Pombal, Óbidos, Nazare

I'm beat. Easter Monday is a public holiday here in France, so you'd think the 3-day weekend would have me most well-rested. Technically I mostly am. But in between, before, and after meeting the boy's family and spending the holiday with ma famille, my academic productivity has been at an all-time high. My April is absolutely swamped with projects, presentations, and papers grâce à a lighter load this past midterm period. Poor brain. At least I'll earn my upcoming trip to the Jura (with the Food & Communications class)? Absolutely. In the mean time, please forgive me for not recounting the easy train ride from Porto to Pombal, my relief at the sight of familiar faces (Paulo & Ana), our breakfast of Portuguese sweet bread, coffee, and fruit, our visit to the medieval village of Óbidos, our fresh seafood lunch in Ericeira harbor, or my first view of the Atlantic Ocean's European coast near Nazare, the site of the recent highest wave ever surfed... in detail. Hopefully the spring break photos below will suffice :).

{Ana & Paulo}

{Lunch: olives, crab dip, shrimp grilled octopus,

vegetable soup,

grilled "catch of the day", charred black ink squid, and more octopus}

{the Atlantic}

Stunning, isn't it? I could almost see my New York ;). Now to read that article, write that reaction paper, perform that simulation exercise, and research those twenty-something viewers of Girls. Yes, really. It's no wonder I mostly love grad school. Oh my gosh, and speaking of higher education, GO ORANGE! Over and out.