Portugal
Well, it is Sunday night and I am getting ready to start my trip back…. Do you remember that I said I was going to Rome…and then I was going to Vigo….well, I am not…..I decided to stay longer than I had planned in Porto….so I will head back to Lisbon…then to Madrid…and hopefully change trains to continue to Zaragosa in Northeast Spain….I will then be able to visit Father Juan in Peralta…on Saturday.
Last night after the concert, as I was walking through town I heard a group playing Cuban music in a local club…so I dropped in for a set or two...
I then waked to a club and listen to some music. It was a very nice and attractive but mixed crowd. I met many interesting people. I guess I looked like a tourist. Most of the people I spoke with would tell me…”gee you Americans are big people”. Imagine, if they would see some of the other folks from home….(valley of the green giants)
I went to Mass and heard the choir that I have been telling you about. They were magnificent. After, I met up with my new friend, Pedro we went to lunch and talked for some time. He mentioned to me that yesterday he was invited to sing at the Colosiu Concert Hall in May. He will be giving two performances with a capacity of 3,000 people. I am really happy for him He deserves the best.
I am having dinner at this small restaurant across from the street I am staying at and thought I would enter in my log…
I hate leaving Porto…. I really do…I fell in love with it. The people are more than welcoming. They make you feel like family. I cannot believe I have been here for eight days. 99% of all of the Portuguese people that I met here in Porto are native born.
They are proud of their city…. and they should.
I will take the train to Lisbon tomorrow afternoon. I will then take the overnight train to Madrid…. that is…if I can get a ticket at the last minute. I will then take the train on Tuesday morning to Zaragoza.
Portugal…. is a fantastic place…the tourist publications say that Portugal is the gateway to Europe (Mediterranean). But, I must tell you that the people are the gateway to hospitality and that is what they should promote.
In my time in Portugal, I have been greeted with warmth and respect. They are humble and proud people. They never gave me any trouble for not speaking the local language and were very patient when I would speak to them in Spanish.
Portugal is a poor country. The people are not too political and they do not care to know about your politics. They are proud of their history and rich in their culture. For example…no choir that I have heard can compete with the magnificent choir of “Se Cathedral” that I had spoken to you about. I wish that the Portugal tourist department would sponsor tour for this choir to share their talent with so many of us in the states.
It is a conservative country. Abortion is not legal and the gay politics seems nil. I never saw any establishments with the word gay or lesbian. I tried to get information from their AIDS organization here in Porto, but could not get through.
Please…do not get me wrong, there is a gay and lesbian community, but not overt in any way. I mean it is not obvious here and the people are not threatened by anything…they just do not acknowledge it..…. They are family orient
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