The History of Money

 Bom Dia,

My apero is a slice of that fancy pants ham from pampered pigs.  It sure is good, but it's chewy and so loaded with saturated fat that I decided to have some green tea with it.

So there's always something, especially when you get to be my age.  One of my ankles was wonky, but I still had a good day out.  I walked a lot, but I was fine.

Fortunately Lisbon is packed with interesting sites.  I made my way to Largo de Sao Juliao to a center sponsored by the Bank of Portugal.  I find it interesting that Portuguese banks are involved in history.   The Millennium Bank offers the archeological site I tried to visit yesterday,  By the way they sent me a nice email apologizing and explaining that yesterday was a national holiday.  Both exhibits are free.

I had to go through a security check for the first time in a Portuguese museum, and then I entered a space of Baroque Splendor.   The place used to be the Church of Sao Juliao, and it's impressive.  One enters the museum itself though a mocked up bank vault.  Inside the visitor is provided with information and a ticket.  As I mentioned entrance is free, but the ticket is used for the interactive features of the museum.  One thing the nice young man at the service desk pointed out to me is an enormous gold bar.  Visitors are invited to touch it, and I did contemplating the 700,000 Euro value of the thing.  Hooeee.  This is my closest encounter with this kind of object.

Then upstairs for historical money.  There's an impressive collection of coins from the earliest use of money in Lydia in Western Asia through the Greeks and Romans.  They even have early Han Dynasty tokens from Ancient China as well as examples of coins and notes from other Dynasties. Then if you care to, you can use your ticket to take quizzes about the Portuguese economy and the European Central Bank.  I did not do well.  I also enjoyed the extensive exhibit of banknotes from all over the world--except apparently North America.  The United States has comparatively dull money.

The other feature of the museum is the remains of a city wall built in the 1200s by King Dinas.  I had never heard of him, but he is a major figure in Portuguese History and having become king at age 12 enjoyed a long and successful reign.  He built the way to protect the waterfront of the River Tejo from pirates as the city had begun to expand far beyond its Moorish Walls, and my neighborhood of Baxia was being developed.

Then I strolled around and licked windows at the numerous touristy shops.  Portugal has gorgeous ceramics mostly impossible to pack, but I like looking.  I'm thinking of treating myself to a pair of candlesticks.

But now for a Port Report.  Ha ha ha ha ha.  SometimesI just crack myself up.

I'm glad someone appreciates your humor.

Today's offering is White Port.  I have never had it.  In fact I've never heard of it.  Sip.  It smells and tastes like Tawny Port.  It's mot bad, but it's not something I'd cross the street for either.

Bye for now