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Published: November 29th 2007
6-19-07
Slept well last night and woke up in Portugal. I love these night trains. The gentle rocking motion of the train really knocks me out.
I got up and stood outside our train sleeping compartment for about an hour trying to get glimpses of the surrounding landscape. The times I did see something out the window there was not much to see. The train arrived about a 1/2 hour late. I talked to a guy from Philadephia that was a construction manager there who told his boss he was taking off for awhile to travel. The boss told him as long as he is back by September he had a job when he got back. He said he did not plan to travel that long. He was about 28 years old I guess and indicated he was not staying in hostels and said he was paying around 30 € most night. He acted like this was not much money. I think with his attitude of spending money he will not be on the road that long. He did mention that the French Polynesian Islands are a lot nicer than Hawaii. I ask him how expensive they were and he
said very expensive. I asked about safety and he said they are safe and you stay in huts on the water. It sounds like maybe a romantic getaway some day. I think I will stick with Hawaii for now. One of these days too, I will need to go back to work. My bank account will decide that partially. It will be nice to get some routine back in my life as recently my life has been void of that.
I asked the station security guard what bus takes you to the City Centre and he indicated a bus stop just to my left. I got on the bus and headed down town. It was nice to see the locals speaking decent English. At least at the train station they did. I guess that is not telling you much. As I think I previously stated I get the impression Europeans seem to think that when they speak English they are doing it for Americans, but the truth is, it enables them to communicate with Americans, but it also allows them to communicate with other Europeans and people of other countries as well. It is more fun for them to
Lisbon's Beautiful Cloister
A cloister is a place of prayer. Looks like a good place for prayer to me.act like they are doing us a big favor by speaking English, but they do it for a lot of reasons one of the reasons is they do it for money. English is a money language and often it helps them make money. They do not speak the language just to be nice guys I can tell you that. French use to be the money language now it is English. It will not be English forever.
I jumped on the bus to the City Center and got off at Rossio. I walked around and found a place for breakfast. They had a sandwich that included an egg so I got it. Things were cheaper here, but not a lot cheaper. I suspect because everyone uses the Euro now, prices will become closer to similar all across Europe, but some fluctuations are inevitable due to differences in the cost of living. Lisbon seemed to be a little different than any other European City I have seen. I am not sure what it is. Sure they have the big Piazzas and the monuments in the plazas, the skateboarders, the graffiti, the pigeons. I think maybe it is the nautical mindset or
BelemTower
This is the last thing the sailors saw before a voyage on the sea. The Portugese were great explorers. the nautical location. It is right on the Atlantic Ocean. It seems a little rugged, but yet the people seem very nice. I know the Portuguese were great explorers and very wealthy due to the riches they found over seas. Like most dynasties it come to an end. The French were a great power too, but you just do not get that warm and fuzzy feeling from them at least some of them. The Portugese seem extremely willing to help you. One of the greatest feelings is going to a remote area and having the people look at you in amazement. It's like, “this is not a tourist area or you lost?” And often they want to know about you, but with the language barrier it is often difficult to transcend.
The breakfast sandwich included a tomato and all in all it wasn't too good. The juices from the tomatoes seemed to just make the whole sandwich soggy and greasy. The sausage on the sandwich also appeared to include very little sausage. I ate it though and moved on. I found an internet location and sent some emails. I also wrote down and emailed Salete the couchsurfing person I
Soldiers Memorial
A memorial to the soldiers who died over seas. was to stay with here. I actually had two offers in Lisbon, which is a nice change. I would have liked to met them both, but it would have just been too much effort to stay with each one for just one night. Couchsurfing has a lot of drawbacks, but when you find one that works it is great. I definitely recommend it.
From there I found a tourist office and got a map with the main areas encircled. I thought I would head to Belem first. I got on the tram and headed that way. We went past a bridge that takes you to Amadora, where the couchsurfer I will be staying with lives. The bridge looks just like the Golden Gate Bridge and has a monument on the other side with the Statue holding a cross. Past the bridge a little ways I got off near the monastery a place that I will visit a little later. First I wanted to head to the Belem Tower. This monument was one of the last things sailors saw when they left to make some discoveries. It was built in 1555. It had just stopped raining and people were coming
Prince Henry the Navigator
Statue in honor of Prince Henry and all the Portugese Navigators. The Portugese sailors were some very brave men and were great explorers. out there in groves as before the rain seemed to keep people undercover. It was only sprinkling, did these people think they would melt? I hoped it continued to sprinkle if that is all it takes.
