I’m in the middle of finals — yes, my program in Germany splits the semester in half, so we get two sets of finals — but looking at pretty pictures always cheers me up. This week’s travel blogging is Portugal, which was my last trip. I sadly didn’t have time to head southward, but I spent a few days in Lisbon and did manage to get out of the city to see the coast and a nearby town. Check it out:
More below the fold.
The full set is here.
Similar Posts:
- Tuesday Travel Blogging – Mljet by Jill October 23, 2007
- Tuesday Travel Blogging – Paris by Jill January 1, 2008
- Tuesday Travel Blogging – The Amalfi Coast by Jill December 4, 2007
- Tuesday Travel Blogging: Siena Edition by Jill October 9, 2007
- Tuesday Travel Blogging – Belgium by Jill November 20, 2007
Have I mentioned recently how much I hate you?
Marx (after a session of the First International) declared that Portuguese was the most beautiful of the European languages, comparing its sound to that of the waves crashing on the rocks at Belèm. I can still sing most of the anthem of Intersindical, the Portuguese trade union federation; the refrain is
Unidade, unidade, unidade
Do trabalho contra o capital
Camaradas, lutemos unidos
Porque è nossa a vitoria final.
It’s more envy than hate with me. I take solace in the fact that my program had only one set of finals but we had two dates (before and after the holidays) to take them. :D You really miss exams once they are all over….
The way the Azoreans around here speak it, Portuguese sounds like a blend of Spanish and Polish.
The way the Azoreans around here speak it, Portuguese sounds like a blend of Spanish and Polish.
Not a bad description, but Portuguese also has some really nice nasalized vowels: Spanish “canciòn” (song) = Portuguese “cancão,” and so on. I think one good way to get the sound of the language is by listening to fado–Amalia Rodrigues, Carlos do Carmo et al. José Afonso (whose song “Grandola Vila Morena,” banned under the Salazar dictatorship, signaled the 1974 revolution that ousted Salazar’s successor) is worth a listen too. The Brazilian version–spoken by a lot more people of course–is quite different.
do you mind me asking where that top photo is taken? I spent a few days in Portugal over the summer; in Cascais and Lisbon. Was so beautiful, would love to visit again sometime.