Rage Fest!!

I think we all agree that the night life in Porto was not as exciting as what we experienced in Lisbon. However, because of this downside we made the best of our Saturday night in Porto and made it one to remember. We started off at a bar close to the Reveira and spent most of the time there drinking water of course! We met two soldiers from the U.S. Army and they were actually just visiting for the weekend. It's nice to meet someone that speaks the same language in a country that has so much diversity in terms language and culture. After that, at 3am we dropped some of our classmates at the hotel and debated on whether we should go back out and party some more. Four of us agreed on clubbing until dawn and we were off in the Mercedes taxi cab in a flash. But really, these taxi drivers fly through the streets of Portugal! We ended up going to a club called Miami Beach and danced non-stop till 6am when they closed. After all, we didn't want to seem like tourists walking out of the club early. As we walked towards the exit the suns rays were streaming in and the moon was still in sight. The night/ early morning was good, but we wanted it to end great. We decided to take the taxi to the beach and watch the sun rise. I was so happy that at least one person was up for the adventure. Other than the sandy, dress shoes and my soggy shirt, Saturday night in Porto was a dream come true. Thanks!

Quinta da Pacheca

Quinta da Pacheca is one of the best known estates in the Douro region. It was also one of the first properties to bottle wine under its own label. The property includes a courtyard, endless vineyards, port wine cellar and now a hotel. They incorporate new technologies into the production of their wine but mainly use old techniques and rituals to celebrate Portuguese culture. Every September they fill up the tubs with grapes and have workers as well as guests stomp the grapes with bare feet and then filter the wine into barrels for reserve depending on the quality of wine. As they squash the grapes they poor a cup of wine and insist that others do the same. This ritual is apart of tradition and they will not take no for an answer. I am sure that the wine tasting was everyone's favorite part of the visit. The people of Quinta da Pacheca offered many bottles of expensive wine, cheese, and toast to us and for a second I thought I was at home again. Maybe I felt like this because I consumed a little too much glasses of wine. In my opinion their quality of wine was much richer than that of Calem, the other wine producer we visited during our time in Porto.

Universidade de Coimbra

The University of Coimbra was established in the 13th century 1290. It is an indisputable reference in higher education and research in Portugal, due to the quality of the courses taught at its eight Faculties and to the advances achieved in pure and applied research in various areas of knowledge, in Portugal and in the world. This university is the oldest one in Portugal. It was built by King John III and a monument was built in remembrance of him near the university's library. The library is filled with thousands of books in which many need a ladder in order to reach. In the old days catalogs were not used to find books. Instead they had paintings on the ceilings as well as numbers above each bookshelf to help the locate books. Also, we were informed by our guide, Clara that the library was home to the local bats during the day. At night they fly around freely throughout the library and feed on tiny insects. It was evident the classes at this university were large and the seating seemed quite uncomfortable. I will have to say that our padded seats are much comfortable than the cold, wooden benches.

Capela dos Ossos

The Chapel of Bones is located in Evora. Its walls and central pillars are covered with human skulls and other parts of skeletons, held together by cement. The chapel is dedicated to St, Francis and is built to represent the Gothic style which was popular in the 16th Century. It was built by Franciscan monks. When you enter the Chapel, above the door way it says "Our bones are inside, we are waiting for yours". That kind of freaked me out at first and I felt uncomfortable while inside. Not to mention there was skeletons of an adult and a baby hanging on the wall by the alter. In total, there are 5000 thousand skulls that are cemented within the chapel. This was unusual, yet also fascinating at the philosophy of this incredible chapel. The skeletons were collected from 42 monastic cemeteries which were taking up valuable space in Evora. They moved all the bones to a single consecrated chapel. Seeing an opportunity to contemplate and communicate the inevitability of death, the monks chose to display the bones prominently rather than storing them away.

Palacio Nacional de Sintra

The National Palace of Sintra was the residence of prior kings and within its walls, contains about eight centuries of history. Over 400,000 tourists visit the palace anualy and it is one of the most famous monuments of Portugal. Each room is influenced from various cultures such as Asian and Moore influence. This palace in particular, is the only surviving Royal Palace from the Middle Ages. The palace has been well-restored and the artwork and structure in each room is breath taking. The main building was first built for King John I and then later King Manuel added extension called the Manueline Wing. In 1755 it was severely damaged by an Earthquake. The palace was then rebuilt in the old manner and during the 19th and the 20th centuries went through numerous works which definitely changed some parts of it. One thing that I found interesting was the structuring of the two chimneys used to ventilate the main kitchen. Although there were two large holes on the top of the chimneys, rain would never enter the kitchen.

