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The Final Chapter: Getting Home

Posted April 7, 2020

Winding Down

One final blog post to finish out our grand adventure. Steve and I started our journey flying from Seattle to Portugal, staying for a month, then on to SE Asia for almost five months, and lastly to Spain for ten days. We started out back on September 24, 2019….fast forward to day 172 of our trip, in the wee hours of March 12, 2020…

Buzzzz…Buzzzz

At the ungodly hour of 2:30 am, Steve’s phone buzzed and buzzed in the dark of our bedroom in Valencia, Spain. Even before the buzzing I was already a bit grumpy (ok, I was actually very grumpy), for a couple of reasons:

Lack of Sleep. I hadn’t slept soundly for the past eight nights. The annual Falles Festival, held in Valencia, was in full swing. The Festival celebrates St. Joseph with an outrageously loud and impressive explosives show in the main square, held at 2 pm daily, every day in March. Throughout the day, singing minstrels in traditional garb roam the streets, as well as large and small marching bands, and impromptu groups break into song on street corners. There’s festive partying in the streets at all hours, including just outside our apartment.

Traditional dress and roaming bands for Falles, Valencia, Spain

Worry over the Coronavirus. Being in Valencia during the Falles Festival would typically be a really fun time to visit the city, but the disconnect between having a large festival and a potential pandemic was difficult, and weighed on us. Madrid, a two hour train ride to the west, had already shut down, but Valencia was in 24 hour party-mode. The virus had been slowly ramping up over the past couple of weeks, but was suddenly accelerating at a quick clip the past few days, both in Spain (where we were staying) and in the Seattle area (where we are from and have family).

More Buzzing

The buzzing started up again. I rolled over and complained to Steve that his expletive phone was making me crazy. He sighed, reaching for his phone. Rolling his eyes (it was dark, but odds are good that he rolled his eyes), he answered. It was Jeremy, our 25 year old son, phoning. I knew it had to be something urgent, since our phone plan doesn’t cover calls, but here was Jeremy phoning.

Can You Hear Me Now?

Jeremy has always had a loud, booming voice. At the age of four we decided to have him tested for possible hearing loss, since speaking loudly can be a sign of a hearing issue. Turns out he has perfect hearing.

Anyway, I could clearly hear Jeremy through Steve’s phone. In a loud and firm voice, he said:

“DAD, YOU MUST WAKE UP RIGHT NOW”. He had our full attention.

A Text Thread for the Ages

I sat up and grabbed my own phone off the side table. It had been in silent mode. I stared at the screen. I had twelve missed texts.

Key takeaways:

“So mom and dad are fucked?”
“They might be”
“Holy shit I can’t believe it”

Yeah, I couldn’t believe it either. I sat cross legged on the bed among the disheveled sheets and blankets, in a haze of shock, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. Was this true? Could this really be happening? Were we going to be locked out of our country?

Were we, as our son so eloquently put it, fucked?

The Deadline

Steve had gone into the living room. I have no idea what he was doing, but he was probably pacing. Still sitting on the bed, I started searching YouTube and Google for President Trump’s speech. Nothing seemed real, and I thought seeing the speech myself would help make it so. I wasn’t having much luck. It was too soon and nothing was posted online yet. At that point, all we knew was that Trump had made the announcement that no flights originating in Europe, except from the U.K., could land in the United States starting at midnight on Friday the 13th for a minimum of thirty days.

We had 30 hours.

I vaulted from the bed and turned on all the lights in the apartment (for no apparent reason). It just felt like the right thing to do. I arrived back in the bedroom and got fully dressed, including a bra.

Looking back, that’s how I knew it was serious. Putting on a bra is a commitment that says, yep, it’s time to leave. No time to lounge. It’s like I’d be leaving the apartment and the country right then and there, at 2:30 am. I frantically looked around the room. I flipped open my backpack, thinking I should start packing immediately. We had to move fast! I stopped…wait a minute, we need to make some plans first, right?

Thirty Hours or Thirty Days

Random artwork on a wall in Valencia, Spain

Joining Steve in the living room, I flipped open my laptop and started the search for flights home. Unfortunately Trump’s announcement didn’t include many specifics, so we had to make some assumptions. What time-zone applied to the deadline? We assumed Eastern Standard time, eight hours behind us.

At that point, we had to assume we would be locked out of the United States for at least 30 days if we didn’t get home by the deadline: Friday the 13th at midnight.

Hurry Up

My heart was racing. My laptop was loading way too slowly for my practically non-existent patience. There was some exasperated yelling (by me, at my laptop), which wasn’t making websites load any faster. Every flight offered to Seattle would land us at SeaTac International Airport after midnight, March 13. Perhaps we were fucked, after all. Taking deep breaths to try to gain some perspective and calm myself, I started looking at any flight that would deliver us in time, anywhere in the United States.

Ahead of the Curve

Thankfully our son, Dylan, had been watching the President’s announcement and acted quickly. Because our kids persisted in waking us up, we were ahead of the flight search onslaught that ramped up only a few short hours later. With the time difference, most Americans traveling in Europe didn’t hear about the new mandate (and deadline) until they woke up the next morning. By then it was getting very difficult to find a decent flight home.

I frantically searched for over an hour, finally securing a flight that would get us to the United States by the deadline. We’d leave Valencia later the same day, at 6:00 pm. We’d fly to Lisbon, with a fifteen hour layover, then take a fourteen hour flight to the west coast (San Francisco) of the United States. With the 8 hour time difference in our favor, we’d arrive in the U.S. with five hours to spare.

Sunshine & Tapas

It had been an insane night, and we couldn’t get back to sleep. We didn’t even try. We did our best to enjoy our last morning in Valencia. The sun was shining and throngs of tourists (and locals) meandered the cobblestone streets, with not a care in the world.

We sat at an outdoor cafe (suitably distanced from others), enjoying our favorite tapas one last time. It was astonishing to see so many people going about their day as usual. I wondered aloud, “How long until their world would turn upside down?” Little did we know at the time, but the people of Spain had only one more day of “freedom” before a country wide shelter-in-place order was enacted.

Time To Go

As we stood in line on the tarmac at the airport, waiting to climb the stairs to board the plane, a twenty-something year old woman and her boyfriend were reminiscing about how lucky they were to have booked this flight out of the country. Still up and drinking at 2:30 am had saved them. Drunk, but not too drunk to comprehend Trump’s announcement. Drunk, but not too drunk to book a flight home.

Lisbon International by Night

Lisbon Airport is a large, modern, gorgeous airport full of upscale shops and restaurants. Unfortunately it doesn’t have great overnight options, and our layover ran from 7:00 pm until 10:00 the next morning.

