So because I'm in a foreign land, I feel the necessity to be as obnoxious and American as possible today. I decorated our office with American flags and other red, white, and blue paraphanelia (thanks, Liz!) and I put on a temporary tattoo of the American Flag (you read that right, an American Flag tattoo). And now I'm blasting the hilariously awesome Dolly Parton CD, "For God and Country." Oh, the Germans are really loving me right about now.


In other news, pictures of Spain are up on pbase, and a new post about Portugal is listed below. Happy 4th, my friends!

We spent one of our days in Portugal touring a few towns on the outskirts of Lisbon. Bill set us up with a fantastic driver, Gaspar, who knows more about Portugal than you could imagine. He was full of stories and random facts, and even stopped the car on the side of the road at one point and made us get out to inspect a cork tree (which was quite a relief, because I had just finished watching the season finale of the Sopranos and I was pretty certain that Gaspar was going to off us right there on the side of the road in nowheresville, Portugal).

The first stop of the trip was the Pena Palace in Sintra. The palace was so colorful that it looked like something out of a Disney movie (but much cooler). Evidence:


The Palace had so many artistic features. Not only was it colorful, it was also textured...

... and tiled ...We were also able to tour the inside of the Palace, which was especially cool because it was filled with random knick-knacks and tchotchkes. However, we had to find the entrance to the place first, and that proved harder to do than you would think. Theresa and Bill figured it out right away, and had no sympathy for our pathetic attempts at getting inside. They just smiled and waved at us:

Mostly we walked around the courtyard repeatedly...

And also around the parapet surrounding the castle...

(I look so small!) And took fun pictures....

But the view was incredible!

That's the Atlantic in the background.

After the Palace tour we headed back to the center of Sintra for some afternoon wine and cheese, which was followed up with delicious Portuguese pastries and port.

So happy! (yes, and pretty)

After a hearty (and oh-so-healthy) meal of cheese and pastries, Gaspar drove us to Cabo de Roca, the westernmost point in mainland Europe. As I stood at what was once the edge of the world, the ocean wind kicked up a bit of wanderlust and I thought of all the explorers who had stood at that exact point and wondered what lay beyond the great blue sea. It reminded me of the poem by John Masefield:

A wind is in the heart of me, a fire's at my heels,
I am tired of brick and stone and rumbling wagon wheels;
I hunger for the sea's edge, the limit of the land,
Where the wild old Atlantic is shouting on the sand.

Oh I'll be going, leaving the noises of the street,
To where a lifting foresail-foot is yanking at the sheet;
To a windy, tossing anchorage where yawls and ketches ride,
Oh I'l be going, going, until I meet the tide.

And first I'll hear the sea-wind, the mewing of the gulls,
The clucking, sucking of the sea about the rusty hulls,
The songs at the capstan at the hooker warping out,
And then the heart of me'll know I'm there or thereabout.

Oh I am sick of brick and stone, the heart of me is sick,
For windy green, unquiet sea, the realm of Moby Dick;
And I'll be going, going, from the roaring of the wheels,
For a wind's in the heart of me, a fire's in my heels.

There's nothing like the salt water to make you dream, eh? Or maybe it just makes you a little crazy. Either way, I was wishing I had a sailboat.

Cabo de Roca was beatiful, but a storm was rolling in, so we headed on out.

We made one quick stop on the way back to Lisbon in a small town called Cascais. We stayed just long enough to hop out of the car, look at the harbour, and take a few pictures. It reminded me of Naples, but prettier.

It was here that Theresa got out of the car and said, "Can you see this spot on my shirt?" Oh no, Theresa, that's not noticeable at all.

So much laughter...

I'll end the post with a nice family photo:

Portugal & Spain, part 1.

I arrived in Lisbon, Portugal at 10:30 am on Friday morning. I made my way from the airport to the Four Seasons/ Ritz Hotel in downtown Lisbon and up to Vicky and Diana's room just as they were getting dressed and ready for the day. Realizing that they were just getting ready at 11:00, I thought to myself, "This is my kind of vacation." And my kind of vacation it was! We woke at a decent hour everyday, Diana and I usually went for a jog (I thought that I was running so fast and so far on the treadmill until Diana pointed out that the distances were in kilometers, not miles... a huge ego deflation), and then hit up the Ritz breakfast buffet. One day we got so many plates of food that the waiter asked us, very seriously, if we were really going back for more or if we were going to finally sit down. Apparently they don't see the likes of us very often in the swank Ritz breakfast crowd. We did some serious damage to that breakfast buffet, and laughed the whole way through. I think that we burned as many calories laughing as we took in at every delicious meal - not a bad way to spend the day.

