Christmas in Portugal

We left Mérida on Friday Dec 19th. We took the old highway so we didn't have to pay tolls and so we could enjoy the scenery. Mary and I blasted songs from the 90s to which Dan and Alex cringed...I think. We also listened to Christmas songs from Sinatra and Elvis, but it was still hard to get into the Christmas spirit.

Portugal was gorgeous for our entire trip. Even though it is the rainy season, there wasn't a drop of rain. A man even started a fire that got out of control because of the dry ground.

The first coffee was unfortunately not Delta, but we started at the bottom of good tasting Portuguese coffee (which blows away anything you can get in Spain!) and worked our way up to the best, Delta! A toasta mixta (an ironed toast with ham and cheese) was also ordered and we went from there.

The first dinner in Portugal was at a place that Dan's parents recommended. I had Bacalhau com natas (salted cod with cream...a Portuguese traditional dish), Mary had meat on the spit and Dan got a beef steak with mushrooms in the most wonderful sauce! We started out eating well!

The next morning we took them to our favorite coffee shop for some real Delta coffee with milk! The pastries were a bit lacking since the workers were preparing big fancy cakes for Christmas. The pastries only got better!

As you can tell, this posting is all about food...

We went to the coast for seafood. My favorite is arroz com marisco (seafood rice) which was fantastic!!!

We had mall food one day while shopping, but that was unenjoyable because the amount of people was insane due to Christmas.

I ate a traditional Portuguse stew that I've never had, but it had blood sausage and a pig's ear in it, so even though it tasted amazing, it wasn't my favorite due to the strange contents.

Speaking of not the best, Chinese food in Portugal is better than what you can get in the States! Unfortunately, one of our favorite places turned out to not be very good. I was so disappointed, especially because we told our guests that it was better than in the States. I still got shrimp in a pineapple boat with fresh pineapple. I was for sure the "winner" of that meal!

My favorite restaurant is in Sintra, a gorgeous city with palaces, a castle and much more quaint things to take in, but it is also a tourist trap. This restaurant was so enjoyable, but I ordered the lower class meat than what I usually order, and I realized that 2 euros is worth the tenderness of a beef loin!

We ordered roasted chicken to go a few times because it is so amazing in Portugal! They put on piri piri sauce and have crispy chips to create the perfect meal.

We ended our trip with a stop at an Indian restaurant. Yumm! Portugal has amazing cuisine!

Christmas was funny. I never felt in the Christmas mood because we weren't with family. Even though we had a sing-a-long and played lots of Christmas music, it just wasn't the same. Mary lit some candles and we had some wine (from a vineyard that we toured) in goblets, while eating onion soup. Yes, everything was closed, so we raided Dan's parents' cupboards for soup.

Overall, I had a wonderful time! It was relaxing and perfect! I miss my family, but I look forward to enjoying many future Christmases with them!

I hope all of you enjoyed Christmas! I look forward to a good New Years! I'm hoping I can set some short- and long-term goals for 2009. School starts on the 5th, so I will relax during this last week!

As to Mary and Alex, I enjoyed your company so much! Thank you for all your generosity! The amber ring is perfect! Hopefully you are able to relax (at HOME) before you start back at your work! Cheers!