From there I walked to the Monument to the Discoverers. This monument honors Prince Henry the Navigator and other Portuguese explorers. From there I walked to the Monastery. In Rick Steve's book he says sailors would spend their last night here before shipping off to make discoveries. I can not imagine what that must have been like to leave the mainland not really knowing where you were headed or what you might encounter. They were brave men.
Rick Steve's has dubbed the Cloister in Lisbon as the best one in Europe. I was not that familiar with the term cloister until coming to Lisbon, but it appears to me it is just an area where people go for quiet reflection. Man and I go on a crazy world trip to reflect. I should have just went to a cloister. You can reflect anywhere you actually. Because where you are is where you are! Wow that actually sounds philosophical. Actually I think I
heard that from Terri my couchsurfing friend from San Diego. She is the first person I had ever couchsurfed with. Wow that seems like a long time ago. It definitely is a long ways from here. I recently heard an Australian Lady say Portugal is directly on the opposite side of the globe as Australia. When the younger Australians go somewhere they go to stay for awhile. They usually are not wistful travelers like the Americans and Japanese as Mikelotte from Holland says. Like I said this trip is about seeing Eiffel towers not small gardens.
The cloister seemed cool, but I was not awestruck by it. I did like the nautical themed gargoyles. Ever since Notre Dame in Paris I have seen quite of view gargoyles. I do not remember seeing many in Italy. The Cloister was nice and neat and well groomed, but it wasn't big, it did not have a neat fountain it was just ok for this traveling cowboy. I did enjoy the timeline of events exhibition, which they had in one room of the monastery. A lot of the stuff I recently seen, which made it all the more interesting to me. The church
itself was pretty cool, but I have seen lots of churches. It seems however the churches in each country are a little different as well as this one, but I have seen St. Peter's Basilica the granddaddy of all churches. Where do you go from there?
I was glad I went to see the cloister. The admission fee was around 7 € I think. It was raining off and on so it was neat to see the water running from the mouths of the Gargoyles. Rick also recommended having a Pastel de Nata. It was a famous pastry place near the monastery so I headed in that direction. I had seen the store from the tram so I new exactly where it was at. They were really busy so I waited to order. Again, there was essentially no line just a big free for all. I am a big fan of the line system as it seems a lot more just. I am not aggressive, when it comes to waiting for something as that seems rude to me. In my world people should just respect each other enough to be courteous about it. Well then there is the real
Golden Gate Bridge?
Nope. This is the bridge taking travelers from Lisbon Southward. world. A group of 3 women, pretty much butted right in front of me. I was hoping the people working there saw that and were pastry Nazis and would blurt out "No Pastries for You" to these 3 ladies, but that did not happen. They got served. Then a little later some other people jumped up to the serving area and I was about ready to say forget it. I do not want a Pastry this badly. I was thinking back to the beer Nazis in the Delirium café. The lady working there then said no, he was here first. Those words were heavenly. There is a God that believes in Justice and waiting your turn. I told her I wanted two Pastel De Natas and pointed to them and one of those boxes, which I thought contained sandwiches. She said the box contains the Pastel de Natas, not sandwiches. I just got the box then. With the Pastel De Belem as they are called here, you get powdered sugar and cinnamon. I thought well Mom could not have the cinnamon as she is allergic to them. I went outside and looked for a place to eat them. I found
A fountain Near the Cloister
How can you not take a picture of fountains? Those are "Must Photograph Things". a bunch of tables and chairs near a McDonald’s restaurant near the Park. I enjoyed them very much, but in the box there were 6 of them. I did not expect that many in the box. Essentially I describe them as being small pies with a creamy center. I think I have had them before and they are good, but I do not think I would make a special trip from St. Louis to Lisbon just to have them.
I left there stuffed and jumped on the tram and headed back to Rossio square. I still had a couple hours from when I was to meet Salete. I decided to walk to the Aflma an old part of the City. The City was pretty much leveled from an Eathquake in 1755 killing around 25% of the population, but not this area. So it is really old. As I was walking to that area a guy ask me if I wanted some marijuana and showed me a smoke in his hand. I had no idea if that was marijuana, but I think it was. I told him I was trying to cut back on my weed consumption. I have never
smoked it in my life. A lot of people tell me I should try it, but I just haven't. I am not really afraid of it, but just have not been around the people that do it. Even my friend in Amsterdam where it is legal, doesn't smoke it. One of her friends told me I should try some and went on to say it is better than alcohol as you are not left with a hangover. I guess I will just keep getting hangovers. The people in the US make way to big of a deal about pot in my opinion. It is the drunk drivers, fighters, wife beaters who predominantly consume alcohol. From what I hear pot just makes you laugh at silly stuff like cartoons and you just feel like sitting around. It doesn’t make you aggressive like alcohol. It will make you lazy if you smoke it frequently. I say do not smoke it at all and drink alcohol moderately for the optimal life, but if you do have some pot occasionally I will not be calling you a pot head are think you’re a loser like some Americans think. I use to think that way.
