Microblog

Minnesota Orchestra tonight. Enjoyed our usual pre-show wine in the upper bar which had been set up as a piano lounge. At our usual seats in Orchestra Hall, found ourselves next to the just-announced music director, Thomas Søndergård, and his husband. Pretended not to notice… even when he stood up when he was welcomed from… Continue reading Boundaries

A recent article in the local paper declared the Twin Cities to be “a hotspot for labyrinths.” This morning, I sated my curiosity by visiting one at Bethel Lutheran Church in South Minneapolis. A nearby sign suggested walking the pathways while meditating. I got back on my bicycle instead. I’d consciously been in the present… Continue reading Being in the Moment

At the end of our walk, stopped in to Trader’s for enough fresh food to get us through the day. After 3 weeks of too much eating out, we’re craving veg-forward meals. Tonight: stir-fried veggies over brown rice.

On board, Lisbon LIS–Boston BOS.

They couldn’t figure out how to rent three scooters, so dad and sons shared one scooter. Moments before, nephew #2 boarded and somehow managed to position himself in the middle.

Stopped at the tiny A Ginjinha Bar (recommended by Rick Steves, no less), established in 1840, counter open to the street. Here, purely in the interest of scientific exploration, my brother-in-law bought two shots of the only beverage on sale: one for him to share with my sister-in-law, and one for Dwight and me. We… Continue reading Imbibing on the Sidewalk

Rode an ancient streetcar through steep, twisty streets from our rental apartment to the starting point of a Rick Steves audio walking tour we’d all downloaded.

Started our Lisbon explorations with a hike up to St. George’s Castle where we surveyed the city below. Walked down into the city where we focused on the Tagus River waterfront.

Local bus, local train, mainline train to Lisbon Oriente Station. Rode the metro, checked in to a rental apartment in a neighborhood of mainly Lisbon residents.

One final Southwest Alentejo and Vicentine Coast Nature Park hike before we leave Salema tomorrow and ride trains north to Lisbon. Click through for a map.

9:30 a.m., Salema, Portugal: Dwight watered all the houseplants in Minneapolis where it was still night. Misters are on autopilot, but he prefers to run watering zones manually. The system has been reliable, but I find myself imagining additional fault-tolerant features to minimize the possibility of returning from a trip to racks of dead plants.… Continue reading Time to Water the Plants

Fajitas for dinner. Tex-Mex-Algarve.

Vertiginous view on our hike today to our turnaround point, ruins of a 400-year-old fort built to defend against pirates. Salema, the village where we’re staying, borders Southwest Alentejo and Vicentine Coast Nature Park, so we have easy access to trails.

Hiked a trail starting a few blocks from where we’re staying. Excellent cliff walking, repeated ascents and descents, quiet beaches, an inland loop through arid countryside.

Salema, Portugal, where we’re currently staying, has ducked Europe’s most extreme heat. Atlantic breezes make daily highs around 80° feel comfortable.

While the boys and their mom enjoyed the beach and the waves, we hiked to a supermarket where we filled backpacks with fresh produce and meats for the grill. We got in a pleasant hike and stocked up beyond the limited selections at two small stores near where we’re staying.