YOUR MOTHER IS A HAMSTER AND YOUR FATHER SMELLS OF ELDERBERRIES: My first trip to a medieval castle.

Wow.

I have heard it said that Americans are easily impressed.  Is this true?  I have no real way of being objective about it, but in my current situation here in Lisbon, I find myself very impressed.  Awed, curious, wonderstruck, and enlightened also come to mind.  I am proud of my Americanness—happy to come from where I do, and grateful for the many freedoms and privileges that many before me as well as right now, for that matter have fought to establish and maintain.  HOWEVER, it is not possible NOT to be awed by somewhere or something that has been in existence ten centuries before our great nation was colonized.  Seriously! I mean, come ON! 

Today I went to:

Castelo Sao Jorge

Amazing.  And old.  Really really f-ing old.  This castle was built in the mid 11^th century, during Lisbon's Moorish period.  This fortification is situated in the area most difficult to access at the top of one of Lisbon’s hills, making use of the natural slopes to the north and west.  The purpose of the castle was to house military troops and in case of siege, the elite who lived in the citadel.  Unlike other European castles, this was not meant to be a place of residence.  It has eleven towers, a still operative (!!!) cistern, and a DOOR OF TREASON (*Love* this :D ).  Oh, and 12 peacocks and 2 cats.

Despite my open-mouthed astonishment at this castle, I could not help but immediately envision the timeless and hilarious castle scene from Monty Python’s Holy Grail.  The whole time.

Can't you just see the Spanish knight up there slapping his suit of armor and heckling King Arthur?

As far as present day Lisbon is concerned, the Casle of St. George is located in the Alfama district of the city.  Just north and west of the city’s heart, this section is the one that has truly retained the Moorish influence, and many of the buildings are among the city’s oldest.  It is hilly, windy, and impossible to navigate on foot for the first time without a map—you thought Boston was a tough city to master?  Pfft.  These streets make the cow paths of Beantown seem like the grid pattern of NYC.

    

Since we’re on the topic, I would like to extend my heartfelt appreciation to the makers of MBT shoes.  There is NO way I could have been on my feet all day in Lisbon in a regular pair of sneaks.  Worth every penny.  And they cost a few pennies, to be sure.

The still operational cistern.

 The Door of Treason, where messages were delivered to and from inside the castle.

The "Front Door".  No drawbridge, and no moat, sadly.  You can't have everything.

Stables.

A view from one of the 11 towers.  I guess it's laundry day down there.

 Este gato guarda o castelo

Fierce Kitty.

Highlight of the day:
Unexpected Peacock Family at the old castle

These birds absolutely took my breath away- I never expected them (hadn't seen them in the brochure or on the directory at the entrance), so the surprise was really impactful.  They were beautiful.

The MacDaddy and his Bitches.  

Just look at him.  I kept waiting for him to flex his muscles (show the plumage, but he didn't).  Guess we were a non-threatening crew that day.  Too bad. 

And............then I went home and collapsed. G'nite.

Strum, Strum, Sniff, Sniff....the sad, sweet sounds of Fado.

Fado, the folk music of Portugal

I am surprised that I love Fado, to be honest.  Because I DETEST country and western music--and the two types of music have many similarities.  Country music grates on my nerves.  Really really really.  Just not my thing.  The singers seem to be whining, always bitching about this or that, and listening to it does nothing for my mood.   What I will admit, is that especially compared to today's pop music, country singers generally have great voices--good pitch, decent technique and range, and appear to have some musical ability.  This is very different to how the pop world works--for the most part these days, pop stars are groomed and promoted as products, and their 'music' is electronic, over-processed and dumbed down so that zero thought or attention is required on the part of the listener.  And the performer, for that matter.  Like aural McDonalds.  Or Sunny D.

