badgerjenvstheworld

Padrao Descobrimentos Friday afternoon, our last day in Lisbon, we headed back towards Lisbon. Unfortunately, it was raining, but that did not stop us from doing a bit more sightseeing. We stopped in Belem, which is home to two of Lisbon's most iconic and famous structures. On the banks of the Tagus River is the Padrao dos Descobrimentos (the Monument to the Discoveries) originally built in 1939/40. The monument celebrates the Age of Discovery in Portugal during the 15th and 16th centuries. The first statue was temporary; however, in 1960 an expanded version carved out of  cement, rose-tinted stone and limestone was erected in it's current location. The monument is meant to emulate the prow of a ship, with Henry the Navigator at it's apex. On each side, a ramp with 16 statues follows the line of the prow. The statues represent figures from Portugal's Age of Discovery- monarchs, explorers, scientists, cartographers, artists, missionaries. All of them looking forw...

Portugal Happy December! As always, the days are flying by and I've not posted in a while. This whole "blogging" thing is work! Just thought I would do a little catch-up and post some pictures from recent events as well. At the beginning of November, I went with a few colleagues to Lisboa, Portugal for a NEASC (New England Association of Schools and Conferences) training conference. Basically, it was to get certified as a visiting consultant in accreditation. Why? Because my school is planning on starting the accreditation process in the spring and it's good to know what NEASC is looking for. Also, this trip served as a mini- workshop/ professional development workshop to brainstorm on a bunch of policies and mission statements, etc. And it was a very WELCOME break from school. Estoril Beach Resort It seems my class is having a hard time dealing with our school rules. And the fact that I expect the rules to be observed. This first semester has bee...