During spring break, my wife and I are going with a gregarious group from the First Baptist Church of Starkville to the University of Lisbon in Portugal on a mission trip. Sharing Christ with students there will be exciting.
Naturally, I’ve been reading about Portugal. My friend Betty Bryan, who visited Lisbon last April, tells me how much she enjoyed three museums. The Gulbenkian is a private museum, a little smaller than many, but its collection is a very high quality. Secondly, the Coach Museum has royal coaches from the 17th century on. There were also children’s coaches and carriages, landaus, and even a mail coach. An extensive collection!
Bryan points out that the Azulejo, also known as the Tile, was breathtaking. It is housed in a former convent built by Queen Isabella, who is buried in her chapel there, a sumptuous Baroque creation with more gilded resplendent decoration than one could believe. Betty says, “Don, I know you will see and enjoy the harbor and main square, the tile work on the buildings and streets, and many, many other attractions.”
From my research I’ve learned about seven radio stations in Lisbon (my friends know that touring radio stations there will be inevitable for me). Two of the seven are Radio Oxigenio at 102.6 MHz. and RFM at 106.6 MHz, the queen of pop music in Lisbon. This week’s column quizzes you about the place that I’ll be visiting.
1. Which historical figures are from Portugal?
A. Machiavelli
B. Henry the Navigator
C. Samuel Hearne
D. Oliver Ellsworth
E. Vasco da Gama
2. Which country borders Portugal?
A. France
B. Italy
C. Spain
D. None of the above
B and E are the answers to No. 1. As for No. 2, Spain is the only country that borders Portugal.
3. Which one isn’t true of Portugal?
A. It is in western Europe.
B. Its capital is Lisbon.
C. It is in the western Iberian Peninsula.
D. It is a sovereign state.
E. The poem “Beowulf” was authored in Evora.
4. landau (LAN-dah)
A. taxi
B. a four-wheeled carriage with front and back passenger seats that face each other
C. a gargantuan horse
D. a robot that guides tourists on the streets
No. 3 is E. No. 4 is B.
Editor’s Note: Dr. Don Rodney Vaughan is the pastor of Mt. Vernon Baptist Church near Eupora and is on the faculty of East Mississippi Community College, Golden Triangle Campus. Contact him at dvaughan@eastms.edu.
