This past Saturday we went to Portugal, and it was amazing!! We hiked through cliffs for about 10 miles and saw maybe a half dozen different beaches. By the end of the day I was dead, but it was well worth it! Click here to see pictures.
Sunday we slept in and cleaned up the apartment. Fairly uneventful, but we needed the rest :).
I am still expanding my cultural awareness and understanding. A cultural observation from this week is about customer service, namely in restaurants.
Here, the standards seem to be a little lower. Of course, there isn't as much motivation here since they don't have to work for a tip. Still, there's no refills, no asking how the food is, no warm fuzzies between customers and servers. It's business as usual, and customers seem to be an inconvenience. Typically, you seat yourself, wait an American long time, order your food, wait an American very long time, eat, ask for the check. During this whole time, you only see the server when s/he brings your food and brings your check...and typically you have to hunt her/him down for the check.
However, it's really not all bad. The value of food here seems to be significantly better. For lunch, you can get the "menu del día", which includes a plate one, a plate two, a dessert, and a beverage for a grand total average of 9€ (approx. $12.75). This price includes tax and "tip", since you don't tip here.
My favorite choices from the menu del día? Gazpacho, bistec de ternera a la plancha, helado, y una cerveza clara. ¡Sabrosa!
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