Inside Lisbon's Cathedral near Cloister
See the elephants carryig the casket. Must be some african influence. It is only bad, if consumed excessively just like alcohol.
Again the backpack was getting a little heavy after a day of carrying it around. Rick said to make my way up to the Castle so I did. I saw an internet site and thought maybe I would hang out there for awhile. It got later in the day than I thought and I really needed to start making my way down from the castle to Rossio Square, where I was to meet Salete. At the Castle the cost to get in was like 8€ and I decided against going in. I headed back to Rossio Square. This area of Lisbon did not seem too confusing to me so I was able to find my way there. I went past a motel and saw a somewhat attractive lady looking up at me as I walked by and she gave me a wink and I thought damn, I must be looking good to day. I then looked to my right and saw a couple more women near the entrance of the motel. I then realized she was offering companionship but for a price. Wow marijuanan and women are very accessible
The Cloister
Rick Steve's says this is the best clositer in all of Europe. I will not argue with, "The Man." in this town but they are not giving it away.
I got to Rossio a few minutes early and text Salete to let her know I was there. She text me back and said she would be there in an hour. I then realized there must be a time change when you get into Portugal. My phone did not automatically change. I sure thought it would have. I went to use the internet in Rossio Square and then went back out to Rossio square to wait. There were lots of kids skate boarding. About the time we were to meet I got a text message that said, "Where you at?" I tried to text her back to tell her by the statue in Rossio Square, but the phone just said wrong number. I was replying to her message and it says wrong number. Maybe I am not allowed to simply reply. So I tried the actual number which worked in the past, but this time it said wrong number. I was losing my nerve with this phone. After several attempts I ran into the Internet place nearby and ask them to text this number for me on their phone
and he seemed to want to try it on my phone again. I was now panicking as I was afraid I might miss her. I typed the message in again on my phone saying I was in Rossio square near the Metro and typed the number again and Presto it went. I do not have any idea why it worked this time. I felt a little dumb. I went back outside and waited for a couple minutes and Salete arrived. It is always nice to meet the person you will be staying with as my guard is immediately let down and I relax. At that point all I have to do is follow the person, which I am confident in being able to do. I ask Salete if she was familiar with the Ginja shot and after some explanation she said she was, so we went and had one. It was pretty good and two of the berries are left in the drink as garnishment, which I ate when I finished the drink. Reminded me of the blueberries in the drink in Beerworks, the Boston bar outside of Fenway. One shot was good, but I think if you have too
many of these things it could be a long night on many different levels.
From there we went to the boat. Salete thought I might enjoy the boat ride instead of the metro. She was exactly right. She is a great tour guide. When we got to the other side we waited a few minutes for the bus and headed to her place. She has a very nice place and is a very nice lady. She ask me if I wanted to go to the Beach for supper and I told her that sounded awesome. We headed for the beach in her car. I was surprised she even had a car. It was about a 15 minute drive to the beach and we tried a couple places only to find out they were closed. It appeared they were only open on the weekends and during the more busy times during the summer. We finally went to a place that Salete said was not one of her favorites, but it seemed pretty awesome to me. We had Sardines and a bottle of local Portugal wine. She didn't drink much of the wine so I got relegated to drinking most of
Nautical Theme?
This guy just looks like wind, rain and water to me? He appears a little angry as well. it. It was good so I didn't mind. We got to see the sunset from our window in the café. It was very pretty. After supper when we were walking out I told Salete I was going to run out to the beach and would be right back. There is something about seeing the moon over the ocean and listening to the waves that I really enjoy. I didn't expect to stay long, but then Salete walked out as well. We sat down in the chairs nearby on the dark beach. Off in the distance I could see the lights of some City. It was rather cool so we didn’t stay long.
The car ride back was short. We could not get her pull out bed to work, so we just took the mattress off and laid it on the floor. The cushion like mattress was only a few inches thick, but I slept like a log as I was very tired. Another great day of traveling. I saw lots and met some nice people. Salete being the nicest.
6-20-07
The next morning Salete and I got up at similar times. She had let her alarm clock snooze
go off several times before finally getting up. I gave her a hard time about that, as I could hear it in the room I was in. After a quick breakfast we headed for the bus station, where we got off and got on the metro. On this day I was heading for Sintra and she gave me instructions on exactly how to do it so I was in good hands. I went and got the ticket I needed for Sintra and waited at the platform. Two women in their 50's came walking up the stairs to the platform and I recognized them from yesterday. I saw them in Alfama at a scenic overlook near a beautifully colored tree or brush. They were confused about getting their ticket. I showed them where to get it and they made it back before the train arrived. We talked on the way to Sintra a lot and they actually calmed me a little. I could feel myself starting to be anxious more. When I started the trip I remember how relaxed I was and now I felt like I was beginning to get stressed a little. They seemed to be going with the
Worse Pic Ever Taken?
