All We Did Today Was Walk & Eat

Well, what can we say? It was the best day of our lives.
Breakfast with the Bethel family - fresh meat, cheese and bread, homemade squash preserves (YUM!), and Pastéis de Nata. OH the Pastéis de Nata!! Our friend Tina (who is from Portugal) told us specifically to try the Pastáis de Belem when visiting Lisbon. These Pastéis de Nata are the same thing, just not the original. They are like a flaky pastry cup filled with wonderful creamy custard.

After breakfast we met a sister from Mexico, 87 years old. (If you have the video “To the Ends of the Earth” see her get her Gilead diploma from Br. Knorr at the convention at Yankee Stadium) and got a tour of the facility and met just about everyone working there, and happened upon the classroom during their break. Then we roamed around the little garden area and soon it was 12:30pm and time for lunch! Green bean soup, shepherd’s pie, lettuce salad, and fresh oranges!

Then the day was wide open and we wanted to see the city. We drove through the round-abouts and (got lost at first) finally found our way to Belem. First we explored the Torre de Belem, an old, old tower with cannons and lots of steps and little spaces and prison cells in the basement. Then to the bakery that makes Patéis de Belem! It was quite a walk, but so worth it! Mmm, hot & fresh - and somehow even tastier than the ones at breakfast! The bakery was packed full of patrons, clearly a local favorite.

The next trick was to find the right train to take us to black-horse square in Lisbon, and we walked around seeing the sights. Somehow we managed to score some hot, fire-roasted chestnuts for free! They were like butter, just melting in our mouths. Then we stopped by the port area and the steps just keep going into the water. And you know, of the people I asked for directions today, in my special way of using the Portuguese language, no one spoke Portuguese! They all answered with "sorry, I speak English".

Something so sweet and unexpected was the bag full of juice and apples and cheese waiting for us when we got back to our room! Simone had gathered up some extra things and wanted to make sure we would have some food for the week. The brothers and sisters here have been so hospitable and kind, its such an honor to be a part of this.

For dinner we took Al and Simone to their favorite restaurant in Sintra, a nearby town. It was such a quaint little place, and we got goat chops! I would have been satisfied with the plate of olives, fresh cheese and fresh bread that they set on the table first. WOW. I can’t lie, I had 12 olives. And obscene amounts of bread. And we ordered a carafe of the wine of the house - amazing. And what’s dinner without dessert? How does almond torte and hazelnut ice cream sound? Good? Yeah, it was. We were all yummy sounds at dinner, Al and Simone were cracking up. I tell you, you just can’t get food like this in the States!

(Lauren) Best. Day. EVER!
(Corey) I shall eat goat again.