Pasteis de Nata

sI've received so many nice comments about my vacation sketches I decided I should add more. So expect a flurry of sketches to follow ... some very preliminary  and some more refined based upon my free time and mood during our trip.

Brunch in this historic square of Lisbon offers Paseis de Nata (a delicious cream filled pastry) and espresso to help us overcome jet lag.  I find it mind-boggling to consider Christopher Columbus or Vasco de Gama could have passed by or even sat here next to me across from  Portuguese government buildings, when negotiating exploration contracts.

Think about it.  From this part of world, wooden ships were designed based upon seafaring craft from Phoenicia, built using techniques of the Vikings, then launched to search for trade routes using navigational tools and calculation skills from Persians, to sail around Africa to India, or west to the Americas.  

Think of Spain and you think of bull fights and siestas.  Think of Portugal and, well, nothing special comes to mind.  This trip makes me think (as it should) that we in the "West" don't give enough credit to those, from this Iberian appendage to Europe, for their technical and cultural contribution to the world.  More about this impression later.

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