these two baby goats that paulo’s father is raising!

they’re a few weeks old and really curious about everything. they’ll pull your clothes to get your attention, hop around and even escape the barn if given a chance! their eyes are a little creepy – but did you know their rectangular irises gives them a 320 – 340 degree vision? that’s right, they don’t even need to move their head to see practically everything around them!

we’ll be in portugal for the next couple of weeks, crying on friend’s weddings, soaking in the sun and the warm embraces of our family and friends, and trying to resist the lure of delicious cholesterol. wish us luck!

this blog is missing some serious food reviews. i am in portugal after all, and of all the places i’ve visited, i’ve never met another so brimming with yummy culinary deliciousness. thing is, portugal is also my “home by default”, meaning, the place we get lazy about moving our butts because we think we already know all there is to know. you know what? definitely not true.

like ovos moles, for instance, which i had never tried before. so let’s do this!


before though, i should warn you that traditional portuguese desserts or sweets are known to be made of dozens of eggs and a ton of sugar, and ovos moles is no exception. moderate consumption is advised.
ovos moles’ origins are tied to several convents in the beira litoral region, where the nuns used the sweets to strengthen the patients. it is said that the reason most conventual sweets use lots of egg yolks is because the nuns used the egg whites to iron their clothes, making them whiter in the process :)

so, on a recent visit to aveiro, we got a box and took it home, to properly enjoy. aveiro is a river/seaside region, so ovos moles are wrapped in various shell motives and often offered in small boats or decorated barrels.

the outside layer is dry but melts in your tongue like the wafers they give in mass. the inside is where the sweet action is. it tastes of eggs and sugar, naturally, and one of this tiny things will be enough to kick your body into instant sugar rush :)



so now you know! they’re quite nice so go get some if you’re in town! :)

we started geocaching a few months ago, following tips by mundoo and vera. in shanghai there wasn’t much to hunt and besides, people are everywhere and they’re especially curious of us, the foreigners acting suspiciously…

in portugal though, there are tons of caches, hidden a bit everywhere, so there are really no excuses not to go find them. i especially enjoy the ones that take us to far away places, make us climb rocky hills or wander around in the middle of bushes that scratch our knees… or discover strange geological phenomena or some little known historical fact.

it’s fun, there are caches everywhere, and it makes another great excuse for a roadtrip! :) who knows what you’ll find?

once a year, around my grandpa’s birthday, the family gets together to celebrate. my mom has 7 brothers and sisters, all married and with kids, and some of my cousins now have kids as well… more people than we can sit at a table :)


it was the first time in 3 years that i was actually around to attend the party, so there were 3 new additions to the family that i had yet to meet, the smallest of which was just 1 week old :)




in typical portuguese fashion, there’s enough food to feast a full orchestra and plenty of house wine. the party drags itself into the night when we end up singing happy birthday to a sleepy grandpa :)

it’s a recent tradition, put in place by my mother, who by the way is the most unstoppable creature on earth. she has been holding on 2 jobs ever since she graduated, and all this while raising 2 kids and doing a second masters. she’s just been assigned to coordinate the nurses in the infectious & contagious diseases ward of the hospital (smack in the middle of the h1n1 crisis, no less). i cannot tell in words how immensely proud i am of this little stubborn creature and all she has accomplished :)br style=”clear:both”/>

À proa dum navio de penedos, A navegar num doce mar de mosto, Capitão no seu posto De comando, S. Leonardo vai sulcando As ondas Da eternidade, Sem pressa de chegar ao seu destino. Ancorado e feliz no cais humano, É num antecipado desengano Que ruma em direcção ao cais divino. Lá não terá socalcos Nem vinhedos Na menina dos olhos deslumbrados; Doiros desaguados Serão charcos de luz Envelhecida; Rasos, todos os montes Deixarão prolongar os horizontes Até onde se extinga a cor da vida. Por isso, é devagar que se aproxima Da bem-aventurança. É lentamente que o rabelo avança Debaixo dos seus pés de marinheiro. E cada hora a mais que gasta no caminho É um sorvo a mais de cheiro A terra e a rosmaninho! Miguel Torga

At the bow of a ship of cliffs, Sailing in a sea of sweet wort, Captain in his place Of command, S. Leonardo plows The waves Of eternity, No hurry to get to his destination. Anchored and happy at the human port, It is in an early disillusion That he sails towards the divine port. There will not be terraces Nor vineyards In the girls’ dazzled eyes; Rivers flowing Will be ponds of light Aged; Shallow, all the mountains Will let the horizons extend Until where the color of life is extinguished. Therefore, it slowly approaches Bliss. It is slowly that the boat moves Under his sailor feet. And every extra hour it spends on the way It’s an extra sip of scent Of earth and rosemary! Miguel Torga

hard task for me, almost impossible to translate this poem of Torga, without using all the twists the portuguese language offers. it’s about a specific peek on a hill in the margins of the douro river, called s. leonardo, or, the ‘terrace of the douro’.

compulsory high school portuguese literature, the meaning of the poem is much better captured when you’re up there, surrounded with vineyards on hills that resemble waves. this is the landscape of the “alto douro vinhateiro”, the region where porto wine is produced.

a truly magic (non-planned) roadtrip stop :)

prado, santarém. junho 2009

balloons, masks, music, banners and smiles for single cause: equality.






most pictures by paulo.