Written at a Winery in Vila Nova de Gaia on May 19th, 2014
Dallen and I spent a really laid back day at the hostel on Sunday. We went to the grocery store to stock up on some food to last us the next couple days. At the hostel I put on some beans to soak and be ready to cook for dinner with onions, garlic, and spices later. We prepared a simple meal, basically toasted cheese sandwiches and spinach salad. Out of left-field came some grilled chicken breast, and later the best chocolate mousse for dessert. The hostel owner had his extended family over for an afternoon BBQ. We were just fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time!
Sunday was also laundry day. Except not in your typical, modern sense, with a washer and dryer. We had to do it like our ancestors used to do... in the sinks with liquid hand soap. It was a chore, for sure. We got them laid out or hung up to dry on the counter off to the side of the bathroom with some open windows overlooking the courtyard. The weather here has been cool and humid. So it took a while for our clothes to dry. the alternative was going to be 5 euros per load at the nearest laundromat. Dallen referenced how Lieutenant Dan from Forrest Gump always talked about the importance of always having clean socks! The irony is that he later ends up getting his legs blown off as a result of combat in the Vietnam War. I guess it didn't all pay off for Lieutenant Dan the way he had planned. But maybe that's not the point of wearing clean socks. Lieutenant Dan certainly made an impression on Forrest... and me! I don't know what challenges the future holds, win or lose, it's great to put on a clean pair of socks today!
So, yesterday, was just a really nice way to rest up and prepare ourselves for the week ahead. We cooked delicious rice and beans for dinner and shared it with some new friends from England, Northern Ireland, and Germany. I learned about the long, complicated history between Northern Ireland and Ireland. It reminded me of the feud that Huckleberry Finn talks about in the end of his book. Remember? He says that the two families forgot what it was that got them fighting to begin with. They just knew that the other was bad and they needed to get back at them for the past offense they committed. The time with our new friends passed by so quickly. Before I knew it, it was already 11 p.m. and time for me to get some rest. We planned on spending the next day, our last full day, exploring more of Porto.
Dallen and I spent a really laid back day at the hostel on Sunday. We went to the grocery store to stock up on some food to last us the next couple days. At the hostel I put on some beans to soak and be ready to cook for dinner with onions, garlic, and spices later. We prepared a simple meal, basically toasted cheese sandwiches and spinach salad. Out of left-field came some grilled chicken breast, and later the best chocolate mousse for dessert. The hostel owner had his extended family over for an afternoon BBQ. We were just fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time!
Sunday was also laundry day. Except not in your typical, modern sense, with a washer and dryer. We had to do it like our ancestors used to do... in the sinks with liquid hand soap. It was a chore, for sure. We got them laid out or hung up to dry on the counter off to the side of the bathroom with some open windows overlooking the courtyard. The weather here has been cool and humid. So it took a while for our clothes to dry. the alternative was going to be 5 euros per load at the nearest laundromat. Dallen referenced how Lieutenant Dan from Forrest Gump always talked about the importance of always having clean socks! The irony is that he later ends up getting his legs blown off as a result of combat in the Vietnam War. I guess it didn't all pay off for Lieutenant Dan the way he had planned. But maybe that's not the point of wearing clean socks. Lieutenant Dan certainly made an impression on Forrest... and me! I don't know what challenges the future holds, win or lose, it's great to put on a clean pair of socks today!
So, yesterday, was just a really nice way to rest up and prepare ourselves for the week ahead. We cooked delicious rice and beans for dinner and shared it with some new friends from England, Northern Ireland, and Germany. I learned about the long, complicated history between Northern Ireland and Ireland. It reminded me of the feud that Huckleberry Finn talks about in the end of his book. Remember? He says that the two families forgot what it was that got them fighting to begin with. They just knew that the other was bad and they needed to get back at them for the past offense they committed. The time with our new friends passed by so quickly. Before I knew it, it was already 11 p.m. and time for me to get some rest. We planned on spending the next day, our last full day, exploring more of Porto.
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