Finishing Up the Local Lifestyle

While there is still plenty more of the local lifestyle to come before I am finally up to date on my posts, here are some of the things we did in the final month or so before we left.

We fit in one more bullfight, and this one was on the beach.  It really wasn't that exciting this year, but we were there with friends so it was fun to hang out.

   

This was around the time of the Holy Spirit festival on the island, so there were big meals and celebrations, and lots of fancy decorations.

Also, this coincided with San Joaninas Festival, so there were major bullfights, yes real bullfights, however Portugal does not kill bulls.

   

Since we were trying to empty out the fridge and freezer, and trying to get in the last of the good bread and cheese, we decided one night to get a loaf of bread, some cheeses from the islands, and some olives.  

 

Yummy cheese!  Oh how I will miss the cheese.

 

Not sure why we never thought to enjoy this for a quite evening in before, but it really did make a nice dinner/movie food.

The next morning we used some of our neighbor's eggs to make french toast from the bread we had bought the day before.  It was so good.

 

I also had a few restaurants I still needed to visit before we left, since I have another blog of just activities and businesses on the island.  Although we had eaten at Caneta before I did not have any pictures, so we needed to go back.

 

They have an awesome courtyard area.

 

One thing I like here is that they also serve corn bread with the regular bread.

 

We had some cheese and olives to start.

Very cute and traditional inside.

 

Here we are enjoying a nice meal.

 

Ryan ordered the steak kebab.  He was told by our friend that he had to get this.  It was like a steak on a stick and they put garlic butter on the skewer at the top and it melts and drips down onto the meat.  Certainly not my thing, but I can see why the guys like it so much.

 

At least it came with some fruit on the side.

 

I had the boca negra, which is my favorite fish from the island.  It was very good.

 

Since I was in photo mode to get pictures for my other blog, I decided we should get some dessert.  Ryan had the ice cream filled crepe, which seems to really be an ice cream burrito.  I had some chocolate chip ice cream.

 

As usual, we ended the meal with some coffee, and then headed back home with a lovely coastal drive.

Still plenty more to come for the rest of the island, and then the trip back to the States.  I am in the US now, and actually I am on the plane.  Gotta love wifi on the plane!  I am hoping too that I can read and comment on some blogs since I really miss having the time for that.  Soon we will be settled and I will be back as I get into a new routine.

QUESTIONS:  Have you ever used wifi on a plane?  Can you drink coffee after dinner?

Acrobatic Bull Fight

Although today is Thursday, I am really trying to get caught up with all my pictures and posts, so I am putting Thursday Thoughts on hold this week.  Instead, I can’t resist sharing with you these strange “bull fighters” from Spain.  We actually attended the same event last year.  This is the bull fight where the guys do acrobatic tricks with the bull.

As we approached the arena, we spotted the cars from the street racing the night before.  We didn’t get there, although we saw it the year before.  The weather was looking like it may rain, so we decided to pass.

 

But the rain held off, so we were able to attend the bull “fight” the next night.  Yes, these guys taunt the bull, but mostly in an effort to position themselves to pole vault and back flip over a charging bull.

 

Another act they do is to catch the bull, “tame” him and then climb up it.  Here are the step by step shots.

TA-DA!  At the end he stands up and the other men bow to him and and bull.

I picked up a fresh roll from the big bread bakery on the island, which was between the parked car and the arena (I swear I did not do that on purpose).

The band was there, which is an awesome part of the experience.

Here you can see the guys approaching the bull to leap over him.

This was one of their final acts.  The caught the bull and “tamed” him.  yes, it involved some pulling on his tail, but they brought him to the ground.

 

And you see him “playing” with the bull.

It is really funny event to see.  I took some video too, but I seem to have the hardest time getting it to upload here, so if anyone has tips on blogger for videos, let me know.  It has been trying to upload for almost an hour now.

QUESTIONS:  Have you ever been to a bull fight?  Any suggestions for next week’s Thursday Thoughts?

