means we have 2 weeks left in Portugal! Jared and I have been traveling around Lisbon and Portugal doing all the things we can that are left on our list. In the last 2 weeks, we have gone to Oriente (an area of Lisbon where the 1998 World Expo was held) and visited the Oceanario, walked the river-walk, and rode the Sky Shuttle, we visited the Museu do Oriente, which is dedicated to the Portuguese influence in Asia, the Mariner Museum, which is honestly one of our favorite museums ever, as well as visited Fatima, a small city northwest of Lisbon.

If there is one Museum to define the history of Portugal, it would have to be the Mariner Museum. The Portuguese were the first Europeans allowed in Japan, they were a huge part of the African slave trade, and they were the first to "discover" India and the Americas, so this museum, as you can imagine, was AWESOME!! Jared loved it because there was a lot concerning what he studies, but it was also cool to me because of all the replica ships, maps, paintings, and such. Not to mention the cargo hold that had tons of boats to see and touch, like the Royal Barge used in the 17th century for the King and Queen of Portugal. To see lots of pictures of this museum, click here.

Fatima is the place of holy apparitions of Mary to three children, in 1917. Since then, the sight has become a place of prayer and pilgrimage for many believers around the world. If you google Fatima, lots of sights come up with the story of the apparitions.To see some of our pictures, click here. The reason I wanted to go to Fatima was because of a book I read when I was younger called “The Unexplained”. It was a book about visions and sightings and ghost stories from around the world – kind of cheesy – but in it was Fatima. I always remembered the story and the place because it involved children and 3 secrets that they were not allowed to talk about until the Vatican released them. As an avid talker, I thought this was insane! If I saw a vision and it gave me a message, there is no way I could be silent about it!! Anyway, when Jared received the Fulbright, one of the first things I said was that I wanted to visit Fatima, and I did!

These last 2 weeks are going to be crazy because we want to leave with no regrets. Our plans include traveling to Cascais, Evora and Sintra (all cities in Portugal), watching at least one show in a theater here (I’m hoping for the Wizard of Oz which is playing this month), and listening to some live Fado (a Portuguese type of music that is soulful and moving). I have no doubt that these and more will be done by March 18^th! Wish us luck!

Love,

Michelle

Pick-Pocketed!

Yup, it happened. Jared's wallet was pick-pocketed on Sunday while we were eating lunch. We filed a report with the Police of Tourism and cancelled his debit and credit card. Now, we have to get him a new Virginia DL and a new UVA ID card, but overall everything is fine. We learned a valuable lesson and will not be stupid tourists anymore. Brittinay will send his new cards to us when they come to the house in Virginia, and everything should be fine. Guess we have to go wallet shopping now! Honestly though, we were mad, but it could have been a lot worse! At least it was a non-violent crime and at least his Passport was not taken! Could you imagine the hassle of getting a new passport before we leave for Sao Tome! Not to mention the year long visa for ST we already have! Here's a picture of the police report! Thank you for all your love, prayers and thoughts!

Miss and love you all,

Jared and Michelle

Museo do Azulejo

This last Saturday, we went to the National Tile Museum (Museo do Azulejo). Azulejo means "little polished stone" and comes from the Arabic word for tile. Azulejo are everywhere in Portugal. They are on the outsides of buildings, the insides of buildings, and on sidewalks sometimes. They range in pictures, designs, and colors, but I love them all! These tiles come are a lasting influence from the 700 years that Portugal was ruled by Arabs. There are a few building that have distinct influences too, but they are not as abundant as the azulejo. The Museum is in an old convent, which we did not realize until we walked into the sanctuary. This specific sanctuary has beautiful azulejo all around it, so there are several pictures in our album of this area.

The first exhibit showed the steps of making tiles, painting them, and finally putting them on a building. This exhibit was totally interesting! Each tile is made individually and hand painted. The process has not changed much in 600 years! Then, the Museum started with examples of tiles from the 1500's and went up to present day. It was amazing to see the changes in color, designs and texture throughout the years!

This Museum was one of the prettiest and most informative ones I have been in! It was such a wonderful afternoon! To see all our pictures of the tiles, click here.

Love,

Michelle and Jared

The Weekend of Valentine's Day, Jared's Birthday and Carnival

This last weekend was crazy and we are still catching up on sleep! It started on Sunday with Valentine's Day. We usually do not go all out for this holiday, so we decided to get some dinner and then go to Al-Kohl for a few drinks and to say hi to our friends. The bar was having a contest for couples (which we did not join in on b/c we knew the games ahead of time and it would not have been fair) so we watched. It was pretty hilarious! The girls were blindfolded and had to pick their man out of all the participants by feeling only their calves! The guys then had to be blindfolded and pick their woman be feeling only the hands of the ladies! Then there were questions - similar to the Newly-Wed Show, like, what is the man's favorite movie and what is the lady's favorite drink. We met a few people that night and have been invited to a concert on the 27th! The band is a Japanese Rock band, so that should be fun! Anyway, after the contest was over, it was close to midnight and Jared's birthday is on the 15th, so when the clock switched over, Jared had his first taste of ABSINTH as a gift from Christina and Fernando! Needless to say, they closed the bar and Jared, Christina & Fernando and our new Japanese Rock Band friends - Louis, Tony & Corrina, and I ended up celebrating Jared's birthday until 4 in the morning! It was a lot of fun!!

Not only was the 15th Jared's birthday, but it was the start of Carnival (or Mardi Gras) as well and that night we were scheduled to be judges at the Costume Contest. So, after a long sleep and some food, we were back at Al-Kohl surrounded by lots people ready to party! The weather has been very rainy and grey lately, but Monday night the rain had stopped and people were OUT! Here are a few pictures of some of the costumes. (You may recognize Manuel, the fisherman who caught mussels and shrimp for us last month.)

On Tuesday (Fat Tuesday) Portugal is closed down for a vacation day and Jared and I went over to the city to see what was happening. It was raining again, but that did not stop the fun! We jammed under our umbrella to a Gypsy-Funk band in the square at Rossio and then got some coffee and a pastry at Pastelaria Suiça to warm up! Overall, this weekend has been totally rad!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Birthday Jared!

Happy Carnival!