Dia 4: Pilgrims, poisson, and panoramas of Portugal

I love how all of my blog posts open with how I woke up LOL. So, here goes again: I woke up early yesterday morning to finish my day 3 post. On this trip, I am grateful for the opportunity to reflect on my surroundings, my heritage, and to have the chance to research and write. I write so that I think. I also write so that I remember. (Wow, that got serious fast.)

After rushing to click "submit" so that my mom has something to read when she wakes up, I put on my comfy, yet hopefully European-ish clothes for my small--group tour to Fatima, Nazare, and Obidos. This is my first of three tours through Viator that I will be taking while in Lisbon. I took a few tours like this while in Paris and they included some of the best moments I had, including a trip to Giverny to see Claude Monet's house and garden, Chenonceau's fairy-tale castle, and wine-tasting with Claire. For a bit of extra money, you have a tour guide that gives you an engaging history of the place you are going to visit, which makes a big difference in your interest level once you arrive. It also gives you a chance to be an observer and passive participant - the driver does all the work and you can just prop your head back and listen, sometimes while catching a bit of shut-eye.

Metro rush-hour

My tour look for the day

I met my small group tour guide outside of the meeting place at Hard Rock Cafe next to the Restauradores metro stop. Aside from another one-person party (Jenny from Taiwan), the other group was a five-person party, and this caused me to feel a bit nervous. We were going by small van to the location, which made my introvert flag go up and a million panicked questions run through my head. Where am I going to sit? Is everyone going to ask me questions about my life and try to get to know me since they all know each other already? Is there going to be a struggle for the best seats and will I end up in the middle because it's easiest to be a pushover when you are the odd man out? In my other tours, there are at least 20-30 people on a bus and it's easy to be anonymous and not talk to anyone. But there was no way I could escape these intimate close quarters.

Any way, it all turned out to be fine and I actually made a new friend! I was a little stressed when Joao (the Portuguese "John" name - he is our tour guide) asked us to introduce ourselves and tell the group where we are from, how long we are staying, what we plan to see, etc., but thankfully I got through it. No questions were asked about the heavy stuff like jobs, marital and family status, why I am traveling alone, etc. (Not that I am displeased with any aspects of my life, but some things are just personal and don't fit into a perfectly-worded "elevator pitch" for the modern woman.) And I guess it makes sense to not ask about work - we are on vacation and nobody wants to be a buzzkill by talking about the job they are taking a respite from. And nobody seemed to mind that I approached Joao privately about actually wanting a small table at the restaurant after he asked the group if we were okay with a big group reservation and several had already chimed in 'yes' so I didn't want to awkwardly protest that I wanted a table to myself. (For me, the thought of ordering food, and consciously thinking about displaying proper eating etiquette, and splitting the bill with a large group of people who mostly know each other but who don't know me made me cringe. My excuse for Joao was that I "eat fast" and would like to have some time after lunch to look around, but the truth is it usually takes me longer to order than most and this could cause me anguish in a situation like this.) Everybody was very polite and I can only hope that the next two tours (which, to my horror, are also small-group tours) are as pleasant. I am happy that I voiced what I needed and didn't just go with the flow for the comfort of the group in that split second, because this is MY tour, MY time, and MY vacation, damn it! I am trying to be very intentional about this thing called life, in case you couldn't tell. :-)

Awkwardness aside, the Fatima excursion was very holy and somewhat intense. I felt very humbled to be able to witness the spiritual culmination of many pious peoples that had journeyed to be there. Fatima is a pilgrimage destination for Catholics all over the world who come to see the site and the tombs of the three children (Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinta) who saw the apparitions of the Virgin Mary on May 13th in 1917 in Cova da Irla in the town of Vila Nova de Ourem. The apparitions continued on the 13th of each month until the last one on the 13th of October, when a group of 70,000 had gathered to see what the children had shared would happen based on Mary's apparitions - a silver disc where the sun was would light up the sky and the people would be able to look into it without their eyes burning. Many of the witnesses at the occurrence gave the same testimonies over and over. They had seen the actual event of the apparition given by the Virgin Mary through the three children. In 2017, on the 100th year anniversary of the first apparition, the pope came to Fatima and the entire grounds were filled with devout Catholics for as far as the eye could see. (Sources: Fatima brochure and Joao)

After touring the cathedral, I sat in on the end of the outdoor mass. Some followers kneeled and bowed their heads at the foot of the stage in almost a childlike way, with their rosaries clutched in their hands, their fingers moving over the beads. One man, was fervently repeating prayers to himself inaudibly, almost in anguish as he moved his fingers over his eyelids and back to the rosary, his mouth never ceasing to say the words. I felt privileged to be able to witness it all, but with the privilege came discomfort at times. I was in awe at how devoted these people were to their faith and how powerful a religion can be. I was also frightened by how devoted these people were and how powerful a religion can be. I think history has shown us how devastating and confusing and cruel it can be to be taught your whole life the importance of following a faith and being devout, and then having that faith used against you to harm you or not accept you. (I am thinking specifically of the systematic sexual abuse that occurred in many Catholic parishes, as well as the church's non-acceptance of gays for many centuries, though I know this varies by parish and church.) I also understand the beauty of religion as a place to carry your hopes and healing and prayers when everything else in life hasn't worked, and I respect that deeply. Many people make this pilgrimage to have items blessed by the priest or to pray for the healing of sick family members. It is just overwhelming. Writing all of this is making me emotional...

Holy souvenirs at the Fatima rest stop

Alas, moving onto something lighter! Our tours following Fatima were just simply lovely and light-hearted. We visited a fishing village called Nazare where annual surfing championships are held and the Nazarean fish ladies lay out their dried fish while wearing their famous skirts. For lunch in Nazare, I was joined by Jenny for a small table for two rather than a lunch for eight, which was great. She was also on the tour by herself, so we were able to connect over that. She is from Taiwan and has been working in Spain for the last three years. She speaks Chinese, Spanish, Japanese, and English. She told me that she visited Lisbon about 7 years ago and that the city has completely changed, in the best way, with the growing economy. Jenny expressed how much she loves Portuguese people and how they have always been so warm and welcoming towards her as a traveler, and I couldn't agree more.

I am starting to understand with testimonies and research that Portugal as a country has just recently climbed out of economic poverty within the last decade and is starting to regain strength from having joined the European Union and from having a rise in tourism. (Maybe the impoverished economy from recent years explains the ubiquitous graffiti I mentioned earlier? From my observation graffiti tends to pop up in urban communities that are socioeconomically disadvantaged. I am not certain why there is a correlation.)

Everyone is rooting for Portugal's emergence as a desirable destination in Europe and I am so happy and proud. We talked a bit about the Azores with our tour guide as well. Just like the mainland, it seems that tourism and economic growth will bring accessibility to the Azores soon. I hope that by the time our family gets our trip planned, we will be able to visit the island of Madeira.

I also was able to get some non-selfie perspective photos at the Obidos castle thanks to Jenny. The full-length photos are a definite plus to touring with a friend. It was nice to meet you Jenny! (She had to catch a flight back to Barcelona after the tour - what a life!) One more thing I wanted to say is that our Joao played traditional Portuguese Fado music for us on the ride home, and apparently there is a famous Fado singer named Meriza whose name is pronounced just like my cousin's name, Merisa. Merisa, did you know that your name is traditionally Portuguese?

Here are some pictures from the day...

Striking a pose with these painted fishing boats

Now that my laundry is hanging on a clothesline to dry and I have eaten my European yogurt for breakfast, it is nearing afternoon and I am ready to take on the day.

Boa tarde,

Alana