Fado (Portuguese:destiny, fate) is a music genre which can be traced from the 1820s in Portugal, but probably with much earlier origins. In popular belief, fado is a form of music characterized by mournful tunes and lyrics, often about the sea or the life of the poor.   Hint:  replace 'sea' with the 'cattle ranch', and you've got a bang-up country tune.  However, in reality fado is simply a form of song which can be about anything, but must follow a certain structure.

The music is usually linked to the Portuguese word saudade which symbolizes the feeling of loss (a permanent, irreparable loss and its consequent life lasting damage).  Like I said....Willie Nelson and Loretta Lynn, I'm looking at YOU.

Fado only appeared after 1840 in Lisbon, at that time only fado marinheiro (sailor fado) was known and, like the cantigas de levantar ferro, was sung only by sailors. Back then, Fado was not sung in the rest of the country.

Anyhoo....I had learned about it, and wanted to check some out.  We have done this twice, and both experiences were excellent.  

My first taste of Fado was had at 'Seta,' a dinner-theater restaurant in Madeira.  We all went, after being told it was a 'local' restaurant, with local food and local clientele.  They weren't altogether honest about that--it was a total tourist thing, with travelers by the busload sitting at long tables eating dinner that had been pre-selected (bolo da caco, tomato and cabbage soup, salad, beef kebab, french fries and vegetables).  Incidentally, the food was delicious, fresh, and perfectly cooked.  Eugenia, the fado singer, did a very good job, as did her stringed companions.  She did NOT, however, come across as a nice chick.  She was overtly making fun of patrons, and turning her back on and rolling her eyes at people who were not silent while she sang.  Barf.  Get over yourself, sweetie....  ;)

Shhh! Be quiet!  And no eating either!  Eugenia is singing!

The best part about Seta, was what came after Eugenia's fado, which was folk dancing, performed by a large group in full-on traditional dress.  The members of this group ranged in age from 9 to about 50.  I was able to capture part of this on video (below).  Sadly, they later destroyed the folky-euphoria by having the small children who were folk dancing approach each and every customer and try and sell CDs, dish towels, and small toys.  Bummer.

Pardon me for ending the video so abruptly, as dessert was served.  At least I have my priorities straight.

 The video above and below were taken from a different restaurant.  "Arsenio's" is considered to be a much more legitimate and popular spot for the locals.  The music was much more varied, with three different singers.  I did enjoy this more.  It was pricier, but the food was also fantastic.  Mom and I went alone, and shared a cataplana for 2:

Good stuff!  Had both fish and pork in a tomato-based broth.  Extremely salty, we both woke up thirsty and puffy-eyed the next morning, but extremely flavorful.  The only thing is, there are always these HUGE prawns in everything, complete with legs, antennae, and beady eyes.  Ew.

ok, enough about the food--here's the other video:

Life-changing full-day Levada hike. Whoa.

Levada Walk

Rabacal Valley and the 25 Fountains

I could talk about this day for many many consecutive hours.  Instead, I will unload on this blog.

  On Thursday, I signed up for a full day Levada walk in the Rabacal Valley of Madeira.  I had read extensively on the internet about visiting Madeira, and the only thing that everyone agreed upon about anything was that the levadas were worth visiting.  The reviews about the walks were glowing, and after sitting in a tour bus for several days hearing the history and seeing the sights through a bus window, breathing bus air, I was DYING to get the heck off the bus and climb/walk/hike/smell/touch/look around.

The hike was arranged by our tour's fearless leader, Richard Westley, and the only two people from our group going were me and Gail McLaughlin, who is always good company and up for anything.  Neither of us really knew what we were in for, but were hopeful for some fresh air and good views, and a good climb.

We got one, and then some.

