Kindness of Strangers

It’s not every day you can say that you were woken by the shot of a cannon.

I was jolted from a deep sleep by a roaring boom. At first, I thought it was a car – a really big car – backfiring. Then, another shot. Firecrackers? Another. Shotgun? Another. Explosion? Then BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, each one louder than the one before it. It had to be a cannon. “I guess that’s what you get for not being in church,” said Maikael, realizing it was 9 o’clock on a Sunday morning.

We have been staying in a fabulous hostel in Guimaraes, and this was the first peep we had heard between 10 pm and 10 am in the four days we’ve been here This particular hostel is situated in an old manor house on a quiet neighborhood street in the heart of the city. We couldn’t believe our eyes when we opened the door to our room: hardwood floors, French doors leading to a balcony, high ceilings. The kitchen still retains its original architecture: the old, stone wash basin plays host to a de facto countertop, and you have to dodge Gothic arches on the way to the microwave. We feel like we’ve hit the hostel jackpot! It’s a far cry from the first two hostels we stayed in Portugal, which were both noisy and hot.

Taking advantage of the situation, we have done little but eat, sleep, and rest since arriving in Guimaraes. It’s a history-rich town, known as the birthplace of Portugal (the country’s first king, Afonso Henriques, was born here), and we could easily spend days exploring the many museums, castles, churches, and ruins that occupy the area. However, we’re quickly discovering that we can only take in so many sites in a day before it starts to wear thin. Today, for example, we visited Castelo Sao Miguel Do Castelo, believed to be the birthplace of Afonso Henriques, and Paco Dos Duques, a 15th century manor house that was once a presidential residence of Salazar. We didn’t have any special interest in these places, but it was Sunday and admission was free until 2pm, so we said, “Why not?” But after two hours, we were ready to be done touring for the day. On a “regular” vacation you can tour your brains out, knowing you’ll be done in two weeks, but on a trip this long, pacing activities is crucial.

We’re being more discerning about the things we choose to see. We’re setting smaller goals for the day. We’re taking more breaks and longer lunches. We’re giving ourselves permission to head back to our room when we’ve had enough, even if we didn’t get to see it all. We’re sitting, observing, and talking more. We are finding a rhythm.