I ask this guy to take a picture of me in front of this statue and this is the result. I did not bother to ask him to try again. See the next pic for the actual scene. flow. At the train station in Sintra they invited me to have coffee with them. I had a soda. There was a bus pass you could get that allowed you to get on an off the bus at the three main palaces nearby. Portugal, like Spain, had been influenced by lots of different peoples including the Muslims, Christians and Arabic peoples. Consequently you see all sorts of architecture. At times you wonder if maybe you are in Saudi Arabia. It makes for some interesting sightseeing.
After the drinks we got on the bus and headed to the first castle. The bus driver did not stop at the first one, I guess because it was closed, although we planned to still look around it so we decided to head on up to the most popular palace which is Pena Palace. This place is quite amazing. Again it looks like it should be in some Arab country not in Portugal. Who would have thought it. We walked all over the Palace and looked inside it as well. Outside the Palace was the park, which interest me as much as the Palace itself. From the Palace you could see a domed roof
Insert Me
This is the scene I was supposed to be in. See previous pic. sticking up in the woods. Also a statue of the architect that designed the palace was looking back on his work. We probably spent an hour at the palace and then headed down. One of the Australian ladies was getting very hungry so we began looking for some food for her. I am not sure how hungry she was, but she seemed to be slowing down. I wished I had a snack on me to give to her but I didn't. Snacks do not last on me long as I end up eating them.
From there we walked down the pathway from the castle and stopped at a snack place. While waiting there I saw a redwood tree that I wanted to show them as they were talking about traveling the US with their husbands and I was telling them how big the trees get in California. This tree was not nearly as big as the ones in California, but it was cool nonetheless. After we ate I took them to the tree and they headed out as I told them I was going to hike in the Park for awhile. I tried to keep going higher and higher
San Francisco?
There are several similarities to San Fran in Lisbon. on the paths as there were several paths going in lots of directions. Finally the path ended at this mass of rocks. I climbed to the top of the rocks and saw the most amazing view back on the castle. I tried lots of photos trying to get that perfect one and did get a few that I think are going to be very good. As I left that spot I met a couple from Fort Worth, Texas and mentioned the Stockyards. They smiled. They seemed exhausted and I told them it was worth the hike as it is beautiful.
I continued on and was looking for the architect dude, but to no avail. I finally headed down to the bus stop. I waited at the bus stop and asked the bus driver if the buses went back down the hill to the Moorish Ruins and he said no. I was thinking this pass wasn't all that great except it did get you to the top of the hill at least close enough to walk to the Palace without much effort. I walked back down to the Moorish Ruins, which were not that far and saw the admission fee
Pieta?
Maybe a replica? and the fact that you had to buy it back at the Pena Palace. I was tempted to try and sneak in, but decided not to. I continued down the path that went past the moorish ruins and followed it all the way to Sintra. The Moorish Ruins castle is off the main road a little ways and to get there you have to hike down a trail. Anyway I took the path all the way down into Sintra. From there I walked to the Palace in Sintra proper and took a few photos and then on to the Train Station.
Man these two women behind me are getting on my nerves. There two women in there early 20's who are saying, like do you like that show, or you like up to date with Grey's Anatomoy. They are like wearing out the word like. I am saying like lets see how long we can go with not saying like. They were talking too about all these remote locations they have traveled too. Shouldn't they be like broke if they are in college. They must like have someone funding their college or something. They are not really pretty either
Nice Color
You can grow some beautiful plants in Lisbon's climate. which should negate like a few of those likes. Maybe I am like getting old although women that like say like all the time have always driven me up a wall.
At the train station I got on the train and talked to some people who had traveled to Fatimah on a religious pilgrimage. I asked them about the story as I couldn't remember details about it, but I have obviously heard of it. I assume the kid was in his late teens who was with the couple who were in their late 50's.
Ok now the women behind me are like talking about this wedding were it cost like 20,000 grand and it was like really windy and like the brides veil was in her face like through the whole wedding. Now do your best to giggle and it will be like you are here in person. I wonder if anyone would care if I like threw them and their vocal cords like off the train. Lucky for the people that do not speak English so they do not like have to hear them. Maybe I should ask them if they like can speak a foreign language
A Boating Community
The water around Lisbon is why the City is there. and if so if they would speak it for like the rest of the trip?