We knew we had to find a place to land for the night. We had fifteen hours until our next flight and our options came down to:

#1) The couch like seating in the busy food court, or

Steve trying to get comfortable in the Lisbon Airport

#2) A group of “recliners” we’d read about online that (unfortunately) turned out to be rock hard and uncomfortable, or

#3) A group of six black vinyl covered stubby “couches” (with dirty lime green trim) tucked down a long corridor by Gate 14, with sparse (and strange) beige plastic tubes hung from the high ceiling in a pathetic attempt to screen the couches from the hallway. Each couch had a poorly placed hump that looked like it was supposed to be a pillow of sorts, but only served to make it impossible to lay down comfortably.

We went with option #3. I huddled on a too short “couch”, in the freezing cold, brightly lit airport terminal all night, hugging my backpack so no one would steal it, trying to sleep.

Thankfully there are no flights between approximately 1:00 to 5:00 am, so the airport cleared out of all traffic, except for us diehard overnighters.

We thought we’d at least get a good sleep during those 4 hours. Little did we know what lie ahead.

Cleaning Up

I’m one of the lucky few who know exactly how one of those large, riding floor polishers sounds as it makes its way back and forth on the expansive linoleum floor in the dead of night. And it’s not pretty.

From the dead quiet of the eerily empty terminal comes a distant quiet rumbling, like an oncoming earthquake. The rumbling grows louder and louder as the polisher approaches and the floor shakes. There’s the loud sound of a motor and swooshing polishers echoing in the cavernous terminal as the polisher reaches us and slides past the little black couches full of weary travelers, each tucked into the fetal position, trying desperately to stay warm and keep up off the floor. Then the process reverses as the polisher gets further away, sliding down in the opposite direction, until finally everything returns to calm and quiet.

There’s a brief respite, when I’d almost get to sleep, then the polisher travels back up the corridor towards us for a second pass, and a third pass, and a fourth pass, and on and on…. I’d been awake for over 24 hours. I was exhausted and dazed to the point of delirium.

Thankfully everyone in the overnighter club was keeping to themselves. In those wee hours, no one tried to engage me in conversation, including Steve, or they may not have come out of it alive. I just wanted to make it through the night and get on that 10:00 am flight to San Francisco.

Under the Wire

Next up, a fourteen hour flight to SF International. For some reason (shock, exhaustion, disbelief, insanity) I couldn’t sleep on the flight, despite being so tired. So the non-sleep induced stupor continued.

We landed in San Francisco and approached customs where we got in the crowded, circuitous line to see an agent for permission to enter the USA. We had under five hours to spare before the midnight deadline.

I could barely stand and felt myself rocking back and forth on my feet, almost drifting off, as I made my way, ever so slowly, towards the customs agent, one step closer to home.

We stood packed in tight with other relieved European travelers, happy to be beating the deadline. A higher than normal percentage of our fellow travelers were college students being sent home after their study abroad programs had been abruptly cancelled.

The college students, recognizing one another as fellow students in the same boat, talked across the crowded room. We all felt a kind of camaraderie.

“Where are you coming from?”, they’d ask each other.

“Berlin”
“Amsterdam”
“Lisbon”
“Paris”

We were from all over Europe and now we were all standing together in a weaving line, bunched together and waiting. For an hour and a half. After weeks of trying our best to stay away from crowds it felt like we were breaking all the rules, and we were.

Finally, it was our turn to approach the customs agent.

“What city did you fly from?”, asked Mr. Customs Agent.
“Valencia, Spain”, we answered.
“Business or pleasure?”, asked Mr. Customs Agent.
“Pleasure”, we answered.
“Welcome Home!”, says Mr. Customs Agent.

It’s All Good

And that was that. The agent asked nothing about how long we’d been traveling, if we’d been to any of the Coronavirus “hot-spots”, if we were feverish or feeling ill.

WHO tweet announcing *World Pandemic*, March 11, 2020

Even though the Coronavirus was deemed a worldwide pandemic just two days prior on March 11th, entering the USA was business as usual. There was no information posted anywhere in the airport and nothing was said to us about what to do if we had Coronavirus symptoms in the coming days. There were no instructions or suggestions to quarantine ourselves (especially if we’d come from an area of high infections). No information on the virus at all.

Taking Action

What a stark contrast to our experiences in Southeast Asia. In a time when days, even hours, count in battling this virus, we had expected much more upon entering the States. Well, certainly more than nothing.

Health Card handed out at Bangkok Airport

Twenty-five days prior, on February 18th, we entered the Bangkok airport from Vietnam. Before we could walk into the airport a worker took our temperature and handed us a Coronavirus information card, complete with medical hotline phone number.

And, as long ago as February 21st, workers took our temperature while we boarded a small ferry boat in southern Thailand.

Virus info table with free masks, Siem Reap, Cambodia

Even in Cambodia, thirty-four days prior (about February 9th), we encountered Coronavirus public service message tables, complete with pamphlets and free masks at remote shopping centers.

And fifty-three days prior, back on January 21st, while in Saigon, Vietnam, all schools had already closed. But entering the United States from overseas at a major airport on March 13th, over seven weeks later – nothing.

The next day we took a flight home to Seattle. Again, we didn’t see any evidence of a world pandemic.

The Final Weeks

The last three weeks of our trip were a bizarre combination of fun, relaxation, anxiety, and concern. We’d spend most of the day relaxing and enjoying ourselves, interspersed with listening to live briefings on the Novel Coronavirus from the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) and WHO (World Health Organization) on YouTube.

We spent two weeks in southern Thailand, first at Aonang Beach in Krabi, then at Klong Dao beach on the island of Koh Lanta, enjoying the sunshine, reading, swimming, and eating lots of good, cheap Thai food. But concern about the spreading Coronavirus was never far from our thoughts.

Then on to Spain for ten days.

It certainly wasn’t the ending I had envisioned, the Novel Coronavirus saw to that.

Even so, it was an amazing trip. Amazing in every way. I’m thankful for each and every day of our travels, and for the fact that we were nearing the end of our trip when we had to cut things short.

