A Very Portuguese Day

Today was a typical Portuguese day! To start, we all went to the Mercado do Livramento, a popular fish and fruit market, for a functional Portuguese lesson. We were given a list of commonly used Portuguese phrases such as “How much does this cost?” and prompts such as “Write the name of a vegetable with the letter L”. We got to walk around the market and complete a list of  language challenges that required us to speak with locals and vendors. Then we had some free time to explore the market and buy some fresh fruit, baked goods, and hand made souvenirs. 

After filling our bellies with fresh cherries and pastel de nata, we walked over to Casa de Baia for Portuguese cooking lessons. On the menu we had caldeirada, a fish and veggie stew that was made popular by Portuguese fishermen. And for desert we had Bolo de Bolacha, a layered cake made with biscuits dipped in coffee, egg yolks, and lots of butter. We also tried a variety of traditional Portuguese appetizers including meat and seafood croquettes!

After many cups of juice and plates of food, we got free time. Many of us roamed around the winding streets and alleyways of Setubal finding fun pants and dainty jewelry. Others had a nice relaxing nap in the afternoon. After free time, we ended our day at an all you can eat Brazilian buffet, a favorite of the program. It’s hard to believe that 2 weeks have already gone by. We are trying to enjoy our last remaining week and fitting in as many new experiences as possible.