Anyway the older couple and their teen were being wistful American travelers like me and were exhausted, but they were only doing it for about 10 days nowhere near as long as I am. Again that is one reason why I am doing it at a somewhat young age. I gave them my website as they had asked for it as I told them I have pictures from all the coastal states in the US. I got the impression they are Bush fans so I suspect if they read any of the Journal they will not like what they read. I have pretty much exhausted George Bush talk in my journal and do not even think about him much anymore. I suspect I would more if I had more regular access to the news. I did see recently though where 7 more soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq. George Bush the family of those kids would like to know why their sons and daughters died? Have your daughters enlisted yet George to help find those weapons of mass destruction and find
Osama Bin Laden? I didn’t think so. Ok out of my system for awhile again. I just take going to war a pretty serious thing and when the reasons for going to war are not true I get a little upset about that. Most Americans are not directly affected by the war and therefore I do not believe take it as personal and I suspect completely forget we are even at war.
These kids that say like all the time just asked me “like what is a Chauteau”. I am like what in the hell are they doing out of Beverly Hills. I am thinking maybe they should like take the Hilton's place on the show the Simple Life. Should I like know the name of that show? Maybe I am like them?
After getting back to Lisbon, I headed for the internet for a few hours and then went to meet Salete. We discussed where to go and I suggested going to Afalma as I felt like I have not really experienced that yet. I have got to quit using the word like. She said that is not that great of neighborhood and she never goes there
Mr. Eiffel's Creation
Supposedly the Eiffel guy who designed the Eiffel Tower built this mid-street elevator. From the best I can tell this thing is just for tourist. after dark by herself. She said with me, it would be fine, but not by herself. We walked around for awhile and decided on a restaurant that had 3 tables outside and a grill outside on the sidewalk. Also they were having a Fado singer there. They have Fado singers all over Portugal, but Fado here is different from other places as stated by Salete. She is an awesome host and really knows her history. I could not have asked for a better couchsurfing host. She is a really intelligent women and is lots of fun to be around. The couple times I ask for photos she was very gracious and even looked for photo opportunities for me. I can not say enough good about this lady. She has had some sad times in her life recently as her Father had recently passed and she often goes to her moms to visit her who lives nearby. Like I said I can't say enough good things about her. It is amazing how in a matter of a day I was really frustrated with couchsurfing and now I meet a great host. We spent a couple hours there watching the emotional lady
Long Hike to get this pic!
I walked a long ways through the woods to get to this spot so I decided I deserved to be in this Pic. Man that is an impressive Palace. cook the sardines and other fish on the grill. This lady did not care what she looked like or how she did anything just as long as the fish got cooked. She often got smoke in her eyes and would wipe her eyes off with her arm. We listened to the Fado singer and had some wine. Earlier in the night I had a shot of the Ginja Berry drink again. Most of it you drink is made by the locals. I just felt like I needed to drink more of it since this was my last night in Lisbon.
After finishing our meal there, Salete mentioned going to the other side of town, which is where she usually hangs out and it is safer. I told her if it is not too late, as she has to work tomorrow. This is a very nice part of town and you can tell it was safer. There were lots of activities all around. We had a drink there and headed back to her place. I got the cushion out again and we called it a night. I had a great evening one of the best on the trip. I felt
The Palace Designer
Supposedly the guy the built the palace in the preceding picture liked it so much he had this statue built and placed it about a 1/4 mile away facing back at the palace so he can look at his creation for the rest of eternity. Maybe the guy is a little full of himself. like I got to meet the locals a little, who really remind me of the Italians. Full of emotion and kindness. Just making enough money to get by and living life with gusto. My stay in Lisbon was great thanks in large part to the kindness of Salete.
6-21-07
Salete left for work and I stayed at her place for awhile to use her computer. I sent out a couple emails for Barcelona. Things do go much better when I am staying with couchsurfers. It is just less stressful. Around 11:00 I thought I should be moseying on down the road. I went and got on the bus and then at the train station had to wait for about an hour to catch the next train to Faro. I actually needed to get off at Tunes and take a train to Lagos. Then in Lagos I would need to take a bus to Salema, my final destination. Everything went pretty smoothly and around 4 I was in Lagos. Lagos is kind of a resort town. A big harbor and a big beach. I actually never saw the beach there, but I was told it was very nice. A
person on the train asked me if I had lodging and I told her I was going to Salema. She said oh? She seemed surprised. Not sure how to take that. In Rick Steves book he says often the people in Lagos will tell you that Salema is full. He says do not believe them. I hope in his books he is not promoting areas just to promote an area and help their economy for whatever reason. I do not think he does that. I hopped on a bus to Salema and got lucky as my wait was probably only 15 minutes. I often write about the bad times, but the good things go unreported. Such is the world. Everybody wants to hear about another person's dirty laundry.