Trip Itinerary:

Portugal

Lisbon, 5 nights, Sept 25-30, 2019
Sintra, 2 nights, Sept 30-Oct 1
Lagos, 3 nights, Oct 2-4
Salema, 4 nights, Oct 5-8
Evora, 3 nights, Oct 9-11
Tomar, 2 nights, Oct 12-13
Coimbra, 3 nights, Oct 14-17
Porto, 6 nights, Oct 17-23
Lisbon, 1 night, Oct 23-24

Thailand

Bangkok, 4 nights, Oct 25-29

Myanmar

Yangon, 4 nights, Oct 29-Nov 2

Thailand

Chiang Mai, 10 nights, Nov 2-12
Chiang Saen, 3 nights, Nov 12-15
Chiang Rai, 5 nights, Nov 15-20
Chiang Mai, 1 night, Nov 20-21

Vietnam

Hanoi, 3 nights, Nov 21-24
Ha Long Bay, 1 night, Nov 24-25
Hanoi, 7 nights, Nov 25-Dec 2
Overnight Train North to Sapa, 1 night, Dec 2
Sapa, 4 nights, Dec 3-7
Overnight Train South, 1 night, Dec 7
Tam Coc, 4 nights, Dec 8-12
Dong Hoi, 3 nights, Dec 12-15
Hue, 3 nights, Dec 15-18
Hoi An, 6 nights, Dec 18-24
Beach Hoi An, 9 nights, Dec 24-Jan 2, 2020
Quy Nhon, 7 nights, Jan 2-9
Nha Trang, 7 nights, Jan 9-16
Dalat, 5 nights, Jan 16-21
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), 9 nights, Jan 21-30
Phu Quoc, 10 nights, Jan 30-Feb 9

Cambodia

Siem Reap, 9 nights, Feb 9-18

Thailand

Krabi, Aonang Beach, 3 nights, Feb 18-21
Koh Lanta, Klong Dao Beach, 10 nights, Feb 21-Mar 2
Krabi Town, 1 night, March 2-3

Spain

Madrid, 1 night, Mar 3-4
Valencia, 9 nights, Mar 4-13

Wins and Losses

Wins

Traveling and exploring for 173 days was so much fun. So. Much. Fun.

The food. Food has got to be one of the best things about traveling.

Learning how to make do with little. Traveling on a tight budget and with a small backpack for six months will do that for you.

Walking through spectacular historical ruins, seeing amazing sights and breathtaking beauty, immersing in other cultures, and experiencing unforgettable moments (often embarrassing or comical- see previous posts).

L to R: Yangon, Myanmar at sunset / Ba Tu Bay, Vietnam / Sapa, Vietnam

L to R: Quy Nhon, Vietnam / Ta Prohm, Angkor Wat, Cambodia

Getting comfortable pivoting on a dime, making last minute plans. No time to research for days, weeks, or months…just dive in.

Enjoying almost six months of round-the-clock togetherness with Steve. We did “better than average” according to Steve, which, coming from him, is very high praise indeed. But seriously, I’d give us a straight “A”. We had a wonderful time together, including celebrating our 35th wedding anniversary in February!

L to R: Siem Reap, Cambodia / Ba Tu Bay, Vietnam / Evora, Portugal

L to R: Ninh Binh, Vietnam / Chiang Rai, Thailand / Yangon, Myanmar

Meeting and making friends with so many people from all over the world – both locals and fellow travelers.

Feeling like we’ve earned the title of veteran travelers! Can’t wait for the next trip!

Losses

When our Spanish hostess arrived on March 4th, well into the Coronavirus outbreak, to greet us and suddenly kisses me on both cheeks. WTF! No kissing strangers in the days of Coronavirus!

Missing out on that last 4-6 weeks of traveling. Not having time to visit Laos, Malaysia, Taiwan, or Bali – or wherever. There’s always next time.

People ask “What was your favorite place?” That’s impossible to answer, so we’d say, “Everyplace was the best place”. And that’s the truth.

The Bridge in Porto

Posted October 22, 2019

Porto is our last stop in Portugal, not counting our night in Lisbon to catch our early morning flight to Bangkok, coming up in a few days.

We’ve had six nights and five full days to enjoy this beautiful city, with only one full day left. We’ve run around to the major attractions, starting out our first day under heavy clouds, and our second day in the pouring rain.

Thankfully we’d purchased a small magenta umbrella on our way out of Coimbra, which saved us from ending up like giant, sopping wet sponges that day.

Sunshine

We woke up our third morning to bright sunshine, just like our weather app had promised.

Instead of heading down the hill for coffee, as we had done each previous morning, I suggested we try a new direction just to our north.

Truthfully, I only suggested this new route to avoid all the hills in every other direction.

The Ponte Dom Luis I Bridge

All I can say is thank goodness we went the flat and unexplored direction that third morning. The Ponte Dom Luis I bridge, an enormous, pedestrian and metro only bridge spanning 500 feet over the Douro river, laid before us, to our great surprise.

The bridge, made of dark wrought iron, towers high above the river, with steep hillsides plunging down to meet the river on all sides. The bridge was built in 1880, designed by Gustavo Eiffel’s protege, but looks new and modern.

We’d seen the bridge from below our first day out while walking the Ribeira along the waterfront. We had no idea the access was so close to where we were staying, and it wasn’t necessarily on our “to-do” list.

What a View

The sheer expanse of the view was overwhelming.

Looking east, on our left, the sun was having its way with a large patch of morning fog hovering over the bridge upriver. The fog looked like it had been placed there solely for the pleasure of the photographers, who were quickly getting in their shots before it burned off.

We could see at least two other bridges up river, along with the funicular we had taken the prior day hugging the side of the giant hill.

Looking towards the west was historic Porto, in all its splendor. And splendid it was.

We had a breathtaking view of it all. The sunshine was such an added bonus, deepening the reds of the tile roofs, brightening the whites of the stucco buildings, and glittering off the Douro River.

After Dark

We finished out that day, the way it had begun, by visiting our bridge. After all, there was no uphill or downhill to impede us, and I was excited to see the view by night.

The Ferris Wheel was all alight, changing bright colors every minute or so.

Out in the middle of the bridge, enjoying the beautiful night views and the light breeze, I started thinking about what would happen if a big earthquake hit right then. I began looking more critically down at the dark river and tiny buildings so very far below us. Suddenly I was feeling very uncomfortable.

We hightailed it off the iron bridge, and I felt much better once my feet hit solid ground. I’ve never had a reaction to heights before. Maybe it was the mediocre Chinese food we’d had for dinner just prior. Yep, that must have been it.

The Sunset

The next day, we were back “home” after a long day trip to the Douro Valley (home of Port wine). We hurried over at 6:53 pm (thanks again, weather app) to catch the sunset at the bridge. Apparently this is a popular thing to do. The bridge was crowded with tons of tourists, even late October. I can only imagine what it’s like in the summer.

Of course, even the crowds couldn’t detract from the view. It was spectacular. Like two separate sunsets in one, looking east and looking west. Good night Porto.

Coimbra, Portugal

Posted October 20, 2019

City of Seven Hills

I’m not sure why Lisbon is called the city of seven hills, it certainly doesn’t have anything on Coimbra, or any other Portuguese city we’ve been to. I think the entire country is built on a steep slant, and my thighs, calves, and especially my knees, will attest to that.

A few minutes from our apartment – so lovely

Thankfully, every hill is worth climbing because around every corner there’s a charming square, a breathtaking view, or a quaint cobblestone street filled with colorful tiled homes, four-stories high.

Even our apartment, which was at the top of a huge hill, had its own mini-hill at the door. The foyer sat a good three feet above street level. Someone had placed two large, uneven stone blocks in front of the doorway, masquerading as stairs.

