The Portugal Carnival

This week we hopped on a bus with Wayne, Margo, and Larry (Kay is still recovering from her broken hip) and rode to Loures, a little city about 15 minutes from Lisbon, to attend a parade.

The Carnival Parade is always held on a Tuesday, 47 days before Easter Sunday.

(For you Texans and Louisianans, this is the Portuguese version of Mardi Gras. So you know what I'm talking about!!) 

I'm not sure we were prepared for what we got ourselves into - we were just five of thousands of people who had the same idea.

Carnival is all about music, dancing and, of course, the costumes.

There were 15 floats and more than 1200 participants (from babies in arms to grandmas and grandpas) dressed in an array of costumes. Samba music filled the air and the participants jumped, danced, and blew whistles for a daunting 2 1/2 hours!

The motto for this year's party was 

"Explosion of Joy".

So, beginning with the big-heads, here we go...

(Ya gotta love this group! Yep, it's all about the costumes!)

And, who knew...

 Carnival is celebrated in more than 50 countries.

LISBON TEMPLE

We will be returning home next month!

We are down to only 10 more days of serving in the temple. 

I posted these pictures before (when we first arrived in October 2019) but it now seems fitting to repost them as we prepare to leave.

So...please re-enjoy these pictures of our precious Lisbon Temple - inside and out.

We are so grateful that we have had this opportunity to worship and serve, explore and discover the beauties, mysteries and priceless blessings of heaven in the beautiful Lisbon Temple.

Bertrand Bookshop

This week we were on a mission to locate a particular book. 

That quest took us down to the Chiado district of Lisbon to the Bertrand Bookshop.

Opened in 1732 (almost 300 years ago), Livraria Bertrand is considered to be the oldest bookshop in the world still in operation.

This little bookstore has a rich history. A bookseller from France actually opened the shop. It was later purchased by the Bertrand brothers. Things went well for several years. 

Unfortunately, the store was destroyed in the devastating 1755 earthquake. The family, however, showed great resilience and continued with the business in a different location.

When the buildings in the Baixa area were renewed 18 years later, the bookstore moved back to its original neighborhood (Baixa Chiado). 

The building itself looks deceptively small from the outside. However, once you enter inside, an entirely different story emerges. The bookshop is a narrow series of vaulted rooms which stretches back quite far.

Each room is filled with wooden bookshelves stacked from floor to ceiling with all manner of books. 

At the very end of the bookshop, you’ll end up at a café serving up pastries and drinks.

And, as luck would have it, I was even able to sit with Fernando Pessoa, the famous 20th century Portuguese poet, writer, literary critic, translator, publisher, and philosopher.

(However, this day he really didn't have much to say.)

And...did we find that book we were actually looking to purchase...you might ask?

NO.

The quest continues.