Up and fed by 8, on the minibus by 9, and at the ridge at Rabacal by 10.  We had a guide named Ali.  Ali was one of the coolest things about the day, but his coolness took some time to manifest itself.  He initially came across as a meanie.  Like a TOTAL meanie.  He came into the hotel lobby and had A LOT to say about how Gail and I were dressed and ill-prepared for the trip, which obviously freaked us out from the get-go, complete with angry gesticulation and many eye rolls.  Gail scurried upstairs to change into better shoes, get some rain ponchos, I got an umbrella (on a hike?? really?!?!), and unloaded some crap from my bag that he insisted that I wouldn't need.  All this took place with 10 German tourists waiting impatiently in the minibus for our slow, unprepared American butts.  Awesome.  Makin' friends.....

Ali, showing us the day's planaroni before we headed off.

Once we got to our starting point, however, all the cranky people got over themselves and took in the views and the fresh air, and the SUN.  Such a beautiful day, which in this region and the mountains in general is extremely unusual.

Ok, let's get some basics down:

Levada

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A levada (Portuguese for "led") is an irrigation channel or aqueduct specific to the island of Madeira in the Atlantic Ocean (about 500 miles (800 km) southwest of Portugal).

History

The levadas originated out of the necessity of bringing large amounts of water from the west and northwest of the island to the drier southeast, which is more conducive to habitation and agriculture (such as sugar cane production). In the sixteenth century the Portuguese started building levadas to carry water to the agricultural regions. The most recent were made in the 1940s. Madeira is very mountainous, and building the levadas was often difficult. Many are cut into the sides of mountains, and it was also necessary to dig 25 miles (40 km) of tunnels.


Our hike was approximately 10km.  It took 4 full hours, with little breaks to pee and have a snack, and of course, take some photos.


The pictures here will really tell the story--but watch the videos too.  There are not many videos, actually--the walking was from extreme heights on skinny paths that were NOT even.  Lots of water (duh) and rocks that had to be negotiated, so filming and walking at the same time was not a good idea.  In fact, I got yelled at at the end of the hike by Ali for this very reason, and I got the big old reprimand on video.  Great.  Mom LOVED that....after about an hour, Ali begins to relax a bit and not scare the crap out of me, which makes things really fun.  I should also explain that there were 12 of us in total.  10 of us were German tourists who were all travelling together.  Our guide spoke excellent German, so we were shafted a bit on the verbal explanation of things, but I didn't feel gypped.  It was nice to tune him out and just walk.


My favorite thing about the whole levada walk was the SMELL of things.  The smell of damp earth has always been something that I love, and as you can imagine it was in abundance there.  The eucalyptus trees were amazingly fragrant, and the water was delicious and clean, with a hint of mossy flavor.  Yay! 

Mimosa

This tree is covered with lichens.  Usually, this whole region is covered by clouds and thick moisture, which is what creates the Portuguese version of Spanish Moss.  Very cool.

A section of Levada

If you look at the center of the photo, you can see the vague presence of a footpath, which is where we started, and eventually found ourselves around to the other side of the valley.

The 25 Fountains


This was one of the focal points of the hike.  Truly beautiful and other-worldly--one of the drawbacks of my cute little digital camera is the lack of a panoramic option.  That would have really come in handy here.  There are actually 25 fountains, we counted.  There is a gorgeous pool in the middle that is ( so I was told ) great to swim in during the summer months.  Dang.


The 800+ Meter Tunnel:


The culmination of the hike was a trip through a half mile of mountain.  This tunnel was blasted through more than 100 years ago, and brings a water pipe from one side to the other.  The presence of this tunnel changed lives, and made more of the island more inhabitable, which was obviously a good thing.  It was fun, drippy, slippy, and mercifully devoid of bats or other crawling things.  Whew.  :D  This would not agree with someone who was claustrophobic at all.  Or afraid of the dark.

The entrance to the tunnel just before we ventured in.

Gail, my fearless leader.  She had a little bike light to use as a guide.

The only friendly guy in the group.

Video:

The beginning.

More of the beginning.

Was ist dieses? Was ist dieses?!?!?!?

The 25 Fountains.  