Bullfights and Tiles, so Azorean

You know summer is right around the corner when bull fight season starts.  Bull fights here are a little different from what you might be used to, as they let the bulls loose on a rope and they run in neighborhood streets.  While that is the most common form around here, they also have arena bull fights, where they, yes, stab the bull.  Thankfully Portugal has a no kill policy, but it is still not nice to go around stabbing large animals...BUT it is local custom and tradition, so we respect that.  It is also the most excitement around here in months, so we attended the first bull fight of the year last weekend.  Scroll down to the tiles now if you do not want to see pictures of the bull fight (you can't really see much in them, but I will warn you just in case).

Since the bull fight started at 8:30, and many restaurants don't open until 7 pm, coupled with the typical European meal that lasts hours, we opted for pizza instead.

 

Our new friends, Alexandra and James joined us.  Here is how I met Alexandra, try not to get confused: She went to college (sorority sister) with my cousin's wife.  When my cousin's wife found out she was moving to Lajes, and realized I live here, she introduced us over Facebook.  Alexandra and I clicked right away, and I am so happy to have a new friend here.  Too bad we leave soon, but I am still thankful to have met Alexandra and spend some time hanging out with her.  Since they are new to the island, we took them with us to the arena.

At first we were in the back, so for the opening ceremonies we were looking at the backsides of everyone.  We ended up moving shortly after this because there was a group of young American guys, drinking and getting rowdy behind us.  It was really unpleasant and we did not like all the attention it was attracting.  Not only was it disrespectful to the local culture and people, it distracts the bulls and horses, and even the people nearby.  Keep that in mind as you travel.  Never single yourself out as an American (or what people assume is American behavior).  I hate to say it being an American, but our culture differs from others and acting in a different manner makes you stand out in the crowd.  It's just not a good position to put yourself and your travel companions in.  Basically, this was not an NFL tailgate party and these guys were treating it as such.

This is just the guy who "entertains" the bull.  The bull fighter rides around on a horse.

That was last Friday night, and on Saturday afternoon, Alexandra and I went to a tile painting class at a tile factory.  This place does custom work, traditional tiles, hand paints, mass produces with transfers (like iron on decals), and really does a large amount of the ceramic tile work on the island.  If you buy a mug at a souvenir, there is a good chance it was made at this place.  I love their items, and when Ryan's family was here we were picking up gifts, and the owner told me about his new tile painting classes.  For 2 hours you get training in how to paint in this unique and traditional Portuguese way.  If you have ever been to Portugal you will know that they are well known for their painted tiles.  

When we arrived we were given a brief history of tile work in Portugal, followed by a demonstration on how to pain these tiles.  The are pre-glazed, which makes them different from tiles that you glaze after you paint.  Here the owner is showing us the paint color that turns to the deep blue that is traditional here in Portugal and the Azores.

These are the paints.  They are powder in water that you mix up.

If you can draw, you have an advantage.  I am by no means artistic AT ALL, so I picked a flower that was drawn already on tracing paper.

I practiced a little with the paint colors before getting started on my actual tile.

Then I placed the picture on the tile, as we were taught to do, and traced the picture.

If you look closely you can see how it was transferred to my blank tile.  This is because of the kind of tile this is, with a powdery glaze on top.

Here is my tile with the stem completed and then starting on the petals.

As I said, I am not that artistic.

I just kept painting my flower, praying it would turn out nicely.

Here is Alexandra's tile in progress.

Here you have my finished tile.  I am not even gonna lie, the professional painter came over and helped me add details and texture to my tile.

A few days later we went back and picked up our finished tiles.  I think they turned out very nicely, despite not being a good artist.

I am also very excited because I placed a custom order for a "house of" sign that will say Boyd Family on it.  When I pick up the finished product I will share here.  I am also getting a beware of dog sign made with a hand painted picture of our dog on there.  Their tile work is amazing so I need to get everything I have been talking about for months, before we leave the island.  I am also very excited because now that we have taken the class, the owner will have open studio hours where we can come and paint more projects.  You just pay for what you make.  It is a very cool idea and super fun to do.