This weekend we went to Baleal, where my host family has a beach house. The beach at Baleal is beautiful, and is kind of wild and untamed. The sea is rough and good for surfing, and there are huge rocks on the shore, but the water is freezing and apparently cold enough that it's fairly uncomfortable to swim in. We walked around on the beach a bit, and went to this "island" which is an outcropping of rock that has a lighthouse and a small town. The road to the island used to get covered up with water in high tide, so they made a high road so that it's accessible all year round. Baleal means a place where there are whales, and my host parents told me that it's because they used to hunt whales there a long time ago. Baleal is very near Peniche, where the best fish in Portugal comes from. We stayed one night at the beach house, and the day at the beach and driving around Baleal and the surrounding area. On the way home, I got taught verbs while Pedro fell asleep sprawled across the back of the car. A weekend well spent, I'd say.
I also went to my first Catholic mass! It was on Saturday, and I went with my family to the service. I couldn't really understand what it was about, but my host mom explained it to me later. The singing was really pretty, but João told me "after 12 years of hearing that singing every week, you wouldn't say that". The church is very old and beautiful, and most things around the altar are gold-plated. There are pictures of saints and on the walls, and also a few small figures of them. This mass was for the children, so my host brother Pedro and another girl went up and answered questions that the priest asked them. But he told them the answers so that they wouldn't be embarrassed if they didn't know or said the wrong thing. Everyone thought I must have been bored, but I couldn't make them understand that it was no different than school or most parts of everyday life, because I don't understand any Portuguese there either. I wish I had pictures of the church to put on here, but I guess those will have to wait. But, I do have pictures of Baleal!
I also went to my first Catholic mass! It was on Saturday, and I went with my family to the service. I couldn't really understand what it was about, but my host mom explained it to me later. The singing was really pretty, but João told me "after 12 years of hearing that singing every week, you wouldn't say that". The church is very old and beautiful, and most things around the altar are gold-plated. There are pictures of saints and on the walls, and also a few small figures of them. This mass was for the children, so my host brother Pedro and another girl went up and answered questions that the priest asked them. But he told them the answers so that they wouldn't be embarrassed if they didn't know or said the wrong thing. Everyone thought I must have been bored, but I couldn't make them understand that it was no different than school or most parts of everyday life, because I don't understand any Portuguese there either. I wish I had pictures of the church to put on here, but I guess those will have to wait. But, I do have pictures of Baleal!
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