Lazy days

First I have to say that I am currently in Guarda, staying in a posada de juventude which works as a hostel, but is nothing like any good hostel. Just beds and bathrooms in a bad condition. No common rooms, no music, no fun, no internet no loundry facilities, no nothing. Not even a city map! I'm glad I canceled one night here.

I'm in a cybercenter next to the main square with and old Sé (cathedral) where there is a movie being shoot so I can't visit it. It's too late anyway... And sady, the Sé is the only thing wotrh visiting here. I have no idea what I will do tomorrow.

But, where was I...

Lisboa! Yes... a lazy saturday after a crazy party, when I miss my train to Évora (I think I wrote about it .. ?). Sunday came next (no, really) and with it time to hit the beach but noone to come with me! I really didn't feel lile going alone so instead I headed off in search of a shopping center to get a phone to replace my old one, which now has even more non-working buttons! And ta-da!! a new phone I have! A really cheap and practical device with an extra surprise - sudoku! What more could I have wished for?

Happy with my purchase I returned to the safe grounds of João's appartmnt and in to the hanging net for some siesta, followed by a coffee in that cute tiny park (I'd go there every day, if I lived there!), just because of the company and the atmosphere. The acctuall coffee itself is in fact tasteless.

Next it was time to start moving so I rushed (yup...) to the Oriente train station, misscalculated the time required to get there (again) and almost missed it. I broke my personal record of 3 minutes time from buyibg the ticket to the trains departure to 1 minut. And I have the paper to prove it!

I was on my way to Tomar and to a new experience called couchsurfing. If you haven't heard of it, look it up (Mr. Google is very wise, you know...). It turned out to be much better than I expected and MUCH better than the wanna-be hostels here. Don't get me wrong, the hostels are ... fine ... Ther's just nothing happening there.

My first hostes are a couple, Sergío and Anna. Students who live in a cute hous near the old center. they were so unbelivably kind to me, that I doubt I'll have an experience as good as this ever again. Probably different. They picked me up at the train station, took me to a 15th century aquaduct which leads to the famous convent, made me dinner and took me for a drink at a local bar. And you really need to be one to find it - there are no signs and you have to ring a bell to get in. Next day Sergío spent a whole day with me and Anna was studying (yup, they have exams all through July! Can you imagine the torture...). First we went to the Templars castle and the convent which is my favourite old (call it however you want) building so far. It is made in semi gothic-muelin style with funky curves and images carved in the stone. I took a lot of pictures. It was getting really hot so we decided to postpone the planned coffee and a local bolo (desert) and head home to make lunch. So they cooked for me again. This time they even let me help a little. But Just a little. :)
I was so incredibly tired after all that good food, that we had to go get that coffee and that sweet thing made of only egs and suger. The amount of sugar would normally kill you, but the thing itself is so small, that you just have to drink a lot of water right after it. Hehehe. The direct translation of it's name is "kiss me fast". :) We all had fun and some clever talks.

What, already time for a new train? Yeah.... this time to Castelo Branco. I hade to change trains in Entroncamento, which means "a crossing" and I would have missed my connection if I hadn't med a portuguese who takes private lessions of english and wanted to practise. How practical! We took the same train and the same part of it, because it would split after some stops.

Castelo Branco? Where is this and why am I here?

Well... I chose most of the towns I'll visit by the sound of the name, to tell you the trooth. Even though I own a guide book, I didn't bother to read it. I'm reading it as I go and asking people for advice and usually I made a good decision. This one wasn't one of them.
Ok, it's not such a bad place. Just a lot of hills and 4 people in the hostel all together. I was acctually more angry at myself, than at the place. All because I overpacked. I knew I would, but I didn't think it would be so bad. So instead of going to the center (it was monday anyway, and I had time to do it before noon the nex tay - which happens to be today:)) I repacked and after getting some suvenirs I'll send the extra not needed stuff home. I hope the post service is functional! I really don't want to lose all that stuff. It's just too hard to carry.

So this morning I had 5h to search the place and I finished in 3h. Shopping included!
Ther's an old castel - well, part of a castel - and a church on top of the hill. Ther's a Sé and some other churches, but that's it. Most of the town is new and doesn't look bad. Most of the old part is being renovated which makes it less atrative. I think in a year or so it should be a nice place to visit!

After all that fuss with the trains I should have expected another one. On my way to Guarda (where I am at this moment) I had to change trains in Covilhã. This is pronounced k-vil-ja in a Fuzine maner and as if some one is choking you :P
Anyway... the pt train company really takes good care of it's clients. The ticket man informed me that the connection between Coviulhã and Guarda simply doesn't work and to replace it the company has hired a bunch of taxi drivers who drive from point A to point B (or should I say C to G), stopping in every station on the way to pick up the travelers. Instead of 45km by highway that makes 104km by sideways. I couldn't figure out how people pay for it, because the ticket ofices in between the two stations were closed... So, that's how I ended up getting a sightseeing drive through sthe smallest villages. Places where the church is as big as my bedroom, where all the roads are paved and the only people you pass are old wemen in black dresses and small beige dogs. The only wheicle we saw was a "traktor" and I even saw a bunny cross the road!!

later I found out that the train station on Guarda is very far from the center and also on a much lower point then the town itself (1060 m above sea level). No, the high altitude still doesn't mean that the temperature is any lower than 30 degrees. I ended up driving in a taxi again, only this one I had to pay for. Ok. I'll survive. I guess. And I ended up in this hostel.

That's all for today. Tomorrow I hoped to make a 6h walking trip to a famous waterfall (or sth like that) in the Serra da Estrela national park, but I can't find any useful bus connections to the starting poin. Too bad. I'll settle for a 2h walk in another village in the area.

'till next time.

Boa noit

ps: sorry, don't have the cable with me to upload the photos... :(

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