Think crazy thoughts

My last full day in Portugal didn't go exactly as planned. Patricio said I should go to Braga and Guimarães, and that I could see them both in a single day. So I got up earlyand was gonna do that, but when I got to the station the next train to Guimarães wasn't leaving for two hours, which wouldn't leave me much time there and at that point I didn't really even know where I was sleeping tonight but was planning on Braga, so I blew off Guimarães. Blew it off entirely, because I already bought a bus ticket to go back to Spain tomorrow. So I'll just have to come back to Portugal.

In Braga I met Armando, Ricardo, and Paula. I usually like the people I meet when I travel, but I really liked thse guys. They're fun and goofy and argue about stupid shit just for the hell of it; they reminded me of my friends back home. They taught me some Portuguese (I've already forgotten it all, of course, but one way of referring to partying in Portuguese translates to "banging your helmet") and introduced me to some really good Portuguese beer. Good times.

The sight to see in Braga is Bom Jesus (Good Jesus): a complex of god, gardens, and fountains built into the side of a hill with a lot of steps. It's apparently a pilgrimmage site and the Lonely Planet says some people climb the steps on their knees. (I only saw people on foot.) I went to Bom Jesus with Armando, who is a semi-professional photographer. He generously brought his camera to take pictures for me, and then very nicely told me that I suck at modeling. So there goes that life backup plan.