Bar Lourinhã

Yet another successful food outing today.  Actually, it was more like a couple of outings, as I first spent the day wandering around the city, enjoying the nice weather and a cup of yummy gelato.  It was a great way to kick-off my two week break from school.  Later in the evening, I met up with my roommates and we tried to go to a Mexican restaurant.  This was our second attempt, but yet again we failed.  The wait was two hours long (our hypothesis is that it is so popular because it is really one of the only Mexican restaurants in the city) and so we decided to head over one block to a Portuguese style restaurant.  My roommate Liz did the ordering, and we enjoyed a somewhat lighter meal, followed by a pit stop to top off our dinner (with french fries, or chips as they call them here), before heading to a fancy place for dessert.  Let's just say, lots and lots of calories were consumed today, and my teeth feel like they are ready to rot out because of all the sugar.  However, I am content because as my roommate said, you only live once, so why not.

As I mentioned before, I'm on break now.  I finished up and submitted another paper, and it feels great to know that I can put my work aside for a couple of days and give my brain a rest.  There is still a lot to do, but now I can space it out and take on a slower pace.  After the two weeks are over, I'll have a month left of classes before preparation for finals begins.  The end of the semester is coming quickly, it's crazy!

Tomorrow I'll be meeting up with some friends to watch a couple of games of the Rugby World Cup.  Rugby is a much bigger deal here than it is at home, and the Aussies are all excited about it (though they suffered a somewhat embarrassing loss to Ireland this evening).  The US is holding their own, so far winning one (against Russia) and losing one (against Ireland).  I am slowly learning the rules, and hopefully I'll be able to follow along tomorrow.  I'll be in the presence of seasoned veterans, so I'm sure they can clarify things for me if need be.