Portugal: South -> North

Our research paper on Google’s brand animorphism through the changing of it’s logo (Doodles) was accepted to an ECREA (European Communications Research & Education Association) conference on Organizational and Strategic Communications, in PORTUGAL! 

So, at the beginning of May, Louise and I hopped on a RyanAir flight to Portugal for a week! We flew into Faro, an old dilapidated fishing town on the southern coast of Portugal and the plan was to make our way up through the middle of the country by bus to the small town of Covilha, where the conference was being held.

My goal in Portugal was to see what this economically-deprived yet historically and geographically rich country is all about. (And, to relish in wines from opposite sides of the spectrum: Port and Vinho Verde (green wine). Oh, and I did. THANK GOD Louise is Brazilian and speaks Portuguese – I have no idea how we would have gotten around without her.

After a mostly disappointing time in Funky-Ass Faro, we took a bus to Evora, an ancient Moorish fortress town with unbelievable cod a’bras (mashed, herbed cod) and a chapel made entirely of BONES (Capela dos Ossos)!!

The Bones Chapel was a prayer and meditation place focused on the human condition of the Franciscans. The chapel was built in the 16^th Century with the bones of the graves of the town. At the entrance, on a classicist lintel in marble, the following famous inscription can be read: 

WE BONES ARE HERE, WE ARE WAITING FOR YOURS. 

The interior is completely covered with human bones and has the solemn, gloomy and tragic atmosphere of a crypt.

 dem lotsa bones

During the 2 days we stayed at the lovely Old Evora Hostel, I met a UCSC Slug from San Diego (go figure, in the middle of rural Portugal!).

We made our way north to Covilha, a mountainous city in the Beira Interior region of northeast Portugal. The conference, titled "The Dialogue Imperative" went well - people seemed genuinely fascinated and visually engaged by our research. Our presentation was most exciting, if we do say so ourselves. We were on the panel regarding interactive strategies and spoke about Google's fluid corporate visual identity. 

The city of Covilha was quiet with a lot of hand-made crafts to offer. The area is known for it's quiejo de Serra, an incredible soft and salty cheese made exclusively from Bordaleira sheep milk. Next to it, presunto, or dried pork (think: the best prosciutto you've ever had) Mmmm. Damn.

After the conference, we hightailed straight to Porto where I magically stumbled upon a poster for an Ursula Rucker (Bay Area-based spoken word and r&b artist) who happened to be playing THAT night! I just saw her in LA on January! 

Ursula is a bad-ass 

Louise and I met up with her best friend from Brazil, a quirky little lady named Joisa. Her fiance took us to an unbelievable fondue restaurant north of Porto in Póvoa de Varzim where we dipped succulent pieces of chicken and steak into a wide variety of different Portuguese sauce creations. Sauce winner of the evening: garlic cream. HEAVEN. 

I also had my first quail egg at this restaurant, along with other delish savory little Portugese nibbles.