EMEF

We were fortunate enough to visit a center which took care of Portugal's train equipment and it's railroads. EMEF stands for Empresa de Manutencao de Equipamento Ferroviario (Company of Railroad Equipment Maintenance). This company dealt with railway vehicle & spare parts, maintenance & manufacture equipment in particular. They also spend their time developing new technologies and innovative projects to help public transportation become more efficient and safe. Their staff were extremely hospitable toward us. They had appetizers and lunch prepared so that we could eat and I thought that was a nice gesture. Of course, this is expected from the wonderful Portuguese people. After the presentation they gave us a tour of their laboratory and explained all of the complex parts instruments in which they use on a daily basis. Although this subject is not one of my key interests, I still enjoyed learning about something I never took the time to understand. Thank you to EMEF and I hope they have the best of luck with their research and development in the future.

Tagus Park

Tagus Park is a place in Oeiras, Portugal where sciences and technologies are explored in hopes of creating innovative concepts. The park consists of three components; Universities, Research and Development, and technology-based institutions. Sectors within the park focus their studies predominantly on modern telecommunication systems, infrastructure, accessibility, and transportation. Knowledge developed amongst them is transferred into the markets if they seem to have full potential of becoming successful. CEO's and supervisors of companies attend conferences to display and sell their idea to investors so that an idea eventually becomes a profitable operation. While we were visiting we were fortunate enough to meet with some business men with some extraordinary concepts, these included; bio-fuel, smart-house, and media-oriented production. Also, while we were at Tagus Park we visited Microsoft which was my personal favorite because I had no idea they had a branch in Portugal. They received prestigious awards for being one of the best places to work and I could certainly see why as we took a tour of the building. All workers seemed to be so relaxed and happy. Work was more like a recreation to them as opposed to a chore. I was quite impressed with their achievements and now I have a greater appreciation for my X-BOX. I am also considering starting a petition to incorporate a game room in all CITIZENS BANKS across New England. :)

Primeiro Impressões

The anticipation was building in the weeks prior to our departure from the states and at last we have reached our destination. The journey consisted of a lot of patient waiting, cranky flight attendants and horrible airline food. However, once we landed in Aeroporto Lisboa, I remembered why I put myself through all that misery. Portugal is everything I dreamed it would me. I heard stories about the country through family and friends. Also, I learned a lot in Portuguese class about Portugal, their people and their way of life. Attending this Study Tour provided the opportunity for me to get a glance of everything I was learning. Although, I got little to no sleep the night before departure nor on the plane trip, I was ready to explore downtown Lisbon with Mr. Grossman and my new amigos. Portugal is a country which holds so much history engraved in its architecture, monuments and cobblestone streets. It was quite interesting roaming through the roads of the "Costa de Castello" because I noticed that the buildings were old and and not as advanced as we are used to back home. You could clearly tell the difference between the tourists and the natives because they were dressed in clothes that our grandparents used to wear in the olden days. OH AND I ALSO LEARNED THAT YOU NEED TO LOOK BOTH WAYS BEFORE CROSSING THE STREET AT LEAST TWICE BECAUSE APPARENTLY THE PORTUGUES ARE NASCAR DRIVERS!!!

Portugal's Economic Crisis

I was searching for an interesting article in regards to Portugal's Economy and came across one posted on the New York Times website. The article discussed Portugal's present economic struggles. Portugal's economy was once based on low labor costs, however now as a result of the eastward expansion of the European Union, Portugal is finding it hard to compete with their neighbors. In the past decade Portugal has experienced flat growth. Portugal as well as Spain and Greece has gathered soaring debt. Their deficit and credibility gap has been undermining confidence in the euro. Last year Portugal's deficit reached 9.3 percent of gross domestic product compared to a 3 percent ceiling set by the European Monetary Union. In February, markets took a hit for the worst after the commissioner for European Economic and Monetary Affairs, Joaquín Almunia, listed Portugal, along with Greece and Spain as countries that had shown a permanent loss of competitiveness. Portugal’s debt is expected to rise to 85 percent of gross domestic product this year, from 76.6 percent in 2009, because of rising unemployment and government spending on infrastructure projects like dams, hydroelectric power systems and a high-speed rail line to Madrid. The Prime Minister, Jose Socrates is doing his best in supporting the transition of Portugal's economy from low-cost manufacturing to knowledge-based industries. In five years, he claims, Portugal has become a European leader in renewable energy. It has also cut civil-service jobs from 747,000 to 675,000. It sends some 35% of its young people to university. It is investing over 1.5% of GDP in research, much more than Spain. Now that I am informed on Portugal's economic status I am more inclined to follow their success and improvements in the years to come.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/10/world/europe/10portugal.html
http://www.economist.com/world/europe/displaystory.cfm?story_id=15959527