Alpendurada Monastery for fado and supper Evening 12/16/2013

ALPENDURADA MONASTERY FOR FOOD AND FADO

 

 

In the evening we were bused up a long and winding road to the Monastery which has been redone and is now a hotel/restaurant.  I love this photo.  It is one of my favorites of the trip, having a painting like quality.  Perhaps I'll get it copied and framed.

 

It was an incredible place, but it was rather cold.  Because I have the flier's winter hat and the heavy scarf, I was warm, but most came rather underdressed. 
The place was heated only with some space gas heaters and it took a while to warm up even when we were once in the Monastery.

Everything they served was delicious and off my diet:  pork loin, roasted potato, salad, and a creamy brulee like brown sugar desert.  The red wine flowed freely.  There was some vinho verde, but it was not as good as what we had before.

We met new people including one very healthy 85 year old guy who told great stories of Morocco and had a fine sense of humor, a rural dry sense.  He is from Kansas.  His wife has Native American heritage and told some interesting bits about that. 

The Fado music was from a young good looking girl singer. 

 

 Here too is a fine photo of the Portuguese guitar.  I am very taken with the sound it makes.

 

One song I just understood a little.  Uma Casa Portuguesa.  Here it is done by another singer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoivTZUh_OI

 

Here are the lyrics

http://www.lyricstime.com/amalia-rodriguez-uma-casa-portuguesa-lyrics.html

 

And below are the lyrics with chords

http://acostabloggeral.blogspot.com/2012/08/uma-casa-portuguesa.html

 

The girl who sang was the prettiest of all the Fado singers we have heard, but she also was the most restrained in facial expression and hand movements, and she did not make the kind of eye contact others have made.

 This couple was from Monument, Colorado, up near where Cory and Ana live.

 

 This seemed a tad racy for a monastery.

 

 Our guide made great jokes about the driver, E. Manuel, as we proceeded to go back down those narrow winding roads, only now in total darkness. One I liked was, "E.  Manuel wants to get going before it gets dark.  He does not like to drive in the dark."
Of course, it was pitch black out when the joke is delivered.

One fellow later was pretty angry about this part of the trip.  He felt it was too risky and perhaps had not been explained to him beforehand.
I don't know what to think about it.  I was just very happy not to be responsible for the driving, as I was in Italy over similar narrow and winding roads.  I'll never do that again.

 
When we got back, we danced a bit to the piano and vocalist who was just wonderful, all old lounge songs from Volare to NY NY to She and a calypso.  I love this guy, and he was with us for the whole trip. 

It is almost impossible not to be overwhelmingly delighted with this trip even with the terrible bouts of arthritis.  The one I had this morning was so severe I thought about just staying in bed. 

I'd have missed a good bit and it would not have made me hurt less.  The dancing hurt, but it is exercise and with the naproxen and plenty of wine my legs loosen up a bit.

I keep thinking of my father.  His stroke left him with a left hand that did not work so well and legs that would not carry him, but without much pain.  He gave up.  I hated it then and I won't do it now.  There is no medical reason to give up.  On the contrary, the exercise can bring things back.  And it was that way for him as well.  What a waste he made of the latter part of his life, and how sad that is.  Uncle Charlie did better after his stroke, fighting hard to regain what he could and in good humor all the while.

It is one thing to have to die.  It is another to die before we have to. 

This is a good representation of the room we ate in
MONASTERY ROOM