Living Large In Lisbon
It’s five days into my stay in Lisbon and I am only now just blogging inside of a Wash & Dry. A very kind Portuguese man had to help me figure out how to operate the machine because I am befuddled by basic technology in a foreign country. Muito obrigada.
Abstaining from the blog while traveling is always a huge mistake, as it grounds me and makes me less likely to leave my coat in an Uber. My primary goal is to come home fully intact and with all my possessions, the holy trinity of my purse, backpack and suitcase.
Hills and Marble Sidewalks
I arrived late on Saturday after an 18 hour journey and walked around the center where I soon realized that bringing my ginormous parka was a huge mistake. I also realized that my only nice shoes, small boots would not see the light of day in Lisbon where the lovely marble tiled sidewalk turn into a death slide when it rains. Even with my trail runners I, like everyone else, have to walk like a thief in the night to avoid.
I am staying in Chiado which I picked for the steep hills, to ensure I would have some croissant-burning activity built into my travels. (Or rather Pastais du Nata burning activity). Walking around Lisbon and to and from my hotel is more exercise than I give myself at home. I am convinced that in medieval times the people were tiny miniatures with super long legs, which accounts for the steep stairs.
Even though it has been raining and drizzling it’s a warm and humid fifty-some degrees (talking Farenheit). On Sunday I over-scheduled myself with a walking tour of Lisbon during the day and a comedy show. I clocked in 8 miles of hills and steps and a 10 minute comedy set. The comedy scene is really sweet and young, and I felt, as I often do, like my time has come and gone. But standup comedy is the only thing in the world besides wine, that can age well. And so everyone liked my set and I felt like maybe I haven’t wasted years of my life at open mics (even though I have).
My friend Benny who is traveling through Europe on his mid-life crisis tour invited his American friends who are super smart and nice and seem so much cooler than me because they live in Lisbon and not LA.
Museum Junkie
Recommend a museum and I am there. In Europe I have found that there are museums about everything. In Lisbon there are museums for beer, pharmaceuticals and marionettes, among others. However, I mostly do the generic tourist-y things and then talk about them like I am the first person who ever discovered them. On Monday I went to the Convento de Carmo and the Museo de Guarda Nacional Republicana, which is the national guard museum. It documents the recent revolution, as Portugal has only been a democracy for 48 years. I learned all this on my Guru Walking Tour, which I sign up for in every city. They are often excellent and could end at 2:00 AM.
Then I spent the rest of the day looking for new insoles for my trail runners. When traveling simple things like washing clothes or finding insoles becomes a a day’s goal.
On Tuesday I hiked up to the Castello de Jorge, which truly lives up to the name “castle.” Tuesday night I had dinner with my new Lisbon BFF at this fantastic rooftop restaurant called “Terraco Editorial” and with drinks and appetizers the bill netted out to $37 apiece. In Los Angeles the entree and wine cost the same amount, which given so much local wine is a little wrong. But we, like so many Americans in Portugal and everywhere, can live like Kings with what would be a middle class income in California. This is the case in many countries and while I enjoy ordering that extra glass and have no problem spending my money, it does leave me feeling uncomfortable.
Random Food Tour
Today I took a food tour which started at a kiosk. Kiosks are a thing here. On Sunday I bought a glass of wine at a kiosk at 11:00 PM. The deal is you buy a glass of alcohol and then go drink it wherever you want; a park, a bench, or the church steps. Our first meal was codfish cakes and a calamari sandwich (which isn’t a Portuguese thing, but still very good). Later we had pizza. I know, doesn’t pizza come from Italy? Clearly the point of the food tour was on quality Lisbon food. The pizza had lime and ricotta cheese and also was amazing. Then we walked to a local place where we given another pork sandwich and soup to share? Trust me when I say that nobody wanted to share soup. The tour ended with an amazing Pastais de Nata, a small custard pie.
Later I went to a story museum about the history of Lisbon. The part where they colonized other countries (hello brazil) is sort of glossed over and referred to as the “expansion.” In the 1700’s a horrible earthquake, leveled the city, followed by a fire and a tsunami. Coming from earthquake territory I did not need the graphic representation
The vibe here is very chill, much more so than LA. The check comes when it comes. Do I really need fresh towels? What is the rush? There is no rush. Thank God.
