The last 2 days have been much more social, filled with better food, the internet and little site seeing. This is the working part of the trip according to Wayne. We’ve become well acquainted with our jovial host, Francisco, who drives us to and from the university. The hospitality has been warm and welcoming.
Yesterday, I spent most of the day in the graduate office looking into my husband’s world. The actual conference is mostly in Portuguese, so no as accessible to the Wayne, Brian (an Englishman living in Canada, but almost fluent in spanish), and Carston (a German living in England fluent in Swiss). There were 3 ethernet wires in the office we inhabited that made all the geeks immensely happy. There was a companionable silence interrupted by occasional musings as papers were reviewed, talks reworked, the internet surfed, and a blog filled out.
I was fairly content with this arrangement. Theoretically, I could have walked back the hotel, “only 30 minute walk” according to Francisco. I was not confident in navigational ability on foot without a map. The downtown of Vila Real looks interesting if you want something to eat or to buy something, but not so much for touring. So I read my series about the #1 Ladies Detective Agency of Botswana (very amusing and soothing read).
Lunch was fabulous. Created by the in house computer science ‘bar’, it was probably the 3rd best meal I had. There were breaded appetizers filled with savory chicken in a half-moon shape known as rissio(?), delicious pumpkin carrot soup, tastey pork and potatoes (a common theme, but a delicious rendition), and another custard and creme desert (not the best).
By afternoon, I was a little more tired. I sampled the cement floor for a nap while the computer guys attended the conference. The bathrooms were having problems and the smoke was thick in the building. Finally, we returned to the hotel and walked around the town. Dinner was the main event, located at a local port vineyard/farmhouse. We didn’t arrive until after dark, but could see the vines turning colors. The evening was very cold and I got car sick in the back of a stuffy van after 30 min of winding dark roads. We got lost once or twice, but made it. We had a brief tour of the port processing area.