Of Bacalhau and Babies

It's been a while since we arrived here in Coimbra, Portugal. About 5 months in fact, and so much has happened that we want to remember, that we have decided to make a blog of it. That way we can share our experiences with friends and family too.

When we arrived here i was already 6 months pregnant, a fact the girl at the check in desk noticed and almost stopped me from flying! We arrived safely however as scheduled, to blistering heat and a whole new country to get used to.

There are a number of things different about Portugal, not just the language. One I will highlight today is the food. The supermarkets are quite different, at least our local one is. There is a limit to ready made things like sauces, and far more fish available, the main one being Bacalhau: the salted, dried codfish the Portuguese are obsessed with. Apparently it's for historical reasons. It is fairly tasty, once it has been soaked in water for two days and then cooked in the way of choice. They also love octopus here, though we've managed to avoid that so far! I have a feeling as time goes by we will be introduced to more of their favourites, like the pig's foot stew or roasted kid. We shall see.

There is a sort of magic to this city, with its numerous churches, cathedrals and university buildings dating back to something like the 1200s. Right now there are old ladies in a square a stones throw from our flat with their carts of roasted chestnuts letting out billows of smoke around the old monastery resulting in a beautiful, mysterious atmosphere. There are signs like these of tradition being maintained: we often see old ladies carrying all sorts on their heads through the city center, and everywhere are the university students wearing their black capes and looking like they had just stepped out of a Harry Potter book. You are bound to come across one of these as you climb the hill to the university, past the little shops belting out fado music.

We are having quite a unique experience here, especially with becoming parents in this foreign environment. We have been looked after so much, by family visiting or sending cards and gifts, and also by the wonderful friends we have here: Mark's uni friends and those we have made at church. Despite not being very good at picking up Portuguese, I feel I have made life long friends here and they all certainly helped me through the difficulties of giving birth abroad. The birth was not the easiest in the world, but I always looked forward to seeing familiar faces in the hospital when otherwise surrounded by Portuguese speakers. However, we are delighted and filled with love to have our wonderful baby boy, Josiah. He is a treasure to us, and we are thoroughly enjoying being parents.