I talked to some people on the bus that had several interesting piercings and tattoos. They were from the States. They ask me if that was a Rick Steves book. I said yep. She says people will label you for going to Salema, because be tells you to. I told the lady I didn't really care what people say about me going to Salema. Rick has steered me pretty well thus
far.
I asked them if they knew of any lodging and they said no and that they were staying for 65€ a night. Rick in his book says he has gotten rooms for 15€ a night with ocean views, but that was for about 8 people. I told them I was hoping to get a room for 20€. They gave me a look like good luck with that buddy.
As soon as I got off the bus the people behind me said I need to talk to a guy near them as he has lodging. The guy was in his 70’s I assume and wanted to show me a room. He showed me a room with a queen size bed and a kitchen and dining room area. It was very nice and the cost was 35€ not a bad price, but a lot more lodging than I needed. I told him I was looking for something smaller and cheaper. He couldn't really understand what I was saying and I couldn't understand him. The older guy told me to follow him and he took me to another place. The owner of this place came out and spoke to me
Inside the Palace
Isn't this a cool Pic? in reasonably good English and he showed me the room. Again it was nice and the room was pretty big, but he wanted 25€. I told this owner I just fell off the turnip truck, no that I just got in town and was looking for something for 20€. I told him I would give him an answer within an hour. He seemed to say good luck with that. The older guy walked in another direction and I was on my own. I wrote the number 20€ and Quatros (portugese word for room) on a piece of paper. I walked past a lady from the bus and she ask how it was going I told her I have a room for 25€, but was trying to get it down to 20€. I walked around awhile and ran into that same old guy again. I showed him the paper stating 20 euros and he said follow me. He took me to a house where a lady greeted me. She took me to a very small bedroom and ask if this is ok. I said sure I would take it. I needed nothing, but a bed and shower really and this had
that. Their was even an ocean view through this small window. Not sure this is what Rick was talking about with regards to the ocean view, but technically it was an ocean view. Their was a small powerline obstructing the view, but it was the ocean. I was very happy with my accommodations and headed out to do a little hiking before sunset. I walked past the place that had offered the room for 25 euros to tell him I found something else as he said he would hold it for me for 30 minutes which is what I had asked for him to do. He said ok and was very cool about it and did not seem surprised or angry.
I walked up the hill through the town and out onto this small cliff. I do not think there is a lot of hiking here, but where I was kind of a nice easy place to hike. I decided to head down off the cliff and walk along the waters edge. There was nothing too special here, but I did see a lot of seashells. I thought it would be cool to collect a bunch of these and
mail them home to have but I didn't. Once I got down to the Village I hiked past it and saw some interesting rocks with lots of iron in some of them as they were very red. This was kind of a neat area. I hiked back to the City and went back to my room for a second to change shirts and then went to the restaurant called Miramar as this was recommended by the people on the bus as being relatively cheap and good.
Rick said green wine and fish stew are the things you must eat hear so I ordered both. The green wine I heard is just wine made from young grapes. It was pretty good and pretty potent. I ordered a bottle that said it was only 0.375 ml in volume and I could feel it. When I got my soup I occasionally found myself spilling it. The soup was very interesting and reminded me of the cajun gumbo I had gotten in New Orleans.
It is amazing how things change when you go from country to country over here. As I type this I just entered France from Spain and the people
Lots of Neat Flowers in Sintra
Very neat town, but really do not need more than one day to see Sintra. already appear to be a lot different. I would say more pretty with more sophistication. Just an opinion.
The soup was good and they brought it out in a pretty big bowl. It was definitely a meal. Even though the cost of this meal was going to be around 15€ I still felt like I was getting my money’s worth.
As I type this I am on a fast train again. Lots of those remote trains in the middle of nowhere are not so fast. This one is pretty fast as I would estimate our speed to be at least 100 mph. It is hard to really judge the speed as their are no highways to compare it to the cars. Actually I guess we are over 100 mph. We are covering some ground.
The couple at the Salema restaurant sitting behind me ask where I was from and if I am a big fan of Rick Steves. I told him I am a fan and went to his conference, but not sure about the big fan classification. He said they are fans as well and we talked for awhile. He said they were in Germany and
Another View of Palace
I like all the vegetation in the foreground. A pretty tropical area. I asked him in the military and he said yes. He said they are traveling every chance they get. I enjoyed talking to them. They seemed really nice and I think he said they were from New York. I had too much wine in me to remember. He too had the fish stew.