Giant, uneven stone “steps” to apartment
View of a van going by our front window

Ready, Set, Climb

I’d take a deep, cleansing breath, then focus and hoist myself up the uneven stone blocks. It didn’t help that I’m still nursing a bad knee (see Tomar post).

And while I was heaving myself up the stone chunks, cars, vans, and the occasional mini-bus would barrel down the extremely narrow cobblestone lane. The vehicles barely fit down the lane, and would be so close on each side that I’d have to stay tight up against the house, or risk getting flattened.

It Just Works

Living Room
Bedroom Window View
Kitchen

That being said, our apartment was perfect for us in every other way. We had a light-filled bedroom, a tiny, but functional kitchen & bathroom, and a comfortable living room area. And at the bargain rate of $47 a night, we were quite happy.

The University

With our apartment being at the mid-point of the hill in the historic center of Coimbra, half the tourist attractions were up, and the other half were down.

One destination on everyone’s list is the University of Coimbra. We hiked 15 minutes up to the University, where we bought a ticket to tour the the University and the Biblioteca Joanina (library).

Biblioteca Joanina

I must say, the Biblioteca Joanina, built in 1717, was pretty darn impressive. The University has a tight control on library visitors, with only 50 people allowed in at a time, for a closely monitored 20 minutes. And no pictures are allowed – at all.

Three Hundred Thousand Books

No photos were allowed, but here’s a
visual of old books

We were ushered in under close watch. Shelves towered over us, three stories high on all sides, filled with 300 thousand books dating from the 16th to 18th century. I love the look of old books and have ten or twelve at home that were handed down to me from several generations ago, but the books in this library were Old, with a capital “O”. And there were so many.

Protecting the Books

The library, with centuries old, irreplaceable books, was constructed to keep the books in pristine condition. The external walls are 6 feet, 9 inches thick and the enormous door is made of teak. But the most impressive thing are the bats.

It’s doubtful the bats at the University of Coimbra Library are this cute.

A colony of bats live in the library walls, and the University welcomes them to do so. They come out each night and feast on any potentially harmful bugs that might damage the books. Should it occur to you, as it did to me, that the bat droppings could pose a problem, rest assured the staff covers all the plush wool rugs and solid wood carved tables with thick leather blankets each night.

Mammoth Meringues & Savory Bites

Far down the hill from the University and Library, where things flatten out by the Rio Mondegov (River) are several pastry shops with the biggest meringues on earth (probably).

These meringues are so large that I assumed they were loaves of bread. With closer inspection, and after verifying with a bakery employee, I found out they were indeed meringue.

It’s All About Perspective

I didn’t get a good picture showing how large the meringues actually are because Steve refused to pose with them. I’m not sure why – I’m fine posing next to any baked good myself.

I’d say the average meringue measured a foot in diameter and about eight to ten inches high, including peaks. The meringues sold whole or quartered. Even a quarter of a meringue would take days to eat. But it would have been a fun, and perhaps sticky, few days.

Charming square we frequented in front
of Se Velha Cathedral
Our route near the apartment

We missed out on trying a meringue, but we did eat (twice) at an incredible restaurant, Maria Portuguesa. Maria Portuguesa, is located about 50 m from the Se Velha Cathedral, and only a 5-6 minute walk from our apartment.

Neighborhood Market where we bought water, fruit & cookies
Se Velha Cathedral, near our apartment

The tiny, cozy restaurant has only five proper tables for two, and one little rickety folding table, also for two (there are a few outdoor tables too). The stuffed portabella mushroom, wrapped in bacon (which is like ham in Portugal), was incredible. We had it twice. And the meal was so reasonably priced. Amazing dinner, wine, and sparkling water totaled just over $22 for the two of us.

Other Wanderings

Besides eating, which is always a highlight, we visited the Museu da Ciência da Universidade de Coimbra (Science Museum) and the Museo Zoological.

We also attended a Fado performance (Portuguese traditional music) at Fado ao Centro, and walked all through the historic part of town.

Coimbra, like all the Portuguese towns I’ve visited, is full of red tiled rooftops, black and white tiled sidewalks, unusual architecture, and surprisingly beautiful ironwork balconies.

Museum Nacional de Machado de Castro

I like museums, but Steve loves museums. I try to regulate how many we go to, and how long we will stay. I’m good with two museums a week, and try to stick to a three hour maximum per visit. Well, it turns out the Museum Nacional de Machado de Castro was like two museums in one. Nevertheless, I was happy to make an exception to my rule and stay overtime. It was just that good.

The museum first opened in 1913 in a Bishop’s Palace and housed a great sculpture collection. It closed suddenly in 2008, and no one knew why. During the ten year closure, the Museum Director organized the excavation of an enormous Roman Cryptoporticus and Forum beneath the Bishop’s Palace, dating from the 1st Century AD. Now that’s quite a find!

Cryptoporticus & Forums Explained

For those (like me) who don’t know exactly what a Roman Cryptoporticus and Forum are, let me explain. A Cryptoportico is a semi-subterranean gallery with vaulting that supports the structures above ground, such as a Forum, or central plaza. But because of the ancient nature of the Roman structures, both the Forum and the Cryptoporticus are now underground – in fact, under the Bishop’s Palace.

We walked into the Bishop’s Palace Museum, in the heart of historic Coimbra, and paused in the courtyard to admire the sweeping view of the city.

Down You Go

The museum personnel directed us down the stairs into the depths underneath the Palace. Landing in a deep, arched vault made of stone, all in shades of white and beige, was quite a contrast to the colorful Portugal above. The arched hallways, paths, and rooms, all made of stone blocks, are beautifully lit. It was like walking around in an ancient tomb, but with good lighting. Even I, at 5’3”, would duck down to get through most of the arched doors that led from one room to the next.

After the Cryptoporticus and Forum, the sculptures in the upper floors did not disappoint. Some of the sculptures had such life-like features, it was hard to pull my eyes away.

Wins and Losses

Wins

The Ph.D. candidate sits in the small seat
under the chandelier in this imposing room

Never, ever, having to defend a dissertation in the “hot seat” at Coimbra University, in the middle of the enormous, imposing red room, surrounded by portraits of all the former kings of Portugal – not to mention the University faculty.

We finally figured out that the little fox graffiti figure we’ve been seeing all over Portugal is actually an anti-government symbol. Ruh-Roh.

Not going to museum-jail after being chased down by several Museum attendants (as we were leaving), who were overly concerned that we hadn’t hit every single floor and seen every single exhibit.

Losses

Not taking the plunge and buying a giant meringue. Opportunity lost!

Getting the same grumpy, impatient, Portuguese mumbling Uber driver both times we Ubered, twice in the same day.

