JenyBean: Portugal Diary Day 5-Mafra

We visited the city of Mafra today, this too is a small city, but it is set apart because a huge Monastery/Palace accompanies it. 50,000 workers built the Palace in only one year for King John V. John was to marry Maria Ana of Austria to fulfill a vow he had promised, so he made one half of the palace the queens domain, and the other half his. In the center was the basilica where they could go to worship. We only were able to tour the basilica, which was absolutely gorgeous! I got really excited seeing all the Baroque architecture, statues and reliefs, and felt very reverent being in the presence of all these old statues. I came to find out that they were created in the style of two very famous architect/sculptors named Bernini and Borromini. I still could not get over the fact that almost every aspect of this Palace was created by HAND. Someone placed each brick or carved each statue or laid each singular marble tile. It is just awe-inspiring to me, especially since in today’s modern society it seems that everything is machine or computer generated, and very hands-off. I just had to sit back and appreciate the beauty and uniqueness of it all. After our tour of the Monastery, we were hungry for lunch so we walked across the street to a little café called the “Paris Café”. Tony and I being the Americans that we are were craving American style food, so I ordered the “hamburger” thinking I would be safe. Tony ordered the “sausages”. When our food came out my plate had 2 plain ground beef patties accompanied with a side of rice and a side of fries. Tony was given a plate with hot dogs sliced down the center long ways and heated up, not boiled, not grilled, just warmed up. Needless to say we were very disappointed and we learned a very valuable lesson that day; Do Not order American style dishes when visiting other countries and expect to enjoy an American dish. DUH! You are not in America, smarty! It was at that moment I realized I needed to embrace the Portuguese culture and every dish after that I veered clear of anything that looked remotely American, and to be perfectly honest I was never disappointed with a meal after that!