I don't care if it's a tourist trap. It was fun, dammit.

Wednesday, February 23

The Toboggan Ride at Monte

You know, I very well may send this photo to Cisco Systems, Inc.  They manufacture the Flip Camera that I am holding here.  If this is not product placement, I don't know what is.  

First, I must reflect......

More often than not, there is no shame in being a sucker.  When you are a tourist, you should do everything that you can--as long as you have the time, the opportunity, and the €12.50.  That has been my philosophy, anyway.  I am glad, because I would rather feel stupid for 2 seconds than feel sorry that I didn't try something that could have been fun.  Except for skydiving and bungee jumping.  Or getting a tattoo. 


So....

This toboggan thing has been happening in Madeira since it was populated with people.  The toboggan was a means of transportation from the mountain regions down the rather steep streets to the coastal ones.  The toboggan is made of wicker, and is pulled by two 'drivers' (see above photo, that cost me €10).


Think of it as the Portuguese rickshaw.

Since the 1850s, the Monte toboggan ride down towards Funchal city centre has been one of Madeira's favourite tourist attractions.

Today's Monte toboggan sled ride is comparatively a poor imitation of the original rides that were offered in the early twentieth century. Then, visitors to the island truly did experience an exhilarating ride full of excitement and risk, and the sleds themselves, though made of wicker, were far more lush and luxurious.  Oh well.

Perhaps the advent of the motor car is responsible for the decline of coolness that the wicker sled has suffered. Or, maybe the grasping tendrils of commercialism is to blame. Whatever the reason, nowadays, the journey down the steep slopes in a flimsy, cushionless wicker basket seems a bit silly.   But what are vacations for, anyway?  Who cares if it's silly?  Carpe diem.

Here is the series of videos that capture my entire experience, start to finish.  If you have read this far into this blog posting, you may as WELL watch them.........

Wheeeeee!!!!!!!!!!

Green is Good: The Botanical Garden of Funchal

Wednesday, February 23

Jardim Botânico

As I mentioned earlier, Wednesday was nutzo--we went to like 12 places in one day.  One of the highlights of this day was the Botanical Garden.  Very much like the Mercado (Tuesday), the pictures speak for themselves.  Suffice it to say here that the amazing weather made for optimal botanical appreciation.  This garden was not laid out in the same way that I am used to--it was much more like an English garden in that everything is sort of just planted all over the place instead of perfectly manicured and quarantined in it's designated hidey-hole.  I appreciated this fact, because you got the sense that you were really seeing the lush, tropical plants in a natural way.  Besides, how could you really trim and tame something like this:

Right?  Looks like a Dr. Seuss character, no?

Here are some of my other faves from their wonderful collection:

 Dinosaur Food!!!

These two plants were present on Madiera (and elsewhere on planet earth) during prehistoric times.  I find that fact truly amazing.

Papyrus!

The pulp from these two plants were used to make paper going back to....well, you know how far back.  Way back.

Boy Meets Girl

bow chicka bow bow.......

This is the girl
☜





This is the boy ☟ 

Basically what happens here, is this:  the boy has an 'organ' which is visible on the left if you peer through the two leaves at about 10:00.  Hint: it's brown.  The pollen travels to the nearest available female plant e.g., the one above, and the pollen settles in the center of the female plant.

And that, boys and girls, is how the baby plants are made. The End.

And now for a special shout out to my peeps in Phoenix, Arizona!  Mom and I were thinking especially of you in the succulents and cactus section!  xoxo

Agave!

This cactus below was like 20 feet high.  I just couldn't get it all in the camera without pissing everyone off, so this was as far back as I could get.  It will have to do, but trust me when I say that it was super tall.

This is my very favorite picture from the garden.  I love how shadowy it is in this one spot when the entire rest of the garden was really hot and bright, and I love how the guy is here and the sea is there.  Captures the day pretty nicely.   Go Sony Cybershot.

Fin.