The Black Cape Crowd of Evora

Posted October 17, 2019

Praca de Giraldo

The day we arrived in Evora, Portugal, we headed into the main square, Praca de Giraldo. We immediately noticed large groups of young people gathered in black capes. We had read that college students in Portugal wear long, black capes year round.

Even though we knew these must be Evora University students, it felt like we were in another time in history, or maybe at a costume party. We felt strangely out of place in our REI shorts and cotton t-shirts.

It turns out that J.K. Rowling, the creator of the Harry Potter series, started her writing while in Portugal. The Portuguese college students, in their long black robes, were her inspiration for the Hogwarts “uniform”.

Chanting & Marching

We watched in fascination as the black caped students chanted, arm in arm. They formed large circles and smaller clusters throughout the square, centered mostly around the large fountain. Their chanting was boisterous and continued to get louder and louder.

Then our attention was pulled to somewhere beyond the square. We could hear loud yells and commotion, but couldn’t be sure where it was coming from. Then a chain of students, connected like a centipede, popped into the square from a side alley. They were wearing outlandish outfits with colorful balloons and feathers stuck to their bodies, yelling, throwing their arms about, and generally calling attention to themselves.

A Shoe On The Head?

The chanting and marching were fun to watch, but when we saw students balancing shoes on their heads all over the square, while other students took their picture, we really started to wonder.

Students were everywhere putting shoes on their heads. Some shoe-heads were posing singularly, usually kneeling down. Others were in large groups creating a pyramid, all while balancing shoes on their heads.

We wondered if this was some sort of political protest or Greek-life shenanigans. I was dying to run around and take tons of pictures, but I was worried about intruding, so only got a few pictures from afar.

I had to solve this mystery, so I sought out some 20-something young women working at a store nearby.

They pondered how to explain it to me in English, and finally said it was something like our fraternities and sororities, but not exactly the same.

Mystery Solved

The store employees explained that there are no separate women & men “Greek-like” organizations in Portugal. The entire college community gather as one in the fall and “bond” by doing silly things and embarrassing the freshman. Apparently this year the upperclassmen decided that making the freshman balance a shoe on their head would be just the indoctrination needed.

Students use Praca de Giraldo as a gathering spot, since Evora University is spread all over the city

The best thing about the Portuguese “non-Greek” system is that, after the fun “getting to know you” phase in the fall, the seniors each match up with a freshman. The seniors then mentor and support their freshman match during their first college year.

I love this idea. It reminds me of an independent school I know a bit about (I’m one of the founders), The Attic Learning Community, near Seattle, Washington, where multi-age mentoring works wonders.

I’m not at all surprised the Portuguese continue to nurture this fine tradition of older students mentoring younger ones. Bravo.

Exploring Evora, Portugal

Posted October 13, 2019

The Ironwork throughout Evora is Amazing

An Early Start

The alarm went off at 6 am, and we caught the 6:45 early morning bus to Lagos, with our ultimate destination being Evora. It was the only bus leaving Salema that day that worked with our connection, so it was early or nothing. From there we had to make two more connections before finally arriving in Evora.

In all we were traveling for 9 hours, with just a few minutes downtime between connections. It was one long day. Our previous long bus ride a week ago sold sandwiches and freshly brewed espresso. Unfortunately, these buses had no food options, but luckily we had packed the Portuguese equivalent of strawberry Pop Tarts (but much thinner and crunchier). Not our normal food fare, but sometimes you don’t have a choice.

We were heading north into the arid plains of the Alentejo region. So much of the terrain we passed through looked just like the golden California foothills.

Storks!

As the bus made its way, I was thrilled to recognize something I’d only ever seen in Morocco just last year, storks nests. The nests are always at the highest point to be found, like a high column or chimney. Storks build their massive nests out of sticks. It’s really quite amazing to see and never gets old.

Capela dos Ossos

Once in Evora, we made a point to visit Capela dos Ossos, or The Chapel of Bones. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel entering a chapel where all the walls are covered in real human bones, but I must say it was very impressive, if not a bit jaw dropping (excuse the pun). I’ve been to countless breathtaking churches throughout Europe, but this is one I’ll never forget.

Lots of Skulls
A Pillar of Bones

The history and message of the chapel are profound and powerful. The chapel was the idea of three Franciscan friars. Their goal was to convey the message of temporariness and fragility of human life. This message “We bones that are here, for yours we wait” is prominently etched on the arch above the chapel entrance for all to see.

Another Example of Patterns Out of Bones

The Chapel was built in the late 1500’s with thousands of bones of monks and others excavated from area cemeteries. It was fascinating to carefully study the walls, pillars, ceiling trim, and doorways – all covered with bones in unique ways to form patterns and adorn the chapel.

There was even a complete pelvis bone with a skull positioned inside atop the exit doors on either side of the altar. Creative, and yet kind of creepy.

Cemiterio do Mindelo

Speaking of cemeteries, when we walked into town from the bus station to our hotel, I saw a huge, ancient looking cemetery. I made a mental note to go back, if we had time. I love walking through old cemeteries, reading the birth and death years, and reflecting on the people’s lives from long ago.

On our last afternoon we did visit the cemetery and saw rows and rows of family tombs, mainly made of white marble, many from the 1500’s. I’ve never seen so many tombs all lined up on both sides of the pathways, like residential neighborhoods of the deceased.

Endless rows of tombs lined the
“streets” of the Cemetery

I’m sure the tombs must be a measure of the wealth and power of a family. It looked to me like each tomb was bigger and more ornate than the next. An end-of life version of keeping up with the Joneses.

Meandering in Evora

S & T
Baby Peacocks
Praca do Giraldo

Moving on to less morbid aspects of Evora, we followed the Rick Steves (travel writer) walk as outlined in his book on Portugal. Evora is the perfect size town for walking. It’s nice and compact. We started at the central square, Praça do Giraldo, about a two minute walk from our hotel.

City Hall
Temple of Diana
Cool Home

We meandered through the hilly cobblestone streets, visiting the ancient Roman Temple of Evora (also called the Temple of Diana), the Cathedral of Evora, City Hall, and a lovely park with the year 1886 spelled out in the black and white tiles at the entry gate. I was especially surprised to see baby peacocks at the park, running around 4-5 adult peacocks.

Cathedral of Evora
Park built in 1886
Awesome Ironwork

The Yellow-Heads

A group of young students, all wearing turquoise shirts and yellow caps, made their way past us with their teacher leading the way, heading for parts unknown. So cute. Steve was also wearing turquoise, but no yellow cap. I guess he only got part of the memo.

Steve thinking about Joining this school outing,
since he’s wearing the right color

Google Translate Gone Wrong

We ate lunch in a very small eatery that barely had room for two small tables, way up the road from the central square, away from most tourists.

There was a handwritten white board menu out front. I quickly used google translate to check a few of the offerings, and was horrified when one came up as a dog sandwich. What the heck? With a little more research I figured out the menu item was a hot dog, thank goodness.

