Of Legends and Surfers

The Legend of Nazaré

14 Mar, 2014 | From Ana of Portugal

POSTCROSSING FRIEND

Ana shared to me this legend: The Legend of Nazaré has it that on the early morning of September 14, 1182, Dom Fuas Roupinho alcalde of Porto de Mós, Portugal, was out hunting in his domain, near the coast, when he saw a deer which he immediately began chasing. The deer ran towards the top of a cliff. Due to a sudden fog, Dom Fuas only later realized that he was on the edge of the cliff and lost his companions. When he realised that he recognised the place. He was next to a small grotto where a statue of Our Lady with the Enfant was venerated. Thus he prayed out loud Our Lady, Help Me. All of a sudden the horse miraculously stopped at the end of a rocky point suspended over the void, the Bico do Milagre, thus saving the rider and his mount from a drop of more than 100 metres, that would certainly caused their death.

Ana also shared that the surfer Garrett McNamara broke the world record for the highest wave ever surfed here at Nazaré.

A taste of Portuguese cuisine

Typical Portuguese Dishes

1 Oct, 2013 | From Ana of Portugal

Many of Portugal's dishes are fish-based due to the country's situation on the Atlantic. But despite being relatively restricted to an Atlantic sustenance, Portuguese cuisine has many Mediterranean influences.

Portugal formerly had a large empire and the cuisine has been influenced in both directions. A Portuguese influence is strongly evident in Brazilian cuisine, which features its own versions of Portuguese dishes such as feijoada and caldeirada (fish stew). Other Portuguese influences can be tasted in the Indian province of Goa, where Goan cuisine dishes such as vindaloo show the pairing of vinegar and garlic, and also Macanese cuisine.

A copy of a lost card

Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcantara

21 Jun, 2013 | From Maria Castro of Portugal

This is a copy of a postcard that Maria, Ana's mother, sent me months ago but failed to reach me. Maybe it is still traveling somewhere. She surprised me with another copy which luckily found its way to my mailbox this time.

Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcantara is a garden with a panoramic view across the city to St. George's Castle and central Lisbon.

Old Lisboa

"As Varinas" | Lisboa, 1956

21 Jun, 2013 | From Ana Castro of Portugal

Ana and I decided to keep sending each other postcards, and this is the third postcard she sent me. Ana shared that the women in the card are "fishmangers'. The tall building is the Sta. Justa Elevator, which is a top attraction of downtown Lisbon. It connects the lower street with the higher Carmo Square.

She also wrote about her cats, Tito and Anita. Also about her favourite music artists and bands.

Lisboa in Multi-view

Lisboa, Portugal

29 Apr, 2013 | From Ana Castro of Portugal

Ana sent me another postcard from her country. It features interesting and beautiful views of Lisboa, the largest and capital city of Portugal. She wrote about anime in her postcard. We both like anime - Japanese animations. She thinks that the Japanese culture provided a context wherein philosophy and humor can co-exist. She find it interesting that one character can be serious one moment, then unleash laughter a moment later. Yet she is amazed with the wisdom these "characters" have.

A colorful Palace in Portugal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Palácio Nacional da Pena

25 Mar, 2013 | From Ana Castro

Ana made a swap with me after I did a swap with her mom, Maria. It was unfortunate however that Maria's postcard somehow got lost en route to me.

Ana sent me this beautiful postcard showing the Palácio Nacional da Pena. This is my first postcard from Portugal. She also wrote a few things about herself and her interests.

About the card, The Pena National Palace (Portuguese: Palácio Nacional da Pena) is a Romanticist palace in São Pedro de Penaferrim, municipality of Sintra, Portugal. The palace stands on the top of a hill above the town of Sintra, and on a clear day it can be easily seen from Lisbon and much of its metropolitan area. It is a national monument and constitutes one of the major expressions of 19th-century Romanticism in the world. The palace is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the Seven Wonders of Portugal.