Aloha Everyone,
Jessica, employed by the train tourism company, spoke excellent English. She answered our many questions. For example, why are there palm stumps alongside a canal bank? According to Jessica, the palms were cut down to prevent falling leaves and fruits from dropping on tourists. When the city crew tried to remove the stumps to make a parking lot, they discovered a church buried beneath the surface. The work had to be halted. Jessica mentioned that Portugal is an ancient and religious country. Wherever you dig, you come across churches.
Salt making was once an important industry. It is now another tourist attraction. For a small fee, one can even venture into the salt beds. Tourist shops sell packaged Aveiro salts at a cost of 1 kg for €5. (Approximately 2.2lbs for US$5.60).
I recall bringing Hawaiian salt to my Mother as she felt it enhances some of her dishes. J.J. and I also use Himalayan pink salt for some of our dishes. We have purchased kosher salt as a novelty item. I guess all of us who are adventurous are willing to try different salts.
Aloha -- Cathi