There were only locals in the joint, and when we tried to order the proprietor gave me a deer in the headlights look, turned away, and promptly went to the back to fetch his wife, who could manage some English. We ended up ordering baguette sandwiches, but didn’t dare order the hot dog – just in case.

The Orange Sunset

This is really how it looked! No filter or enhancements!

On our last evening in Evora we caught a spectacular sunset. It was by sheer luck that we saw it because of a timing error on our part. The restaurant we walked to for dinner, down a side street off the main square, didn’t open for 10 minutes, so we headed back up the hill to kill some time. We plopped down on the large marble slabs that surround the broad, round fountain. It was then that Steve noticed an intense, orange sunset developing just behind me. Wow, no filter or enhancement needed (or applied) to these sunset photos. So glad we didn’t miss it!

Wins and Losses

Wins

Met a lovely couple from Lexington, Kentucky, one day at lunch. Thanks Ann & Kevin for being liberals from the south. I really appreciate you and enjoyed our chat!

We loved the Ale House Guesthouse in Evora. It had a large, well-equipped, shared kitchen, a bathroom we could maneuver in, and a great location.

Losses

I offered to help a middle-aged couple at a neighboring table translate the menu which was in cursive in Portuguese. The waiter had just explained it to us, but only gave them a cursory explanation.

Things got really awkward right away. I had heard them speaking in English, so thought my input would be welcome. I approached them and asked if they’d like some help with the menu, and the man replied with an extremely tentative and drawn out, “maaaaybeeee?”. Bad start.

I quickly showed them what I knew, then retreated to my table. Not long after, we overheard them fluently conversing with the waiter. As Scoobie Doo would say, “Ruh-Roh”.

The Art Competition: Evora, Portugal

Posted October 12, 2019

The 20th International Youth Art Meeting

On our second day exploring Evora, we passed by the Igreja de São Francisco, a very large and imposing church adjacent to the Chapel of Bones. There were many children scattered about in front of the church working on art pieces. Kids were sitting on the stairs, in the front atrium, and even across the street in the Sao Francisco square.

I asked one young girl if she spoke English (she did), and I proceeded to get the scoop. She was about twelve years old and from Israel. Turns out all the children were competing in the 20th International Youth Art Meeting, Evora 2019. The Art Meeting brings children from all over the world, ages four through twenty, to Evora every year to create art reflecting their vision of the city of Evora.

Thirteen Participating Countries

This year the competition sponsored children from Bulgaria, China, Egypt, Slovenia, India, Israel, North Macedonia, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Turkey, and Ukraine. After the competition, the water colors, paintings, and sketches are sold to finance bringing next years crop of children to Evora to compete.

Ages Four to Twenty

I was surprised to learn that even the youngest children, as young as four year old, compete in the same category as all other ages, up to twenty year old. My Isreali friend assured me that some of the four year old artists are incredibly talented, and easily compete!

She also told me that, besides working on their piece, the artists have classes and go on tours of Evora over the course of the competition, which this year spanned October 8th to the 30th.

I was thrilled that she took the time to share with me. It shows a very special side of Evora not typically experienced by tourists like me. I treasure experiences like this when traveling.

Praca do Giraldo – Even More Artists

Early the next morning, as we walked to get breakfast, I was pleasantly surprised to see more than a dozen more young artists scattered about the picturesque Praca do Giraldo (main square), sketching in the beautiful morning light. I ordered my usual Meia de Leite and Steve his Americano, along with some tasty looking pastries, and we took a seat outside in the square.

The intensity and focus of the artists was admirable. I wish them all the best of luck in the competition, but truly feel that the experience of coming to Evora and meeting other artists from all over the world is the best reward of all.

Salema’s Sparkling Beach

Posted October 11, 2019

Getting to Salema

After three nights in Lagos, we packed up our backpacks and walked 25 minutes across town, heading to the bus station. We had scoped out the bus schedule for Salema the night before, so we had our plan all set. We stopped for an early lunch (we skipped breakfast), so Steve thought it a good time to have a beer.

Steve with beer, leaving Lagos for Salema

Little did we know, until we arrived at the bus station, that our planning was flawed since this particular Saturday was a Portuguese holiday, Republic Day, which celebrates the overthrow of the Monarchy in 1910.

With an extra two hours to kill we parked ourselves at a small outdoor cafe with a great view of the bus terminal, where Steve had another beer (haha). Back at the station, I had the great pleasure of using the bus station women’s bathroom, and I would not recommend it. I’ll spare you the details, just trust me.

Once we were successfully loaded on the bus, things got a lot smoother. It was only a 40 minute drive to Salema.

The Fishing Village

Salema is a tiny fishing village with two streets that comprise the entire town, both paralleling the wide, long white sand beach. Rick Steves (travel writer) labels Salema as his favorite beach retreat in all of Europe, and that was a good enough reason for us to give it a try.

There are about 5 nice seafood restaurants, an Italian restaurant, a tiny market with very limited hours, a morning pastry shop, and a pizza place in Salema. And that’s it.

Gorgeous sunset on the way to dinner in Salema

We went a bit over budget eating in Salema, but had some amazing seafood, and saw Jane Curtin (of Saturday Night Live fame from the 70’s) eating dinner at the table just behind us on our last night. Or at least I think it was her.

Steve was horrified that I kept taking his picture during dinner, but it was the only way I could get a picture of “Jane”. I was a bit obsessed with Jane throughout dinner, even googling her for more personal information. Her husband has a ruddy-red look and she’s 72 years young. Everything seemed to fit and it was all falling into place!

My “Jane” at the restaurant
Jane Curtin photo – you be the judge!

My bubble burst at the end of our meal, when we heard “Jane’s” husband had a very Scottish accent. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted.

Our Quarto

To offset our overspending on restaurants, we opted to stay in a Quarto, a rental room in a local’s house. Our room was teeny tiny and contained two twin beds, a side table, and good lighting. It also had an en suite bathroom, that was also very small but functional, and all ours. And all of this for $44 a night.

The very best thing about our Quarto was the 10 second walk to the beach! Hard to beat that. And we loved listening to the waves lulling us to sleep at night.

We had our own private entrance, access to a shared refrigerator and coffee maker, and even our own laundry lines just outside our window, where I hung my hand washing to dry in the heat of the day. We felt just like locals (well, kind of).

The Beach

Praia Salema is pretty darn ideal, with powdery white sand, the turquoise blue ocean, and an uncrowded beach (at least in October). A local rents loungers with palapas (for shade) for $10 euros a day.

We made the most of our rental investments each day, arriving first on the beach every morning and staying until 6 or later. We had no problem filling our entire day with reading, sunning, and some quality napping.

