Hello again! We have been very busy, up through this morning when we all woke up in the late morning (victory!). We are up in Amoreira in Catelo do Bode resevoir, east of Tomar, staying in Uncle Frank's cousin's (Luis) second home (very nice). Although it is VERY hot (the car read 39 degrees celcius today = 102 farenheit).

Wednesday morning we walked down the last portion of Avenida da Liberdade (street like the Champs) from our hotel through a couple of large plazas till we reached the Praca (Plaza) Dom Pedro where we caught the tram (#12) up to the Alfama area of town. Alfama was the only part of the city that wasn't destoryed in the 1755 earthquake (the rest of the city was rebuilt by the Marques de Pombal [a name Patrick likes to repeat at random times] ) so it is a neat and very old part of the city. My guide book says "maps are almost useless here" which is very true. We stopped at a cafe (cafe's are EVERYWHERE), took photos overlooking the river, then headed up to Castelo de Sao Jorge. We climbed lots of stairs and started to feel like we were in shape.

We took the number 28 tram (this one is always recommended) back down the hill (the Alfama is on a hill - Lisbon is made up of seven hills, each with a castle on top) and met Luis for a traditional Portuguese meal of boiled veggies and lots and lots of meats. Sounds kinda weird, but just think of a different version of the food you would eat on St Patrick's Day. Following all of this we took naps :) .

We then jumped in our car, the Green Machine, and drove out to Cascais (pronounced: "cash" then say the word "guys" but replace the 'g' with a 'k', so "cash-kuys") which is a beautiful town on the ocean. We walked around the city and ate yummy chicken piri-piri that night, as well as had the large, "imperial," size of the best beer in Portugal - Super Bock (sometimes can be found at BevMo).

The next morning we walked down the Avenida da Liberdade through the same plazas, then down a pedestrian-only street, Rua Auera, which is full of shops, to the Praca do Comercio (very large plaza on the river). We taxi'd over to Belem (meaning "Bethlehem") to walk through the Mosteiro dos Jeronimos which is a monastary and large church. It was very beautiful and unique to be there on a national holiday, Corpus Cristi, where many people went to mass, and it was first communion for a large group of children so we were able to see them process in. In the back of the cathedral Vasco da Gama is burried as well as Portugal's epic poet, Camoes. The choir sounded incredible, too! Catholics really know how to work the acoustics of a building....

We ate lunch and devoured our desserts (pasteis) at Pasteis de Belem, which is famous for tourists and locals alike (similar to Angelina's in Paris). The pastires they serve, which similar versions can be found all over the country and Azores, are flaky cups with a custard inside. Following this we checked out the Padrao dos Descombrimentos - a huge monument to the discoverers. The Portuguese are still very connected to the fact that they explored and conquered the world first - all over (including the national flag) there is the symbol of a globe with a diagonal line through it, signifying they have "been there." We taxi'd from there to El Casa Ingles which is a HUGE department store - 11 levels. No joke. Patrick needed swim trunks so he had thousands to choose from.

That evening we drove out to Arrudas das Vinhos, a wine region outside of Lisbon, to visit another one of Frank's cousins and her family. They live in a BEAUTIFUL house. After appetizers, lots of local cheeses as well as a yummy creamy one which we found out was Philadelphia cream cheese (chive and onion), we went on an adventure (!) to a fort that was recently excavated! How cool is that?? The Duke of Wellington went down to Portugal to help the locals stop the French (the British would make all kinds of friends if it meant stopping the French) and so they build three forts, and this one is on the highest point in the region (now surrounded by large wind turbines). It was really neat, especially since the family is really into history and two of their three sons have helped with the excavation (two of their sons are in high school and the oldest just started at the university in Lisbon). Dinner was fun, especially to be in someone's home, although we didn't start eating till 10:00, and I was super tired and could have fallen asleep at 8:00. We got back to our hotel a little before 1:00 and passed out.

Friday (I'm almost caught up on informing *all* of you on what's been going on!) we packed up and dropped off most of our things at Luis' apartment in Lisboa, and on one of the trips Uncle Frank was T-boned by an old man. Luckily the Green Machine only suffered a large scrape, no major damage. We then drove up to Tomar, stopping along the way for a late lunch at at a road-side gas station, restaurant, pit stop area. In the states these are lame, but here they are cool, very clean, and the food (lots of fresh options) is very yummy. I think we have had ham and cheese sandwiches almost every day.

Tomar is a gorgeous town, and it is a Templar city (aka the Templar Knights) that has beautiful gardens along the river. On the west side of the river it is "Portugal" but the east side is considered "Spain" because of something that happened 700 years ago. Uncle Frank keeps saying the "Portuguese have long memories." We visited an incredible UNESCO world heritage site (I'm just checking all of these off...) the Convento de Cristo (convent) that was built in the 12th century. The Carola, the Templars original chruch, and Janela do Capitulo, a unique window done in the Manueline style are all amazing. The Manueline style can be seen throughout the region, like at the monastary the day before, and it's "a lotta bit of everything." Everyone who designed something was a winner, and it was included. Every four years in Tomar there is the Festa dos Tabuleiros where teenage girls construct large head pieces of flowers and bread (they weigh around 15 kilos) and they carry them through a parade for 3-4 hours! We saw a few of them "in training" which was really neat. The festival is on the 9th of July.

That evening we found Luis' house we are staying at and we have been chilling on computers, watching the news and movies, enjoying super bock, and grazing on the food we have picked up. Today we all slepted in then went in the pool for a bit, and drove 30 minutes to Castelo do Amourol which is in the middle of the Tejo River (super cold river, my feet got a "brain freeze" while my body was in 100 degree weather...I was confused). We drove over to the small town of Constancia which is on a penninsula that is on the Teju river which is met by another river.

Tomorrow we are off to Fatima and a few other towns! We will be staying at a hotel in a town on the coast (I think a fortified town?) then we will be going to Lisbon the next day. Tuesday we are off to Sao Miguel!