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Published: October 8th 2017
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With the heat, crowds, and lingering jet lag, we have been occasionally wondering why we left our comfortable life to journey here...and we got answers yesterday!
We visited the giant Saturday flea market to begin our day, which included walking (always up and down hills in Lisboa!), a subway trip, and more walking...for some unknown reason the subway stop nearest us was closed, so we walked to the next one, got off near the water (and a cruise ship dock), and went up hill to the market.
Flea markets are my favorite stop for souvenirs! We got a gift for our grandson (who requested rocks or fossils), a new tiny animal for our collection, and some beautiful handmade holders for children's napkins (they would carry them to school) for a Euro ($1.20) each!...It was so much fun to see what people are selling...So reason #1 for traveling: see how other humans live; what is the same, what is different.
We walked from the flea market to the train station...too many cruise ship tourists and too hot for this to be a completely enjoyable stroll, and I managed to slip and fall on the sidewalk at one point! We
did see some pretty sights along the way...
We took the train to the Estoril beaches this time. Ian Fleming stayed there and wrote Casino Royale with the old Estoril casino as his inspiration! That casino is long gone and the new in its place is the largest in Europe, I think. On train, we experienced reason #2 for traveling: being surprised and having assumptions turned upside down.
We sat facing another pair of seats, which were soon taken by two young men. One was tatted, looked a bit thuggish, and had fresh scratches all over his upper body and the other looked underfed. Both were dressed for the beach. Our first impression was not, shall we say, positive. The scratched up one asked for the time, and started a conversation. Well, it turns out that he was Irish and his companion Italian (from the northern lake country), and that they had been recently hired by a holiday tour call center in Lisbon and were heading for the beach on their first day off. The Irish lad had an accounting degree, but couldn't find a job in Ireland, and the underfed Italian spoke French and some English, and
hopes to get hired in Silicon Valley eventually. They were both delighted to be in sunny Portugal! The Irish man had fallen off a hill into some bushes the night before, and thus the scratches, he told us with some embarrassment. They are lodged by the company in a brand new building for only 50 Euros a month (about $65!!). They shared food with us and were utterly charming!
Once in Estoril, we decided to rent chairs under an umbrella (a bit pricey at $18 for the day, but nice!). We people-watched, read, and I swam in the cold, but pleasant water. There were crowds of people of all kinds and ages there, but everything is so well-organized, with a range of restaurants along the beach, public showers, free changing rooms, a beautiful promenade along the sea, and a clean beach. There were moments of excitement when one of the Afro-Portuguese young men who were jumping off the pier got into trouble and had to be rescued (he was fine) and when a big wave came in and washed over several people and their belongings near the water... And #3 reason for traveling: scenic beauty...and a glimpse into other
cultures...
We took our usual route home: train, subway, and a walk up the steep, steep hill, stopping for dinner at the restaurant we discovered a few days ago on the quiet square...
Today, Sunday, is a partial day off for us...no big plans. We have to book the next part of our trip to the Algarve region in the south, and wash some clothes!
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