It was close to 80 degrees every day, with a nice breeze. When we got hot enough, we’d brave the Atlantic, which was quite brisk, but refreshing nonetheless.

Yellow Rental Lounges, 10 euros a day for two

We chose to sit at the far west edge of the lounge chairs, so we had a good view as local fishermen’s boats were dragged up onto the sand by a tractor to unload their catch. The town cats would gather by the boats and patiently wait for scraps from their haul.

Three cats sit on the sand on the right side of the picture,
waiting for fish remnants

The Dolphins

Dolphin watching excursions are advertised all over town, but we were lucky enough to witness our own (free), dolphin sightings.

Early in the morning, while having breakfast on an outdoor deck just up from the ocean, we spotted about 10 dolphins swimming by.

I didn’t get a picture of the dolphins,
so here are some seagulls instead

Then, later that same day, in the late afternoon, everyone on the beach had a real treat when about 15-20 dolphins swam up and down the beach putting on a show. I think I was more excited than the little kids. Dolphins were leaping high out of the water, flipping and playing. Others were jetting around at high speed, creating white water like speed boats. I even saw two jump high into the air, in unison, and gracefully dive back into the depths, like something you’d see at a dolphin show. It was magical.

Wins and Losses

Wins

The beach, the beach, the beach
The sparkling ocean
Meeting Mandy & Harold from Napa, Happy 30th!
Staying in a room that’s a 10 second walk from the beach

Losses

Steve stubbed his little toe on the sharp tile corner in the bathroom, drawing blood
Hours later, a bee elected to sting Steve in the same wounded little toe. That little toe must have done something very bad in a former life, is all I can say
The only bus out of Salema had a pick-up time of 6:45 am. The only bus. It wasn’t even light out, but we were on-board!

Lagos, Portugal

Posted October 10, 2019

Low Tide

When I first saw the beaches in Lagos, they took my breath away. It was as if someone picked up the magnificent rock formations of Sedona, Arizona, and deposited them in south Portugal where the land meets the sea.

Then, as if the beauty of the gigantic rock formations weren’t enough, Mother Nature carved out cave-like arches and tunnels connecting one small beach to the next.

We checked the tide schedule, so we wouldn’t get stuck on one of the beaches when the tide came in. Some of the passageways were up high on the sand. Others, that close off at high tide, were close to the sea.

Fortunately, low tide was conveniently timed for noon. We started at the first beach by the marina, Praia de Batata, with our REI travel towels, kindles, and sunscreen in hand.

Each beach was its own small cove, each with a slightly different look and feel. I’d say there were five or six beaches over a mile or more.

Praia Dona Ana

We’d heard there were other gorgeous beaches down the coast, and we weren’t disappointed. Praia Dona Ana, about 15 minutes by bus, was heavenly, once I got down the 14 thousand steps (bad knees). For 10 euros we had two lounge chairs and a shade palapa for the entire day.

After a lovely day, it was time to head back to our Airbnb. The bus stop was at the top of the hill, high above the beach. I turned around for one last look at the coast and was treated to the striking view in the late afternoon sun.

Town

Lagos is a charming, picturesque beach town in southern Portugal. And, apparently, word has gotten out. There are lots of tourists milling about, even in the shoulder season.

Lagos is almost picture perfect, with its cobblestone streets that open up into intimate squares, covered in the customary black and white tile patterns. The squares are filled with bright, colorful tiled homes, fountains, flowers and trees, and the occasional talented street performer singing popular songs from home.

Our Airbnb

I was quite excited that our Lagos Airbnb had a washer. After almost two weeks we could give our clothes a “proper” wash. Unfortunately for us, there was no laundry detergent provided at the flat and we could only find large size bottles at the market, which didn’t make sense for a wash or two (and were too big to take with us to the next town). Major letdown. Well, more hand washing was definitely on the agenda.

Wins & Losses

Wins

After a day at Praia Dona Ana, we hopped on the bus. Unfortunately it was going the wrong direction. We did, however, get a good look at the beach further down the coast, for the win!
Ate sensational Mexican food all three nights in town, once at The Green Room, and twice at Beats & Burritos
Found a working toilet at a cafe with only 15 minutes of searching after a water main broke and left us with no water (or toilet or shower) for 12 hours on our second day in town.

Losses

Steve made it back to our Airbnb after a beach day without his high-tech, fast drying, grey compact travel towel. Down one travel towel.
Our Airbnb was super teeny-tiny, had a distinctive mildew smell, and a loud bar across the street, open until 2 am. Hooray for ear plugs.

Sintra, Portugal

Posted October 8, 2019

Arrival in Sintra

Sintra Train Station
S & T in Sintra
Our Hotel

We arrived in Sintra after a 40 minute train ride from Lisbon. Sintra is a resort town in the foothills of Portugal’s Sintra Mountains with two main draws – the Moorish Castle and the Pena Palace, both set high on nearby hilltops above town.

We stayed in a tiny, quaint hotel, the Monte Da Lua Guesthouse, directly across from the train station. We stayed two nights, giving us plenty of time to see the sites.

Look way up on the hill to see the Moorish Castle above the town of Sintra

We had our plan of attack all mapped out. We arrived in the afternoon and the sun was shining brightly and blue filled the sky. Rick Steves (travel writer) recommended visiting the Moorish Castle at sunset for a real treat. With this in mind, we decided to kill some time walking around the town, then head up to the Castle around 5:30 pm and stay through sunset.

Sintra National Palace (two pointed towers) in the distance, as we make our way into town

We set out for the town on the wide cobblestone sidewalks that wind along the road from our hotel to the town center. The hills rose up on all sides of us, full of lush, green trees. We passed manicured, colorful flowerbeds, stunning views, city hall, small restaurants, and hippie craft vendors.

Moorish Castle

As planned, we caught the bus at 5:30 pm, heading deep into the hills towards the Moorish Castle. As we entered the bus, I noticed a few clouds moving in, and I was thinking we were in for a spectacular sunset! The bus climbed higher and higher into the hills, and it got foggier and foggier. At the top, we saw the Moorish Castle entrance and everything was blanketed in thick fog. No sunset for us.

The Moorish Castle ticket-taker was a happy, friendly, good looking man in his mid-30’s, who apologized for the fog. He went on to explain that the fog moves in late in the day, every day, like clockwork. Hmmmm…Rick Steves hadn’t mentioned that.

We made the best of it, at least we had the entire Moorish Castle practically to ourselves. The fog did lend an eerie kind of medieval feel to the whole castle vibe. Standing on the high castle walls, we watched as thick fog rolled through the tree tops and over the castle walls.

Maybe a sunset was overrated after all. The misty fog was ethereal.

Pena Palace

We set our alarms that night for early the next morning to get to the Pena Palace before the tour groups from Lisbon arrived.

