A bad day at the office; Iberian cultures; Spanish eccentricities; A noisy meal; & More fotos.

Yesterday was one of those days. First I dropped my laptop on a concrete floor; then a piece came off my binoculars; then my car was scratched when the door hit a concrete post when my passenger opened it. But, to top things off, when I tried to get from a drinks machine the water I really needed, it waited more than 5 minutes before delivering a hot chorizo sandwich. The Place was called Grab and Go, In my case, it was Grab and Throw.

Still, we got to Évora alright and it's a pretty place. Since my last visit, though, the population appears to have become largely Japanese.

As has been said more than once, despite their proximity, the Portuguese and Spanish cultures are very different. Bang on cue, here's one Spaniard's view of the aspects of his culture at which foreigners most marvel. He means primarily Anglo-Saxons, I guess, but I'm pretty sure the Portuguese would be just as dumbfounded.

It's certainly true that Portugal is a much quieter country than Spain. But, towards the end of my bad day yesterday, I ate in a tiny restaurant dominated by a vast-bellied old man at the minuscule bar who talked in a stentorian voice at the TV, at the owner, at himself and at the poor folk he called when no one answered him. I doubt this was happening anywhere else in Portugal, where the locals prefer to whisper rather than to shout as the Spanish do. And to leave the TV inaudible rather than blaring.

If you can't afford a real all-terrain vehicle, there's a company - Standmonti - which appears to offer a cheaper alternative:-

Finally . . . Some pictures from yesterday's trip from Lisbon to Evora via Montemor O Castelo:-

 And right next door . . . .