I went on an excursion with my teachers in Olivenza, a quaint Spanish town that feels very much like Portugal. It has to do with being both 24 km from the Elvas, Portugal and Badajoz, Spain. Olivenza has an extensive history of flip-flopping back and forth between Spanish and Portuguese control.
Yes, another excursion! Two schools means double the excursions. I have to say yes to all of them even when I haven’t gotten paid. I know I will eventually (meaning I SHOULD have weeks ago and most likely the first of December). These excursions are good opportunities to bond with the teachers, see some sights I wouldn’t otherwise and try some new foods.
We had lunch in a swanky place. It was comical how much food we ate. Plate after plate of food kept arriving. First cheese and (of course) Iberian ham. Then we had an appetizer of goat cheese inside of fried crispy deliciousness with a sweet tomato “jam”. (I know I’ll need to learn more about food if I ever enter the profession as a food critic). After that, we had cod with a lemon butter sauce, a pork and potato dish and then ANOTHER meat dish.
It was all seriously delicious and unique, but how the food just magically finds a place in my stomach is amazing. We finished with three desserts and coffee and miraculously, it was still light outside when we left the restaurant. I could get used to this all-day lunch thing.
Santa Maria Madalena church
Then we explored Olivenza, which reminded me of Lisbon quite a bit. We checked out the Portuguese Gothic style church. We then took ramps up to the top of the Olivenza castle. At the top, we got a great view of Olivenza just in time for sunset.
We took the ramps down and giggled about the whole experience of finding our way in the practical darkness. Great excursion. I don’t know what will happen when I return to the United States without castles in every town I visit. Guess I better visit as many as I can while I’m here.