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Portugal has been on my must visit list since I was a child reading Robinson Crusoe. I was obsessed with being a pirate and this country has plenty of seafaring history to draw me in and that might be what set me up for major culture shock when I arrived. My hotel is located within the “Bombay” area as my taxi driver stated, which makes sense (now) given the colonial legacy of the Portuguese in Southeast Asia. I can much easier find Indian food than traditional Portuguese food, though I did the best I could as far as finding local foods.
Portugal is different and perhaps that is purely because of my expectations for coming to this place - after all, how do you visit a seafaring nation? I joined a hop-on-hop-off bus tour and took the grand tour, seeing the various sculptures, churches, and sea views around the city. I walked up to the Moor compound, which BTW is a walk for real, but like most things I’ve seen here there was a line of at least 300+ to get inside. You might have been up for the hour plus wait for various sites, but I’m just not into
that at this time of my trip. Lisbon is 100% hills, though how that is possible I don’t even know. The hills add to the charm, but also add to the need to ensure you have good walking shoes and plenty of sunscreen as I do believe we are just 2 miles shy of the actual surface of the sun.
The sun hits different here, but I am glad I have come here. Perhaps if I had to do it over again I would have come here first and then finished up in Spain. Spain was easy to travel through and I felt well-taken care of throughout my entire stay. Portugal’s tourist industry is surprisingly, actually shockingly, underdeveloped especially when compared to the rest of the continent.
OMG I got complacent and got scammed at the airport upon arrival. So don't trust anyone not in a clearly marked taxi, only take established taxis. Ugh.
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