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Explorers of Yore in Belem

One of my pet peeves is the misuse of your and you’re. It’s not often that yore is used but here it is! I thought that I would chat about how exploring in the twenty-first century is vastly different than exploring in the days of yore!

Padrao Dos Descobrimentos (Monument of the Discoveries)

The Monument of the Discoveries is an impressive stone monument in Belem, Portugal. Prince Henry the Navigator is the discoverer leading the pack. In the 15^th century (long before GPS), he discovered new trade routes, searching for the source of gold shipments he had seen off the coast. He was the main initiator of the Age of Discovery and one of the first to understand ocean wind patterns.

Prince Henry was also on a mission to spread religion, as was somewhat of a prerequisite during that era. What manner of influence did he use to persuade others to worship in the same manner as he was accustomed? Of that, I do not know.

But Wait, There’s More!

Other than Prince Henry the Navigator, there are 32 other discoverers carved along the monument (take that, Mt Rushmore!) whose names of only a few I recognize.

I am not sure all of them actually sailed the treacherous seas. Some of them may have been accountants for all I know. Maybe that is why they are called discoverers and not necessarily explorers? They may have discovered a tax loophole while the actual explorers looted and pillaged.

Anyway, that is why we paid ten euros (after our senior citizen discount) for my wife and I to go inside. I expected a museum of blood and gore. Instead it was only a view from the top.

I guess a million-dollar view for ten euros is fine. But I really would rather have seen some history, as gruesome as it may be.

You Can’t Go Home Again – Thomas Wolfe

When we told our friends and family that we had decided to move to Portugal, almost every one of those who actually believed that we would follow through said, “Well, if you change your mind, you can always come back.” Compare this attitude to the explorers and pioneers of yore.

When Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese explorer and the first European to cross the Pacific, embarked on his journey, did his crewmen receive the same advice from family and friends as we did? “Well, you can always come back.” That is, if you don’t drown in a storm. Or die of scurvy. Or are killed by pirates. Or fall off the end of the Earth.

And then there were the pioneers in America telling their family and friends about their plans to move out west. Manifest Destiny and all that. “Well, you can always come back.” That is, if you aren’t scalped by Indians. Or die of dysentery. Or bit by a rattlesnake.

Looting, Raping and Pillaging

Valid arguments have been made that those who looted, raped and pillaged their way around the globe shouldn’t be honored. Many explorers were ruthless, sadistic thugs with little or no conscience. Naturally, they had to be made of tough stuff to have any hope of survival while in the pursuit of gold, tobacco or nutmeg on newly discovered lands. Of course, those lands just happened to be inhabited by some indigenous folks.

The history of the world is ruthless, for sure. Some events get watered down to make them more palatable to our modern day sensitivities. Others are exaggerated to make them more titillating to our sedentary lifestyles.

Recorded history, along with scientific evidence, gives us some fairly accurate scenarios, though. We may never get an exact picture without having personally been there. But that is no excuse not to study it and learn from it. It’s close enough.

Puttin’ on the Ritz in Coimbra

Yesterday we drove to Coimbra. We decided to go to meet an expat that I had met online about a year ago. It was a great meeting at Café Ritz, which was very unRitz-like, but the espresso was good and it was worth the two-hour drive each way to visit a fellow expat and explore Coimbra.

University of Coimbra

This is a beautiful view from the college, which was established way back in 1290. Coimbra is college town of about 106,000 people with incredible, historic buildings dating from the 12^th century. There are many restaurants and a great town square. One of my prerequisites when looking for a place to live was a vibrant town square. Another prerequisite was to be by the ocean. That is another reason why we chose Ericeira.

Arches of the Aqueduct of Garden-San Sebastian

We walked under an ancient Roman aqueduct which originated in the first century. It was refurbished and expanded upon greatly in the 16^th century.

I thought that was a carving of Aquaman on top of the Aqueduct but my wife says it was a martyr by the name of San Sebastian. One of us is right.

Round and Round We Go!

In every city in Portugal, you will find roundabouts. The bigger the city, the more confusing the roundabouts.  I find them rather intimidating, to say the least. Sometimes, I think that I would rather be out fighting pirates and gigantic sea serpents in hundred-foot waves than navigating a three-lane roundabout.

I came close to two accidents in one single roundabout yesterday, seconds apart, with two cars laying on their horns. I am sure I am to blame. However, I don’t know what I did wrong other than trying to exit the roundabout without going around and around a hundred times. It is hard to learn from my mistakes when I don’t know what I did to almost cause two collisions.

My wife was telling our new friend in Coimbra that I was a fearless driver. That is not true. I drive fearlessly because otherwise I would simply freeze up in the middle of a roundabout. I am a fearful driver who drives fearlessly.

“Well, you can always come back.” That is if you survive the roundabouts.

I have read a lot about the aggressiveness of Portuguese drivers but I haven’t found that to be true. Confident, perhaps. I find them to be more cooperative than the drivers I’ve encountered in the States, generally speaking. And unlike crossing any street in Portland, they always seem to stop at crosswalks for pedestrians. I have noticed that pedestrians often do not even look to see if the cars are stopping before stepping into the street. That is way too much of a leap of faith for me. I put my hand out like a traffic cop.

Camera Phone vs a DSLR Camera

Before we left for Portugal, I bought the latest Sony A6400 camera and even took a few lessons. But adjusting the settings for each shot took forever. And learning all the settings was like learning the Portuguese language.

I saw some other shots that I really liked from a friend as well as from my brother. I asked them what they were shooting with and they both said they were using their phones. Then I noticed that my own shots taken from my phone were better than the ones I was taking from my new Sony.

My poor shots from my Sony were not Sony’s fault but that is not the point. Why lug around a big camera and accessories to the beach and around town when a phone is all that is required? There are definitely some features on the Sony, such as shutter speed and zoom, that are pretty awesome but not worth the hassle to me.

So I sold the Sony and started shooting on my Samsung Galaxy 10. While the quality of my photos are not nearly where I want them to be yet, I do see an improvement. I may even take some videos in the future. There are also excellent pre-picture adjustments and post-picture editing features that are pretty remarkable.

My suggestion, unless you are a professional wedding photographer or if you are shooting surfers in the tube, your phone is probably all you will ever need.

Portuguese Retirement Visa Update

We applied at the Portuguese Consulate on August 1^st (see past blogs). We know of many people who applied after us who have already received their visas. What could the problem be?

Here’s the update: As I wrote earlier, we were told to bring $101 dollars (cashier’s check or money order) to the consulate for our appointment. However, when we got there they told us it was $101.03. Close but no cigar. So we went down the block to get money orders for exactly $101.03 and all seemed copacetic.

Until today. We just received this email from the Portuguese Consulate:

“As we were processing your visas it was brought to our attention that the payment attached is not the correct amount. You both provided a money order for $101.03 and the fee for a residency visa is $105.29. We therefore ask you to send the remaining balance of $8.52 as soon as possible so we can continue to process both of your applications.”

Arrrr! Imagine me making my best pirate sound effect. Although, putting this in perspective, it is still not as bad as sailing out into the great unknown, having our ship boarded by pirates and being made to walk the plank after being horribly abused. So I am calling this a win and being one step closer to residency. No turning back now!