It is raining cats and dogs; there’s a wicked wind, too. Our umbrellas whip inside out. My feet slosh around in my soaked canvas running shoes. Must keep my eye on the cobblestones for surprise rises and dips that could cause a stumble or tumble.
“We turn right, don’t we?” I yell above the wind and rain to my husband who is pushing ahead uphill. We must have climbed at least six of this city’s legendary seven hills over the past hour.
“No. We keep on this street!” he yells back over his shoulder so I cannot really be sure he said what he said.
Eventually we huddle under two dripping umbrellas, trying to untangle a wet paper map that threatens to blow away. “I think we’re lost,” he says.
When we read in a guide book that the best way to get to know Lisbon is to get lost, we begrudgingly agree.
Welcome (bem vinda) to Lisbon, Portugal, whose historical centre boasts a thousand wrought iron balconies, narrow cobblestone streets and steep hills that take the place of gym cardio equipment. We are exhausted and we’ve arrived only yesterday.
“We turn right, don’t we?” I yell above the wind and rain to my husband who is pushing ahead uphill. We must have climbed at least six of this city’s legendary seven hills over the past hour.
“No. We keep on this street!” he yells back over his shoulder so I cannot really be sure he said what he said.
Eventually we huddle under two dripping umbrellas, trying to untangle a wet paper map that threatens to blow away. “I think we’re lost,” he says.
When we read in a guide book that the best way to get to know Lisbon is to get lost, we begrudgingly agree.
Welcome (bem vinda) to Lisbon, Portugal, whose historical centre boasts a thousand wrought iron balconies, narrow cobblestone streets and steep hills that take the place of gym cardio equipment. We are exhausted and we’ve arrived only yesterday.
Our adjustment begins in Lisbon’s airport when my husband seeks a phone booth for an SIM card to obtain a local number on our smartphones. We are strangers in this massive structure and are tired and cranky from an overnight flight of pronounced turbulence. At one point in his airport search, my better half misses a three step drop because his eyes are on papers he’s holding. I see him from a short distance. He wobbles off balance, catches himself, wobbles to the other side, half falls, recovers, and then dances like a drunken sailor before he rights himself.
I am laughing hysterically and I don’t know why.
It takes two days before we sort out the cellphone mess.
Our next challenge is banking. We can’t understand why the ATM allows only a withdrawal of 10 or 20 Euros. Frustrated, we approach a banking attendant who explains in English: the cash is dispensed only in 10 or 20 euro denominations.
I am laughing hysterically and I don’t know why.
It takes two days before we sort out the cellphone mess.
Our next challenge is banking. We can’t understand why the ATM allows only a withdrawal of 10 or 20 Euros. Frustrated, we approach a banking attendant who explains in English: the cash is dispensed only in 10 or 20 euro denominations.
Finally, our guest house is lovely---very modern, very chic---with caring owners eager to help with our adjustment. Only one problem. At this very moment, landlords of the neighbouring attached building are renovating their property. From early morning until dusk, we hear the loud banging, drilling, scraping, hammering that comes with construction.
Around the corner, we discover a local Portuguese bistro with good wine---a fraction of the cost in Canada--- serving splendid meals of carne and marisco prepared in dozens of traditional ways.
Around the corner, we discover a local Portuguese bistro with good wine---a fraction of the cost in Canada--- serving splendid meals of carne and marisco prepared in dozens of traditional ways.
We travel because we like to. We also know that landing in a foreign land forces us out of our comfort level. Frustrating at first, it is this challenge that keeps us coming back for more.
So welcome to Lisbon....more to come.
So welcome to Lisbon....more to come.
Map of Portugal
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