I Love Europe
What’s not to love? Free health care, little to no gun violence, and I can have a conversation on global politics with every single Uber driver. Everyone speaks three languages and has a firm gasp on world events. And they have the coolest feminists like Mona Chollet and Sandrine Rousseau , who wants to make it illegal for men to perform less domestic labor! It all begs the questions: is Europe just better? And is the US a cult? Yes and yes.
Wine
Let’s not forget about the wine. Here in the wine state of California a glass of wine is $18-$22. And the pour is about a quarter of the glass. Now I understand that the pandemic created a lot of suffering for the restaurant and bar industries but that didn’t affect Portugal where wine is 3-4 Euros and that is for a “Portugal pour,” right up to the tip of the glass. Not to mention, it’s very drinkable. Turns out I’m not one for full bodied cabs.
In my last five days I stuck around Lisbon because I was just so tired from traveling. Especially because I didn’t have a plan for the final week which was exciting and adventurous and also exhausting and stressful. Also, my friend Benny who has been traveling around Europe for three months and I went to the Marionette Museu.
The architecture and design of the houses and churches of Portugal stop me in my tracks. I don’t understand why we have to design such boring buildings and high rises in the US, when there is the option to cover them with hand painted tiles in bright colors. Why do we walk through dull grey airports when we could have murals telling stories.
Tiles
Not everyone gets as jazzed about the tiles. Benny hardly noticed them and when I asked him what he thought said, “their OK.” To which I responded, “What?! These tiles are magnificent!” So not everyone responds the same to travel experiences.
How Do I Travel Alone?
As miserable as it was, I came out of the pandemic in a better place. Part of it is that I had more money saved ( for that I am grateful). But the other part was how much time I spent alone. It would never have occurred to me to that I could travel to Europe alone before the pandemic. But after spending weeks learning how to entertain myself, being alone in the open world, able to go to restaurants and bars, museums and events, seems incredibly social. Sitting in a plane with hundreds of people is a party. Traveling alone is not lonely. Non-communicative relationships? Very lonely.
That said traveling alone is not easy. I had my share of meltdowns. Had I been with someone, they would just be witness to the meltdown, but maybe they could translate the email and call the number again to find the guest house whose address is the middle of a busy intersection.
The other thing I realized is that however many pictures you see of a sight or place or work of art, nothing can prepare one for the physical experience of it.
Budget Trip
Not including food, I spent around $2,300 in three weeks in Portugal. That includes airfare, for which I used miles, and tours, museums, trains, metro and Ubers. November is the low season and the dollar is strong. The last places I stayed in were around $60-70 a night and much nicer than the Best Western in Monterey for $350 a night.
Eating out is affordable, especially compared to Los Angeles where you can’t seem to spend less than $20 if you want anything other than a few tacos. I ate out 100% of the time and maybe spent a few hundred more on food than I might in LA.
I could have done the trip for much less if I had stayed further away from the center or been more savvy (my taxi from the airport said he didn’t take credit cards…sure. Don’t take taxis). I signed up with Chase Sapphire to get the 60,000 points which paid for my ticket.
There are sites dedicated to affordable travel with credit cards but I say all this because travel is so important to the mind and soul, to understanding the world, to getting away from your life, and meeting people from all over the world. It does require time and money, but with planning it’s doable for people on a budget.
