Glimpses of Modern LifeWith so many centuries of history laid out in front of you, it's no wonder that American can get focused on the past, but it's important not to miss the contemporary life going on around you. (After all, this is an important aspect of Rick Steves' Back Door Philosophy - connect with the locals, and experience a slice life as a local - even if it is for an hour or so.) This is easy to do even on the Heart of Portugal tour, and I'm sure it was built into the itinerary deliberately. But use some of your free time to get out and see a little bit of contemporary Portugal too!
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National Tile Museum - the museum ends with a great contemporary tile exhibit and reminds you that this tradition is alive and well in Portugal. This tile pattern was used at a Lisbon metro station.
Serralves Foundation - although not appreciated by all of my tourmates, I thought this was a nice inclusion on the tour's itinerary. This gallery displays only contemporary artists (not usually Portuguese) and the exhibits are always changing. I especially enjoyed the exhibit for Nedko Solakov. His exhibitions pieces themselves were humorous and political, but hard to photograph. But my favorite part was his graffiti that he made when they installed the exhibit - usually small scrawls on the walls saying something silly or sardonic. (The one in the below photo says "I ordered this yellow thing from the exhibition assistants but later on I completely forgot the reason for this.") Life in the Alfama Neighborhood - With tiny apartments, the above plaza is used for neighborhood celebrations. On the other side of the plaza (below), the locals have made a makeshift soccer field by painting a goalpost. Church of the Holy Trinity in Fátima - Across from the older basilica is this contemporary church which was begun by Pope John Paul II in 2005. Not only is it a testament to the importance of the church for the area (it was built to accommodate a much larger crowd than the original basilica), it is also a lovely modern religious building worth a visit. |
Freshman Hazing in Portugal - We happened to arrive in Evora during the week of hazing. All freshman go through this process upon arriving at university. For their first week, they have to obey the orders of the seniors from their chosen major department wich includes some (relatively mild) public humiliation. Below are the seniors dressed in black robes and the history department freshman, who were asked to dress up like (very-pseudo) Native Americans and chant in the hot sun about the greatness of their university and department. At the end of the week, the freshman all choose a 'godfather' or 'godmother' from among the seniors who help mentor them throughout their freshman year.
The Dress Robes of Portuguese University Students - Worn by the seniors for special events, the black robes can be decorated with special badges, usually featuring coats of arms for their native city, the city of the university and their university department, but also the student's favorite bands and other pop culture icons. They also are given special badges by their 'goddaughters' and 'godsons' from their department. Classrooms at Coimbra University - fall classes were just starting when we arrived in Coimbra. The oldest part of the university is used for their law school. My college classroom buildings sure didn't look like this! McDonalds may seem ubiquitous around the world, but where else are you going to see one like this? Even if you're not craving American fast food, this "Imperial" McDonalds in Porto is worth a stop and it's also a great place for seeing the youth of Porto en masse. Also, like elsewhere in the world, their menu is customized for the region - including some caldo verde! - try petitioning U.S. McDonalds to add kale soup to their menus! |
Markets are always a great place to experience local life - Our tour group had a free moment at this one in Alcobaça where you can buy everything from freshly shredded kale for your caldo verde to live roosters/chickens (bought for recipes where fresh blood is needed). I ended up spending a few euros on nuts and raisins from a local farmer and happily munched on them for several days.
Graffiti - It may annoy the locals but definitely more picturesque graffiti in Portugal then the gang tagging that happens in my neck of the woods. Lisbon's government actually subsidizes a lot of rotating displays of official 'graffiti' art and the first photo below is on the street where the Elevador da Gloria runs (my tip - take the elevator up the steep hill and then walk down to see the art in detail). The last two were both found in Coimbra. Seeing Life from Another Perspective - A Big Benefit of Travel. Have a restaurant in a medieval city? No room to set up a grill indoors? No problem, set it up in the street! |