We awoke on Saturday, eager to start the day. In addition to having a sassy new haircut, we had social plans! We had a quick trip to the grocery store (Pingo Doce, which means “sweet drop”), and then we were invited to Barbara and Wayne’s place for lunch, followed by a matinee at the local art cinema.
Of course, we’ve come to really enjoy time spent with B and W because they’re fun, interesting people with a spirit of adventure and an appreciation of words. An added bonus is that a visit to them is also a visit to our future home. The more we’re there, the more we like the feel of the place.
Lunch consisted of a good local red wine (vinho tinto), water with ice cubes (!), a delicious salad made by Wayne, crusty Portuguese bread, french fries, and the promised Bacalhau Espiritual (Spiritual Cod). It was all yummy, especially the “heavenly” entree. There are many well known cod dishes in this country, all with different names, each one prepared differently from place to place – like meat loaf or lasagna in the US. Our Espiritual was a baked casserole with a creamy sauce and various types of seafood and sweet Portuguese carrots. I would definitely eat it again!
After lunch and lively conversation, the four of us walked a couple of blocks to the cinema where we were joined by Ken and Jo to see Green Book. I was the only one in the group who’d seen it before, but I knew it was well worth seeing again. The cinema experience was a little different from what we have at our beloved Neon in Dayton. First, they don’t have popcorn, so I was able to establish for the first time that it is, indeed, possible to get through an entire movie without munching on a greasy, salty snack. The concession was quite modest – mostly coffee and candy bars, but no one bought anything before going into the theater. It was a medium-sized auditorium which was filled to about 25% capacity. Barbara said that was about the biggest crowd she’d ever seen there, except for a Disney animated feature that brought in lots of kids. The space was filled with the sound of old American country tunes like Achy-Breaky Heart, which Barbara says is the same music they always play prior to a film starting. Eschewing all coming attractions, the feature film began at the stroke of 4:00. It was shown in its original English, with Portuguese subtitles. The audience seemed to be enjoying it as much as I was when suddenly, the movie stopped and the house lights came on. Everyone just started to quietly exit the theater! Barbara explained the the practice here is to halt the film at the half-way point for an intermission! The audience hung out by the concession area sipping coffee, or sauntered down the corridor to the restrooms. After about 15 minutes, folks strolled back to their seats, the lights dimmed, and the movie picked up exactly where it had left off. By the way, no concessions are ever consumed inside the auditorium.
This little cinema screens one movie each week. On weekends, it is shown at 4:00 in the afternoon and at 9:30 at night. The whole experience struck me as quaintly quirky, but you can bet your last euro we’ll be going again – soon and often!