Unfortunately, the fog from the previous night was still in full force. As far as I could tell, the throngs of tour groups hadn’t arrived from Lisbon yet, so at least we had that in our favor.

The Palace is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and rightly so. The Palace is a major example of the 19th century Romanticism style of architecture, with deep reds and bright yellow exteriors and a whimsical design throughout.

After a tour of the castle interior, we found a great place to sit and wait out the fog.

We nursed our water bottle, waiting……. ….waiting….
waiting….for more than an hour until the sun started to break through the heavy fog and we could see a bit of blue sky, occasional views of the glorious mountains and town below, and even the Atlantic Ocean in the distance.

The Military Ceremony

After the Pena Palace visit, we headed into town for a second time. Things seemed very different this time. Instead of craft vendors lining the streets, we saw police, and the main road into Sintra was closed.

As we got closer and closer to town, there were more and more police. Approaching the main square, where the National Palace resides, we could hear a band playing.

The policeman I asked told me there was a military ceremony at the square, just ahead, and the Portuguese President was there! I wiggled my way up to the front of the packed crowd of (mostly) tourists and watched for a few minutes. The band played, the military men marched and carried out commands. After a while we’d seen enough and moved on.

Military Ceremony at the National Palace, Sintra

We explored Sintra for about an hour, but needed a break from walking the steep pathways, and perhaps a snack. Typically we make a point to avoid cafe’s in a town’s main square, they are often very overpriced and low-quality. After weighing our options, we finally decided to plunk down dead center across from the square, where the ceremony was still ongoing. By now the crowds watching the ceremony had significantly dwindled to a few die-hard fans.

The President

Military Top Brass Lined up in Front of Us

Suddenly a heavy police presence was moving towards us, and all the military top-brass started lining up along along the cafe edge where we sat eating our overpriced pastel de natas, a Portuguese pastry specialty.

The President of Portugal, flanked on both sides by buff military guards, was about 8 feet away from us. I googled to verify what the President looked like, to be sure it was him. It was. Then the troops paraded down the cobblestone street in front of the President, the military big-wigs, and us, with the band playing in the background, while they all saluted each other. What a cool experience.

Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa,
Portugal’s President (bald middle)

Wins & Losses

Wins

I had the best shrimp crepes on earth, not rolled, but flat and layered with gooey cheese and rich cream sauce at Rick Steve’s favorite restaurant in town, Restaurante Regional de Sintra
We had sunny weather (in town, that is)
Our hotel had silky smooth, high quality bed sheets
We saw the President and he thanked us for coming to Portugal (ok, that second part didn’t happen)

Losses

We didn’t see a sunset from the Moorish Castle (we didn’t see anything from the Moorish Castle, except fog)
The best shrimp crepes on earth were served in a restaurant that was lit like a surgical room in a hospital. A little bright, one might say
We had to “shimmy” sideways to enter our tiny hotel bathroom, sometimes slightly wedging in the narrow passage between the mauve porcelain sink and the corner of a wall covered in cold tiles.

Lisbon, Portugal

Posted October 6, 2019, Day 12

City of Seven Hills

It’s been a little over a week since we left our home near Seattle, Washington. Our first 4 days, 5 nights were spent in the Mouraria neighborhood in Lisbon, Portugal, in a small one-bedroom Airbnb. Lisbon is known as the city of seven hills, so I knew we’d be climbing lots of hills, and boy, did we. It was a crash course in getting in shape.

Mouraria

And (of course) our Airbnb was at the top of a huge, steep hill in the Mouraria neighborhood. Believe me, the pictures don’t do the hill justice. Nonetheless, we loved our neighborhood. It wasn’t in the most elegant or trendy part of town, but was a very authentic, ethnically diverse neighborhood full of real Portuguese folks living life, and delicious small restaurants. We had amazing Indian dinners three times and one Chinese dinner, all in family run and very reasonably priced restaurants.

Lisbon Sights

In between yummy food we did squeeze in some sightseeing. Our city walks (courtesy of Rick Steves, travel writer) included a walk to the top of yet another huge, steep hill to visit the São Jorge Castle. Our ascent included not only walking, but two public elevators, about 100 meters apart, tucked into the city landscape, that made the walk from downtown up to the castle a little less tiring.

Starting our long descent down the hill, we first visited Largo Santa Luzia square to admire a panoramic view of Lisbon from a small terrace. The red tile rooftops and Tagus river were breathtaking.

View of Lisbon & Tagus River from Santa Luzia Square

Then we went across the street from the Square where we took a trip back in time, touring a mansion turned museum that reflected how the “typical” aristocratic family lived in 15th century Lisbon.

Our walks also took us up the Elevador da Gloria, a Funicular installed in 1885 that takes (mostly) tourists up another very steep hill into the Bairro-Alto neighborhood, for more exploration.

Belem

With only two more days in the Lisbon area we decided to head out on a day trip to the nearby city of Belem. This excursion warranted it’s own post, so, if you’re interested, check out my post “Day Trip to Belem”.

Gulbenkian Museum

We dedicated our final day to a highly regarded museum, the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum. The museum has a vast and varied collection of art spanning 5,000 years of history, including European, Asian, Egyptian, and Islamic art. I’ve been to more than my share of European museums, and I must say this one is really special. The displays are laid out beautifully, the lighting is exquisite, and they had centuries old wool rugs that were astounding. Spending our last day in Lisbon at the Gulbenkian Museum was the icing on the cake called Lisbon.

Tiles Are Everywhere!

Modern Tile at Metro Station
Green Tiled Apartments
Turquoise Tiled Apartments

One final attribute of Lisbon that cannot be overlooked are the tiles (called azulejos). Tiles are everywhere in Portugal. They decorate everything from walls of churches and monasteries, to palaces, ordinary houses, park seats, fountains, shops, and train stations.

Tiled Sidewalks

As we made our way through the city, each street seemed to have it’s own unique black and white tile patterned sidewalk. Above are just a few examples.

Tiled Praca’s

Lisbon’s Praca’s (squares), which seemed to be around every corner, are full of their own unique black and white tiles, majestic statues, towering arches, and flowing fountains.

Wins & Losses

Wins

Learned how to say: please, thank you, and how to order coffee correctly in Portuguese.
Never twisted an ankle on the uneven tile streets
Never got on the Metro going the wrong way
Had gorgeous, sunny weather every day
Figured out how to reload (“zap”) our metro card with $ after only five tries (instructions were in Portuguese)
Loved exploring beautiful Lisbon!

Losses

We had a nice dinner at a “cash-only” restaurant, but had no cash
The bus stop outside our apartment was under construction, so we had to hoof it way down and way up an enormous, steep hill to go anywhere.
We’d just arrived in town and were starving. We ordered from a menu in Portuguese. We thought we ordered a sandwich, but it turned out to be tiny chunks of cod on a rock hard piece of toast. And it cost over 10 euros.