Lisbon and Fado

Another weekend in Lisbon this February, this year it was gloriously sunny and we had Amelia in tow and Karen (my mom) and Kevin joined us. We also went to a Fado show for the first time. Fado is the traditional Portuguese music, literally translated Fado means destiny or fate, and the music is generally connected to saudade, which roughly translated means nostalgia or longing. The music itself is powerful and has a melancholy longing in it, usually for the past days when Portugal was one of the major world players. Dan and I have decided that the basic sentiment is that the future will never be as magnificent as the past. We choose to see fado at Sr. Vinho, a great restaurant, with several fadistas taking turns performing between courses.

For an example of a song from one of the most famous fado singers, Amalia Rodrigues, on YouTube click here.

Here is a photo of Amelia with one of the singers. For more photos of Amelia and Lisbon, click here.