Portugal is a remarkably beautiful country. It has the look of the Mediterranean coast and the temperature of San Francisco. We toured much of Lisbon, including the Sao Jorge castle, many busy streets, and a few gorgeous churches. One of the churches that we saw was just the remains of a convent that was destroyed in The Earthquake of 1755. Poor Lisbon was struck by a horrific earthquake, and what wasn't quaked suffered devastating fire, and what wasn't burned by the fire then had to withstand the horrendous flood that followed. Not much survived the quake/fire/flood of 1755, but the city remains strong and striking. Many of the buildings are decorated by the colorful tiles that Portugal is known for, giving the city a year-round festivity that I've yet to see anywhere else.

Portugal was beautiful and entertaining in itself, but without a doubt the highlight of the trip was spending time with my cousins and Bill, who proves to be a fantastic host and traveling companion. The Kost gals are fun, kind, energetic, better at the crossword puzzle than me, generous, and pretty (let's not forget pretty). It was great to get to know them better, especially because now I won't be so shy about inviting myself over for home-cooked meals during exams...

Ok, enough of the summary and family-love. Here are some highlight pictures of Portugal, but the full set is available on my pbase site.

Flying into Lisbon - the amazing Portuguese coast:


Lisbon from the air - note the giant statue that looks remarkably like the Christ the Reedemer cross that overlooks Rio de Janiero in Brazil. It is, in fact, a replica of the same statue.

A view of Lisbon from the Sao Jorge castle - can you believe this view? Are you booking plane tickets right now to go visit? Cause if you're not, you should. Right now. Come back and read this later, it'll still be here. Seriously, go now.

An example of the festive Lisbon streets.

It looks like you could just walk right across the rooftops!

The fountain in the Restauradoras Square in downtown Lisbon. I don't have any photos of the main square in Lisbon that's right on the water (Commerce Square) because despite its reputation as the most beautiful/ memorable square, Diana determined its reputation is undeserved because, "it's just a slab of concrete with a bunch of tents on it. How is that pretty?" She's right though - we drove by it in a taxi and that was enough for me. Back to my pictures: fountain in Restauradoras Square...

Aw, it's true, we are pretty! From left to right: Vicky, Emily, Theresa, and Diana. Notice that Diana doesn't really have a seat in this car and is in no way facing forward. She injured herself on this cab ride, and Vicky's and my hilarious earth-shaking jokes kept her busted gut from healing for quite some time.

The Carmo Convent, lost to the earthquake of 1755. And the fire. And the flood.

Checking out the remains...

Another view from Sao Jorge castle.

And a view from inside the castle, looking out...

Check out this cool tile! I took this picture at the tile museum - yes, there is such a place, and I highly recommend it.

We were excited about the Port Wine Institute, and the port and cigars did not disappoint.

And what's a trip without an elevator ride (or 4) with our comfy Ritz slippers?

Part 2: Sintra, Cabo de Roca, and Cascais.

Oh my goodness, it is taking so long to sort through these photos! I have succeeded in touching up all my Portugal pics, which you can see at www.pbase.com/edoyle/portugal. Note that there are three galeries: one for Lisbon, one for Sintra, and one for Cabo de Roca. Enjoy! More to come tomorrow!

I have just returned from an incredible journey to Lisbon and Madrid with three of my cousins. We saw so much (and ate so much) that I will have to break the trip up into multiple posts, so check back often for updates. I'll post a few photos now in an attempt to whet your appetite, but it may take another day to sort through and edit all the pictures. Here are a few previews:

A view of Lisbon from the castle:

What do you get when you put three Kosts and a Doyle in the back of a taxi? Lots of laughter and a few pulled muscles. From left to right: Victoria, Emily, Theresa, and Diana

The castle in Sintra, Portugal:

Cabo de Roca, the westernmost point in all of Europe. I suppose that before the discovery of the Americas, this was the edge of the Earth.

Emily and Victoria in the Parque de Retiro, Madrid.

More to come soon!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM!


Isn't she so pretty? And she's sweet, funny, energetic, a little crazy (that's where I get it), and hands-down the best cook in town (regardless of the town). AND she's cool. I couldn't ask for a better mom of friend. Alles Gute zum Geburtstag! Happy Birthday!

Love you, Mom. Have a super-fantastic day!

We took a day trip to Eisenach, a town in Thuringia that prides itself in being the birthplace of Bach as well as home to the famed Wartburg castle. The castle has been rebuilt over the years (including a restoration that was championed by Goethe) and doesn't look like a medieval castle anymore, but it's stone walls are steeped in history. St. Elizabeth lived there before devoting her life to service, and Martin Luther hid out there after being excommunicated from the church. I would tell you more about the history of the place, but the guided tour that we took was in German, and although I can now order a bratwurst with complete confidence, I cannot yet translate history lessons. However, the view from the castle needs no translation; the beauty of the German countryside speaks for itself:

Check out the windmills!

A view of the castle from outside:

A view of the castle from inside:

The Great Hall, where presumably the infamous mintstrel's competition took place (as told in Wagner's opera, Tannhauser.

This is Martin Luther's room, where he translated the Bible into German. The desk and chair are replicas, but the whale vertebra footstool (!) is original.

The road down the mountain...

A view out of one of the castle windows: