It’s dusk in Lisbon. Darkness is setting over narrow streets and mournful melodies flow out of every pub, café, and restaurant. It’s the sound of traditional Portuguese lament, produced by a twelve-string guitar, a viola, and a heartbroken woman (or sometimes a man). This is fado, folk music of Lisbon’s […]
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Portugal: And This Is Why We Don’t Drink
We rarely drink alcohol. Julia claims that she is too much fun as-is and alcohol would be wasted on her. I simply like to keep my head clear and maintain a healthy lifestyle. When we are in the U.S., we don’t drink at all. But when we travel, we like […]
Read MoreSardines and Egg Custard Tarts – The Overlooked Cuisine of Portugal
We are standing in a giant store where every wall is covered with floor-to-ceiling shelves, displaying thousands of cans of sardines. “Is this… a sardines store?” Julia asks no one in particular. Her pointless question echoes off the endlessly stacked sardine cans and down the airport hallway. We had arrived […]
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