I am a citizen of the Philippines, the country colonized by Ferdinand Magellan whose gift or burden to some, was the Catholic faith. He was at the helm of this monument.
Rediscovering our colonial roots in the past, enjoying the present moments and looking forward to more chapters of travel adventures
Photos taken by Michael Tan from Ontario, Canada.
Would you believe this? A convergence of purposes of both hubby and mine: @Enrique to complete his 45-day Camino del Norte pilgrimage and my unintended journey to Portugal.
Today is the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima. I lighted a candle for the total measure of health and wellness for @rina.bentajado with no side effects for her treatment to enjoy more thriving years of healthy living and working. I lighted also for my family, my sisters, for their continued health and wellness, as well as my grandchildren and children. Thank you po Lord and Our Lady of Fatima.
I also prayed for global peace, especially between Russia and Ukraine as in the Holy Land and for the Philippines’ West Philippine Seas. Salamat Po Panginoon – nothing can stand in Your Almighty righteous just pathway.
Thank you very much for a beautiful 24 hours thus far reunion with my hubby @enriquedlz may You Lord blessed us with more quality years of soulful journeys towards Your Home, and perhaps not quite soon until we witness the college years of our grandchildren.
@enriquedlz posted: “Sunset over Lisboa from our 12th floor window”.
Belem founded 1669, while Pasies de Belem founded in 1837. Fast forward to 2023, the lines are long, but moves fast. Here with hubby @enriquedlz indulging for lunch: hot chocolate, pasties de belem and cheesecake.
So happy to meet up with my hubby @enriquedlz in Portugal, who completed his third, Camino del Norte by the coast of northern Spain. He chose this restaurant @copo de mar, a cup of the sea, frequented by the locals. By 8 p.m., so many were waiting for their tables. We were lucky as hubby said at 7 pm to start walking to the restaurant. It helps that he is familiar with their dinner customs.
I travelled almost 20 hours. Drawback – my luggage was left in Toronto by @aircanada. In fairness, their service was excellent, and the flight attendants kept the bathrooms clean, and with good inventory of films to watch: Sailor love of septuagenarians, dolphin, named Winter rescued from the beach, and fitted with silicone gel sleeve and prosthetic tail, and a beautiful film on isolation, mental illness, beautiful songs and letters penned to and by Dear Evan Hansen as a therapy exercise. Hoping the luggage arrives in 24 hours.
We can’t stop trading talk stories. The accommodations in the monastery, the folks he met, the Renovated church in Porto, the statues of Dom Henrique Delacruz and of course: my completed house project, the professional artisans of Alfredo Perez who became my family for 42 days; the milestones of both my 8mo grandson #maharlika2023la and my gracious 8yo #princess2015la, and 3 published articles in Asian Journal.
The dinner menu was amazing: fresh trout, yucca, banana flavored yucca and corn powder; simple salad with watermelon and tomatoes; grilled salmon with quinoa and mashed pumpkin and cheesecake de dulce with brown sugar brittle. So yummy, so simple in ingredients, yet with depth of flavors – so so satisfied!
Praying my luggage shows up in the morning!
Happy reunion and dinner!
Updates: Five days later, it was one of the best trips we have had. All goals were met and all meals were exceptional, including the Ramen we shared at the food court.
David Tran, owner and founder of @huy fong foods. He asked if I would have a photo next to the framed photo and feature article that I wrote on him in Midweek’s Asian Journal. So as part of my 2015 goals to do, I went with my hubby who took these photos in Sriracha’s Irwindale plant. Thank you Enrique de la Cruz!