After the meal I walked out to the boardwalk like area to enjoy the moon out over the beach and ocean. I thought this town called Salema was pretty cool, but I didn't need to spend tomorrow here too. I knew I was in for better hiking in the Alps and am not that big of a beach bum to stay here. As I walked back to my room, which actually was right behind the Mirmar Restaurant I marveled at the fishing boats on the beach. Rick said the fisherman and tourist coexist here. I think he is right about that.
6-22-07
I got up around 8 and got my stuff organized and headed for Salema’s bus stop. It was around 9:00 now. At the bus stop I looked at the schedule and to my horror there was a bus at 8:45 and not another
Indians?
I do not get this to be perfectly honest? It seems funny though and I like to laugh. until 12:45. I could not believe it. There were buses left and I right coming out here last night now in the morning nothing. How can that be? I hoped maybe the bus was 20 minutes late. Nothing. I decided to hitch hike. I stood by the sign that said Lagos and pointed to it while holding my other thumb up in the hitchhiking motion. It was neat seeing the reactions on the people's faces. The locals would look at me and shake their hand in a motion that said no and they would offer an explanation as to why they could not pick me up, most often pointing in the opposite direction. It seemed they felt bad for not picking me up. The tourist on the other head, predominantly Americans and I assume manly Rick Steve’s fans, would try to act like they did not see me or just shook their head no, and not bother trying to provide an explanation why they could not pick me up. I did this for about a half hour. One gentleman I estimate to be in his 60's came by on an old tractor with a small cultivator behind it. When he
Downtown Lisbon
I like this town. got to me he dropped the cultivator and motioned for me to get on and he would give me a ride. I laughed and motioned my head no. I suspect he was just having a little fun at my expense. Not sure, but regardless I laughed with him.
After about 45 minutes of this I finally decided to just hang out here, try to find some breakfast and do some typing. I was going to take the time to have a nice English breakfast as they call it in Europe. Something with eggs sounded good to me. I wasn't holding my breath. I found one place, but it was rather expensive and their was no seating inside, which sounded good as it was rather chilly outside and I wanted to sit somewhere and type after eating. I went back to the Mirmar restaurant, but they did not serve breakfast and said they had people coming to clean otherwise I could stay there and type. I finally went back and got some milk and some pastry/cookies that actually were not that great. I walked to the house where I had spent the night and ask the lady there if I
Fado?
These are places where a person comes to sing in style called Fado. It is extremely popular in Lisbon and different areas have different style of Fado. could sit at their kitchen table which she said I could. She was very nice and then when my battery got low, she let me plug in the device. She had to leave for awhile, but said I could stay there. There was a big festival going on in Spain and their were celebrities like Regis and Kelly doing a morning show with lots of music and dancing on the tv. I think it was the same festival going on all over Portugal and Spain as well. Salete said Porto, Portugal was having a big party as well and kind of indicated I should be going there instead of Salema, but made the recommendation very tactfully and not in an overbearing manner like Carmen in Madrid had done. Carmen’s presentation made me not want to go to the places that she recommended and to be quite honest I didn’t go to those places either. I was staying pretty much to my plan.
The time seemed to drag on forever and I went and got a soda as I was feeling like I needed a little caffeine. I kept typing and the lady came back. Around noon the guy living
Jinja Berry Liquor
Lisbon have lots of people that make this Schnapps like Liquor. It is pretty potent though. I drank a couple Jinja shots of this during my stay. there came back as well. I felt like I should get going. I was really impressed by their hospitality and ask if I could take a picture of them so I would remember them, but they said no picture. Their English was not too good and they really couldn't explain theirself very well, but I know they did not want a picture. I guess the pictures might make them feel like I am making fun of them or maybe they just or shy people. I think if someone from Portugal was in the states I would be ok with them taking a picture of me and would not be offended by it. These are pretty simple people living here. I am not sure I can fully understand their position on the pictures. It kind of dampened my good feeling as I felt a little distant from them and had hoped I had maybe gotten to be a friend, but I think I was just a tourist. They were very nice people that is for sure. I gave them the only change I had in my pocket which was a 0.50€. I wish I had a 1€, but I didn't. Anyway
Festival Time
There was a big party in this part of Lisbon recently. this is probably the dorkiest picture taken of me on this entire trip. I hope it makes you laugh. I said Obrigado (thank you in Portugese) many times and headed out.
I got to the bus station and it arrived about 20 minutes late. Anyway I was on my way finally. The trip to Lagos seemed short. Their was filthy mouthed British kids on the bus. These kids I estimate around 12 or 13 years talking like sailors. I mentioned the mouths on these British kids to someone else and they said their parents talk the same way. It disgusted me and it was by far the worst language I have heard on this trip. The only thing close to these kids were the British kids coming back from Cambridge. I am quite certain the British kids have the filthiest mouths in all of Europe, but the trip is not over yet.
