'Twas the Night AFTER Christmas
And all through the town
EVERY person was stirring -
Even a clown!
We took our evening walk last night and the historic area was jumping!
 |
| Outside A Brasileira, a popular cafe |
 |
| The clown. |
Does Braga ever sleep? Everywhere was so lively. Shoppers, tourists, locals, families . . . Luckily, it wasn't raining, so the outdoor tables were packed, and there were few empty tables inside cafes and restaurants. This city comes alive at the drop of a hat!
I love the Christimas lights in all the main streets. These are along Rua do Souto, a major shopping street with cafes and stores and often street musicians, although we didn't see/hear anyone last night. The beautifull young dog you see in one picture is a Czech wolf! We had a chat with the owners. He's very friendly, has a really sweet disposition.
 |
 |
Later in our walk, we went to a café bar we like for a glass of wine - Patio da Sé. (Outside, the patio/pedestrianized street dead-ends into the Sé Catedral, a national monument). That place was packed, too, both downstairs and upstairs, where we found a table.
Our Christmas this year was on the quiet side, although on the 26th and yesterday (Boxing Day), thanks to the wonders of WhatsApp, we were able to talk to relatives and godfamily in the US and India. Earlier in the week we met with our "Portuguese family" and other friends here, which made for a contentful season in our new home.
I hope you all had a lovely Christmas, wherever you are, and will have a wonderful 2023, full of peace and happiness and all good things. If you are in the U.S., I hope you are out of the path of storms that have been sweeping through America on the east coast and midwest.
Take care, and let me know how you are.
You live a beautiful town. I fully understand why you came back to it, after leaving and then regretting. Thank you for sharing it on its holiday time with us.
ReplyDeleteIt looks incredibly vibrant. So very different from here where (other than a shopping orgy in which I did not participate) the 26th of December is a very low key affair.
ReplyDeleteIt must be magical to live in such a vibrant city and one you can walk in at night and feel safe. No wonder you love it there.
ReplyDeleteHappy belated holidays and a belated merry Christmas. Sorry I was offline due to the storm in my area.
Thanks for your comment, Mirka. We did think we must look a little crazy, bouncing back and forth, but as soon as we returned, we knew we had made the right decision. It feels great to be back.
ReplyDeleteE. C., "vibrant" is the word. The streets are always full of life and bustling, even when they aren't decorated at holiday time. I think one of the things I like is that it reminds me of small towns I lived in growing up, where there were lots of little stores instead of the big mega shopping centers (which wear me out.) I like the personal quality everywhere.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth & B, it's so nice to see you back. I hope the storm didn't do too much damage. We have relatives on the east coast and midwest, both areas hit hard. Luckily, they seem to have weathered (sorry for the pun) them. I hope you managed to have a good Christmas despite the storm.
ReplyDeleteYes, one of the things we like about Braga is the safety issue. In fact it's a feature all through Portugal. Braga is #2 in the top ten Portuguese cities for safety. Lisbon is #1! And it's the biggest city in Portugal! That said, it's only 504,718 (2916 figure), wereas NYC was 8.468 million in 2021. I think that really makes a difference. In 2021 Braga had a population of 193,333.
It looks like a fine place to celebrate the season. Happy New Year to you!
ReplyDeleteThis is the first I knew of Fourth Wish and now I'm following here, too! What a wonderful post -- so many beautiful ways to celebrate in our world and you seem to have landed in a perfect spot for it! I will look forward to following your life here!
ReplyDeleteLovely pics! Happy New Year! :)
ReplyDelete