Lisbon is the Real Deal

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Now I know why my spelling in the previous blogs are scewed. I am currently learning how to type on a Portugese keyboard. Previously it was a Spanish keyboard. Lol. We arrived at the Airport and you guessed it, our arranged meeting with our landlord did not happen. He arrived a little later, but thats ok. So, we tried to pull some dinero out of the machine that spits out money and it wouldn,t throw it up. Well I figured it was my debit card but it turns out there is a maximum per day you are allowed and I exceeded it. Our landlord is a fellow Quebecer from Quebec city. What a neat guy. Picked us up at the airport and brought us over to the 1 bedroom apt.

We promptly went out to buy Vino and Cervesa and water and food. Afterwards we scouted around the city for 3-4 hours. The difference between Lisbon and Madrid is that here you see how the people live. They are not well off but are making do and they seem more prideful about themselves. Nothing seems fake here. Very few store signs or advertising. You pass by and walk in. Cool. Cobble stone streets everywhere. Narrow streets about 6 feet wide or less in a lot of areas. Stores really do cater to the locales. 30% of the people still have no running water so there is a community washboard building in our neighborhood open twice a week where they can bring there clothes and hand wash them on a washboard!

A WASHBOARD!!!!! No pushbuttons. No servicemen to rip you off! They never break! lol.

We finished off the 1st evening at a BBQ terasse and ate fish listened to music and meandered around the area.

The next day we obtained a transit pass that allowed us to use the inexpensive public transit. We ventured out to an old monastary only to find out that we couldn,t visit the inside. It wasn,t opened Mondays. sigh.....

I think I spoke to soon above about nothing seems fake. read on....So we promptly went to eat lunch on another terrasse. THEY SAW US COMING!!!!

All smiles, they put cheese, bread olives on the table without asking us and so we assumed (Ass me) and we ordered Sangria, as well as I had grilled octopus and Sue had a grilled fish. Well, keep in mind that we did not order the bread, cheese, or olives, but they charged us for them. It wasn,t complimentary!!! So of course I asked what the charges were and my JAW dropped. Can you believe the dry bread was 3.40 Euros, The cheese another 3 Euros, and the lousy discoloured olives another 2 Euros. Whats a guy to do, so I ask???

"Well no Service tip" Sue says. I had to give and >I gave all the lousy 1 cent, 5 cent, 10 cents I had which added up to about 26 cents. Lol. From now on we eat in busy restaurants, and not in the ones that are empty waiting to prey on innocent travellers on a budget who can barely scrap by everyday. We ate inside that night to make up the difference.

Next 2 days Sue was sick with a terrible cold, so we did not venture out except to buy food. it happens. No big deal. Health is more important, so we limited outrselves to stay in movies, locale groceries an reading. weather was great. The last day before back to Spain we walked a few kms. to get the kinks ourt and ate: you guessed it at another terasse, I had grilled Calamar, Sue had grillled Sardines.

We bulked up on fluids and now we are off to Granada.

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