I got to Lagos and waited a few minutes. I walked around the marina looking for internet, but could not find any within the 30 minutes I had to wait. I went back to the train station. I was taking this train all the way to Villa Real and then taking a bus onto Sevilla, Spain.
This train was the slowest one I had
Sardines on the Grill?
Yep the Lisbon's like their sardines. At least one folk from Batchtown does as well. been on this entire trip. I did enjoy talking to an Irish Family. They were from Galway, a place I had been to, and they ask if the boil order was on when I was there. I said yes and they said it is still on. She said the folks selling water are gouging people with the bottled water prices. That has to be hurting tourism there she said. The father seemed to be pretty knowledgeable about water and wastewater treatment. He knew about chlorination and fluoridation. He said Galway recently built a knew treatment plant and the growth there has already exceeded the plant capacity. He says they have a well. I know most travelers say they really like Galway. I thought it was expensive, but overall pretty cool. I think maybe it is a little overhyped kind of like Prague. This Irish family goes on a trip every year. Not sure what he does for a living, but he seems like a very common man. We talked about drinking beer quite of bit. The Irish remind me of Bartelso people to me. Drink copious amounts of beer, but at the end of the day really are not too
A Fado Singer
We ate our sardines on the streetside tables while this Fado singer sang inside the restaurant. bad of people. I suspect they play hard like Bartleso as well, which makes some people mad, but I think it is more about being really competitive than anything else. There were lots of make shift wastewater treatment plants along the train tracks in this region of Portugal. They all seemed pretty poor to me. It seemed the good but more expensive technology of activated sludge treatment plants were not being used. Most of the plants were simply lagoons and smelled bad. I ask the Irishman about all the Galway canals for water power to run the mills in the past and he said they are talking about utilizing them again mainly for tourism, which seemed funny to me.
Wow I am just entering the French Alps I can feel the adrenaline rush starting to build. I have two couchsuring prospects assuming I had not made them mad as I am arriving 2 days earlier. That will help in cost as well as enjoyment. I hear Switzerland is very expensive.
I finally made it to Villa Real and there was not much English there. The bus guy told me there was no bus today to Sevilla. Next one
My Favorite Picture
I loved watching these folks cook. The lady was really an emotional lady and was getting smoke in her eyes often. This was the exact experience I desired. tomorrow morning. It looked like I was staying in Villa Real this night. There was not a lot of tourism going on in this town. I checked a couple Quatros. The first one said 20 euros. I went to another one as recommended by the tourist office and they wanted 25€. As I walked out the door they said 20 €. I decided no they should have said that first as that is the first price I got at the other place. I wrote on a paper 15€ and they said no so I went back to the other place. Their was a queen size bed and a twin bed in this room. Pretty good setup for 20 euros. Even had my own shower and toilet. Very nice.
I walked around for awhile and found myself in an area that didn't look that great, but there were lots of people around including young kids so I wasn't afraid but then again was not too comfortable either. I decided to leave. I went in a different direction and wanted to head to the beach, but after walking for several minutes determined it was too far. I headed back into town
The Cook and I
I really liked this lady. trying to pick up wifi with my phone, but no luck. I stopped in a bar and had a few beers. There was one guy in there my age that spoke good English and I hung out there for awhile. We talked about a lot and I really enjoyed my conversation with him and I think he enjoyed talking to me as well. I wanted Sardines, but they were not fixing them that night so I got chicken, which was pretty good.
After spending about 1.5 hours there I went into town and sat at a table waiting for the band to perform. There was a celebration there that night. I sat there and had a soda and popcorn probably an hour before the band came out around 10:00. There were people of all ages there. I enjoyed watching some grandparents taking care of a couple of young kids. I think they were ready to give those kids back to the parents though.
The band consisted of 4 black female vocalist with several other instrumental members. They were ok and the crowd really never got into it even though the band tried to encourage them. It seemed like
Salema, Portugal
This is in the very southern part of Portugal. a small town fair type event. I listened to a couple songs and had enough. I walked back to my room around 11:00 and called it a night. I really hoped to be in Sevil tonight, but Villa Real was interesting as well. The biggest problem was however this meant I would not be able to spend Saturday in Barcelona at the big party. Missing that Festival disappointed me a little.
Good night from Villa Real, Portugal just a few miles from Spain.
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Frances
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Love reading this Dave. Brings it home to me. Boat parade tonight. Putting lights up on both masts.....white lights to outline as if a sail was up. Icicle lights on the lifelines. Pretty. Wish you were here......